There are many benefits to training in the pool before hitting the waves. Just like any other sport, you need to create a fitness routine that targets and complements your sport. Your training routine must include a warm-up, and low and high aerobic activities. If you are not used to training in the pool, your first couple days will be exhausting, but you will build up endurance in a matter of weeks.
The exercises you absolutely need include the following:. The freestyle stroke is what you need to get back to your board or back to the shore. You should swim freestyle laps for 30 to 40 minutes. Try to pencil in two sessions per week to start with.
Increase as you see fit or your schedule allows. While it would be ideal to have more than one body of water to practice in different types of water have different densities and conditions, so practice in as many as possible conditions your body in a more capable, all-round way , a pool is most likely the most accessible.
Sign up for a gym membership or find one that allows you to pay per session. Your own pool, a friend's, a public, or even perhaps a hotel pool are also good options.
If the sea is nearby, there's no better place to adapt your swimming strength than the place you intend to use it; just be aware of your surroundings and be safe. Aim to develop a regime that works for you at your current level of swim fitness and increases intensity as your skills develop.
Your regime should be something you can do alone at any time, but there's nothing wrong with adding a buddy from time to time. The idea here is that you'll be pushing yourself and anyone else involved to the edges of your cardiovascular capabilities, so you will need focus, motivation, and self-awareness. If having another person in tow helps with this, by all means, buddy up! If not, they hold you back or are distracting - it's probably best to go it alone.
At the very least, you should be able to perform a freestyle stroke also known as a front crawl at a basic level. Do as many laps of the swim stroke of your choice at a nice, easy pace as you feel comfortable with. Stop before you start to feel any kind of effort.
This gets your muscles nice and responsive and your heart and lungs ready for some heavier activity. You should be swimming at as fast a pace as you can manage, keeping in mind that the pace should be kept up for the entire time.
Put more effort into your strokes, take deeper breaths, and push everything just that little bit further. After each lap, take a slightly longer rest, trying not to exceed 45 seconds before pushing off again.
Fast sprints at the end of a tiring session train your muscles to be responsive and powerful in sudden situations or when conditions in the waves push you beyond your normal capabilities.
It's a good idea to mix up your swim training whenever you can to help prepare your body for unexpected circumstances while surfing. Underwater laps, including sprints, are excellent for building lung capacity , which you'll need for very big hold-downs and repeated duck dives. Treading water for as long as you can builds lower body strength and stamina; useful when separated from your board or helping another surfer in distress. When you've successfully landed, jump back down to your starting position and do it again.
To see the greatest difference in your skill out on the water, practice at least 10 jumps per day, every day. Some common mistakes that people make that you should watch out for are:. Not pushing up with your arms and jumping up with your arms still bent.
Landing in a wide stance. Landing with your feet pointed in a V shape. Practice Lying on the Board. This may sound like it should be easy, but to do it properly, you have to be in the correct position. To find the sweet spot, lift up the board, and with one hand under it, find the point where the board balances perfectly without rocking back and forth. Next, either remove the fins or use a pillow to protect them, and then lie on the board in that sweet spot.
Arch your back and raise your feet so they are off the board. Each time you practice your pop-ups, make sure you are in that exact spot. Strengthen Your Paddling. If you have access to a swimming pool that's large enough to turn your board in, practice paddling, turning your board, and even standing up.
This is a great way to practice the pop-up on the water but in an environment that's far more controlled than you'll get in the ocean. Ankle swimming elastic Using ankle elastic restricts your feet and causes your lower body to sink into the water, causing a drag. Closed fist freestyle With your closed fist there is less resistance and therefore you are forced to fire up your stroke rate, swim more effectively and make more use of your forearms to become more aware of your length of stroke and engage your core muscles.
Warm down Warm down with a couple of lengths of head up front crawl to mix it up, followed by a blend of your favourite stokes even if that is breaststroke , so that your last memory of your training session is a good one.
Really imagine yourself paddling and catching the best waves, or what your top turn might look like. Whilst you have all those fantastic feel-good endorphins racing through your body, you can inspire and motivate yourself to take your fitness and surfing to the next level! Common front crawl mistakes: Bent knees while kicking — this error increases resistance and takes more effort, so instead kick from the hips and keep legs straight with small, fast kicks. Swimming flat with belly button facing the floor — you should be rotating slightly from side to side as you swim, to reduce the strain on your shoulders and improve momentum through the water.
This technique also crosses over to paddling a surfboard. Pulling crooked — make sure you pull straight with fingertips facing the bottom of the pool, to maximise water displacement.
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