Surfboards are so sexy! They’re (usually) shiny, curvy “magic carpets” that transport us mentally and physically along our paths as surfers.  We oogle boards in the racks of a surf shop, devour specs in magazines and peruse used surfboard ads on Craigslist, all in the name of finding “the one!”  Certainly, there are “magic boards” out there, boards that just seem to instantly mesh with our surfing dna. You stand up and suddenly you can just go where you want to go on a wave without thinking.  Its a rad feeling, but one that is usually fleeting. Every board has a life-span, and sooner or later the “magic” is gone… So with hope, we renew the search for another foam and fiberglass magic carpet, and the cycle continues.

At higher levels of surfing development, a surfer shifts his/her mindset from finding the magic board, to finding the magic in each surfboard. What can this board do? Where can it take me on the wave? How do I adapt my mindset and technique to reveal this board’s potential? Guys like Derek Hynd have been doing this for years, on everything from twin fin fishes to finless foam prototypes, http://blog.swell.com/check-it/derek-hynd-and-his-finless-wonder-board.  Eleven time World Champion Kelly Slater is the penultimate example of surfboard design wizardry at the highest level (yes he can even ride a door!).

So take a tip from these masters of surfing, and practice a mindset focused on how surfboard and wave come together, and staying in rhythm with those boundaries. With practice you will heighten your awareness of board, body and wave and that’s where the real “magic” happens.

Slow and low? Maybe not quite that low;)

One of my biggest surf coaching topics with clients is around having a relaxed body. In the early stages of surfing (actually it simply keeps going in all the stages!), having a relaxed body is key to having a balanced prone position on the board while paddling,  as well as transitioning smoothly to your feet upon catching the wave. Those first few waves often amount to “sensory overload,” which then leads to a tense body with all that anxiousness and/or fearful energy.  A fearful mindset usually leads to a hesitant, inaccurate motion,  and an overly excited mindset usually leads to overpowered and very inaccurate body mechanics. Either way, things get much easier if you can simply focus on a smooth, deep breath; noticing tension in your arms, legs, back, neck and jaw. Relax your body as much as possible, and move “slow and low.” Practicing this will help you instill proper surfing instincts as you build the mind and body of a surfer.

Here is one of the best quotes ever regarding surfing as a life practice…

“Surfers are the ‘throw-aheads’ of mankind, not the dregs; they aren’t the black sheep of humanity, but the futurists and they are leading the way to where man ultimately wants to be. The act of the ride is the epitome of ‘be here now’, and the tube ride is the most acute form of that. Which is: your future is right ahead of you, the past is exploding behind you, your wake is disappearing, your footprints are washed from the sand. It’s a non-productive, non-depletive act that’s done purely for the value of the dance itself. And that is the destiny of man.” -Timothy Leary