Drew Danielo rode a string of skate-inspired tricks to his sixth world title at last September’s World Wake Surfing Championship. In this wakesurf how to, we asked the world’s best wakesurfer to share his secrets to huge 360 shoves so you can inject some skate style into this season’s surf sessions.
Build the Right Wave You want a wave with a nice transition — not too steep but not really mellow either — and a nice lip to pop you in the air. In my Centurion Enzo SV 233, I fill up both the pro ballast setup and Quick-Fill ballast on the port side, then I add a ballast bag in the rear port locker. Depending how many people are in the boat, I also add another 300 to 400 pounds on the port-side seat.
Learn This First Before you try 3 shoves, get 180 shoves solid and dial in airs. Then combine them so you get used to popping off the wake and spinning the board at the same time. If you’re popping 180 shoves high enough, the 3 shove isn’t much harder. After all, it’s just an extra 180.
Get It Right A proper 3 shove involves three key ingredients. First, pop it nice and high. Spinning on the surface is good for learning, but it doesn’t look cool. Second, make sure to get a solid shove so the board makes a full 360 in the air. You don’t want to land 270 and have to pull it around on the water. Third, catch the board in the air, and the higher you catch it, the better.
Go Big Speed is the biggest key to huge 3 shoves. The faster you ride, the more pop you can generate off the lip. Learning frontside airs first will help you boost your 3 shoves later.
Practice Until It’s Perfect The path to perfect 3 shoves has no shortcuts. When I learned them, I made myself do about five in a row every session. Now, they’re second nature, but if I’m having an off day, I’ll resort back to repetition and do an entire pass of 3 shoves.
Take It Step by Step Carry plenty of speed into the trick and pop nice and hard off the lip. As you pop, pull and spin the board with your back foot. Keep your eye on the board as it rotates so when it comes around you can catch it in the air. Land in the sweet spot of the wave and set up for your next trick.
