029: BARTON LYNCH - 1988 World Champ, Surf Coach.
Show Notes:
Want to surf small waves with more confidence, sharper reflexes, and less frustration—just by changing your mindset and one simple habit?
Whether you're a seasoned surfer or just stepping up your game, this episode with 1988 World Champion Barton Lynch uncovers powerful, practical tools to help you break plateaus and surf with more flow and purpose. If you’ve ever struggled in small or inconsistent conditions, Barton’s drills and insights can revolutionize how you approach every surf session.
Learn the game-changing "waves as fast as you can" drill that boosts reflexes, confidence, and performance in small or junky waves.
Understand why most surf skateboards teach bad habits—and how Barton’s new design helps kids and adults train better for the ocean.
Get behind-the-scenes insight into elite coaching philosophy that emphasizes individuality, awareness, and long-term progress over cookie-cutter technique.
Listen now to transform your small wave surfing, sharpen your mental game, and bring more flow, confidence, and fun to every session.
Barton gives some insight into the recent Margret River WCT surfing event, shares with us the best drill to improve your small wave surfing. We also talk about the surf-skate connection, how surf coaches and surfers can use skateboarding to improve technique and fitness, and we discuss the best types of skateboards to use.
http://www.streetboardz.net/
Streetboardz Kickstarter:
http://kck.st/2Hs3tC8
Barton Lynch:
http://bartonlynch.com
https://www.hurley.com/us/en_us/c/hurley/surf-club
Key Points
Michael announced that there are two spots left for the Surf Mastery coaching trip happening from May 18th to 24th in El Salvador at Puro Surf.
Barton Lynch discussed the recent shark attacks at Margaret River that led to the cancellation of the surfing event there.
Barton explained the 'waves as fast as you can' drill, which involves catching as many waves as possible in quick succession to improve reflexes and small wave performance.
Michael and Barton discussed the benefits of the 'waves as fast as you can' drill for Michael's surfing.
Barton introduced the new 'Switch' skateboard product from Street Boards, designed for surf training without creating bad habits.
Barton mentioned the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the 'Switch' skateboard, which will be available at an affordable price.
Barton discussed the larger Street Board with big wheels that allows surfers to practice their rail game on land.
Outline
Surf Mastery Coaching Trip Announcement
Michael announces the first Surf Mastery coaching trip from May 18th to 24th in El Salvador at Puro Surf, a coaching resort.
Two spots are still available for the trip. Interested parties can email mike@surfmastery.com for details and booking.
The trip will feature Michael Frampton and Barry Green as primary surf coaches.
The coaching program includes video analysis, in-water coaching, movement and mobility classes, body weight strength training, and performance neurology techniques (vision, balance, and flow training).
Small seminars on equipment and surf technique will be conducted, with coaches answering all client questions.
The trip is designed for a small group, allowing for tailored instruction to individual and group needs.
More details about the coaches' backgrounds can be found on their respective websites: surfmastery.com and makingthedrop.com.
Margaret River Shark Attacks
Barton Lynch describes Margaret River as one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The surfing event was disrupted by shark attacks, creating fear among participants and spectators.
Two shark attacks occurred within 500 meters of each other at Gracetown, leading to the cancellation of the event.
The second attack involved a surfer who ignored warnings from lifeguards about a great white shark in the area.
Prior to the attacks, 130 pilot whales had beached themselves nearby, potentially attracting more marine life to the area.
The incidents kept most surfers out of the water for the remainder of the event.
Hurley Surf Club Activation
Barton was in Margaret River for the Hurley Surf Club activation, which primarily focused on coaching kids.
The program involved coaching students from Margaret River High School and Quorum Up board riders.
Activities included surfing sessions, video analysis, and coaching reviews.
An additional coaching day was held with Surfing Western Australia's top 35 junior surfers.
The Hurley Surf Club motto emphasizes having fun and improving surfing skills to enhance enjoyment.
While the majority of participants were young, about 40% were adults aged late 20s to late 40s.
Cultural Aspects of Surfing
Barton discusses the cultural aspects of surfing that differentiate it from traditional sports like golf or tennis.
Surfing has roots in counterculture and anti-establishment attitudes, which still influence perceptions of the sport.
Professional surfers who embody the culture of surfing often receive more public support than those viewed primarily as athletes.
This cultural influence affects the adoption of coaching and training methods in surfing compared to other sports.
