Thoughts on Surfing Magazines 10 ways to improve your surfin

[waikikikichan]

I read Chris Callagher Stones' article. I wanted to share my thoughts.

#2 Flexibility. I am probably the stiffest surfer you'll ever meet. I can not bend down and touch my toes.

#4 Warm up before session. Here in Japan I see guys stretch for upwards of 15-30 minutes at the water's edge. Even doing push ups in the sand. Me I pull my arms each way in front my chest, bend my neck left and right, put leash on, jump in the water.

#7 Stance. How many times I see surfboards with the pad way up. I once asked this surfer why he had the pad 2 feet up from the tail. He said if he stood "back there" the nose would come up and smack him in the face. Your back foot should be between the fins when you turn. Thus, your pad should be placed over the fins.

#8 Approach. "Try to surf the top two-thirds of the wave. You want to avoid dropping straight down all the way to the bottom. It’s best to take off at an angle parallel to the beach and try to stay as high as you can"
Oh boy, I can just imagine all the beginners taking in that advice and getting pitched over the falls.

#9 Low stance Low arms Ready position. I see too many beginners trying to hold onto a invisible wall. Worse thing is to "reach" and paddle the wave to try to speed up. I say for beginners to surf 1 inch below their height. I think the gotta do the #2 squat stance is worse.

[oldmansurfer]

I read it here http://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/10-ways-to-improve-your-surfing/
Well there are many thoughts but exceptions for all.
#1 Equipment. "Top pros have a hard time finding the “magic board,” so don’t hold on to the same OK board for too long. " You aren't a pro don't kid yourself. Don't try to do what they do.
#2 Flexibility. I think it helps but only within the range needed for surfing.

[dtc]

As a gym rat I don't agree that pushing weights stiffens muscles, but other than that very minor point, excellent article. I like no 5. Lining up your peak - that can be very useful because locations change all the time, with tides and swell direction and so forth.

Warming up is interesting (and who has the ability to warm up for 30min before surfing? I have to consciously slow myself down for 5 min to check out the waves and rips and other surfers etc; although if its small surf, blah, straight in). Anyway, there is actually a lot of literature nowadays to the effect that stretching before exercise is at best of no benefit and may increase injury (because you are relaxing the muscles by stretching and then you go and contract them when you exercise).

However, active warmup definitely assists performance and may assist injury prevention.

So no static stretches. I, like many old/desk bound people, am also stiff in the hips so that is something I try to warm up a bit. Shoulders and arms etc I don't worry about too much - they warm up in the paddle out. But whatever works for you/you need.

Being too flexible is bad as well - you need to have strong joints rather than loose stretchy joints. If we are looking purely at surfing needs, I agree with OldMan that you need flexibility sufficient for surfing (and pain prevention) but not past that; being great at yoga doesn't help surfing.

I think taking off parallel to the beach can work if you are in a biggish wave. You are more or less doing a 'bottom turn' about 1/2 way down the wave. But you miss out on the best part of the wave, which is the speed descent from the top to the bottom, roller coaster like as your stomach pushes up against your brain.

[oldmansurfer]

Warming up is interesting (and who has the ability to warm up for 30min before surfing?
However, active warmup definitely assists performance and may assist injury prevention.

I only surf for 30 minutes. I think warm up may be more important if you haven't been exercising in days/weeks/months. My warm up is what I do while lining up the surf. I think mental warm up is more important than physical.

[Big H]

Being too flexible is bad as well - you need to have strong joints rather than loose stretchy joints. If we are looking purely at surfing needs, I agree with OldMan that you need flexibility sufficient for surfing (and pain prevention) but not past that; being great at yoga doesn't help surfing.

???

Seriously!??!

I have no idea what you base this on but I disagree as strongly as is possible....

Firstly, I don't think anyone here is in danger of getting "too flexible" if there is such a thing.....flexibility helps in fluidity of movement, expanded range of motion and injury prevention due to those attributes...especially when getting older, muscles shorten and maintaining flexibility is akin to staying young and moving freely rather than an old man shuffle which is due 100% to reductions in flexibility.

As for Yoga, do you know what it is/entails? Flexibility and core/small muscle stabiliser strength training and development....it would be the same as saying that you don't see how ballet or gymnastics could help surfing.....I don't see how overall body conditioning activities could do anything but help other physical activities....

[oldmansurfer]

Normally I would think flexibility helps both surfing and injury prevention but I have heard John John Florence is one of the most nonflexible surfers.

