Josh Kerr says he’s always dabbled with different boards but around six years ago he became infatuated with twin fins. He estimates he’s been surfing twinnies “full time” for three years now. And in that time it’s fair to say Kerr has become the most visible face in leading the progression of twin-fin surfing.
“As soon as I kinda got off tour, I started really heavily diving into it,” he says. “(Because) I knew it kinda fit my way of surfing.”
Meanwhile, twin fins have been undoubtedly growing in popularity among everyday surfers as well, with more surfers mirroring Kerr’s venture into exploring different equipment. And along with that, Kerr is becoming a valuable gatherer of knowledge in mechanics and technique. Here, he pairs up with Kale Brock, producer of the popular and very informative instructional YouTube page. Brock has a way of breaking down and articulating surfing’s mechanics that is very easy for the everyday surfer to digest. And Kerr has a well of techniques that could make anybody a better surfer. Together, they’re a solid online coaching team.
“The traditional thruster is really developed to give you a lot of control. A little bit of extra resistance, giving you that control, more than anything, in the pocket,” Kerr says, forcing you, “to only surf in that part of the wave.”
With the twin, however, Kerr notices how much the board pushed him away from that pocket and offered a whole new canvas.
“Surfing on twin fins where you have to dial back intensity and focus more on feeling the board and the wave beneath your feet, it makes sense that this would translate back to your thruster surfing as well,” Kale Brock adds.
The above video is incredibly useful if you’re keen on refining your twin-fin game, especially if you’ve spent years getting used to a thruster. How do back leg extensions through turns vary on each board? Where are the different pivot points on a wave when turning off the top? How should arm positioning change through turns on one shape versus the other?