Coaching Drill by Peter Druin
Barton shares a coaching drill originally given to them by Peter Druin, involving catching waves as fast as possible.
The drill requires abandoning wave selection and catching any available wave, regardless of quality.
Benefits include sharpening reflexes, expanding riding capabilities, and improving small wave performance.
The drill has physical, mental, and surfing advantages, including increased intensity, improved focus, and enhanced technique.
Michael attests to the effectiveness of the drill in improving their small wave surfing abilities.
Street Boards for Technique Training
Barton discusses the use of street boards for technique training on land.
The big board model, similar in size to a snowboard, allows for stance practice and rail-to-rail movement.
Street boards enable quick analysis of a surfer's technique and allow for immediate adjustments.
A new smaller board called the 'Switch' has been developed for kids, addressing issues with other surf-simulating skateboards.
The Switch features three modes, including a normal skateboard mode and a controlled front truck movement.
A brake system on the Switch provides added control and safety for beginners.
The Switch is being launched through a Kickstarter campaign with competitive pricing compared to other surf training skateboards.
Barton emphasizes the value of combining land-based practice on surf simulators with in-water surfing.
Visualization techniques, along with street board practice and water sessions, can significantly accelerate learning.
The difficulty in getting consistent repetition in surfing makes land-based training tools particularly valuable.
Transcription
Michael Frampton
Welcome back to the Surf Mastery podcast. I got one housekeeping item, that is the first Surf Mastery coaching trip is happening on May 18th to the 24th in El Salvador at Puro Surf, which is a coaching resort. Those that are keen to attend this trip, please, there are two spots left. For more details and to book, email me, mike at surfmastery.com. Today's guest is 1988 World Champion Surfer, Barton Lynch. If you wanna find out more about Barton, or you might even be inspired to use him as a coach or send your groms to one of his coaching trips, then you can check out bartonlynch.com. That's B-A-R-T-O-N-L-Y-N-C-H dot com.
So how was Margs?
Barton Lynch
Margaret's was, I mean, it really is just one of the most beautiful places in the world and somewhere I just love going. But, you know, we had some good surfs and some great times over there until it sort of all unraveled with some shark attacks and sort of put fear through everybody. And there were sharks everywhere, you know, it was a real, the ocean was alive and everyone was thinking about it and talking about it and it was so top of mind that I don't know anyone that surfed after the shark attacks, you know?
Michael Frampton
Yeah, that's heavy?
Barton Lynch
Yeah, it kept everyone out of the water after that. And just because there was, it just seemed that there were so many of them around. And I suppose the beaching of 130 pilot whales a couple of weeks before it, just down a couple of hours down the coast, had put a massive slack, you know, and there were 130 of them. And they saved 20 that then re-beached themselves.
So, you know, that seeping through the sand and into the ocean had really brought a lot of creatures around and then one had beached itself at Left Handers as well, just, you know, half an hour up the coast or less from Margaret. So it was sort of either side of the event. And both those shark attacks happened, you know, within a few hundred metres of each other, really, 500 metres of each other or whatever there at Greystown. And at that point, the second one, after the first one, they ran the contest again, you know, they called it off for a little while and then started the contest again. But then once that second attack happened, that was just too much and too much of a risk for anything to keep going, you know?
So really, that guy was the guy that blew it for everyone. You know, he'd gone out in the water. Apparently, the word in the street was that they had the lifeguards or the patrol boat was there yelling at him to get out of the water over their loudspeaker because they had a great white around their boat. And the guy's sitting there, you know, the waves are perfect, no-one's out here, I don't...
You know, whatever it was, and ignored the advice and ended up getting hit, which consequently saw the event be cancelled and just, you know, created a whole furor. So if that idiot, for want of a better description, had stayed out of the water like everyone else had and had been told to, and that second attack hadn't happened, well, then we may have seen the event finish.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Surfers are the worst.
Barton Lynch
Ha-ha! Especially that guy was... He wasn't even from the area and, you know, the word in the street was that he wasn't going to be allowed back in the area after that too.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. The whales. Is that an unusual event to have that many whales around?
Barton Lynch
I think it is that many, but I think the beachings are something that have gone on forever. And I don't know that anyone knows why it happens. But it's not unusual. It is something that happens. But that many, that's the most that I've ever heard of.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. Wow. Were you over there at Marg's on a coaching capacity?
