by Nicholas Strand

Created on: May 20, 2008   Last Updated: September 30, 2008

How to stay in shape for surfing

For most of us, surfing is life. We plan our days around it, currently are waiting for the rising tide, and hope that incoming swell has the right angle on it to hit our local break. If it does not, we know the spot where it will. We rarely get out of shape because we are constantly out in the water often missing less important, non-ocean matters. On the other hand, what happens when a surfer is out of shape? The sport is so physically demanding that if you are not properly conditioned your placing yourself directly in the path of physical harm or worse. Surfing is dangerous enough as it is to injure or kill perfectly conditioned wave riders.

A surfer out of the water is usually sidelined for one reason, injury. In my lifelong experience as a surfer, my health has been the only thing to keep me from surfing, thankfully. Most commonly, I sit out due to sickness, but that is usually over before I get out of shape. I have battled back from what I personally believe to be the two of the most common surfing injuries; I have shredded the tendons in my ankle and dislocated my shoulder. Both injuries were incredibly painful, took a decent amount of rehabilitation, and were caused while surfing. I destroyed my shoulder while in Puerto Escondido; complicating matters were my broken clavicle and a Mexican physician who was more interested in Tequilas.'
If you can still ride the waves, by any means, do it. The worst part of both injuries was sitting on the beach watching perfect sets barrel over air that I could be occupying. As soon as you can jump on a sponge, kayak, or some crazy PFD get back out in the water and claim those unridden tubes. It is better to get barrels on a boogie board than have no barrels at all. On the other hand, what happens when you can't get out in the water at all, or, plainly, there is just no waves. The best advice I can give to anybody who is sitting on the bench in the dugout of the best sport in history is, turn yourself on to something new. My ankle injury introduced me to rock climbing, probably the best injury I have ever had. Rock climbing is intense, more physically demanding than surfing, and describing the exhilaration is whole other story. I thank that ankle injury everyday I conquer a difficult rout. My dislocated shoulder resulted in a lot of skate boarding, bike riding, running, and bowling. A daily run of four miles on the beach put me in the best shape I have ever been in.
The most important thing is to find something that makes you happy and gives you a sense of physical achievement. Most other sports keep people in shape are great alternatives when one cannot surf. Find whatever personally suits you the best, but do not forget that Surfing is waiting for you to came back and when you do it is best to be ready.

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