Hunting Waves

Reading the line-up better and getting more waves is the foundation of your enjoyment & progression. Like every other skill in surfing - getting into a ‘flow state’ and being in tune with yourself and surroundings sets the tone. You have probably heard the concept of ‘catching lots of waves’ or ‘keeping busy’ and I am sure you have tried to catch more waves. if not then I am sure you have noticed good surfers surfing short sessions & catch 3-5x more waves than everyone else and looking sharp and focused!

Lets frame the concept of ‘catching lots of waves’ and ‘keeping busy’ with different language - Hunting Waves

Recently a hunting trip to New Zealand inspired a new perspective and approach to surfing.

I grew up hunting, but hadn’t been for years, and during those years I have been fully immersed in getting better at surfing including getting better at facilitating ‘flow states’

Within 15 mins of walking into red-deer territory I had begun to see some deer sign, (footprints and faeces) immediately the potential of seeing an animal became very real and a deep flow state ensued. All of my senses were very heightened - My awareness of all surroundings felt complete, I was immersed in nature and poised to react to an opportunity to feed my tribe.

Hunting is a primal thing, it is engrained in our DNA, for most of our history and until very recently is was 100% necessary for our survival, a life or death situation that demands 100% focus and mindfulness of the present moment. It heightens your awareness of all senses, you hear every little sound, feel each subtle change in wind direction, you see every little small movement in your visual field, a small bird that jumps form one branch to another in the corner of you eye is instantly noticed, every smell is acknowledged,

The same height-end awareness needed for a success-full hunt is also need to for safe and successful gathering also. You need to be just as aware of your surroundings as the hunter because when you are in the wild foraging you are potential prey. You also need to be very accurate with the choices of berries and leaves you gather as many edible plants and fruits can look similar to toxic and poisonous ones.

The language we use here matters a lot, from an evolutionary biology perspective “hunting” switches you ON far more than scraping around, searching, looking for or ‘waiting’ for waves.

Now there are many different styles of hunting, bush hunting - walking slowly through the bush hoping to ambush or startle and animal, spot an stalk - spotting an animal from far and trying sneak up on it - tree stand hunting, finding a good spot and waiting for the animals to come to you.

Very different styles of hunting and surfing, all have one thing in common - when you get your opportunity you must take advantage without hesitation and with pin point accuracy - demanding a flow state -

A well timed accurate shot means a a clean kill with very little wasted meat, a well timed accurate entry into a wave is the first step to all good surfing.

So next time you surf; try hunting down some waves, keep quiet (graceful) and accurate.

Beginning to be an Intermediate Surfer

How do I progress from being a beginner surfer to an intermediate surfer?

This is the most common question I get, and I am going to preface the answer -

Reading the ocean is the foundation of surfing.

When waves break on the shore they offer opportunities for us to ride them, every wave is different and therefor offers a different way (or ways) to ride it. But before you can ride that wave you need to be able to see where you want to go, to see the path you want to surf, to read the ocean.

No matter what level surfer you are, catching the wave and popping up in the right place is the hardest thing in surfing. Once you are standing up on your board on the right part of the wave, surfing is easy. Reading the ocean, choosing the right wave, paddling into the wave at the right spot (entry), and popping up seamlessly are the hardest parts of surfing.

Beginner to Intermediate

This transition is where surfing begins to transform form a defined task into an Art. The beginner surfer has a very defined task - catch the whitewater, stand up and ride to the beach. Once you can stand up on the unbroken wave - the waves turns into a canvas to dance upon. Exciting

First we need to define the 2 categories:

Nick Carroll did a great job on Surfline so I will quote him:

A BEGINNER is a surfer who is yet to successfully paddle out alone and catch and ride a wave cleanly to its logical finish.

An INTERMEDIATE rider is a surfer who can successfully paddle out alone at a familiar location and catch and ride waves to a logical finish frontside or backside, confidently using the three basic surfing turns - bottom turn, top turn and cutback.

