The Journey Towards Having More FUN Surfing
Surfing means different things to different people, but should always remain at its core
Fun
Lack of progression and fatigue leads to frustration which then leads to an unpleasant lineup. Nobody wants that. The first step in thwarting this downward spiral is to improve your entire surfing experience, from the pre-surf ritual, paddling out, deciding on a spot to surf, making adjustments, choosing the wave for you, riding with flow, kicking out, sharing with others, and finally exiting the water to talk story with others afterwards. At its root, to have more fun means to improve. It doesn't matter where you start in this journey of progression, from novice to pro, you can always improve and enjoy the experience of surfing just a little ... bit ... more.
Surfing Paddling Academy Surf Trip Indonesia 2019
“I caught the best wave of my life and I have no doubt it was because of your paddling coaching.” – Garry H
Garry, setting up (photo by Earl)
And Thomas setting up (among the coconut trees)Every time I run a Surf Trip I get nervous. I get nervous not because...
Surf Simply Podcast
Surf Simply Podcast Surfing Paddling Technique
One of the most fun things I get to do is work with surfers on improving their surfing paddling technique, which in turn helps with their energy efficiency, power, and overall surfing experience.
In this surf simply podcast, I had the opportunity to share a few nuggets of information on paddling technique as well as nerd out on the technical side of paddling a surfboard.
Hope you enjoy and learn something new...
Cheers,
Rob
Learn to Paddle Like World Champion John John Florence
John john Florence Sprint Paddling Technique
John John Florence is a great example of a strong paddler. In this video, John John Florence Sprint Paddling Technique, we investigate some key elements of a sprint paddling technique, which is slightly different than a regular paddling stroke. When do we sprint? Catching a wave, avoiding getting caught inside, or battling for priority in a competition.
Even though we spend less than 5% of our paddling time sprinting, it's a pretty important aspect to our arsenal!
The video goes more into detail of the following John John Florence Sprint Paddling Technique. Here is a summary:
- Entry angle is steeper. When sprinting as opposed to regular paddling, the Lift phase (or the first phase) of the underwater armstroke is shortened because in this scenario, we’re really focused on getting our hand and forearm to the front propulsive phase of the stroke which is the second phase of the underwater...
Why is Surfing Addictive?
Do I have A Surfing Addiction?
@surf_coach posed the question "why is surfing addictive" on Instagram and it got me thinking. Why IS surfing so addictive? So I did what I always do when I get curious – I did some research.
I had to start with “what is addiction?” before I tried to reason what makes something addictive. Addiction is a heavy topic and has endless resources that send you to drug, alcohol, sex, and even shopping addiction. I didn’t think my surfing addiction was that bad…but drug and alcohol addicts don’t think they have it bad either.
There were numerous sources discussing the science behind addiction, such as what happens in the brain when the addiction makes a shortcut to the brain’s reward system. Then the brain makes sure it happens again and again, laying down memories of the quick sense of satisfaction, and then creating a conditioned response to certain stimuli....
The Most Common Surfing Paddling Fallacy
Every once in a while I hear someone provide a paddling technique which I would consider the most common mistaken belief. How many of you have been told this exact thing?Check it out...
The Best Way to Improve Your Surfing For Tomorrow
There is no way you are doing this. It's the #1 technique to improve your next surf, and I never see anyone doing it.
New Surfing Workout - Leg Day
Sometimes, you just have to mix it up with your surfing workout. This day was our second time out trying to dial in the right wake. While we were working on that, we took a few cracks at it.
By the end, my legs were toast! Funny how a few dozen bottom turns and off the tops will wear you out.
When we talk about building long term strength and muscle memory, it's all about repeating a motion (correctly) over an extended period of time until our brain skips a step. When learning something new, the brain takes two steps to get the body to react. Over time, through perfect repetition, it reduces that to one step.
This is most likely a human adaptation for survival - the brain is realizing that the things we do repetitively might be important so it tries to speed it up.
Unfortunately, with surfing, we get few chances to repeat a motion. That's why workouts like this, skateboarding, snowboarding, and other similar...
