• Posted: Thu, October 8th, 2009
• Post by: Martin
• Posted in: Blog, Competition Surfing

For a surfer to excel in surfing they must catch and ride the best waves. I believe that to do this on a consistent basis surfers should learn to prepare well before entering the ocean, by performing a thorough beach observation, and to use the knowledge gained from this beach observation whilst in the line-up.

It should be the responsibility of the developing surfer to learn to do this beach observation by themselves, so that whilst in the line-up they are able to make good decisions concerning positioning and wave selection by themselves, thus taking control of their heats and control of their destiny.

By not learning the key elements of what to look for while performing your beach observation, surfers are setting themselves up to be too reliant on the luck factor in their competitive heats. The developing competition surfer should be trying to “minimise the luck factor” by preparing well for their heats, and making good decisions whilst in the water. The key element to this minimisation of the luck factor is a quality beach observation.

The sooner the developing surfer is able to perform their beach observation by themselves, the sooner they will make good, consistent decisions in the line-up. Significant others - such as parents, coaches, teachers, can still be useful as a 2^nd opinion or a sounding board for the surfers intentions. But it must be remembered that the surfer is the one making the decisions in the water, so they must be the ones with the thorough knowledge of what is happening and likely to happen in the water during their competitive heats.

The final benefit of a thorough beach observation is that it gives the surfer the knowledge to devise a simple plan that they can try to enact, enhancing the likelihood of a successful performance in the forthcoming heat.

Observation Variables

So what should the surfer be looking for?

1                    Best peak - where you are able to perform the highest number and best manoeuvres.

2                    Back-up peak - if it stops breaking on the best peak, where can you go to catch good waves

3                    Pick landmarks on the beach that you are able to position yourself off.

4                    How far out are these peaks breaking? Are they close to shore or out the back?

5                    Time the sets. How often are they coming through, and how many waves are in each set?

6                    Best access point to the break? Do you paddle back out or run around on the beach?

7                    Decide how many manoeuvres you would be able to perform on the waves observed. The waves with the optimum manoeuvre potential are the ones you want to catch while in the line-up.

Using the knowledge gained

Once in the water:

1                    Check you are sitting in the correct spot in relation to the landmarks already selected at the start of your heat.

2                    Only paddle for and catch waves with the optimum manoeuvre potential

3                    Paddle back to the peak using the fastest access point, which has already been determined

4                     After each wave during your heat, once back in the line-up, check your positioning by observing where you are sitting in relation to your selected landmarks.