How to Do a Cutback: Step-by-Step Surfing Guide for Beginners

Lauren   August 20th, 2026   Posted In: How-To   Tags: Surfing

You’ve made it out back, caught a clean wave, and you’re cruising down the line feeling pretty good about yourself. Then the wave ahead starts to flatten out. The energy disappears, the shoulder softens, and suddenly you’re running out of wave. Uh oh!

You could kick out and wait for another one. Or, you could turn back toward the curl and reconnect with the wave’s power. That’s the cutback.

A cutback is a carving turn that redirects your surfboard from the open shoulder back toward the curl or whitewater, allowing you to reconnect with the steepest, most powerful part of the wave. Learning how to do a cutback in surfing is a major milestone, but it’s considered an intermediate maneuver, so you’ll want to be comfortable riding down the line, performing a solid bottom turn, and controlling your board before adding this one to your toolkit.

Key Takeaways

• A cutback redirects your board from the shoulder back toward the wave’s power source.
• The move starts with speed and a controlled, shallow bottom turn—not a sudden pivot.
• Head and shoulder rotation are just as important as your feet when learning the maneuver.
• A cutback works best when the wave starts flattening out ahead of you.
• The standard cutback should come before attempting a more advanced roundhouse cutback.
• The right board, good balance, and a flexible wetsuit can all make learning the movement easier.

What Is a Cutback and When Do You Use It?

A cutback solves a pretty specific surfing problem: you’re moving faster than the wave is breaking. If you keep racing down the line while the wave loses its shape, you’ll eventually outrun the pocket and lose the section altogether.

Instead, the cutback lets you carve back toward the breaking part of the wave. By redirecting your board toward the curl, you reconnect with the wave’s energy and create another section to surf.

That’s the real beauty of the maneuver. You’re not simply turning around because the wave looks slow – you’re using the shape of the wave to keep the ride going.

Reading the wave is essential here. If the face ahead is flattening or backing off, that’s your cue. If you’re already on a steep, fast wall with plenty of power directly in front of you, a cutback may actually waste speed. The same goes for a barrel section, where maintaining your line and speed is usually much more important.

If you’re still learning to recognize those different sections, check out our guide on How to Read Waves for Surfing before working on your cutback!

Before You Try It: Cutback Prerequisites

A cutback is much easier to learn once a few other surfing skills are already second nature.

You should be comfortable riding down the line in both directions and have a reliable bottom turn. A cutback generally starts with a shallow, controlled bottom turn that sets up your angle toward the upper part of the wave. If your bottom turn is unstable, the cutback will usually feel rushed or disconnected.

You’ll also need a good understanding of rail engagement and weight distribution. A cutback isn’t a spin performed from the tail. You’re using the board’s rail to create a smooth arc through the wave.

Board choice matters, too. Very wide, high-volume boards can be more difficult to put on rail, while a responsive mid-length or shortboard with some rocker can make the mechanics easier to feel.

And don’t forget what you’re wearing. A surfing wetsuit that’s excessively stiff or restrictive through the shoulders can make the rotation required for a cutback more difficult. A properly fitted, flexible suit gives you much more freedom to move naturally. Not sure how a wetsuit should fit you? We’ve got you covered!

* For a broader skill check, our Surfing Skill Levels Explained and Surfing Tips for Beginners guides can help you figure out where this maneuver fits into your progression!

How to Do a Cutback: Step-by-Step & Surfing Cutback Tips

Ready to give it a shot? Here’s how to do a cutback without turning the whole thing into a frantic tail slide.

1. Build Speed Down the Line

Before you turn, make sure you actually have speed to work with.

Pump the board a couple of times and build momentum down the line. If you’re already slowing down by the time you start your turn, you’ve probably waited too long.

A good cutback uses speed to carry the board through the arc. Think of it as redirecting existing momentum, not trying to create speed halfway through the turn.

2. Read the Wave and Choose Your Cutback Point

Look ahead and identify where the wave begins to flatten or lose energy. That’s where you want to redirect.

Your ideal initiation point is generally around the upper third of the wave face rather than all the way at the bottom. As a visual reference, think roughly about the 10 o’clock position on the wave face when setting up a frontside cutback – diagonal and heading upward, rather than straight across or vertically.

The exact position will change with the wave shape, so don’t get too hung up on the clock analogy. The important part is starting your turn while you still have enough face and speed to complete the arc.

3. Set Up With a Shallow Bottom Turn

From your down-the-line position, make a controlled bottom turn back toward the upper section of the wave.

This isn’t the time for a huge, aggressive bottom turn. You’re setting your angle for the cutback, not launching into a vertical maneuver.

Stay low with your knees bent and keep your body centered over the board. Good balance on a surfboard makes the next part much easier.

4. Compress and Engage the Rail

As you reach the upper part of the wave, compress your body and start putting the board on rail.

For a frontside cutback, this means shifting into your heels while lowering your center of gravity and applying pressure through the engaged rail. The board should begin to arc rather than simply pivot.

This is the moment when the maneuver really starts to feel like a turn instead of a direction change.

5. Rotate Your Head, Shoulders and Hips

This might be the most important part of the entire maneuver: look where you want to go.

Turn your head toward the curl first. Your shoulders follow your head, your hips follow your shoulders, and the board follows the movement of your body.

As you rotate, your trailing arm will naturally drop toward the wave face while your front arm points toward the whitewater you’re trying to reconnect with.

Don’t stare down the line. If your head keeps looking in the direction you were originally traveling, your body, and eventually your board, will struggle to complete the turn.