Quote taken from Surfline here: http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/whoknows.cfm?id=1174

Great definition, but we need to focus in.

Let’s define the transition between beginner to intermediate:

The final stages of the beginner surfer - competence at catching mostly broken waves and going straight to the beach.

The early stage intermediate surfer - learning to catch unbroken waves and riding the face of the wave (going along the wave).

So let’s make the assumption you can catch a broken wave, stand up and ride it straight to the beach and you are now attempting to catch unbroken waves and ride along the face of the wave.

Firstly, let’s celebrate your achievements so far, because the broken wave is very random and turbulent, its actually quite hard to catch a broken wave and stand up. In order to do this you must read the water in front of you (so you can see where you are going and see the path you want to take), ‘feel’ what water is doing underneath you, and have the strength and balance to stay on your board. So well done.

There is a perspective you have developed as a beginner (surfing whitewash) that needs to be acknowledged so that you can retain it. Surfing begins as soon as you begin to paddle for a wave (not once you have stood up). The beginner surfer begins surfing the wave as soon as they start to paddle for the wave, as you begin to paddle you are pointing the board toward the direction of where you want to surf to (the beach), this ensures that the pop-up is simply part of surfing ie. nothing changes during the pop up, you maintain your speed, and can keep the board pretty stable. Inversely for most intermediate (and some advanced) surfers, they think surfing begins once they get to their feet, this is the WORST perspective you can have in surfing because it downplays the importance of the entry and pop-up.

The beginner feels no pressure to stand up quickly because the beginner can stand up at anytime because he/she is surfing the wave the whole time. If you can take this concept and perspective into the rest of your surfing life then you will develop much faster.

So in order to catch unbroken waves, look for the same thing you were looking for as a beginner - a path to where you want to go, ie. how you want to surf the wave. Now you have already been doing this in the (mostly) flat water in front of the whitewater, you now need to learn to look for the path on the unbroken wave. So as you begin to paddle for the wave you are looking for the path, and already beginning to surf the wave and as you pop-up it doesn’t affect your surfing (its part of surfing).

During the process of popping up you need to try to maintain your speed and direction by keeping the board stable - not letting it nose dive or the nose come up, or wobbling from rail to rail.

So to summarize the concepts:

1. The skill of reading the way water moves in front of you (and feeling it underneath you) must be modified to unbroken waves.

2. The skill you have developed of being able to pop up slowly during the turbulence of the broken wave must be modified to do so during the acceleration of catching unbroken waves.

Practical tips

Below is a 7 step process to make the transition from beginner surfer to intermediate surfer, there is no rush, enjoy the process and stay safe.

1. Stay in beginner mode and practice changing direction in the white water, (lying down) go from directly facing the beach to making small S turns from left to right by leaning from rail to rail, this should be subtle and gentle with the focus on maintaining speed.

2. Try the same thing on your hands and knees,.

3. Then standing.

4. Practice going along the unbroken wave lying down, (there is no pressure to stand up).

5. Then try going along an unbroken wave making small S turns from left to right by leaning from rail to rail, this should be subtle and gentle with the focus on maintaining speed.

6. Try the same thing on your hands and knees.

7. Then standing.

And stay on the same board you learnt on.

Audio version here: http://surfmastery.com/podcast/043-beginning-to-be-intermediate

Keep surfing.

Mike

5 Lessons from 5 Conversations about Surf Mastery

    Surfing is pretty good, but it gets better. The better you get at surfing the more fun it is, and as we sharpen our surfing skills we can surf a broader variety of waves and conditions. The question then is how do we get better? How do I get better at surfing while I drive to work? When it's dark outside? When stuck inland?

One way is education. There is so much to learn about surfing, and every little thing we learn helps us to develop and inspires us to surf more. Surf coaching and physical strength/fitness are obvious ways to improve, but listening to Tom Carroll’s perspective on the way he ‘sees’ a wave and how he learnt to observe more detail in a wave gives us a paradigm shift. We have so much to learn from those who have surfed before us, not just from their technique and experience, but from their perspectives, and attitudes. A conversation with a great surfer or coach can be life changing… and has been for me.

