4 Things you can do to improver your surfing

At Atlantis Surf Project, we get a lot of guests who are only able to surf during their holidays, be it once a year, twice a year or several times a year with long intervals in between. Being out of the water for long periods of time can cause you feeling stiff or unprepared when you next go out. Like any sport, practice is the key. For surfing however practice requires very specific conditions that aren’t allways readily available. Unlike say tennis, where you can book a court in a almost any part of the world at any time, you cant make a phone call to book waves !!
There are however some things you can do out of the water that will help you practice some of the skills which are useful in surfing, and this will keep you fit for the next time you go out. Also , if you have never surfed before and you want to be better prepared for when you do go for your first surf lesson, following this advice can have you achieve a much faster learning curve.
1 Yoga - Yoga is one of the best things you can do to keep you in shape for surfing ! Amongst other things, yoga promotes flexibility, and being flexible is very important in surfing, whether you are doing advance turns or working on your take off. Keeping flexible will definitely pay off when you pick up that board after a long time! Another key component in Yoga is balance. Again, like any other activity, balance is something you need to train to improve. In surfing balance is essential, and practicing it continuously, will again help you in the water. (Further down we will look at other forms of practicing and keeping your balance in shape ).
2 Swimming- This may seem an obvious one, but one not to be underestimated! Surfing requires a lot of upper body strength, especially in the arms and shoulders. It is commonly said that 80 percent of surfing is paddling, and for this, strength in your arms is necessary. Swimming (especially crawl) will help you maintain that upper body strength required for surfing. Also being a water sport, swimming helps you control your breadth whilst in the water. If you are not used to doing cardiovascular exercise in the water, swimming will help you feel relaxed and comfortable when you are out at the beach.










