Learn to Surf – How to Kick Out

The kick is an important surf maneuver to add to your surf toolbox. The kick out is done to escape a wave that is closing in front of you or to avoid a collision with another surfer. Sometimes the decision to kick out comes in a fraction of a second, it is necessary to perform this maneuver quickly and forcefully.

In the spring of 2010, I was surfing in a quiet spot in Costa Rica. Yes, there are still quiet breaks in Costa Rica. There were only four other surfers in the water. They were all locals and pretty much ignored me. This was fine for me as there were plenty of waves and plenty of room for the five of us.

About an hour into the session, I was riding a wave and in a great position when one of the other surfers caught the wave and hadn’t seen me. As he started to sink into the wave, he saw me out of the corner of his eye. I quickly kicked out and avoided hitting him or his surfboard. I lost a good trip, but during the rest of the day I gained 4 new friends.

Here’s a lesson on how to kick out.

Start by forcefully pushing down on the tail of the surfboard with your back foot. This causes the tail of the surfboard to sink into the water. When the tail sinks, it stops the surfboard.

At the same time that you force the tail down, turn your body in the direction you want to turn. This will help the surfboard turn quickly.

If the two parts of the maneuver are done together and with enough force, the kick out you will succeed, and you will rise above the wave avoiding the close or another surfer.