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How Does a Professional Surfer Train?
Training in the Water
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Ideally, a professional surfer will be in the water surfing morning and afternoon. Unfortunately, if it isn't the right time of year, a pro surfer won't have any big waves to train on. Instead, a pro surfer trains on whatever waves are available, big or little. In addition to surfing, a surfer will also spend time in the ocean swimming and paddling. This builds up stamina in a pro surfer, which is just as important a technique as when a pro surfer takes on big waves. Some pro surfers like to practice holding their breath and will free dive to practice breath control. To practice balance and core strengthening, a pro surfer may also paddleboard in calm waters, which essentially involves standing on a surfboard with a paddle.
Yoga
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A lot of surfers like to practice yoga when they're not training in the water. A pro surfer might practice yoga up to five times a week. Yoga helps a pro surfer build strength and flexibility, particularly when holding themselves in difficult poses. Yoga also has the additional benefit of helping a pro surfer to practice breath control. Proper posture and breathing are two important skills that yoga teaches, and are necessary for a pro surfer to learn. Another skill that yoga teaches is patience, which is important for surfers as they wait for bigger waves to come along.
Practice Surfing Moves away from the Water
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A surfer can't be in the water all the time, particularly when they don't have the right kind of waves to train in. Instead, a pro surfer has to come up with ways to replicate the kinds of moves her body makes in the water. To do this, some surfers skateboard or use indo boards (recommended by pro surfer Kelly Slater for surf training indoors) in order to practice balance. Other surfers prefer stability balls, which are good for balance and core training.
Mental Training
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In addition to the physical training involved in surfing, pro surfers also find that they need to prepare themselves mentally for upcoming tournaments. Some surfers will use visualization in order to prepare mentally. Surfer Brad Gerlach prefers to look at photos or videos to see how he can improve his technique. Pro surfer Cheyne Willis watches surfing movies in order to mentally train before riding big waves.
eHow Article: How Does a Professional Surfer Train?
