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Surfing is an outdoor sport, practised in a natural environment, the ocean. It’s a pure pleasure for those who love the sea air. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to do it at the best time. Conditions are never the same, which is what makes it so time-consuming and difficult to learn on a daily basis. What’s more, the vagaries of life may mean that you have to stay away from the ocean for a while. No problem, here are a few exercises or accessories that will help you maintain or even improve your level. Injuries, confinement (I never thought I’d say those words) or study, you need to keep up a certain routine so you don’t lose your reflexes….
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Surf skateboarding for surf training
Forget summer flats, closing waves and strong winds, surf skateboarding is the ideal solution for repeating your moves to perfection. A surfskate is a skateboard with a specific truck, a board wider than traditional boards, wheels and a grip. The truck on a surfskate is special because it gives you the same sliding and skidding sensations as those found on a surfboard, skateboard or snowboard.
With a surfskate you can repeat your moves to perfection!
The equipment is basic, but the sensations are surprising and addictive for many thrill-seekers. There are many brands to choose from, including Carver, Yow, Santa Cruz, the Cruiser board series and Lost, to name but a few. Available in shops or online (with a simple Google search), there are different products at different prices. There are numerous combinations of board size, grips, wheels and wheelbase trucks. Choose the surfskate pack that suits you and satisfy your need to surf on tarmac.
But if you’re still hesitating, here are a few arguments that will convince you.
Surfskate helps improve your flow.
There aren’t many sports where you can practise flow, but skateboarding, like snowboarding, is one of them. Flow is about fluidity, something that is initiated at body level, starting with shoulder work, then the upper body and finishing with the lower body to generate speed and fluidity.
Surfboarding is a great way to learn these upper body movements. With repetition, you’ll quickly understand the impact of these exercises. It all starts with your eyes, then your shoulders, pelvis and legs. Push on your legs to generate speed. A concept you’ll need to acquire if you want to surf flat sections and generate a flow worthy of a professional surfer.
Daily training
Skateboarding is the perfect way to get back into the swing of things. You choose the time and off you go for a good hour. Even if the weather is bad, you can go to the nearest indoor skatepark. It’s a nice change from waiting for the right wind, tide or swell.
Work on your style on a skateboard
Each session with a skateboard will allow you to correct a whole host of faults. The position of your arms, the flexion in the turns, the repetition of these movements will allow you to erase some defects difficult to get rid of even by surfing daily. A 1-hour session is the equivalent of several days’ surfing, so you can apply what you’ve worked on your carver to your board.
It’s important to note that there are “longboard” skates, large boards with specific trucks and wheels that will allow you to work on your style as if you were on your longboard or a SUP. With a large wheelbase (distance between the trucks), you can practise crossing your steps and work on your style.
Work on your balance
Surfing, like surfskate, is a sport of balance. Have you ever noticed that a skateboarder or snowboarder has a predisposition for a sport like surfing? Well, that’s because they’re both sports that require balance and use the same body language. The gaze, the rotation of the shoulders, the pelvis and finally the legs, these are exercises that can be found in many board sports. Skating your board every day will help you work on your balance for your next sessions in the ocean.
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The fall will be all the better
Falling off a surfboard is anything but pure fun. Tasting tarmac is far more terrifying than falling into an ocean. I’m exaggerating a little, but the falls will make you braver and give you the mental strength to throw yourself into thicker waves.
Skatesurfing is fun
That’s what we’re all looking for. Having fun and feeling the thrill of the ride. So when you’re away from the ocean, what could be easier than getting on your skateboard and doing a few turns and carving?
Frankly, nothing can replace the smell of the ocean and neoprene, but surfskate is still a great way to improve yourself and your strokes.
Professional surfers use these accessories to keep practising when the summer flat lasts longer. The surfskate is a great way to check out the waves and make a few curves. Young surfers like Noa Dupouy have an excellent level of skateboarding. If you live in Mimizan, you’ll have the pleasure of coming across Vincent Duvignac on a surfskate checking out the waves. But it’s not the only accessory used by professionals: pro surfers train every day by doing proprioception exercises, thanks to the Indoboard, Rollerbone and other brand names.
Working on your balance with the Indo Board
The Indo Board is a game of balance that can be played anywhere and at any time, an ideal exercise for fans of boards such as surfing, snowboarding or skateboarding. The indoboard is basically a wooden board and a roller, to which you can add a few accessories like a mat or a cushion. Since 1998, the Indo Board has been the training partner of many professional surfers. There are many different exercises to choose from for an original workout that will help you improve your balance.
What qualities does the Indo Board develop?
Surfing is a sport of gliding, of balance, which requires a low centre of gravity while maintaining a stable, upright posture with the shoulders back. It’s a position that needs to be worked on, and given the number of seconds you spend on your surfboard during a session, it’s likely to take you a long time to learn the perfect posture.
So don’t hesitate to give yourself a little Indoboard training to work on your balance or weight transfer from the front foot to the back foot while keeping your hair dry.
What you’ll improve with the Indo Board
Frequent use of the Indoboard will enable you to improve and work on a number of areas
Looking forward
When you stand on the board with your shoulders apart, focus your eyes on the front and not the bottom. This will help you maintain good balance. You need to keep your head and shoulders straight to get the right position. It’s your body that counts when it comes to maintaining a stable position. You need to find your centre of balance and stabilise it. A straight spine with your hips slightly tilted forward will give you a good centre of balance.
Bend your knees
When you’re standing on the board, bend your knees to improve the stability of your balance. Lower yourself slowly and rise slightly. Squatting on the board will strengthen your leg muscles. This exercise is used by many sportsmen and women, and if one day you have the misfortune to injure a knee or an ankle, it is an exercise used by many physiotherapists. The intensity of this exercise on the Indoboard will improve your muscle tone, as the small muscles work hard to maintain this balance.
Find your comfort zone
If you want to skateboard, use the Indo Board with a good pair of shoes. If you want to improve your surfing posture, use the Indoboard barefoot. Your whole body will work as if you were in the waves, and your brain will remember your efforts – the same principle as proprioception with your physiotherapist.
Add difficulty
When you start to feel comfortable on the rollerbone thanks to your multiple sessions, increase the difficulty by moving the plate on the roller. You’ll multiply the intensity of the exercise by moving back and forth on the roller. These movements on the roller will make you work all the muscles in your body that are needed for surfing, an exercise that is not so obvious when you first try it. While your upper body works hard to maintain balance, your lower body tries to move back and forth while maintaining a stable and agile position. There are many IndoBoard exercises for beginners, children, men and women that will help you improve your muscle strength, coordination and balance.
A few shopping tips
For the IndoBoard, RollerBoard or Jucker (these are different brands), I advise you to buy a mat, usually black, to protect your floor. If you like it difficult, you can order a cushion to complete the exercises. But let me reassure you, there’s no need to protect your falls, we’re sticking to accessible exercises, which you can find in some fitness classes or at the kinesitherapist.
There are many retailers who will offer you a pack with the board, the roller and possibly the mat and cushion. Don’t hesitate to do a little research on Amazon.
Having looked at two practical exercises to improve your surfing, we’re now going to talk theory with a lecture from Wingnuts, the legend behind Endless Summer 2 or Wave Chasers, which came out in 1994.
