The air is the highest-scoring manoeuvre in surfing. How to approach your first aerials: find the ramp, get speed, launch and land — plus the training.
## Introduction Straight talk: the air — where you launch off the lip with the board and land in the flats — is the highest-scoring manoeuvre in modern competitive surfing. If you want to play in that league, there is no way around it. But it is also the riskiest move in the sport, and you do not attempt it before your base is uncompromisingly solid.
The numbers are clear: aerials are scored on average 7.40, tubes 6.82, low-risk turns only 5.08 — the air is the points premier class. But the success rate is brutally honest: only around 45 % of attempted aerials are landed, 55 % in finals. And the price: aerialists carry the highest risk in surfing at 0.48 injuries per year.
Meaning for you: maximum reward, maximum risk. Welcome to the freestyle of shortboard surfing. Play Hard.
## What You Need - An uncompromisingly solid base — takeoff, bottom turn, top turn and above all lots of speed must be automatic. - The right section: a steep, snapping lip as a "ramp" — small to medium waves with push. - Explosive jump power and core control — the air is a precise jump with rotation. - Mobile, strong ankles — they absorb the entire landing load. - A lot of frustration tolerance — even pros land fewer than half.
### 1. The base must be solid No air without a foundation: you need a powerful bottom turn, clean top turns and above all speed — without high pace you never launch. If your turns rank below "solid", you do not belong in the air yet. Build the fundamentals uncompromisingly first; the air is the cherry, not the cake.
### 2. Read the ramp An aerial needs a snapping section — a lip that steepens sharply and catapults you up and forward. Learn to spot these ramps as they roll in: small, powerful, slightly closing waves are ideal. You read the wave so you arrive at that ramp with maximum speed.
### 3. Approach and launch Ride a full-speed bottom turn toward the ramp, drop deep into compression and release it explosively up and forward as the lip fires you off. The launch is a precise extension from legs and ankles — your rate of force development, that is how fast you produce force, decides your launch height.
### 4. In the air: keep the board on your feet The key in the air: the board must stay on your feet. Pull your knees up, keep pressure on the deck through the front foot and fix your eyes on the landing zone. Advanced surfers "grab" (hold the rail) to control board and body as one unit. The body rotates compact, not stretched out.
### 5. The landing — everything counts here The landing decides both score and health. Land over the centre of the board, knees bent, eyes forward, and absorb the impact like a shock absorber from ankles and knees. This is exactly where your sensorimotor training pays off — targeted balance and landing training demonstrably improves jump power and ankle control.
## Common Mistakes - Attempting an air without a base. No speed and turns, no air, only falls. Fix: firm up the fundamentals uncompromisingly first. - Too little speed. No speed, no launch height. Fix: maximise approach speed via bottom turn and pumping. - Board loses foot contact. Board and body separate in the air. Fix: pull the knees up, keep pressure, grab if needed. - Landing stiff. Straight legs on landing overload knees and ankles. Fix: land deep and cushioned over the board’s centre.
## Safety Notes Be honest with yourself: aerials carry the highest injury risk in surfing — aerialists get injured most often at around 0.48 times per year, mainly ankles and knees on landing. So build ankle stability first: ankle awareness and leg strength hang directly on surfing experience and targeted training.
Practise aerials only in small to medium waves over deep water, never over shallow reef. And accept the statistics: if even the best surfers land only every second air, hundreds of failed attempts are the norm — protect head and joints on every fall and only take the risk when rested.
## Pro Tip Train the air on land before you chase it in the water: a targeted sensorimotor and jump programme over a few weeks measurably raises your ankle mobility and jump power (dorsiflexion around +2 cm, jump height nearly +3 cm) and reduces asymmetries. Exactly these qualities — explosive launch and stable landing — are the limiting factor. Land safely on the ground and you land more safely on the water.
### When should I start practising aerials? Only once your base is uncompromisingly solid: powerful bottom turn, clean top turns and above all lots of speed. Without high pace you never launch cleanly, and without turn control in the air you only fall. Aerials are the highest-scoring but also riskiest manoeuvre — the freestyle after the compulsories, not the entry point.
### Why do I never land my aerials? Because that is normal: even on the world tour only around 45 % of aerials are landed, 55 % in finals. The most common causes are too little approach speed, a board that loses foot contact in the air, and a stiff landing. Work on speed, on pulling the knees up, and on a deep, cushioned landing over the board’s centre.
### Which wave suits a first air? A small to medium wave with a steep, snapping section that acts as a ramp and catapults you up and forward — ideally slightly closing beach-break waves over deep water. Big or hollow waves and shallow reef are off-limits for learning; the injury risk is the highest in the sport anyway.
### How do I train aerials off the water? With sensorimotor and jump training: balance, landing-technique and explosive-strength exercises for legs and ankles. A multi-week programme demonstrably improves dorsiflexion, jump power and symmetry, and ankle control hangs directly on leg strength and experience. This is not an add-on but the basic requirement for safe launches and landings.
Shortboard: Are You Ready to Switch Down?