Power Training for the Competitive Surfer
Kinetic Performance
Every professional surfer knows that in order to create power in aturn they need to learn how to apply the brakes, drive and dig
hard, and switch direction in a controlled, quick manner.
Deceleration is the name of the game here! Athletes who are
quick and powerful have learned to master deceleration of their
momentum.
Well let's break down deceleration with the basic cutback shown
in this photograph.
Peter Mendia is shown here making a quick change in direction
and momentum . Observe the arch and height of the spray
coming from his board that illustrates that he had rapid
momentum before the turn. Also notice his body mechanics. At
this instant Peter is in upper body rotation while also in hip flexion
(bending forward from the waist). His weight is transferred onto
his right leg. His left hand leads his left shoulder inward, thus
initiating the rotation towards the right. His left hand is reaching
well beyond his right KNEE!
Because he is on a surf board, he must transfer his body weight to
his front right leg to rapidly change direction of the board. It is as
though for a brief moment only one leg is driving the board. In this
picture he is driving it with his right leg.
Remember that the harder Peter drives and decelerates his
momentum with his right leg, the greater will be the power
generated underneath the surfboard. He is using his decelerating
muscles to push against the force of his speed and the force of
the water beneath him.
With improving this technique in mind, why not train each leg
separately and teach them to become more efficient in
decelerating the body? Why not mimic these movements and
focus on developing these muscles in order to ENHANCE the
power of the turn?
Realistically, no surfer out there is going to catch wave after wave
just to focus on the specific muscle groups that will improve his
deceleration technique. That would be kind of ridiculous, and how
many waves can you catch in a session to even practice this? But
there is a simple solution: Land Base Training.
Land Base Training is training in a functional modality to improve
one's surfing. What is function? Functionally training for surfing
we adapt certain total body movements that mimic certain
movements performed in actual surfing and incorporate them in a
specific exercise program using bands, bodyweight, medicine
balls, and dumbbells.
No land base activity can ever come close to simulating surfing an
actual wave, but it is possible to strength the specific muscles that
are needed to improve deceleration. The single leg anterior lateral
reach exercise would be a great land training tool to train
deceleration. Remember, deceleration is the name of the POWER
game!
This exercise trains the rotating muscles of the hip to stabilize.
The more stabilization one can maintain in the hip region, the
greater force production will occur. Secondly, and most
importantly, this exercise trains the hip extensors (gluteus
maximus, your butt) to control deceleration.
Yes, condition your butt to decelerate your momentum! That butt
of yours is the primary muscle you need to strengthen to make
those turns faster, quicker, and POWERFULLY! That butt of yours
is the workhorse of all your surfing (the core also plays a big part
of surfing, but we will talk about another time).
Here we have Peter to demonstrate the exercise:
1. Peter is focusing on training deceleration of his right hip extensor (BUTT).
2. Starting with his left arm up, he will transfer all his weight to his right leg, flex forward
from the hips, and reach over laterally to the opposite side of his body with the left hand.
3. Notice that he does not place any of his bodyweight through his reaching fingers onto
the ground. He only lightly touches the ground in order to keep a constant stress on
his hip extensor muscles.
4. Upon completing the reach he will return to his
beginning position
5. During the entire exercise keep he keeps the heel
of his supporting foot in contact with the ground, and
maintains his supporting leg (in this case, his right
leg) with “soft” flexed knees.
Remember the previous breakdown of
Peter's body position in the first
photograph of him surfing? Now, notice
these elements of him performing the
exercise:
A.) His body is in rotation.
B.) He is flexed at the hips.
C.) His left hand is at the lateral position of his right foot and knee;
and
D.) All of his weight is
transferred onto his
right leg.
This is EXACTLY what
it takes to decelerate
his surf board and
drive into the opposite
direction! The muscles
being trained in this
exercise functionally
training to decelerate
the body properly and safely.
Take caution: Peter’s execution of this exercise is an advanced
variation that he has been practicing for quite some time. A novice
should keep both feet on the ground and only reach laterally to
about hip height and work up to knee height, then ankle, then to
the ground.
As you master the exercise with two feet on the ground, move into
a staggered stance, then onto one foot. Basic rule of thumb, if it
feels too uncomfortable or there is pain, please regress to
something easier. Also use shoes to start with, they add more
support. Of course the exercise could be easily made difficult by
adding weight in the hands (Medicine Balls) or increasing the
tempo (speed).
Visit us at KINETIC PERFORMANCE!
Aloha,
Coach Craig
*CPTS, CSCS, ACSM CPT
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