This is THE big question we are often asked before a week of surfing camp:
"What type of physical preparation do you recommend before we come surfing?"
“What can I work on beforehand to make my learning easier?”
The common belief would be to develop your shoulders by doing 300 push-ups a day… But this is NOT what will make you a better surfer!
To be honest there is no secret….
The best way to become a better surfer... is to simply surf!
Indeed, surfing requires muscles that are not used in any other discipline, especially for those used for paddling. This is the ability that you’ll first lose when you don’t go surfing regularly.
But we are well aware that this chance is not given to everyone.
That is why we wrote this article in which we recommend several exercises that you can do to improve yourself.
Also know that in any case, if you do sports, no matter what the practice, it will always be better than nothing.
The 3 physical axes to develop to be more efficient in surfing:
- EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH
Everything that will make you work on your explosiveness will necessarily help you for your take-off.
The more explosive you are, the faster you will get up on your board, the easier it will be to adapt to the timing of the wave.
Recommended exercises : burpees, squat jumps, jumping lunges, split jogging.
We found an article onEquipe TV that tells you more about it.
- CORE STRENGTHENING
In addition to being essential for a good posture in everyday life, working your core muscles will guarantee you a better performance in surfing.
The more you engage your core on your surfboard, the more stable you will feel. This stability is essential in order to control your board and to avoid that it, or the wave, does it instead. You will feel more balanced whether you are paddling (lying down) or standing up and it will be easier for you to undertake maneuvers.
Recommended exercises : simple core strengthening on the forearms or hands and pilates exercises, especially those that work on strengthening the posterior chain (back muscles).
Example of an exercise : strengthening the posterior chain
- PROPRIOCEPTION
Let’s start with a definition! It’s a bit technical but very interesting to understand!
Proprioception is the set of nervous information transmitted to the brain allowing the regulation of posture and body movements. It is sometimes described as a “sixth sense” of the human being.
The proprioceptive system intervenes permanently to regulate our balance by contracting certain muscles, for example on an unstable surface (soft ground, ice, surfboard…).
Proprioception is therefore closely linked to the notion of balance, which is also essential for surfing! This is also what will allow you to avoid injury by working all the small muscles around the joints, of which we are not very aware.
Recommended exercises to work on proprioception: yoga (example of practice on this link) and balance exercises on one leg or on an unstable surface (bosu, balance boards or gym balls).
Some recommendations at this link:https://www.sport-equipements.fr/proprioception/
Learn more about it in this other article :“Surf and Yoga: the perfect match”
There you go, you’re ready! The waves had better watch out!
A big thanks to Antoine Delhon for the show and Mathieu Thoisy for capturing those great moments🙂
