A side slide is a controlled sideways drift on flat water. While riding, turn the board 90 degrees so it's perpendicular to your direction of travel and slide across the surface. It looks simple, but it teaches two things you'll use forever: finding the balance point between your heel and toe edge, and keeping the handle locked at your hip through a rotation. Every surface spin and every box trick is built on this.
Start it by gently pressing through the balls of your feet as you rotate your hips. The board pivots, and the water does the rest. Don't force it. Side slides that come from the upper body will always wash out.
Drill it in both regular and switch stances once you can ride full rounds cleanly.
Learn more here:
Video by Shaun Murray
Key tips
- Initiate with your hips, not your upper body
- Keep the handle close to your center
- Flex your knees to stay balanced during the slide
- Practice both heelside and toeside slide positions