Kai Lenny Goes Switch (Mid Wave) at Bombing Pipeline

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” Kai said. “I’ve always wanted to get a second reef roll-in regular foot, hop to switch then get barreled. I thought about doing it normally and grabbing rail, but then I thought, ‘I’m only catching one wave right now. I just waited an hour. It’s pretty crowded, I’m not paddling back out so I may as well send it switch.

“For me, it felt way more comfortable facing the wave than being backside. Backside is epic because you can grab rail and there’s stability through the foam. But frontside, you’re facing the wall and feels more personable. I was once towing Teahupo’o, and in the first half of the morning, I went goofy. I realized that frontside Teahupo’o is like surfing a different wave because you see so much more. And it was like that at Pipeline. For the brief moment I was in the tube I was doing little corrections, it felt like I was totally going to make it until I hit the sandbar closeout. It got the wheels spinning, for sure.”

As with all aspects of Kai’s surfing, he’s been diligent in his preparation. This was not a one-off switch stance send— he estimates that roughly half his sessions have been flipped in 2024. Why? It’s all about (natural) self-improvement. 

“You’re working a different part of your brain while in the opposite stance,” Kai said. “It’s a real exercise to have your body mechanics do the same technique, but mirrored. When you go back to the normal stance, your technique gets even more refined because your brain just had to work really hard to process it, and now it’s in a natural neural pathway. That’s the benefit of going switch. Even if you don’t go gnarly with it, it will make your normal surfing better.”

It’s worth noting that Kai learned how to surf, kite and windsurf goofyfoot. He had to learn how to pop up with his left foot forward around age 7. But he adamantly believes that anybody, regardless of experience or skill, can benefit from switching stances on a surfboard. 

“Making a good cutback switch almost feels better than landing a sick blowtail regular,” he said. “It’s foreign, it’s such a new experience. It makes surfing just even more fun for me.”

Here’s Kai’s advice on surfing switch and getting properly tubed: “Whenever you’re learning how to go switch, there’s a tendency to hinge (your hips) more. So I try to remember to keep my chest up. And tucking the knee gives you so much stability on the board. When you hit the shock wave the board stays locked under your feet. With barrels, I’ve always thought if you can see both hands in your vision, that’s good. It means you’re in the perfect barrel stance. Your shoulders are square to the tube. It forces a lower center of gravity. And I always look right where the lip is pitching over, the curvature part. Not out of the barrel, not the shockwave or the wall, right at the curve at the top of the barrel. Every time I look there, I happen to find the perfect line.”