Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the rider lays on their stomach on a small, foam board in the water. One hand is place on the upper right hand corner of the board and the other is placed on the left hand side of the board, on the rail about halfway down. This is when the rider is catching the …show more content…
A large part of the advancement of manoeuvres in these sports is driven by competition, as athletes push harder and harder to maintain high ranking spots in the competition. The advancement of manoeuvres are also driven by online videos posted by bodyboarders and surfers, on sites such as YouTube™ and Vimeo™ (13). Videos with more complex manoeuvres get more views and popularity and therefore more revenue due to adverts. Naturally this compels other athletes to ‘one-up’ whoever posted the video by going for larger and crazier manoeuvres. This advancement of manoeuvres is also effected by the way in which the competition is scored. The focus of these competitions share some similarities and some differences in the way in which they are competed from an athlete's perspective as well as the way in which they are scored from behind the judging …show more content…
Due to the rider being upright on their board, the ability to correctly positon oneself and effectively handle the constantly changing conditions of the board, becomes more complex and therefore requires more skill (16). This skill is really demonstrated when the surfer performs the manoeuvre, the ‘Cutback’. This manoeuvre is when the rider turns back towards the crumbling face of the wave and away again in a rapid motion. Another manoeuvre that demonstrates this skill is when performing something called a ‘floater’. This is where the surfing rides along the top of the wave, along the lip, for a brief period before dropping back onto the face. Another crucial component of the board is the fins on the back and the long length of the board. These features allow for the board to precisely manoeuvre through varying sections of the wave, and allow the rider to deliver a great amount of drive through his feet onto the board. Surfers use these different positioning moments and limited manoeuvres to correctly time when they should be on what section of the wave. Usually, if possible, surfers will aim to get as deep in the barrel (the place in which the lip throws over the rest of the wave) as possible as this is both acknowledged well by judges and viewers alike. A wave caught by a surfer that is well received by judges wave is one in which the surfer demonstrates all of these things, in a