Surfing is an amazing sport that takes its participants from one corner of the Earth to another in search of the perfect wave. What happens, however, if you arrive to your chosen spot to find that the waves aren’t as you had expected?
If there’s one downside to surfing, it’s that it is completely reliant on the weather conditions. The wind, swell, temperature, and precipitation all play a crucial role in shaping the waves and providing a good surfing experience. So, as surfers, we must plan our surfing sessions around the weather forecast- which can change at a moment’s notice.
Luckily, there are several ways in which we can maintain and even improve our surfing skills- even when the weather isn’t working in our favour! Nothing can truly replicate the feeling of gliding across the water on your board with the wind in your hair, but with the following tips, at least we can stay on top of our game in between surfing sessions.
Read on for 4 tools you can use to improve your surfing skills in and out of the water.
1. Surfskate
Surfskate is designed to mimic the movements of surfing. The trucks on a surfskate are angled, allowing the board to pivot and turn like a surfboard. The wheels are also larger and softer than traditional skateboard wheels, which allows for smoother movement and more control. By replicating surfing movements, developing balance and coordination, increasing speed and power, improving wave reading skills, and providing year-round practice, Surfskate can help us become better and more confident riders.
By practicing on a Surfskate, we can improve our ability to generate speed and power by pumping the board and making sharp turns. This can translate to surfing, where generating speed and power is essential for catching and riding waves.
Surfskate helps with:
- Balance
- Position
- Inertia
- Technical gestures
At NEXO, we’re thrilled to have incorporated the practice of Surfskate into your time with us, to help you progress quickly (and safely!). Our NEW “All Tech” Pack will help you to radically improve your surf technique, boost your skills, and up-level your game!
2. Yoga
It’s no wonder why it’s so common to see Surf and Yoga so often combined in a retreat-style setting! Yoga can be a powerful tool to help improve your surf practice in a whole range of different ways.
Yoga is a fantastic way to increase our flexibility and range of motion, which is super beneficial for surfing. When we’re out in the water, we need to be able to move our bodies freely in order to make quick turns and manoeuvres. Tight muscles can restrict our movements and make it more difficult to perform these actions.
Yoga helps with:
- Balance
- Body consciousness
- Strength
- Breathing
- Flexibility
- Mobility
- Agility
- Coordination
An important part of life at NEXO are our Yoga classes. Lead by highly experienced yoga teachers, our morning classes prepare you for the day’s surf ahead, while our afternoon classes soothe tight muscles, allow for restoration, and ease you into a chilled evening ahead.
3. Slackline
With the water constantly shifting and moving beneath us as we’re surfing, keeping hold of our balance isn’t always easy! We’re required to continuously make adjustments to our position and weight distribution in order to stay balanced.
A tool we can use to work on our balance out of the water is Slacklining. A long suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors (in our case at NEXO- two beautiful trees!), Slacklining requires a great deal of focus and control, which can translate to better balance when surfing. Surfing requires plenty of balance as we ride the waves and make turns, and by practicing your balance on a Slackline, we can improve our ability to stay upright on our boards.
Slacklining can also help us to develop our core strength. As we walk between posts we must engage our core muscles to stabilise our bodies. This in turn helps to strengthen our abdominals and lower back muscles- an essential in surfing if we are to maintain control and stability when riding the waves!
Slackline helps with:
- Balance
- Breathing
- Attention
- Strength
NEXO’s Slackline always gets a lot of love and attention! We’re fans of this spot- in between the trees- in our large and sunny garden… and we’re sure you will be too!
4. Indo Board
A balance device that is designed to simulate the movements of surfing, the Indo Board is a great invention for surfers looking to improve their balance, core strength, and overall technique on land.
The pop-up is one of the most important skills for surfing. The Indo Board can be a great tool for improving pop-up speed, as it requires us to quickly transition from a prone position to a standing position while maintaining our balance. By practicing on an Indo Board, we can improve our pop-up speed and efficiency, which can help us to catch even more waves!
Indo Board helps with:
- Balance
- Body consciousness
- Strength
So, if you’ve been excited about that upcoming surfing trip for some time and at last minute the waves have changed… or if you live in a landlocked country but would like to maintain your surfing skills… OR if you’re just crazy about surf and can’t get enough of it… then hopefully this blog has given you some insight into ways you can continue to surf outside of the water.
Waves or no waves, we’re always surfing at NEXO!
Always looking to incorporate revolutionary ways to help you take your surfing to the next stage, we regularly use these mentioned tools here at NEXO. Your progression in and out of the water is important to us- and as a result, our students learn to surf or increase their abilities are surfers quickly, efficiently, and most importantly, safely!
