Friday, July 27, 2012

PHYS. ED.: How to Stay Stoked When the Waves Suck


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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