Ultimate guide: preparing for your first surf or kitesurfing course

Imagine yourself finally on your way to your long-awaited surf trip, after months of preparation and impatience. You’re already looking forward to a spot in paradise, riding wave after wave until the sun goes down, each session bringing you closer to perfect control and leaving you with lasting memories.

The big day has arrived: the holiday begins. The location is breathtaking, your friends are full of enthusiasm and the surfing conditions are optimal. Everything seems perfect.

But once you’re in the water, the challenges pile up. You exhaust all your energy trying to clear the bar. Once at the line-up, you struggle to maintain your position. Exhaustion sets in and you don’t have the strength to catch a single wave, while your friends are having a blast around you. The next day, you wake up sore, every muscle aching. The second session proved even more gruelling than the first.

The cause of this ordeal is obvious: your physical condition. It takes several days for your body to adapt, but alas, the journey comes to an end just when you’re starting to feel comfortable.

Unfortunately, this is a common experience for those who don’t surf regularly. The good news is that it is possible to prepare yourself physically, even away from the ocean, to maximise the pleasure of your next surf trip. This guide aims to help you prepare effectively, so that your return to the line-up lives up to your expectations.

A well-prepared surfer is worth two!

Here are the benefits you will gain from our training programme:

• Avoid injury;
• Be less tired, during and after sessions;
• Prepare your body to be more agile and efficient;
• Feel more confident in the waves;
• Feel your body and your sensations better.

In the end, it all adds up to one clear objective: to get the most out of your next surf trip, and to make the most progress you’ve ever made!

Preparing for surfing: a global approach

Surfing is an extremely all-round sport. That’s the beauty of it, but also the difficulty. All it takes is for you to fall short in one area, and all your enjoyment of the water could be penalised. That’s why the experts at Ocean Adventure have prepared a complete programme for you, which will work on all the important points for becoming a better surfer.

Level 1 – Confidence and proprioception

• • Balance & proprioception: to get you out of any situation.

Everyone knows about balance… but what about proprioception? Proprioception is the ability we all have to “feel our own body”, to perceive ourselves. A stiff body limits our ability to move, forces us to compensate, and increases the risk of arthritis and injury. And in our increasingly sedentary and stressful lives, we gradually lose our natural flexibility over the years.

The good news is that you can easily regain it!

 

·     Flexibility & mobility: to improve your technique.

There’s no question of being as straight as a stick, the technical movements of surfing mean you have to be very ‘dynamic’ on your board, and it’s your suppleness that will help you achieve this. Mental & breathing: to be more confident As soon as the waves start to get serious, you risk spending a few seconds underwater, whether you want to (duck) or not (fall, series in the mouth…). Progressing in freediving will therefore be a considerable asset, enabling you to remain calm even in rough conditions. Sensations: to progress.

Surfing is all about sensations. So anything that helps you develop your sense of glide will be an asset.

Level 2 – Performance improvement

• Endurance: to surf for longer

Surfing is 5% of the ultimate thrill… and 95% of the time spent paddling in the water. So, if you want to stay well placed and still have energy for the series ahead, you’d better have stamina!

• Power: to pass the bar

Passing the bar is a battle between you and the waves. Whether you’re rowing against the waves, accelerating between sets or doing a deep duck, you’ll need maximum power in your arms.

• Explosiveness: for successful take-offs and committed manoeuvres

Being a “quiet force” isn’t enough: to succeed in your take-off, you need to be an explosive force! Because waves can break quickly, you need to perform certain actions with speed and precision. Instantaneously, you’ll need to be able to deliver a high rowing and flipping cadence to successfully enter the wave.

This explosiveness will also be your ally in certain manoeuvres. The programme proposed in this guide is particularly complete, and takes all these elements into account. Imagine going surfing without having to worry about your physical condition: a session where all your energy and concentration can be devoted 100% to catching waves and surfing them!

So, are you ready to take things to the next level?

Compose your own programme

A good preparation programme needs to be personalised, to adapt to your strengths and weaknesses, but also to suit your tastes and lifestyle. There’s no question of punishing yourself: preparing for surfing should be a pleasure. That’s why, rather than imposing a preconceived programme on you, we’re going to present you with some “tools”: activities selected for the benefits they bring to surfing.