Barton Lynch
Was over there for Hurley and the Hurley Surf Club activation that was a part of the Margaret River event. And we were... What we really do with that activation is coach people, coach kids primarily. We had kids from the Margaret River High School and from the Quorum Up Board Riders and come in, you know, come visit the surf club area and we would take them surfing and video them and then they would come in and we'd review the video and go through the coaching with them.
And then at the same time, they would hang out and spend the day at the event with us and watch the heats and learn that way as well. And then we did another day with Surfing Western Australia where they brought their top 35 junior surfers in the state of Western Australia down to the event and at Smith's Beach at Yallingup, we did a coaching day with them there and that was really successful.
So yeah, in a coaching capacity, not with pro surfers, but, you know, through the Hurley Surf Club.
Michael Frampton
Is it mostly grommets that are sort of taking Hurley up on this initiative?
Barton Lynch
Yeah, I would say primarily grommets, but again, there are quite a few older people, you know, working individuals who just want to surf better. We did have a video analysis component to the whole project in the initial stages. And I think, you know, in the majority, I'd say 60% of the people I did video coaching for were kids and the other 40% were, you know, people in their, you know, I suppose, late 20s to late 40s in that range, you know, which is kind of the, I suppose, largest sort of surfing demographic.
And so yeah, I think most people, I mean, you know, people, when you talk about coaching, people kind of get, some people aren't interested, some people think it's a wank or whatever, but at the same time, we, you know, the Hurley Surf Club motto really is it's all about having fun and that really the better you surf, the more fun you're gonna have. And that's been my experience. And I think that'd be your experience too, you know, Michael, the better you surf, the more fun you end up having.
So that's the premise. It's not all about being professional surfers or competitive surfers. It's really just about improving your performance so you can sort of get more fun out of it.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, well, it's not just about improving your performance. It's about improving your skill level and your confidence.
So you can do, you know, you can surf bigger and more, you know, solid waves and hollower waves.
Barton Lynch
Yeah, more challenging waves, that's right. And I suppose the more you can push yourself, the more you push yourself, the more you grow. And it has that impact on your whole life rather than just your surfing life.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, no, I totally agree. I've always wondered though, why it's so underutilized as far as like as an adult group. Because if you go to a golf course, the demographic is the opposite. It's mostly middle-aged adults and then some grommets.
Barton Lynch
Yeah, I think that what you have there really is golf as a sport, started as a sport and lives and dies as a sport, like tennis, like football. But surfing, I suppose, is more of a culture. And it has, you know, the majority of surfers will never compete in their lives. And if you think about surfing culturally, it has an anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian background. It's kind of in that counterculture. It's against the mainstream. It's something that is on the other side of the fence and that still exists in surfing. And I think even if you take it through to the professional level, the surfers at the professional level that have the most support from the public are the ones that still embody the culture more than they do the sport. And I think, you know, if you look at say women's surfing, you look at Stephanie Gilmore, the reason, you know, she's obviously incredible, but she sort of embodies the culture of surfing. She's not looked at so much as an athlete that trains for this sport. She's looked at a surfer who competes in this sport. And John Florence would be the same. He's not someone that talks about his training, talks about the sport, talks about winning and losing so much. He's more, you know, although he's a competitive surfer and a world champion, he's more sort of culturally respected. And I think that is the important thing.
I mean, if you look on the men's side, you look at say Gabrielle Medina, who's looked at as a competitor and a competitive mongrel at that. You know, people look at Gabrielle and his public support is not what it is, or John John's is, and it's because of those, that cultural appeal that you have. And so there is still a bit of negativity around surfing competitions and that whole side of the sport being a part of the culture. And a lot of people just don't buy it. They don't think it has a place in surfing and that surfing's about between you and the ocean, has nothing to do with a competitive sport. It's not a competitive drive or a competitive thing.
So I think it's those cultural influences that have that impact on people.
Michael Frampton
Yeah. And I always sort of say to people, you know what, if you don't get surf coaching because you want to compete, get it because you want to go on a trip to Uluwatu or somewhere heavy, somewhere where you need to be sharp and onto it. And another aspect is like, you can really learn to surf small waves on quite a different level with a bit of coaching.
Barton Lynch
For sure. I mean, you and I have had that experience working together on your surfing. And I think that, you know, to me it is all about improving your performance so you're getting more out of it. But again, there's that, you know, when I was a kid, I remember, you know, contests were taboo. People didn't like them. Colourful wetsuits were out. You just had to wear black. If you walk down the beach, I used to walk down the beach with two and three surfboards to try out, you know, and to work with. And people would laugh at that. I remember stretching on the beach and no one would stretch. Stretching wasn't something that you ever saw anyone do.
