Nathan Florence Breaks Down How To Cop A Chopes Beating

Remember when magazines ran ‘trick tips?’ Whether skate or surf, they were always of dubious value.

Approach lip, turn shoulders, do air, spin. Spot section, bend knees, land.

Oh, wow. Super useful. Now I can do full rotation airs!

To be fair, print had its limits. Everything had to be kept nice and tight and a well explained twenty minute explanation of anything usually runs into the thousands of words. No matter how hard you edit it down.

This fascinating twenty minute story-time lesson from Nathan Florence is one of those things that is only really possible due to the low cost and ubiquitousness of modern camera equipment. Mr. Florence walks you through all the best parts of a Teahupo’o beating. From the proper way to take the drop, to what he did wrong. How to handle the beating, how to keep yourself as safe as possible. The consequences you face when things go tits up. His mental state and the injuries you’ll experience. His fear and anxiety and the taste of panic.

It’s a great watch if you dream of charging throating tubes. It’s a great watch if you’re aware you’ll never, ever, willingly put yourself in that situation.

And it’s pretty impressive that he manages to deliver the entire thing in a single, twenty-minute take. That’s not easy to do.