The idea is to find 2-3 complementary activities that work on all the points mentioned above.

Why take up swimming?

Swimming has many advantages when it comes to preparing for surfing. For a start, it helps you to feel more at ease in the water, so you can approach surfing more calmly. Thanks to swimming, you’ll learn to control your breathing. You’ll become more confident, stronger, faster and more enduring on your surfboard than you’ve ever been.

With regular swimming, you won’t have to worry about getting a few sets of waves over your head that will exhaust you so much you’ll have to stop your session.

What’s more, it’s a complete sport that uses the same muscle chains as surfing. In fact, like paddling in surfing, swimming primarily works the forearms, abdominal muscles and back muscles (and even the legs). Finally, another of the nation’s great advantages is that it’s a non-injurious sport. Perfect if you have back problems, for example, because whatever your level, you’ll never make an irreversible mistake that could put you in danger.

Benefits :

• Breathing +++
• Endurance +++
• Power +++

Our advice:

There’s no need to choose a particular stroke. Whether it’s crawl or breaststroke, the most important thing is to control your breathing and synchronise your movements… two essential assets in surfing. Ideally, of course, you should swim regularly throughout the year, even if it means doing short sessions. But you can start with 1 or 2 swimming sessions a week, 3 months before your surf trip, and you’ll already see a big difference, which will probably make you want to continue! The aim is not to prepare you for the Olympics, but simply to look at swimming from a fitness point of view.

An example of a programme:

This 1500-metre swim is a good starting point. Of course, it’s up to you to adapt it to your level.

• Warm-up

Swim 200m crawl: Swim 8 lengths of 25m each without stopping, at medium speed.
Swim 4 x 25m crawl: Swim 4 lengths of 25m head out of the water, with a 15-second break between each.

• Série

Swim 2 X 8 X 25m crawl: Swim 8 lengths of 25m in the crawl as quickly as possible with a 30-second rest between each length, repeating the whole thing twice.
Swim 4 X 100m kick/crawl: Swim 2 lengths of 25m in the kick with your forearms resting on a small board and swim 2 lengths of 25m in the crawl at medium speed, repeating the whole thing 4 times.

Swim 4 x 50m front crawl: Swim 1 x 25m front crawl at medium speed, 1/2 length underwater and the last 1/2 length front crawl as quickly as possible, rest for 30 seconds and repeat 4 times.

• Back to calm

Swim 200m: Swim 8 lengths of 25m each at your choice of slow speed.

Why do yoga?

It’s no coincidence that many professional surfers have incorporated yoga into their preparation routine between surf sessions. It has to be said that the body of a surfer prepared by yoga is more mobile, more reactive, more flexible, and therefore less at risk of injury.

Yoga also makes you more aware of your body in movement and helps you refine your proprioception. This notion of balance is essential on a wave, where everything moves very fast and you need to keep control of your body and joints at all times to avoid injury.

Benefits :

• Mental & breathing +++
• Flexibility +++
• Sensations ++

Our advice: :

The best way to get the most out of yoga is to combine yoga sessions with a professional, then adapt the postures to your personal routine. In a pre-surf session, yoga can be used to wake up your muscles and stimulate your energy. After surfing, a short, slower session will allow you to stretch and recover, by holding the postures for longer.

Generally speaking, we advise you to adopt short, specific and regular sessions to feel the benefits more quickly and for longer.

6 yoga postures beneficial for surfing

Although we advise you to start surfing with a professional, here is a selection of 6 postures that are particularly interesting for surfing.

1.   The eagle (Garuadasana)

• Benefits: Strengthens and stretches ankles and collarbones, stretches thighs, hips, shoulders and lower back.
• Benefits for your surfing: helps you concentrate and works on your balance.

2.     Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II)

• Benefits: stretches legs and ankles, groin, torso and shoulders and stimulates abs.
• Benefits for your surfing: improves endurance.

3.     Extended angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

• Benefits: strengthens and stretches legs, knees and ankles, groin, spine, torso and shoulders.
• Benefits for your surfing: improves endurance.

4.     Dog upside down (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

• Benefits: Lengthen your tendons and collarbones, stretch your shoulders, hands and feet. Strengthen your arms, upper body and legs. Awakens the body.
• Benefits for your surfing: Calms the mind and nervous system.

