Stalefish backside 360 w/ Josh Twelker

photography: Rodrigo Donoso

1. Edging in

For this trick I like to take a progressive approach. I like to be crouched with my knees bent. The hardest edge should be off the top of the wake. Making sure to hold an edge all the way through the wake is very important when going on a slightly tilted axis like this.

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2. Popping off the wake

When popping off the wake for this I push my hips and legs tall for the release. Pushing evenly with both legs I try to force my hips upward while keeping the handle close to my front hip. I keep my chest slightly leaned forward, which sets my axis and makes the grab easier to reach.

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3. Beginning the backside rotation and getting the grab

To get the stalefish grab, I shift my hips the opposite direction and bring my front knee into my chest. This makes it easy for the grab to pop into my hand and then I can focus on poking my back leg. After locking into the grab I rock my chest and hips forward into the direction of the boat. As I’m starting to get the grab I am pulling wide with the handle, starting my backside rotation. If the axis of the spin is set correctly off the wake, the backside rotation will happen naturally.

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4. Passing the handle and completing the rotation

I get the handle pass by pulling the handle to my back hip from the wide position it is in. After getting the handle I start to look over my shoulder to complete the last 180. I try to keep my knees close to my body after passing the handle. The last 180 comes easy by just shifting my hips across the handle.

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5. Landing

The landing for this trick is easy to spot – just after getting the handle pass. I try to get my eyes on my lading as soon as I can, and I keep the handle in close to my body as I’m coming down evenly on both feet. Then of course you want to stomp the landing and ride away.

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