So we definitely have moved, you know, in terms of the amount of people taking coaching, that's improved and increased dramatically. And of all ages, I would say, and all genders.
And then when it comes to, you know, the act, like you see a lot of people stretch now before they go in the water. Everyone kind of, a lot of people understand the benefits of that and the effect of that in avoiding injury and all that sort of thing.
So we're definitely heading in that direction. But compared to other sports, we're still a long way back in the culture more rather than the sport.
Michael Frampton
Like you said, we did some work together and one of the things I really liked about your coaching style was it wasn't, a lot of coaches I've had in the past have been very technique-based and it's all been technique. And, but one of the drills you gave me was probably one of the best things for me learning how to surf small waves. Would you be willing to share that drill?
Yeah, so the 10 wave drill?
Barton Lynch
Which one was that? The waves as fast as you can drill.
Michael Frampton
Exactly, so simple, but.
Barton Lynch
Super simple, but super effective. I'll... Okay, I originally, that drill was originally given to me by Peter Druin, who was the gentleman who created the very first man-on-man surfing events, came up with that.
Michael Frampton
Let you explain it and then I'll sort of give listeners my experience and what I gained out of it.
Barton Lynch
You know, people used to surf in six-man heats and he came up with the idea of man-on-man and they had the first Stubbies man-on-man event in 1977. And I thought, well, he'd be an interesting guy to do some coaching with, having thought of it and obviously was a creative mind and he gave me the waves as fast as you can drill to do myself and I just, I found it super beneficial, you know, to go into it in a little detail. The idea is that you've got to abandon wave selection completely. You actually just go at like a rabid dog on the hunt for waves. You paddle with intensity, you search for waves with intensity and anything you can catch, you do catch regardless of its quality and then try to make the very most out of it. And it gets you surfing waves that you would ordinarily not surf and has you riding the worst waves that are in the lineup at that time. And it's not a problem most of the time, but it has the impact or the effect of really sharpening your reflexes and turning you into a ninja, you know, getting that really fast twitch fibre going and it expands what you think is possible and what you believe you're able to ride.
And then when you go back to selecting waves and taking your time and selecting waves, you're able to get much more out of the performance on that wave. It has a sort of meditative or psychological effect where with the counting of the waves that you catch and the breathing that you're doing while you're doing the drill and trying to keep that focus and control of your mind while your body is being physically taxed is very beneficial. And I think it just that raising of the level of intensity in your performance is a really positive thing as well.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, well put. I don't have anything to add to that because the way you described it is exactly my experience. It's something I just urge everyone to try. It kind of sounds, when you first said it to me, I thought, what?
Like, what's the point of that? And then once I had done it, and then I think I remember the first time we did it was, I think two of the waves that I caught were probably only knee high, and I was on a short board, and I thought, no way I'm even gonna be able to catch these, let alone surf them. But I ended up actually doing two, catching two waves and really surprising myself and probably rode the smallest waves to the best of my ability just within those 10 waves, like ever. Just because I was literally forced to do it. And you just, you find a way. It is probably the best out of all the technique and different boards. This is definitely the best drill that improved my small wave performance, or to put it another way, improved my ability to surf small waves and therefore have more fun when the waves are small.
Barton Lynch
Yeah, exactly. And once you, the idea there is I used to, as I told you when we did it, I used to do 50 waves as fast as I could, and the idea was to have that 50th wave, have that same intensity and that same energy, same focus as the very first one. And when you could do that and you were going at that level of intensity, paddling as fast as you can, kicking the feet, paddling in a frenzy, hunting for waves up and down the beach, always moving, never sitting, and constantly searching for opportunity, you found opportunity where you didn't even see that it was.
And then, you know, as a competitor, it really gave me confidence when the waves were small and as the waves would start to deteriorate and most other of my opponents wanted, didn't want to surf or started to go into negative states of mind, I was excited, mate. I wanted it to actually get worse because I knew that I'd practised in the very worst of conditions. And even on better surf days, I'd been catching the worst waves on offer on those days as well. And so it really sharpened my small wave performance to a level that, you know, it had most probably never been. And I don't think I would have been as good in small waves as I became because of that drill.