5. extended puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana)

• Benefits: Stretches and lengthens the spine and the left and right sides of the body.
• Benefits for your surfing: Calms the mind and strengthens the body.

6.     King pigeon posture (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

• Benefits: Opens the hips, stretches the thighs, groin and psoa muscles, opens and relaxes the torso and shoulders.
• Benefits for your surfing: Helps your posture on the board, improves blood flow and gives good energy.

Why take up surfboarding?

The surfskate is a skateboard developed to reproduce the feeling of surfing on dry land. Thanks to an articulated front truck, the surfskate allows you to reproduce the movements of surfing, and thus develop your technique and sensations as close as possible to those of surfing.

Improving balance and proprioception (particularly the role of the back foot in support).

Improving eye contact and shoulder positioning to anticipate manoeuvres
High potential for improvement in basic manoeuvres (frontside & backside): bottom-turn, cutback and roller as well as aerial manoeuvres: Front/Backside Airs, Grab Rail and Superman Airs.

Quickly learn how to pump yourself up to speed, just like surfing
Most of the details you want to work on for surfing (arm position, pelvis position, leans, sequences) can be repeated many times, unlike surfing sessions, which are rarer and consist of 80% paddling.

All this with maximum fun… fetching your bread from the local bakery will become a real pleasure, with a good dose of gliding to brighten up your day!

Our advice :

• Sensations +++
• Balance++
• Explosiveness ++
• Endurance ++
• Bonus: fun ++++++

Our advice :

With a real craze for these new kinds of boards, there are now many brands offering surfskates. Carver Skate is the pioneering brand, but brands like Yow and Slide offer interesting alternatives at competitive prices. Expect to pay between €200 and €300 for a quality surfskate.

If you want a more technical board, but one that’s even closer to the sensations of surfing, then SwellTech boards should appeal to you… Don’t hesitate to spice up your sessions by creating courses with studs to challenge your technique, or to train in a bowl or pump track.

Balance boards: Indo board or Bosu

To work on your balance, of course! But that’s not all… balance boards also help you to work your whole body, with a particular focus on deep muscles. It’s also an excellent coordination exercise, helping you to master small movements on a board, as well as weight transfers, all with the aim of achieving a better position on your surfboard.

These tools are excellent for developing your feel, and therefore your sensations.

Benefits :

• Balance +++
• Sensations ++

Our advice :

So, Indo board or Bosu?

Although the indo board is great fun to use, we tend to prefer the bosu (also known as a freeman’s board, or physiotherapist’s board). Boards with a spherical base mean that balance has to be managed in all 3 dimensions, which is more interesting because it’s closer to surfing. What’s more, a bosu can be used on 2 sides: board side or ball side.

The best thing is to have your bosu at home and/or in your office. That way, you can take advantage of every moment (a break, a phone call…) to get on your board and train without looking like you’re doing it. Don’t be afraid to vary the pleasures: stand on one leg, close your eyes, do a series of squats, imagine yourself surfing…

The balance of the Slackline

Did you think slacklining was just for babos in sarouel bottoms? Think again! Slacklining is an all-round sport that will exercise your body as much as your mind.

The concept is simple: you walk on a strap stretched between two anchor points (trees, poles, climbing anchor points, etc.). The strap is elastic, so you’re constantly in an unstable balance, and if you start to shake, the rope reacts and shakes even more, and you’re on the ground. As well as being a great way to improve your balance, it’s also a perfect sheathing exercise, in which you work all your deep muscles.

 

But slacklining is also an ideal sport for improving your mind, concentration and self-confidence.

Even 20 cm off the ground, being off-balance gives you a strong feeling of insecurity, both physical and emotional. And just like at the peak before catching a big wave, slacklining will push you to overcome your apprehensions. A truly addictive challenge, where every extra step is a victory.

Benefits :

• Balance +++
• Mental +++
• Puissance ++
• Sensations ++.

Our advice :

Install the strap at a low height, and adjust its tension according to your level: the tighter it is, the more stable it will be. To begin with, support yourself with one hand on a wall (or a friend) and, above all, don’t hesitate to spread out sports mats on either side in case you fall.

To begin with, climb onto the slack and try to hold on for at least 10 seconds. By repeating the exercise, you’ll get used to the rope and the balancing act will become easier.