[jaffa1949]

Most tips written with shortboard surfing in mind.
When my conditioning is low after injury my surfing is at spastic duck level.
Room for improvement!
I would be considered overweight, so what!
Kung Fu has kept my body flexible and the long paddle out is my warm up.
If I loose weight there is a relative improvement but my wife keeps me well fed!
A prolonged surf adventure sharpens my surfing up well and at the end of this trip I will be at my best again.
Sixteen weeks off when swell was abundant then assorted long flat spells this year when I am beginning to get the rhythm and drive back, means I need to be aware of my level of skill in the water.
66 year old bodies need to be treated like quality vintage cars.
Warm water response anticipated keenly

[drowningbitbybit]

I have heard John John Florence is one of the most nonflexible surfers.

To be accurate, "JJ is one of the least flexible surfers out of the group of very very flexible professional surfers".

[drowningbitbybit]

When my conditioning is low after injury my surfing is at spastic duck level.

A big for the spastic ducks!

Yes, I'm seriously suffering (fitness/technique/commitment) due to my shoulder injury at the moment. Fortunately, it's improving now, and so it's time to get the fitness back - which will involve both the gym and flexibility exercises.

[jaffa1949]

Legendary strongman Charles Atlas used to tear phone books in half as strength example.
I think I can manage a surf magazine

[Big H]

More thoughts on the subject of flexibility.....

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/loose ... ing_29063/

LOOSEN UP
Why is flexibility so important for surfing? Because stretching trains the muscles to perform at their normal, full length and allows your joints to move at full range of motion. When joints move freely, you actually use less energy to surf because you move with efficiency and fluidity -- which translates directly to less stress on the joints most commonly injured in surfing. having flexibility in your muscles improves what is known as the "physiological pump" -- where your muscles perform as a secondary heart, fully lengthening then contracting.

This helps move blood and fluids more efficiently and helps pump nutrients and oxygen to the muscles as well as helping to enable muscles to better assist the lymph system to flush and remove lactic acid and other waste products that are normal byproducts of the demands placed on our muscles during surfing and training to surf. --Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.

The more positions you can access with your body, the more you will access advanced turns, as well as avoid pain and possible injury.
--Matt Griggs

How can stretching protect me from getting injured surfing?
Most of the ankle, knee, hip, low back, upper back, neck, shoulder, arm and wrist injuries I've seen over the past 25 years could have been prevented (or at minimum, decreased in severity) if the athlete was more flexible. And there are two categories of injuries we see in surfing -- those caused by micro trauma (wear-and-tear injuries), known as repetitive or cumulative trauma and those caused by a major single incident we know as macro trauma (bone fracture, torn ligaments, muscle tear, etc.).

What may be surprising is that in my experience, flexibility is the first line of defense for preventing both types of trauma. Here's why: the function of your muscles and tendons and the nerve receptors that permeate/saturate both types of structures respectively are known collectively as the body's "dynamic support system." Research shows that your joints are only as healthy and protected as your muscles are balanced (front/back and side-to-side). It is worthy to state that a joint with a torn ligament with a strong dynamic support system around it is much less likely to be injured or re-injured than a perfectly intact joint with a weak dynamic restraint system. --Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.
"When joints move freely, you actually use LESS energy to surf..."
--Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.


When should I stretch?
When to stretch seems widely misunderstood. Stretching relaxes the muscles and puts them to sleep; not a good preparation for surfing. Surfing is an explosive sport, so you need to warm your muscles with surfing-specific-exercise patterns to best prepare your muscles and nervous system for surfing. The best time to stretch is before bed, so you take the tension out of the muscles, which, given enough time, can move bones. Your body won't go where there is pain, it will go where you tell it to with the right training and mindset, so teach it to widen its range and open to new levels of surfing. --Matt Griggs

If it is to prep you for training or surfing, do a warm-up that brings your body temp up and makes you begin to sweat (skateboard, Indo board, jog, calisthenics, bike ride, etc.). This should take 5-15 minutes. Do not stretch before any physical activity if your body is cold. Your nervous system controls the lengthening of your muscles. If you attempt to stretch a cold muscle the body will instantly protect it and make it shorter. Based upon the data I have read, do not do a cold stretch if it is two hours or less before you surf.

Performing flexibility training for recovery from a surf session or as a post-surfing activity is a great plan to maintain and improve your flexibility and surfing performance. This is where yoga, pnf (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), mattes, foam rolling, trx, intracell, etc. can really pay off for you in the long term on many levels. It's always best to be in a quiet, warm and comfortable environment where you can focus on the awareness of the tension in each muscle and "listen" to what it is saying because every day is different inside your body. Some days you will be much looser than others because your body's physiology is always changing and just like some days you can surf better, some days you can stretch better. --Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.