Education and inspiration for better surfing, that is what the 'Surf Mastery Podcast' is all about. I have been privileged to interview some successful and inspiring people in the surf world, and the goal of each interview is to find out how they (or how they have helped others) to progress in the water.

Below is a quick summary some of the things I have learnt from the first 5 interviews.

1         Episode 1 - Matt Grainger - High-Performance Coach: Surf with surfers that are better than you, it will inspire you to get better. Watch them very closely, what they do with their arms, foot placement etc. Good surfers paddle hard, pop up fast then create ‘lift’ to generate speed. What happens before your first bottom turn is what sets up the rest of your wave. Great surfers are great paddlers and can pop up very fast. When the waves are under 4ft they throw their arms up and forward to create lift & forward momentum to generate speed, watch some surf movies in slo-mo to see this and go out and try it!

2.         Episode 2 - Tom Carroll - 2X World Champ: Look for the detail on the wave. Pay close attention to the finer details of the wave, the wind chops, the secondary swell, the backwash, every bump, nook, and cranny. Look at the way the light reflects off of every small ripple, look to see where and how water is moving and where it is moving most so you can generate speed. If you want to surf small waves better, then this is how. Get focused and start paying attention… and put the time in - lots of practice! 

3.         Episode 3 - Matt Griggs - Elite Performance Coach: Become more aware of the feeling of surfing. “you don't think balance, you feel it” Good surfers are very in touch with the ‘feeling’ of surfing, when you arefocused on the feeling then you are in the present moment, you are in touch with your body awareness, spatial awareness, and board-feel. As soon as you focus solely on your vision (what you can see) and looking for the next section 5 m away then you are living in the future... “You can't feel up ahead, your not there yet” Learn how to detach from fear, doubt, and brain chatter so you can focus on the feeling of surfing in the present moment and increase your surfing awareness. Every technical mistake in preceded by a mental one, to be in the zone we need to be present, you cannot be in the present moment if you are thinking about the future i.e. a section 5 meters away. The greater your self-awareness is, the more space and time you have to implement change and create new and better habits, be it technique, posture, grace etc.

4.   Episode 4 - Dr. Jeremy Sheppard - Strength & Conditioning Coach: Next level surfing requires next level strength, mobility, and athleticism and you can fast track your development using smart strength training and mobility protocols. Jeremy goes into detail on some exercises and benchmarks that have been proven beneficial for surfing. Chin-up strength has a strong correlation to sprint paddling speed - Jeremy goes into detail on this at the 15:40min mark. Top to bottom surfing can be likened to jumping and landing, learning how to jump and land correctly can increase performance and help prevent injury. If you exercise outside of surfing then this is a must listen, if you don't then this episode will inspire you to train.

5.   Episode 5 - Matt Scorringe - Surf Coach: Try isolating one specific aspect of your surfing i.e. speed. Spend 20 mins racing to the end of each wave as fast as you can. Experiment with how fast you can surf, forget about turns, just get to the end of the wave as quick as possible. You will be surprised how fast you can surf. Foot placement is very important, a 1cm shift can make a big difference in the way your board feels and performs. Play around with some subtle adjustments next time you surf. 

These are just some of the lessons I have learnt, but each interview has many, many gold nuggets of wisdom. Tune in and send us some feedback

S.E.R.F. 10 Surf Nutrition Principles

       Eating well is just as important as moving well when its come to surfing (or any sport for that matter). There are so many different diets and nutritional recommendations out there. With all the different opinions, choosing a diet that works for you can be tricky. Everybody has different nutritional needs, and everybody reacts differently to all foods. Diets, and principles are guidelines to help you discover what works for you. I have spent the past 13 years researching and testing out different diets, both on myself and clients. I have come up with some principles that are congruent with expert opinions and my own experiences. Principles that most experts will agree on, despite major differences in carb/fat/protein ratio’s and food types. These principles make sense and they work. Adhered to they will change your life, whether you need to lose weight or increase performance. Kelly Slater considers his surf performance, longevity and health when choosing food, so should you. I don’t know for sure but I bet Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning still weigh the same now as the did in their early 20’s, these tips below are also relevant for weight loss and staying lean.