And then I think the, you know, like swimming laps in a pool is always a good example. Your mind tends to wander because you've got all this time and you're swimming up the length of the pool and you're thinking to yourself, well, this is lap number seven. The next lap will be eight. Then I'm halfway to 16.
And then, you know, and then all of a sudden you go, what am I on now? Am I on seven or eight? And your mind through its wandering would lose its focus of what lap you're actually swimming. I think a lot of people have had that experience and it's the same counting the waves.
You know, when you were doing, say you're doing 30 as fast as you can and you know, you'd be on 15 and you'd think I'm halfway there. The next one's 16 and your mind wanders off and then all of a sudden you're confused and you've lost count. And that discipline that you can bring to the drill and to your mind by keeping count and not allowing your mind to wander. And when you're on the 12th wave, disciplining it and you sense its desire to wander and its desire to go and start counting ahead of itself and getting ahead of itself. But you discipline the mind to just stay right where it was. And it really brought about an awareness of where your mind was going and wandering and thinking when you were surfing.
And then through that awareness, you were able to control your mind. For me in competitive situations and actually keep the mind focused and disciplined on where you needed it to be, rather than having it wander as a competitor would, might wander onto the scores you might be getting, the waves your opponents had, winning and losing and all of those emotional components of success or failure. And all of a sudden you're not even thinking about what you're doing.
So it had that psychological advantages, I think, that it brought and then the physical advantages in fitness and strength as well. Because I think when we did, I remember you coming in looking pretty puffed and going, well, that was actually hard work.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, it did for.
Barton Lynch
Me. So you've got the physical advantages in terms of fitness. You've got the mental advantages in terms of awareness and disciplining your mind.
And then you've got the surfing advantages that come through increasing that intensity that you've got in the drill and really going at it hard and surfing the waves really hard. And it improves your surfing that way as well.
So it's super well-rounded. And as you said, it's so basic and so simple, but the better you get at it, the more you do it, the more you realise that it's not that basic actually. And I think that's one of those amazing things. It's like meditation where you go, well, what, you just sit there and breathe? That's pretty simple and basic. But what comes out of that is so deep and profound.
So life tends to be like that, I think, in a lot of ways.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, well, thanks for sharing that. That's awesome. Another coaching tool that you used with me was one of the street boards.
Barton Lynch
Yeah, and I suppose from a technique point of view, as you said, the majority of coaching that is done, and I would say it's most probably 90% of the coaching that's done is in and around technique and where your body is and what you're doing with your body, which is important. And there's a textbook in and around technique that is pretty standardised now and does work and does bring results. But at the same time, if everyone surfs to the textbook, then we lose that individuality and that personality that is so important in surfing.
So too much focus on technique, in my opinion, can be a problem because you do lose that individuality. But the street boards, they are the best tool that I've had for working on technique because you can get repetition on the land. And the street boards, there's a few models in their range. The primary one that we've been using is the big board, which is kind of, it's like a snowboard length.
So you're literally standing in your surf stance. It's got the pump-up tyres that you can make harder or softer depending on the terrain that you're riding.
And then the way they ride in a rail-to-rail fashion is exactly the same as surfing. And so that's my favourite tool for working on technique. The first thing I do with people is put them on that board in the car park at the beach and I see what they're doing on that board. And it shortcuts my analysis of their surfing in the water because without the street board, I may see something from the person I'm working with and then you wait 10 minutes or five minutes for them to get another wave and it might be a different style of wave and you don't see the same thing again. You gotta wait for a similar moment on a wave to see the same thing. And so it can take you an hour to analyse someone's performance in the water, where on the street board, you either have a couple of runs on that and you see it there and you can literally start to tinker with things a little bit, work with the muscle memory, get that muscle memory to understand what you want it to do in the water through the repetition that you get on land.
And then when you're on the wave, if you've done enough repetition and you add a bit of awareness to it, then the body in theory will follow through and make those changes without you having to be so conscious and deliberate with it. Because we all know when you get up on a wave, most of the time you forget what you're doing anyway. And you get to, because you're so absorbed in the moment, and you get to the end of the wave and you go, I was meant to throw my arm this way, I forgot all about it, okay, next wave I'm gonna do that. And so it can be a real laborious process making change to technique in the water, but on the land, it can be a lot quicker and easier.
