Surfing
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Surfing is a technique which can be divided into two different types, damage surfing and surface surfing. Damage surfing is using the knockback from damage or explosions to propel yourself in a direction, while surface surfing is the act of hitting a sloped surface at a certain angle in order to slide on it (such as stairs or a roof).
Damage surfing
Damage surfing can be used for escaping enemies or getting closer to them. Most damage in Team Fortress 2 does knockback, the higher the damage the higher the knockback (including damage from Critical hits). Some sources will deal knockback without dealing damage (such as the Shortstop's shove or the compression blast), but using those to your advantage is not referred to as damage surfing. When being shot at while trying to escape, players can use the damage (and the accompanying knockback) to escape even faster by constantly jumping. This is different from bunny hopping in the way that it uses the knockback to be pushed even further away from the enemies. Damage surfing can also be used in the opposite way, often with exploding weapons. The explosions from the Rocket Launcher or the Stickybomb Launcher can be used to get closer to an enemy, where it can be dangerous for the Soldier to use rockets or the delay between setting and detonating a stickybomb can cause trouble for the Demoman. Advanced Spies may even use the Dead Ringer's extra speed in order to get a dropstab.
Surface surfing
Surface surfing can be a useful technique for explosive jumping or trimping during a Demoman charge. Stairs or ramps can both be used for this, given that the stairs have clipping applied to them (turning them from steps into a ramp). An example of a commonly used surfing spot are the stairs on Hightower, hitting them at a certain angle can allow the player to slide up to the top where another rocket can be shot to gain a lot of height. This kind of surfing can also be used to gain height or travel further without having to use another explosive, such as during competitive rollouts. Trimping usually involves hitting a ramp at an angle with a charge and gaining a lot of air time, then strafing to the intended destination. Due to the increased charge control, the Tide Turner excels at trimping compared to the other shields. More advanced Demoman players can use trimping to reach areas normally not accessible without an explosive jump, like using the bridge roof on 2Fort to reach the enemy team's battlements.
See also
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