“I am ridiculously strict with what I put in my mouth”

— Kelly Slater

1. SERF: Sit, Eat Real Food. This is the most important principle for your health, and the rest just explain this one in more detail. It is simple, logical and powerful.

Firstly; Sit. Relax, your nervous system needs to be in ‘rest and digest’ mode to assimilate nutrients. If you are still in ‘fight or flight’ mode then you will not optimally digest. Sit down, breath deep, relax and chew (30 x per mouthful) your food. Appreciate and savour every mouthful, away from your laptop/work.

 Eat Real Food; This means minimising all processed foods, eat food that will perish, but eating it before it does. i.e. Fresh fruit and meat, fish, seafood. And sit down, relax while you eat.

2. Eat till you are satisfied, not full. If you feel ‘full’ at the end of a meal you have overdone it. Eat till you are satisfied, not full. And if you aren’t hungry, don’t eat. Sometimes we eat lunch just because its ‘lunchtime’. There is nothing wrong with skipping a meal if you are not hungry, in fact intermittent fasting actually gives your digestive system a rest and is a very healthy practice, trust your instincts.

3. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods. The quality of your food matters. Organic, Biodynamic, free-range, wild, 100% grass feed, & Non GMO foods are far superior foods. The vitamin, mineral and enzyme (nutrient) density is much higher. Shop at local farmers markets. Processed foods like bread, biscuits, rice, etc are calorie dense.

4. 85/15 Rule. Set realistic goals, It is not realistic to expect you to never eat processed foods again. As a guideline we can expect aim to eat 100% real food during the week and reward ourselves with ‘cheat meals’ during the weekend. The 85/15 ratio in real terms: If we eat 3x per day that’s 21 meals per week. So 19 of these meals are real foods only and 3 are cheat meals (for most this will be Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner). A cheat meal does not mean McD’s!! When choosing a restaurant for your ‘cheat meals’ look for ‘farm to table’ ‘organic’ and ‘grass-fed’ options.

5. Chew your food thoroughly. (needs repeating) Chewing your food is vital in ensuring proper digestion. Sit down, relax and Slow down, enjoy every mouthful. Turn off the TV, savour and appreciate your food and the people you dine with.

6. Avoid modern poisons. If you are sticking to principle No.1 then you will already be doing this. However some things need emphasising. Alcohol, sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), modern breads, pasta and other wheat/grain products, trans fats,  and processed foods & drinks; limit these as much as possible, even in ‘cheat meals’. 

7. Listen to your body. There is no ‘one’ perfect diet for everybody. We are all individuals and have different nutritional needs and food intolerances. Listen to your body. How do you feel after eating a certain food? Stomach cramps after eating stone fruit, bloating after consuming dairy products are examples that your body may not tolerate that food very well. We also need to respect our circadian/hormonal rhythms and eat appropriately, we all know a large heavy meal can chill us out and make you sleepy so save that meal for dinner. Keep breakfast and lunch light and easy to digest.

8. Don’t be scared of fat. Fat is an important nutrient. It’s ok to choose the ‘fatty’ cut of meat, or to add some animal lard, or ghee your stir fry. Its more about the ‘quality’ of the fat that you are eating. The fat from a 100% grass-fed animal or wild fish is healthy, and essential. The fat from a grain-fed, antibiotic injected animal is toxic!!! Choose carefully. As for oils, choose grass-fed butter (ghee is better), grass suet or lard for cooking. Avoid canola, cheap butter, cottonseed, rice bran, corn and ‘vegetable’ oils!

Eat a balanced, whole food – ‘real food’ diet.

I recommend an Animal based diet.

For more detailed info and recipes check out:  

https://carnivoremd.com