But the street board itself is a big sort of bulky board and it's great for us adults, and it's my favourite board to ride, but for kids, they can be too big and hard to ride and we've got a smaller version called the Dragon. But in recent times, there's been a style of board come to the market with that swiveling front truck, and I suppose Carver and Smoothstar are two examples of that swiveling front truck. And we've had, I've had a lot of kids, I know that lots and lots of kids ride those boards, but the problem with that swiveling front truck is that it creates a habit of moving to your front foot to build speed. Because on those boards, you, through a sort of wiggling almost of the front foot, you create speed. Once the speed's generated, then you can start to go into your turns.
And so the problem with that is that for us in small waves as surfers on a surfboard, you wanna stay on your back foot and drive your board through flatter sections and in smaller waves using your fins. The fins are there to drive the board to build speed. And so if the habit you've created out of the board you're riding on land is to go to the front foot to create speed, you've got that habit in the water. And I've had to work with many a surfer who have grown up surfing on those type, or skateboarding on those type of boards or practicing for their surfing on those type of boards. And it can be a real problem.
So that's the board that we've now designed and that we're releasing with street boards. It's called the Switch. And it's a smaller style board for kids, a penny style size board, a little bit bigger than the penny skateboards. And the benefit of this thing is it's got three modes, more or less. It can be ridden as a normal skateboard.
And then with the switch, with the moving of a switch, you can turn it into a cast or a moving front truck. But we've been super conscious in the way we've designed that front truck. And it doesn't allow you to wiggle. It still has a rail-to-rail effect. And so we feel like we've cracked the code in terms of that type of surf training or surf-simulating skateboard. And it's the best one that I've ridden and all of the coaches that we've shared it with today have all said that it's the one. And if you're a kid and you wanna train for your surfing on land, I think the Switch, which we launched today, is one of the best boards I've ever seen. And it's for kids, it's the perfect sort of supplement to their surfing.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, it's a really unique design, that front truck. You say it's for kids, but I'm looking forward to getting one.
Barton Lynch
Yeah, I mean, and that's the other side of the coin. I mean, I like the big street board because you're literally in your surf stance. And I feel like that's a really important part of that surf simulation. On a normal skateboard or a smaller skateboard deck, it's kind of a, you know, the stance is narrowed.
So it's not exactly the same stance, but it's still the same movements, the same upper body movements and the same technique that you need. So it's something that we're super stoked about. We've got another board that we're working on that we've got in the design phase, R & D phase, where the front trucks and the back trucks are gonna move together.
So rather than just the front truck doing that type of movement, we're kind of working on something that's another step beyond this as well. So got a lot of projects in the R & D stage, but this one, without question, the Switch is something that we think is gonna really change, you know, surf simulation for a lot of kids and get them out of that front foot wiggling habit that some of those other boards create.
And then the third part of it, the third component of that board is the brake. And it comes with a brake that you can take off or leave on. And that brake allows you to go down big hills and actually be in control of your speed with that brake. And you use it in the backhand.
So it's a third point of contact with the board, you got your two feet, and then that backhand on the brake, and you can use it as a third point of contact, control your speed. And then the thing that we like the most, you would have seen, you go down to any skate park and the amount of young kids riding scooters is astonishing. And most young kids get a scooter before they get a skateboard. And a lot of kids are staying on scooters and not even going to skateboards or surfboards.
So our mission is to get more kids onto surfboards and onto board sports in general, whether that's surfing, snowboarding, or skateboarding. And the brake allows you to stop the board, stand on it, have it perfectly still, and then release the brake and start to roll, put the brake back on. And for beginners learning to skateboard, like the handle does on a scooter, it gives them that confidence. The brake can give young kids that confidence in learning to skateboard earlier than they do now.
And then that way we hope to see more kids coming into surfing and into snowboarding and into the board sports as a by-product of having that brake and that sort of user-friendly situation with the brake for younger kids.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, what a great idea. Yeah.
Barton Lynch
That's cool. And it's a Kickstarter campaign.
So it's gonna launch on Kickstarter in the next couple of days. So I'll send you, Michael, a video that we've got on the product and then the Kickstarter link, and perhaps we can put that up for people so that they can get their hands on it. The other great part of it is the price. At the first 250, you're at $99.
And then through the Kickstarter campaign, they're gonna be available at $115. And most other surf simulator training type skateboards are $300 plus.
So at $115, it's a deal as well. So there's a lot of pluses, a lot of upside to the Switch model that we're releasing.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, it sounds like a great product. I'm looking forward to trying it.
