360 or spinner

With the advent of professional bodyboarding, the phrase "spin to win" has become the battle cry of competitors everywhere. The humble 360 was one of the first maneuvers ever done on a bodyboard, and it has evolved from simply a flashy trick to a high performance functional move being performed on virtually every part of the wave.

In this section, I'll go over the basics of the maneuver and touch on some of the variations. It's up to you to take it as far as possible.

To begin with, there are two different methods of doing a spin- "hand drag" (the easier, less-advanced method) and "no-handed" or "unaided". First I'll go over the "hand drag".

The easiest place to do a hand drag spin is either as you are dropping in to a wave or when you are out on the face of a wave that isn't too steep. It can be broken down into four simple steps:

1. Slide forward on your board far enough up so that your eyes are even with the nose of the board.
2. Lift up your legs as close as possible to your butt (this will help you spin tighter)
3. If you want to spin counterclockwise, put your right hand on the top corner of your board and your left hand in the water to act as a "water brake" for the left side of your board. (Use your right hand to spin clockwise)
4. Arch your back and lean your body in the direction of the spin in order to keep your leading edge from burying into the water.

The above steps should all be done simultaneously, so as you're sliding forward, you want to lift your legs and put your arm in the water all at once. This will cause your board to "fish tail". Hang on to your position until you've come all the way around. Then, just drop your legs back down into the water. Voila!

NO-HANDED SPIN.... Pioneered by Kavan Okamura, the no-handed spin looks much smoother and allows the rider to spin in critical parts of the wave without taking your hands off the board. A medium steep wave is ideal for this move, but you can do it anywhere almost any time. Here's the steps:

1. As you're cruising across the wave or dropping in, initiate a slight turn in the direction you want to spin. If you're on the open face of the wave, you may want to make sure you're toward the bottom of the wave when you do the turn. The reason for this is that if you initiate a turn near the top of the wave, your spinning motion may slow you so much that the wave will pass under you.
2. Right after you start your small turn, slide forward on the board.
3. Lift up your legs and cross them behind you (this will bring them even tighter for a quicker spin).
4. Arch your back and throw your head and shoulders in the direction of the spin.
5. Keep your body in this position remembering to look in the direction of the spin, and reengage your legs once you've completed the spin.

Just like the hand drag spin, these steps should be done all in one motion. Practice makes perfect. Once you get the basic no-handed spin wired, you'll be able to experiment dong them off the lip, in reverse (turning down the wave when you spin instead of up), in the air, and even in the tube. So, get out there and start whipping it!!!!!

REVERSE SPINS.... First of all, you need the right type of wave. One with a nice peeling shoulder on it. Second, like with any maneuver, you need speed!!! So, with your body in full speed position, race toward the shoulder of the wave. When you get there, make a small turn to the top of the wave. It shouldn't be too steep at this point. When you get to the top of the wave, all in one motion slide up on your board, turn hard down the face of the wave, and pick up your feet. Now, about a quarter of the way through the turn, throw your head and shoulders back toward the tube in the direction of the spin. Your tail should release and just hold your body position until you complete the spin, then re-engage your feet into the water. The keys are the speed, and the turn to the top and hard turn back down the face timed with the movement of your body.