How often should I stretch?
Everyone is different in their response to flexibility training and different people respond differently to specific techniques. Experiment with different techniques to find what makes your body feel best while and after you do it. In most cases, you should feel positive changes within a week or two of performing your routine 3-5 days a week, spending 15-60 minutes each session. It takes about 60-90 days for your muscles to remodel and conform to the new demands for long-term lengthening/benefit. --Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.

How hard should I stretch?
There should never ever be pain when you stretch and I've seen serious injury with athletes who "push" their flexibility training too hard too fast. This is a lifetime project we're talking about, and another good example of failing to plan is planning to fail. Read evidence-based references on stretching and/or go see someone who specializes in breathing and flexibility training and who can teach you the best way for you to become more flexible based upon your goals.

Breathing is crucial to maximizing stretching benefits. I recommend nose breathing in everything you do but especially for stretching because it slows the heart rate, increases the lungs ability to take in and absorb more oxygen and flips your nervous system into its relaxed state. Dr. Tim Brown, D.C.

Sometimes the stretches that feel good are in the areas that you are already flexible, so have an open mind and understand (through expert advice if possible) that it is often the areas that we don't enjoy stretching that we need to focus on first. It doesn't take a science degree to feel which muscles are stiff. You don't think you're stiff, you feel stiff.

For regularfooters, their right leg is usually stiffer, for goofies, it tends to be the left leg. Read your body and double the ratio on the stiff sides till you feel balanced. Once you have the balance, keep it up! Stiff muscles took years to happen - and it happened because you did it.

Take responsibility for the process. Every time you stretch your muscles, you are asking them (remember they are just cells of information) to be flexible, so be patient and keep asking through action, not thought. Hold your stretches for around 30 seconds; breathe through your diaphragm, switching the opposing muscles on and off. What you are doing is reminding them to be flexible. --Matt Griggs

I sit all day at work. How can I stay flexible?
One of the harshest positions for the human body, not to mention a surfer's body, to tolerate on a regular basis is sitting. It's like you're performing an exercise to get tight and feed imbalances. With regards to your specific complaint, as you sit, the internal rotators in your shoulders, and your hips becomes short and tight. When this happens, and you expose your body to any physical activity, it's almost as if you have to work against yourself to move. Imagine taking bungee cords and strapping them to your body to make it hard to paddle or turn. The great thing about stretching and flexibility training is, not only do you reduce the resistance in your body, but you increase you endurance, power, and agility, as well as reducing your risk of injury.

Two simple office stretches: 1. If you have to sit, with your back straight try crossing you foot over your opposite knee periodically and letting the knee of the foot that's crossed over relax and fall...this will open up your hips and take pressure out of your back. 2. Another simple stretch for your shoulder is to stand up against a wall with your feet parallel to the wall, turn you hips to face the wall and bring your hand straight back from your shoulder. Then with the arm straight back gently turn away from the wall and stretch out your chest. Gently is the operative word in that phrase! --Dr. John A. Pecora, Sports Chiropractic Specialist

[Big H]

And again....

http://auxiliarytraining.com/tag/kelly-slater/Kelly Slaterʻs Secret

August 5, 2013
His hips donʻt lie
His hips donʻt lie
Ah ha! I got your attention didnʻt I! So before I get to the goods, lets have a look at a few things. One, Kelly is 41. Two, heʻs getting better as heʻs getting older. Now Iʻm not a scientist but something is going on here. I thought the same thing everyone else thought at first, “Kelly is just a freak”. As I began to watch him and several other “older” athletes that were considered freaks, I noticed a few things. One of the most obvious… Age isnʻt slowing them down.

It takes hard work and thousands of hours to become a pro athlete. Many that work hard enough obtain this goal and do well in their careers. We see it generation after generation. The next crop of kids come up and blow everyones minds for a few years. Then like the crop before them they slowly break down, slow down, and disappear.

Iʻve come up with a theory. Kelly is a smart man. He realized at a young age that if his body would maintain itʻs physical abilities, that his mind would continue to learn. No one on tour has more heats, waves, or time spent in the water. Now with all that knowledge, ability to adapt, and a body that is still in phenomenal shape, we have a man who is extremely hard to beat.