Barton Lynch
Yeah, we'll get you one over there. We're gonna get you one over there. We'll send it over to.
Michael Frampton
You. Awesome, appreciate that. Cool, so I'll put links to that video and to the Kickstarter campaign in the show notes to this episode, which you can just see on the app, on the podcast app on your iPhone, or you can go to surfmastery.com and see it there as well. The website for the boards themselves is streetboardswithaz.net. If you're really serious, the larger board, I agree, but like that larger board with the big blow-up wheels where you can have a proper stance length, is it's probably the only skateboard I've ever tried where you can just get hard on your rail. You can put the angle of the board at 45 degrees and because the way it's designed, there's no wheel bites. You can just dig your rail in as if you were surfing a decent wave.
Barton Lynch
Exactly, and hold the rail through the turns. And the good thing about that style of board is that you can't, for your surfing, it doesn't let you ride it wrong. It fixes those technique issues that you have just by riding it. And so I find that you combine that with that in-water practice and you've got the perfect balance. And that's what makes surfing so hard is that we can't get repetition. Every wave you ride's different, every day you go surf's different, and you just don't get the repetition that you can in some of those other more pedestrian type sports.
So the surf simulators and being able to practice it on land is one of the keys along with visualisation. I think if you throw in some visualisation, you ride the street boards on the land, and then you get your practice in the water, you're gonna accelerate your learning curve dramatically.
Michael Frampton
Yeah, I totally agree. I use surf style skateboarding all the time, so I'm a big believer. All right, Barton, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate.
Barton Lynch
It. My pleasure, mate. And happy to catch up again, Michael, and talk in a little more detail about some of the other drills and some of the other experiences I have in and around the sport and the coaching of you, Barton.
Michael Frampton
It. Yeah, all right.
So yeah, stay tuned for part two, listeners. Barton will be back. All right, thank—so I just wanted to reiterate that small wave drill that Barton described.
Barton Lynch
Thank you, Michael.
Michael Frampton
It's, you gotta try it. And if you have a surf coach, share this episode with your surf coach, and they can do their own interpretation of this drill. It is one of the best things that has helped my small wave surfing.
So yeah, go ahead and check out streetboards.net. That's streetboards with a Z or a Z.net. And of course, their Kickstarter campaign, which is a super affordable surf style skateboard that they've made. Product looks awesome, and it's so well priced.
So please just go and support them. Have a closer look. And as Barton and I mentioned, they've got a more serious product with the full-sized skateboard with the big rubber wheels. That is a phenomenal surf style skateboard as well. I use it with clients, and I use it myself all the time. The up-and-coming trip, and there will be more. I know it's a bit short notice on this one. The 18th to the 24th of May in South America in El Salvador at Puro Surf. You can check out more from them at purosurf.com. You can check out their resort. It looks pretty awesome. Looking forward to it. And what's gonna be happening here, myself and Barry Green are gonna be the primary surf coaches down there. There's gonna be video analysis, in-water coaching. There's gonna be, I'll be doing movement and mobility and bodyweight strength classes, as well as some of the performance neurology stuff I've been doing, so vision training, balance training, flow training, just to be sharp and onto it. We'll be doing small seminars on equipment, surfing, surf technique in general, answering all and any questions that the clients have. Barry and myself bring a broad range of skills to the table, and it's gonna be a small group.
So sort of just generalizing here, because it's gonna be tailored to what each client wants, both as individuals and as a group. And there are more details on Barry and myself's bios on our websites, me at surfmastery.com and Barry at makingthedrop.com. Thanks for tuning in to the Surf Mastery podcast. Again, I'm your host, Michael Frampton. Make sure you subscribe so you can keep up to date with the latest interviews. Please share with your friends. Check us out on Facebook at Surf Mastery Surf. And if you're on iTunes, please go and give us a little rating. That'd be awesome. Until next time, keep surfing.
29 Barton Lynch - '88 World Champ & Surf Coach
For the passionate surfer—whether you're a weekend warrior, a surf dad, or an older surfer—this podcast is all about better surfing and deeper stoke. With expert surf coaching, surf training, and surfing tips, we’ll help you catch more waves, refine your paddling technique, and perfect your pop up on a surfboard. From surf workouts to handling wipeouts, chasing bigger waves, and mastering surf technique, we’re here to make sure you not only improve but truly enjoy surfing more—so you can get more out of every session and become a wiser surfer. Go from Beginner or intermediate Surfer to advanced.