6. Complete the Arc and Reconnect With the Wave

Let the board finish its arc rather than forcing the turn to end early.

As you approach the whitewater or curl, stay compressed and let the board reconnect with the breaking section. Once you’ve found the power again, you can redirect back down the line and set up your next maneuver.

The smoother the arc, the better! A cutback isn’t meant to look like you slammed on the brakes and spun around. The goal is a controlled, flowing change of direction that keeps the board moving with the wave.

Frontside vs. Backside Cutback: What Changes?

The basic mechanics of a frontside and backside cutback are very similar, but your body position changes depending on which way you’re facing.

Frontside cutback: You’re facing the wave, which means you can naturally see the section you’re turning toward. The movement generally involves rotating over your heels, and many surfers find this easier to understand when first learning the maneuver.

Backside cutback: Your back is toward the wave, so you have to rotate and look over your shoulder toward the curl. The movement involves more deliberate upper-body rotation and can feel awkward at first.

The biggest backside tip? Lead with your head. Really commit to looking back toward the breaking section. If your head and shoulders don’t rotate enough, the board won’t have much reason to follow.

Once the movement clicks, backside cutbacks can be just as powerful, and very stylish.

The Roundhouse Cutback

Once you’ve mastered the standard cutback with good speed and control, the next natural progression is the roundhouse cutback. Sounds pretty fun, right?

A roundhouse is essentially a larger, more committed cutback that carries you through a much deeper arc before reconnecting with the whitewater and redirecting you back down the line. At its best, it draws something close to a figure-eight shape across the wave face.

The difference isn’t simply turning harder. You need enough speed and rail engagement to carry the board through the second half of the maneuver and absorb the contact with the whitewater without coming to a complete stop.

Timing the rebound is usually the hardest part. Hit the whitewater too early and you can stall. Hit it too late and you’ve lost the section you’re trying to reconnect with.

Master the standard cutback first, and let the roundhouse come when your timing and rail control are ready.

For an even more advanced progression, How to Get Barreled is a natural next step once you’re comfortable reading and reconnecting with different sections of the wave.

Common Cutback Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Even surfers who have been in the water for years can have an occasional cutback that looks more like an emergency U-turn. Here are some of the most common problems.

Initiating Too Late

What it looks like: You wait until you’re already on the flat section, then try to turn back with very little speed.

The fix: Read the wave sooner. Start your shallow bottom turn while the face still has enough shape and energy to support the maneuver.

Using Too Much Back Foot

What it looks like: The board pivots sharply instead of carving a smooth arc.

The fix: Avoid dumping all your weight onto the tail. Keep your weight distributed through the turn and use rail pressure to create the arc.

Not Rotating Your Head and Shoulders

What it looks like: Your board starts turning but stalls halfway through.

The fix: Exaggerate your head rotation when practicing. Look all the way toward the curl before your shoulders and hips follow.

Cutting Back on a Good Wall

What it looks like: You turn away from a steep, powerful section that was already giving you plenty of speed.

The fix: Don’t cut back just because you know the maneuver. Use it when the wave is actually backing off and you need to reconnect with the power.

Rushing the Finish

What it looks like: You abruptly straighten the board before completing the arc.

The fix: Stay compressed and hold the rail through the turn. Let the board finish its path before redirecting down the line.

Keep Practicing: The Cutback Is All About Timing

Learning how to do a cutback in surfing takes more than memorizing the steps. The real skill comes from learning to recognize when the wave wants you to turn, building enough speed to carry the maneuver, and letting your body rotation guide the board through the arc.

Start on smaller, clean waves where you have room to experiment without feeling rushed. Focus on one piece at a time: speed, angle, rail engagement, or rotation. Rather than trying to make the entire maneuver perfect immediately.

And don’t get discouraged if your first few attempts look less like a smooth carve and more like a very determined change of direction. That’s part of the process. Keep practicing, stay patient, and eventually you’ll start feeling that beautiful moment when the board reconnects with the pocket and the wave gives you another section to surf.

That’s when it starts getting really fun!

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Do a Cutback

What is a cutback in surfing?

A cutback is a carving maneuver that redirects a surfer and board from the open shoulder back toward the curl or breaking part of the wave. Surfers use it when the wave ahead begins to flatten or lose energy so they can reconnect with the wave’s power.

Is a cutback hard to learn?

A cutback is generally considered an intermediate surfing maneuver. It’s much easier to learn once you can confidently ride down the line, perform a controlled bottom turn, maintain your balance, and engage the board’s rail. The timing and body rotation can take practice.

What is the difference between a cutback and a roundhouse cutback?

A standard cutback redirects the board back toward the breaking section, while a roundhouse cutback carries the surfer through a larger, more committed arc and typically reconnects directly with the whitewater before redirecting down the line. A roundhouse requires more speed, rail control, and precise timing.

What surfboard is best for cutbacks?

A responsive shortboard or mid-length is generally easier to use for cutbacks than a very wide, high-volume board. A board with appropriate rocker and rails that can engage the wave face will allow you to carve a smoother arc. That said, surfers can perform cutbacks on many different board shapes once they understand how to manage their weight and rail pressure.

How do you do a backside cutback?

A backside cutback follows the same basic sequence as a frontside cutback: build speed, choose your section, set your angle, engage the rail, and rotate through the turn. The main difference is body position – you have your back toward the wave, so you need to deliberately rotate your head and shoulders to look back toward the curl. Leading with your head is especially important for getting the board to follow.