PHYS. ED.: How to Stay Stoked When the Waves Suck
No
matter where in the world you might live, or how consistent your local breaks
may be, sooner or later we have to deal with less than optimum wave conditions. Whether it’s a small junky wind swell or the
dreaded flat spell, we all have to deal with times when the waves just are not providing
any motivation for bodyboarding. If you
can find ways to stay stoked on bodyboarding and keep yourself from getting all
bummed out over the lack of waves you should be able to create some good times,
stay physically prepared for the next round of solid swell, and even psych
yourself up to push your riding limits!
Here are a few tips:
WATCH
BODYBOARDING VIDEOS…watching your favorite riders scoring sick waves from
around the world can not only help keep you stoked, it can be a great study
tool. Paying close attention to body
positioning, trim lines, and where maneuvers are being executed can help you
improve your techniques and style. Using the slow motion and pause features on
your DVD player can definitely help to pick up small details that you might
otherwise miss. You can always hit up
plenty of bodyboarding video footage on YouTube with Heats-On-Demand, video
highlights, and “How To” videos at www.youtube.com/ibaworldtour
as well as video clips from www.youtube.com/usbatour
among many others. For the latest
bodyboarding videos, hit up your local bodyboard shop or your favorite online
bodyboard retailer. *EXTRA CREDIT: Increase and share the stoke by organizing a “Video
Night”…invite your crew over, grab some healthy snacks and your favorite bodyboard
vids, enjoy!
READ
BODYBOARDING BOOKS/MAGAZINES…Diving into any one of your favorite online or
print bodyboarding mags can help get you amped, get the imagination going, and
might even inspire you to book a trip to somewhere in the world with better
waves. Also, I highly recommend
purchasing a copy of ‘The Bodyboard Travel Guide: Where to Score the World’s
Best Bodyboarding Waves’ by Owen Pye (Orca Publications). If this book doesn’t inspire you to want to
travel and explore new waves, I don’t know what will!
HAVE A TRAINING ROUTINE…Stay fit by setting up
a workout routine for yourself. Swimming, running on the sand, yoga…any kind of
training routine will help to keep you primed and ready to go for the next good
swell. Get out into the ocean as much as
possible with activities like, snorkeling, diving. If there is a small wave rolling through, get
a few of your friends together and run simulated contest heats…it’s a great way
to have a fun session with your friends and stay in competitive form. Any thing that keeps you in the ocean is a good
thing!
KNOCK OUT
THAT “TO-DO” LIST…get as much stuff done as possible while the waves suck so
that when the next swell fills in, there’s nothing keeping you from getting out
in the water and scoring the waves you’ve been waiting for.
Most
importantly, no matter how bad the surf conditions are or how long the flat
spell may be, keep a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE!
Until the
next time…have a great weekend and pray for surf…YEEEWWW!!!
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