Mental Strength & Surf Performance
Just more strength and endurance?
That’s all you need to improve your surfing, right? Nope.
Don’t get me wrong you absolutely need to up your physical conditioning and mobility.
But you need to get your head right:
Over the past 15 years the best increases in surf performance I’ve seen in clients is when they commit to getting their body and head right, out of the water.
Why? Let me ask you this. On average, what is your mood like if you haven’t surfed in a while? What about not surfing during a stretch when it’s firing?A bit irritable are we? Yeah I know that well (My wife knows it even more).
Nothing completely replaces what surfing does for us
Surfing is our way of life it's in our blood. But what if I told you when you have to be out of the water you could gain a bit of the clarity, calmness, and stoke that comes from surfing?
Think about it. A way to improve your focus and attitude that is completely up to you. Not dependent on the swell, wind, tide or being in a specific spot at a specific time.
Mindfulness What Is It?
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” – John Lennon
So true. Our humanness makes us constantly pine for the past or worry about the future. When really the only thing we have is NOW.
This is at the core of what surfing gives us. That is its true gift. For our purposes let's define mindfulness as presence.
Here’s the awesome part, as a surfer, you already have tremendous experience in mindfulness. Sticking the late drop, getting covered up, scratching for the horizon on a clean up set. These are but a fraction of the thousands upon thousands of mindfulness moments we acquire over years of surfing.
You can’t be anywhere else or worried about anything else to surf. Let alone do it well. You must live in that exact moment.
Mindfulness Practice
All you need to start:
- 5-10 minutes
- Comfortable place to sit is ideal but anywhere is better than not at all
- Solid commitment
- Practice patience (give yourself a chance to improve or you’ll quit before you get started)
Follow These Steps
Set a timer
Mindfulness and clock-watching don’t exactly go together, set a timer on your phone or computer.
Ideally, you’ll be setting it for five minutes to ten minutes—enough time to take a break without being missed—but the exact length of time is up to you.
It doesn’t matter if you practice for 30 seconds or 20 minutes: just choose a time that feels right.
Ground yourself
This practice is most effective when you can either sit or lie down to replenish your energy.
It doesn’t matter where you choose to do this, as long as the location is comfortable enough for your practice.
If you choose to sit, be in a comfortable a chair with your feet firmly rooted and in contact with the ground and your hands placed on your thighs or folded in your lap.
Like I said before though anywhere is better than nowhere. Don't let location or less than perfect conditions be an excuse not to practice.
Hint: There is no perfect
Check posture
Slouching isn’t known for its revitalising properties, so take a moment to check your posture before you begin.
If you’re sitting, try to keep your back as straight as possible, without tensing up.
Make sure your shoulders, neck and jaw are relaxed, and do a quick mental scan over the rest of your body to check for any pockets of tension.
Decide on eyes
While practicing, you can keep your eyes closed or open.
If you have a private space, you might prefer to close them; if you’re sitting in the middle of a busy office, however, you might prefer to keep them open.
When practicing with your eyes open, find one point about three feet in front of you and focus on that throughout the practice (you can also stare at a single point on the base of your computer if this helps you practice unnoticed at work).
Whether you choose eyes closed or open, stick with that method throughout the practice.
FREE Surf Fit Blueprint
Focus on breath
Start your timer and bring your focus to your breathing. Don’t try to change your breath or adopt any pattern that feels unnatural (you’re going to be doing this for up to five minutes so your breath needs to be sustainable).
Simply notice how your breathing feels right now: is it particularly shallow or uneven?
Can you find a way to breathe deeply and regularly that feels natural?
Notice attention
The biggest block to your five-minute practice will be yourself—or, more specifically, your mind.
Once you start focusing on your breath, your mind will sense a gap in your thoughts, and will try to plug it as quickly as possible with more thoughts.
If you notice yourself getting caught up in a train of thought, simply bring your attention back to your breath.
It doesn’t matter how many times this happens (and it will get easier with practice); each time you notice yourself running away with thoughts and stories, simply return to the breath and focus on each inhale and exhale until your timer goes off.
That's it
No complicated visualisations, no chanting, simply a chance to connect with yourself.
Set a time, find a place, check your posture, focus on your breath, and enjoy five or more well-deserved minutes to yourself.
