It’s not me, it’s my board.
We have all been there. If you haven’t – you sure as hell will be there at some point. Your turns lack flow, apparently obstructed by some invisible impediment. You’re not catching as many waves as you once did, your knees jerk, you fumble the take off, you need a sports massage after simply waxing your surfboard vigorously. The list goes on and on. Heck, even kooks are dropping in on you and laughing loudly about it.
Time for some introspection. You mull over your poor performance of late and draw the obvious conclusion: “I need a new board.” Right? Well, sometimes it can be the case, but most of the time, it’s unfortunately you. Here are the top five things to sort out before blaming your poor performance on your equipment:
Number 1: Get fit (or at least – a bit fitter).
Sedentary lifestyle is a killer, especially when it comes to your surf performance. The slog of the daily 9 – 5 and the lifestyle that accompanies it (fast food, booze, cigarettes, uppers, downers, stress, traffic, taxis, taxes, cyclists, the government, chanting in the workplace, Pokemon Go – you name it). Trident isn’t saying you should join the gym, or become a crossfit freak (do you even lift bro?) but surfing requires at least a modest amount of stamina. Time on the treadmill, brisk walks, home exercises or stalking your neighbours will undoubtedly up your game. Feeling strong? Try burpees and planking until muscle failure. You’ll thank us later, much later, after you’ve retched up the previous days’ food and your hernia op has healed.
Number 2: Eat better.
Cliche, but you are what you eat (and drink). Cut out or at least minimise booze, refined sugars, deep fried food, processed foods, cannibalism etc – but for the love of cheese – just do not turn into a health nut. If you do soy milk, kale, artichoke placenta or whatever the latest health food marketing BS is and someone punches you in the throat because of your intolerable hipster persona – that’s on you. If you sure then you should already know balance and moderation is kind of important. Although Oscar Wilde once famously said: “Everything in moderation. Including moderation.” So there’s that.
Number 3: Take care of your body and mind.
Strongly related to the first two, but of such import that it needs to be a point of its own. For the body, try bath salts. (Ed’s note: No, not the kind of bath salts that makes you want to eat your buddy’s face.) Epsom Salt is cheap and effective. Add to your bath water after a surf and let it soak in through your skin. Does wonders for sore/stiff muscles. Yoga. This activity tackles both body and mind. Now, let’s be clear again, don’t fall into the extreme or swing the pendulum too hard. Don’t renounce this world, don’t join the Hare Krishnas and don’t awaken your Kundalini. Once again, moderation is key. Yoga will help your body to stay flexible, whilst the breathing exercises (see Hatha Yoga) will greatly relieve your stress levels and help you to develop laser-like focus. Also, yoga sorta sounds like Yoda, and anything that even superficially resembles a great Jedi Master can only be good.
Number 4: Record yourself surfing or get someone else to record you.
This can be terrifying. Still, do some post surf assessment of your surfing by going over the recorded footage and identify areas where you need refining. Once you’ve stopped crying by how much your surfing resembles someone trying to maintain balance in a moshpit, get some honest feedback from fellow surfers whose judgement and knowledge you trust as well.
Number 5: Surf at different surf spots.
It might be that you’re surfing at a spot out of your league, or you need to take a step back and do some more refining at your local beach break (Long Beach and Kommetjie are great for that… NOT!)
