41 year old beginner

[Jeffrey Brown]

Greetings. I am a soon to be 41 year old with a desire to surf. I am also stuck in Louisville, Kentucky so my options are very limited. I have never surfed and never skated. I have every intention of rectifying that situation this spring/summer. In preparation I recently purchased a longboard/skateboard to work on my balance and what not (have not killed myself yet). I know there is a great deal of information on the forum and I have not digested all of it so I apologize if all of this has been gone over elsewhere. Are there exerecises that one can do to be better prepared for lessons? I have added a great deal of "birpies" to my work out routine and have also been doing simulated pop ups from a push up position on the ground. Also if you were looking to do a 5 - 7 day program are there places/programs you would recommend? I was conisdering doing a 4 day program in Costa Rica but was not sure if I would be better suited doing something in Florida. Also are there benefits to training on a board in still water? There is a nice quarry that is available for swimming/scuba in the summer. I assume it would be helpful to practice paddling/pop ups/balance on the board in water.

Much appreciation for any opinions/thoughts/feedback.

Thanks
Jeff

[drowningbitbybit]

Hey Jeff,

You wont be able to pop up or balance on a board on flat water (unless you have something 12ft long) but what you can do is practise paddling. Surfing uses a whole bunch of muscles that you dont even know you have - in particular the lower back - so get out there and paddle paddle paddle. Its a surprisingly 'technical' skill and needs to be learned the hard way, so any practise you can get before hitting the waves is all good.

You need to find the position on your board so that the board is flat, balanced and trims nicely across the water. When you're in the ocean, you'll need to be arching your back so try to paddle in an arched position. You'll hurt the next day

Good luck with it.

[tony g]

Hello Jeff,
I agree with the above post.

so get out there and paddle paddle paddle.

Another thing you can do is to buy a good balance board and work on your balance. Swimming is also an excellent way to get into surfing shape as it really works your arms and other muscles used when surfing.

Good luck!

[jaffa1949]

Great advice, especially the paddle paddle paddle, get your strength in this up you are making a great deal of sense in the practice of burpees and push ups, with the paddle practice you will feel a lot more at home on the board.

When you get to the beaches let the fun begin

[Jeffrey Brown]

Hey all, much thanks for the responses and for the fact that none of them called me crazy. Most friends/family here at home think I am crazy or having the dreaded mid life crisis. Surfing is one of the thins I have always wanted to do and for one reason or another backed out of trying. I decided this year was the year and no more waiting. Just want to make the most of it and give it a go. The nearest available surf is Tybee Island, Georgia. Again appreciate the feedback.

[RonG]

Hey all, much thanks for the responses and for the fact that none of them called me crazy. Most friends/family here at home think I am crazy or having the dreaded mid life crisis. Surfing is one of the thins I have always wanted to do and for one reason or another backed out of trying. I decided this year was the year and no more waiting. Just want to make the most of it and give it a go. The nearest available surf is Tybee Island, Georgia. Again appreciate the feedback.

Go over to the Surf Chat forum and look for the thread "Later in Life Beginners". You're far from alone. I started this past summer at the age of 46, and I can tell you it's completely possible. Not an easy sport by any means, but well worth the time and effort. And don't worry about the looks/comments from friends and family - you'll be in better shape than all of them, and having more fun while you're at it.

Tybee is a great place, I've been on those beaches a lot over the years - not for surfing, but I'm sure it's at least as good as any other east coast beach break.

As for your plan, I think that being in good shape has helped me in many places along the surfing learning curve. So get your conditioning up, and get into that water as soon as you can.

[surf patrol]

Hi Jeffrey, welcome to Surfing Waves!
Here's the topic that RonG suggests you take a look at - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17676

[Jeffrey Brown]

Thanks again. I am on a handful of online forums, music and martial arts, and I must say you all are a friendly group. I am relatively fit: 5'10" and 165 lbs; train in boot camps and martial arts 6 days a week. However, I do NOT think my level of fitness will be surf fitness so I really appreciate the feedback. The suggested thread really echoes some of my feelings and responses I have had from friends/family.

Jeff

[drowningbitbybit]

However, I do NOT think my level of fitness will be surf fitness so I really appreciate the feedback.