Relax, breathe deeply and fix your gaze on a precise point. The secret is to be as relaxed as possible! Buy CBD Gummies if you have to! If you get agitated, you start to shake and lose your composure, and the strap gives it back to you… you fall. Slacklining can therefore be likened to a kind of moving meditation: you need to clear your mind to focus on your sensations.

The Stand Up Paddle

SUP allows you to glide across the water, standing on a board… that’s something in common with surfing, isn’t it? Standing and balancing on an unstable surface will work on your proprioception and balance. Paddling, on the other hand, will give your whole upper body (as well as your legs) an aerobic workout, while improving your cardio.

So SUP is an all-round sport that’s gentle and accessible to everyone. Last but not least, paddle boarding can be enjoyed by EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE!

 

There’s no need to go out to sea – a simple body of water, such as a river, pond or lake, can give you the chance to practise… you certainly have a spot not far from where you live, and paddleboarding will enable you to rediscover this new playground.

Benefits :

• Balance +++
• Endurance ++
• Puissance ++
• Sensations ++

Our advice :

If you practice on flat water, an inflatable board will be ideal. Fitting into a simple rucksack and inflating in just 5 minutes, the inflatable SUP slips into your boot and lets you get out on the water at the slightest opportunity.

But be warned: although low-cost boards are available from supermarkets, you need to budget at least €300 for your equipment if you don’t want to end up with a board that looks more like an inflatable mattress than a surfboard. As well as being absolutely useless (a poor-quality board inflates badly, remains soft and banana-shaped, so it doesn’t glide), this kind of low-cost board can also be dangerous (imagine your board starting to leak when you’re out in the open…).

NB: if you’re aiming for a flat water sport, we recommend you choose a 12’6 board. This will give you much more glide, more fun and more freedom to explore new horizons.

The intensity of Crossfit

This is another extremely complete sport, which will allow you to strengthen your overall muscles while developing your cardio. The concept behind crossfit is simple: work on functional, varied, high-intensity movement sequences.

The pace is fast, the sessions are short (generally less than an hour), and it’s fun and friendly… even addictive for most of the athletes who try it!

 

Benefits :

• Explosivity +++
• Puissance +++
• Endurance ++
• Mental ++

Our advice :

As it doesn’t require complex equipment, and has become all the rage in recent years, there’s a good chance you’ll find a place to try crossfit near you.

You can, of course, go to a crossfit ‘box’, but many gyms have jumped on the bandwagon and also offer crossfit classes to their members. Finally, some independent instructors even offer outdoor crossfit workshops.

Muscular strengthening

Surfing involves muscle groups that we hardly use in everyday life. And you realise this when you start surfing again: shaky arms when you take off, an absent back that gives out on you when you’re rowing before you even reach the peak, cotton legs that give up on you once you’re on the board… In short, you’re going to have to strengthen all these muscles if you don’t want to look ‘fragile’ once you’re in the water!

If you don’t live near the ocean, and aren’t able to surf every day, there are specific exercises that will help you get the most out of your surf trip from day one.

And the good news is that you don’t need an expensive gym membership. At home, on the beach, in a nearby park, you can improve your fitness easily and virtually anywhere.

Benefits :

• Puissance +++
• Explosivity. ++
• Endurance +

Our advices :

First of all, no training without a warm-up! Take at least 5 minutes to wake up your body and prepare it for the exercise, to limit the risk of injury. In each movement, abdominal contraction should be a priority. This will help you gain better postural control, and avoid unwanted movements and injuries.

NB: there are tons of different exercises, and the best thing would of course be to prepare a made-to-measure programme with a coach, who will take your specific needs into account. But to get you started, here are our 7 favourite exercises to prepare you for surfing:

1.     Squats

• Muscles exercised: quadriceps and buttocks;
• 2 to 3 sets of 15 repetitions, resting for 1 minute between sets.

2.     Slots

• Muscles exercised:Quadriceps, glutes, abductors and adductors;
• 2 to 3 sets of 15 repetitions, resting for 30 seconds between sets.

