Dreaming of learning to surf in the tropical paradise called Bali? You’re not alone! With its great surf spots, beautiful beaches, and interesting culture, Bali is a prime destination for beginner surfers. But before you hop on your surfboard and paddle out for your surf session, you can add some other sports into your routine that benefit your surf skills! They’ll make you feel more confident and prepared when it’s time to hit the waves. Let’s check out some fantastic sports that can level up your surfing!
Find your inner balance and flexibility with yoga, which is a fantastic way to improve your surfing. When you learn to surf, balance is key, and yoga makes your body much more flexible and stronger and you’ll become more mindful. All essential things are needed for catching those waves while surfing.
Regularly practicing yoga will help you open up those tight muscles, allowing for better movement on your surfboard. Poses like ‘downward dog’, ‘cobra pose’ and the ‘warriors’ help to strengthen your core, your balance, and improve your overall body awareness.
Another benefit of yoga is that it helps with deep breathing and mental focus, which can help to calm your nerves when you’re about to paddle out into the ocean for the first time.
When the ocean is flat or when you’re not near the ocean, surf skating or skateboarding are the perfect way to keep your surfing skills sharp! Surf skating uses a specialized, more flexible board that mimics the movements of surfing, allowing you to practice your turns, balance, and carving on dry land. One of the best things about it is that it helps you to build muscle memory. By practising the same movements you use when catching waves and turning, you’ll find it becomes much easier when you’re back in the water.
The more time you spend improving your skating, the more comfortable you’ll feel when you finally hop on that surfboard. And here’s the best part: you can practice your balance, turns, and cuts whenever you want, no need to wait for perfect surf conditions. Both sports are an excellent addition to your sports routine!
While it may seem like a unique choice for improving your surfing skills, deep diving is a sport that can significantly strengthen your comfort level in the water. First of all, learning to dive and just being in the open water gives you a better understanding of the ocean itself, how it feels to be in the ocean, and it strengthens your swimming and breath-control, both are essential when paddling out for your surf lessons.
Spending time underwater really helps build your confidence, making you feel more comfortable when you’re faced with waves, currents, and those inevitable wipeouts that come with surfing. When you dive deep, you learn how to hold your breath longer and pick up breathing techniques that keep you calm. This kind of training will help you manage any fears you have while surfing different kinds of waves. Being at ease in the water not only strengthens your surfing journey but also makes every ride more exciting and enjoyable!
Even though the specific movements aren’t identical, both sports require a similar body posture and thoughtful weight distribution. Plus, in both surfing and snowboarding, it’s key to read the terrain and react to changes around you. Once you hit the waves in Bali, you’ll likely notice that the muscle memory you’ve built from snowboarding improves both your surfing style and your confidence, and vice versa! So, why not enjoy surfing in the summer and shredding the slopes in the winter?
While snowboarding and surfing (usually) take place in completely different environments, snowboarding is a great way to cross-train for surfing. The skills you develop on the snowy slopes, like balance, control, and quick body movements, translate directly into your surfing technique!
Incorporating strength training into your fitness routine is crucial for any surfer. For surfing, you need strength in your whole body, from your upper body for paddling and popping up, to core stability to maintain balance on your board, and your legs to stay on your board and turn. Being strong and building a strong foundation will pay off when it’s time to tackle those waves.
So if you are not doing it yet, start by focusing on exercises targeting your core, arms, and legs, such as push-ups, planks, and squats. Workouts like this will improve your condition, allowing you to paddle longer and more efficiently, so you can spend more hours in the water. With a fit body, you’ll feel physically prepared for surfing and the challenges that come with learning to surf.
Finally, a sport that is automatically attached to surfing is swimming. It’s a vital sport for anyone looking to learn to surf, and it’s one of the best ways to feel comfortable in the water. It allows you to build the skills you’ll need to paddle out, duck dive under those waves, and confidently join the lineup.
You don’t need to be as great as Michael Phelps, just having a basic level is key for your safety and for those around you. Swimming regularly boosts your strength for paddling and improves your overall fitness. Plus, swimming builds your endurance, so you can stay out in the water longer without becoming too tired. And let’s be honest, feeling like a strong swimmer makes it way easier to deal with those inevitable wipeouts! With good swimming skills, getting back on your board or swimming to shore after a leash break becomes a piece of cake. So, being confident in the water will help you relax and enjoy your surfing sessions to the max, letting you focus on having fun and catching those Bali waves!
As you get ready to learn to surf, keep in mind that mixing in these sports can really elevate your surfing game. Each sport adds something unique to your surfing journey, helping you feel confident and connected to the ocean.
So go ahead, try out these different sports, and watch how they boost your skills. Your surfing journey starts now! Book your lessons today and let’s catch some waves!