Hey Jeff,
We get a lot of newbies on here saying "I'm fit and I skateboard, so it'll be easy! And now Im going to buy a shortboard!" and these are the guys that give up after a few months flailing about in the whitewater getting nowhere, but it sounds like you have the right attitude.
Yes, every bit of fitness counts, but nothing replaces surf time and no exercise routine can really mimic it. Thats not to say you shouldnt train though!

If you're into martial arts you should also have some of the flexibility, but it would be a good idea to include some yoga and some balance training.

[tonylamont]

You've got the right attitude. IMO your biggest problem given your location will be getting enough consistent water time to improve.

I am about your age and live 3.5 hrs from the nearest break. I've managed to surf an average of 2-5 sessions a month for about a year now. It's been a LOT of driving, and not nearly as much water time as I'd like, but I am seeing some (slow) improvement. Each time I take a two or three day trip to the coast, I notice I am surfing WAY better at the end than at the beginning. I have been trying to book week+ surf vacations to up my skills. Just did Kauai in December and planning on doing Costa Rica and Kauai again in 2012.

I definitely agree you should do the camp thing - booking a week or two at a destination surf school is probably the best thing you can do to improve quickly. No one gets good by surfing just a few sessions a year. I would chose Costa Rica over Florida as the waves are much more consistent in CR. Choose the wrong week in FL and there may not be any waves.

[tonylamont]

By the way, is this the quarry you reference? (Sorry, given you are in Louisville the music geek in me could not resist!)

[Jeffrey Brown]

Tony,

I work with a hardcore Slint fan You know there is a chance that it is indeed the same quarry. Would not be surprised. Ok music geek: Who took the picture?

Jeff

[tonylamont]

Tony,

I work with a hardcore Slint fan You know there is a chance that it is indeed the same quarry. Would not be surprised. Ok music geek: Who took the picture?

Jeff

That was Will Oldham, right?

[Jeffrey Brown]

AKA Bonnie Prince Billy.

[Jeffrey Brown]

Regarding fitness I have found that rarely are you in as good a shape as you think you are. I have seen extremely fit people get on the floor at the dojo and be gassed, winded in know time. A base level of fitness is good but you have to accept that fit in one arena does not necessarily mean fit in another. Breath control is breath control but when you change the demands on your body you change the way you are consuming the oxygen. I thought I had good balance until I stepped on a skateboard recently.....I can only imagine the surfing experience that is awaiting me.

[tonylamont]

Yeah, swimming, yoga and general upper body / cardio work all help, but nothing improves your surfing as much as . . . surfing. Good luck!

[SoCalSurfing]

Visualize paddling and catching the wave, popping up, riding the wave, etc.

Visualization can help reinforce what you need to do, when you're actually in the moment.

Creative Visualization is the basic technique underlying positive thinking and is frequently used by athletes to enhance their performance.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_visualization

Also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_psychology

[travelzomg]

i can only second the thing about paddling paddling paddling...

last summer i have been out paddling once a week around 2km and it realy did help me..
you get a feeling how to handle a board, you get used to lying on one and keeping the balance and you strengthen the exact muscles you will need out in the surf...
i then went surfing for two weeks and it payed out every single minute of me beeing in the water..

[Jeffrey Brown]

Leaning more toward the trip to Costa Rica. The options I have found in Florida have not been too appealing. In all honesty most of the people I have spoken with have not been too interested to help. I have been speaking with a rep. for WaveHunters regarding a trip to Playa Hermosa. The deal looks great and falls in my price range. I searched the website and did not see much mention of this company. A few references but nothing too solid to go on. Thanks for all of your support. BTW my girlfriend is pretty sure I have lost my mind. She was always certain I would get eaten by a shark sailing or diving....but now she has another fear to throw in there

[tonylamont]

Don't know anything about that company but Costa Rica has lots of good spots to learn (and some breaks that are not beginner-friendly too, so check in advance). If you can afford it, do a surf camp / school or at least get a few lessons. You'll improve a lot faster with input from a good teacher.

If you haven't checked them out already, go to Youtube and find the Surf Simply "Whiteboard Wednesday" podcasts.