3. Pumps & Burps

• Muscles exercised: Chest, triceps, deltoids, calves, abdominals ;
• 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions, 1 minute rest between sets;

4.     Superman

• Muscles exercised: Dorsals, lumbar, glutes, hamstrings, abdominals, deltoids, trapezius ;
• 2 to 3 sets of 15 repetitions, 30-second rest between sets;

5.     Crunches

• Muscles exercised: Abs, internal/external obliques, psoas iliacus ;
• 2 to 3 sets of 30 repetitions, 30-second rest between sets;

6.     Flutter Kicks (bleg kicking)

• Muscles exercised: Psoas iliacus, abdominals, obliques, lumbar, quadriceps ;
• 2 to 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds, 30-second rest between sets;

7.   Board

• Muscles exercised: Abs, and all the muscles in your body;
• 2 to 3 sets of 1 minute or more, resting for 1 minute between sets.

Nutrition: the session starts on your plate!

Finally, we couldn’t end this guide without talking about nutrition. Eating well won’t be enough to make you a legendary surfer… but if you neglect your diet, you’ll pay for it sooner or later!

After all, your health and fitness start with your plate, so let’s look at the ‘fuel’ you give your machine! Here are 5 essential tips for adopting a diet in line with your dreams of progress in surfing.

Get rid of processed food!

Very high in refined sugars and unhealthy fats, industrial dishes contain too much salt and are often devoid of vitamins and minerals. Not to mention the often dubious additives and manufacturing processes…

In short, industrial food is evil. Stop leaving your health in the hands of the food industry! Get into the habit of eating simple, raw foods that are as unprocessed as possible.

All you can eat fruit and vegetables

Try to use as many “raw”, unprocessed products as possible. In particular, fruit and vegetables, which you can eat as much as you like without depriving yourself. They’re low in calories, but still meet your nutritional requirements in terms of vitamins and minerals. They are also rich in fibre, which facilitates intestinal transit.

 

Go for seasonal produce, picked when ripe, which is much tastier and more nutritious.

Try to eat locally, favouring organic produce (or produce from sustainable agriculture) and short distribution channels. Why not take a trip to the local market? The planet will thank you, as will your wallet and your health.

No problem with (good) fat

There’s no need to demonise fats: some fats are actually essential to our bodies. This is particularly true of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which control the inflation generated by muscular effort.

For cooking, opt for olive oil, which is more heat-resistant. As a snack, nibble on 30 grams of walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds. And during your meals, try to eat oily fish regularly (sardines, mackerel, salmon, fresh tuna, etc.).

Without alcohol, the session is crazier

Now, we’re not going to kid ourselves… a post-session beer in the sunset with your mates is a staple. But try to keep alcohol as a special treat, rather than a habit. Because alcohol is the enemy of your sporting performance.

Not only are alcoholic drinks high in calories (7kcal/g of alcohol), but they are also ’empty’ calories, unusable for muscular effort. What’s more, alcohol accelerates dehydration and reduces physical capacity, as well as increasing the toxins that the body has to eliminate.

Not to mention the fact that your nights are rarely restorative when you go to bed at 3 grams, with a double hangover/tiredness penalty the next day when you wake up.

In short, missing the session of the century because you were at the bottom of your bed is a no-no!

Water is life!

A 2% drop in water in the body would reduce physical capacity by 20%. Dehydration, however slight, can lead to cramps or tendonitis, reduced performance, muscular accidents, digestive problems, etc. Surfing, like any physical activity, generates water loss through sweating. And as neoprene is not breathable, this perspiration is further amplified by wearing a wetsuit.

So it’s essential to drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day! That is, when you’re not doing any particular physical activity. But as soon as you are physically active, don’t hesitate to double this amount.

Ocean Adventure: who are we?

At Ocean Adventure, we have one mission: to make you a better surfer. So helping you to prepare yourself properly through this guide was a natural step that was close to our hearts… but it was only the first step! Because now that you’ve taken control of your body and built a waterproof mindset, you’ll be able to think about your return to the water with complete peace of mind.

But with so many spots and surfcamps to choose from, you still need to make the right choice… and that’s where we can help! For the last 20 years, our team of passionate and experienced surfers has been criss-crossing the planet to select the best spots and surfcamps.

Depending on your level and your expectations, we’ll find the surf camp that’s right for you. Whether you’re an individual, a sportsman or you’re looking for a relaxing, festive or peaceful break with your family or as a couple, we’ll find the perfect camp for you.

>>> Find your next surf camp on Ocean Adventure!