Now this is the part where I start to reveal one of his secrets. A lot comes into play when we look at why certain athletes excel at an older age. Iʻm going to focus on one part for the sake of my readers and my A.D.D.

kstar

BOOM! From one Kelly to the next. Say it with me “BODY MAINTENANCE”. This is one of Kellyʻs best kept secrets and one of Kelly Starrets areas of expertise. Kelly (Slater) has insane mobility. What makes him different from the other surfers that have good flexibility is the fact that Kelly will work on problem areas. A lot of surfers can go through the motion they need to perform, not many of them understand that over time going through the same motion over and over without corrective exercise will eventually lead to overuse and injuries. It might take a few years but all of a sudden your 35 and telling people your body anʻt what it use to be. The truth is itʻs not, and itʻs because you let it get that way.

kellKalani

Developing good ROM (range of motion) is crucial for longevity in any career, and for life in general. The Shaolin Monks called their basic kung fu style “Tao Zi Gong”. What does this have to do with mobility? Tao Zi Gong is a style of kung fu that develops incredible flexibility. The monks knew this was necessary for optimal efficiency, prevention of injury and longevity. In every kung fu movie there is some old man teaching a young grasshopper. Everyone knew that if you messed with that old man he would open up a can of whoop-ars.

Impressive-flexibility

The Monks, like Kelly have realized the importance of mobility. Again, diet and proper training are very important but do not forget to maintain your body. This is something I found out the hard way. Injuries and imbalances suck so take care of them before they become a problem. Iʻm right there with you on this journey. I barely hit the tip of the iceberg on mobility. Check out Kelly Starrettʻs website for more info (mobilitywod.com) or feel free to hit me up. Until next time muchachos.

-Nakoa

[dtc]

I don't think we are saying anything different; only that stretching is good if you need it but its not good if you are already hypermobile. However, stretching for the sake of being more flexible does not prevent injuries unless you have joint strength as well - joint strength beats joint laxity. Read this article - notice how overuse injuries can appear to be 'tightness' but is actually imbalance; and stability is needed as well as mobility.

http://tonygentilcore.com/2014/11/stret ... -mistakes/

Stretching used to be sold as the panacea to everything, but its not. Even your quote from Tim Brown first mentioned balance between muscle groups. There is a whole complex thing going on between posture, strength, flexibility, use/overuse, muscle firing/motor control, injury protection etc etc. You can't pull one out and say 'that's the solution' and you can't say that one is necessarily more important than another. It depends on the person.

[oldmansurfer]

Kelly Slater isn't winning to much lately and perhaps there are many reasons why most likely being he has several chronic injuries. Regardless of what people say stretching before exercise hasn't been shown to prevent injuries. Stretch every day yes but not necessarily before exercise. Here is an article discussing it. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/health/new-thoughts-about-when-not-to-stretch.html

[Big H]

I don't think we are saying anything different; only that stretching is good if you need it but its not good if you are already hypermobile. However, stretching for the sake of being more flexible does not prevent injuries unless you have joint strength as well - joint strength beats joint laxity. Read this article - notice how overuse injuries can appear to be 'tightness' but is actually imbalance; and stability is needed as well as mobility.

http://tonygentilcore.com/2014/11/stret ... -mistakes/

Stretching used to be sold as the panacea to everything, but its not. Even your quote from Tim Brown first mentioned balance between muscle groups. There is a whole complex thing going on between posture, strength, flexibility, use/overuse, muscle firing/motor control, injury protection etc etc. You can't pull one out and say 'that's the solution' and you can't say that one is necessarily more important than another. It depends on the person.

Sorry, I can't drink his kool aid....his examples are gross exaggerations of hyper mobility and unique cases of imbalanced bodies.....he does say that stretching is a good thing if it is done right though many do it wrong....his website is an infomercial for working out....I would expect him to inspire a need to develop muscles that you'd not normally think about....it is the entire thrust of the site....


Anyway, I work out by surfing and other things....plenty of stresses applied to my joints from many sources to develop joint strength and stability as would be the case at least for surfing specific stretches for everyone here......which only leaves keeping that joint and linking muscles around and in-between loose enough to work well; I don't really think there is an argument for not stretching or that stiffness is a preferred state.....not one that I would believe anyway....

[Big H]

Kelly Slater isn't winning to much lately and perhaps there are many reasons why most likely being he has several chronic injuries. Regardless of what people say stretching before exercise hasn't been shown to prevent injuries. Stretch every day yes but not necessarily before exercise. Here is an article discussing it. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/health/new-thoughts-about-when-not-to-stretch.html

Kelly Slater is old for a pro surfer.....the fact that he can compete with the JJF's of the world is a victory in itself....

[oldmansurfer]

Slater is awesome.

[oldmansurfer]

Slater just said he attributed his lack of shine is due to just getting so used to surfing contests that it doesn't hold his interest as much any more

[Big H]

I guess that's better in a sound bite than the usual chronic geezer complaints.....kid still has some bravado....