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Home - The Perfect Pre-Surf Warm Up!
As an agnostic the closest thing to a regular religious experience for me is saluting the rising sun. It allows me to honour something far grander than myself, be grateful for the life that it gives, and connects me to this present moment here and now, a shining anchor if you will for the wandering mind. From a physical and physiological standpoint it also warms and prepares the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons for the rigours of the surf experience. This not only reduces our risk of injury, it increases performance and enjoyment in the water. Case in point for surfers moving into the 30 and above bracket (Yes me included) it allows us to hook right into the smooth transition from paddling to take-off to first turn without suffering what I like to refer to as the ‘stiff stumble’. You know the one, usually resulting in you digging your rail and missing that initial off the top, rendering you too a frustrating squat in frantic hope that you make it around the foam to redeem yourself on the next section. By completing the ‘Salute to the Sun’ sequence outlined below, the first three ‘stiff stumbles’ of a session become a distant memory. So lets examine it in detail now.
Start in a standing position with the big toes and ankles touching. Evenly distribute the weight between the balls of your feet and heels.
Inhale to raise the arms bringing the palms together and lengthen the spine. It is important to activate your core and keep the front of your ribs just below the chest tucking in. If your neck allows look up at the hands.
Exhale fold the torso forwards into a standing forward bend. Bend the knees slightly to take pressure off the lower back, reach your hands towards the ground in line with the shoulders and relax the head and neck. This forward bend stretches the calves, hamstrings, muscles that line the spine, and stretches the spinal chord and major tibial nerves (sciatic nerve’s) that run down the back of each leg. This reduces your risk of tearing these muscles, whilst greater elasticity in the nervous system loosens up your surfing stance.
Inhale look up, lengthen the spine and keep your core switched on.
Exhale to jump or step the feet back into a push-up or press-up position and lower yourself down to hover a few inches from the floor into ‘Chataranga Dandasana’. This part of the sequence is great to strengthen the chest, triceps and core muscles, aiding takeoff power and warming these muscles for that action.
Inhale come into Upward facing dog pose (Urdva Mukha Svanasana). To do this push your hands firmly into the floor and slightly back, as if you were trying to push yourself forwards along the floor. Keep your core switched on, firm the buttocks slightly, arch the lower back and look up if the neck allows. This posture warms and contracts the spinal muscles that work during take-off, and prepares the joints or bones of the spine for extension or arching.
Exhale to roll over the toes and take the hips towards the ceiling into Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Hold for 3 breaths. This posture is great to warm up and strengthen the muscles of the arm, shoulder blade and upper back. It also lengthens the muscle at the back of the spine and legs, and once again stretches out the spinal chord and sciatic nerves.
From Downward Facing Dog Inhale to jump or step the feet in between the hands, straighten the spine and look forwards.
Exhale relax the torso and head into a forward bend.
Inhale to bend the knees slightly and use your core muscles to unroll the spine one vertebra and a time, raise the torso, and lift the arms upwards and together looking at the hands if the neck allows.
Exhale lower the arms by your side into the starting position.
Repeat this cycle 5 times, or as many as required to remove stiffness from the body.
Remember for those of you living in storm ridden seascapes you can still work out the relative position of the sun and salute it through cloud, drizzle, even mizzle (mist and drizzle). And if you feel a little self conscious saluting at the beach front, or are generally too amped at the beach to even contemplate a stretch, just salute in the privacy of your home.
For more information on surfing and yoga holidays log on to www.errantsurf.com
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Great team at Ticket to Ride Surf School and surf lesson from Donncha! Last Sunday 7th August I dropped by Ticket To Ride Surf School on the way from the... read more car park to the beach to see if they could fit in a private lesson. Rory sorted it, which was great, and I then had a 2 hour lesson with a very patient Donncha who managed to get me (mid-fifties) standing up on more or less my first lesson - loved the lesson, the surf and the waves - I’ll be back and when I do, it’ll be to Ticket to Ride Surf School. I hope they’ve survived the mayhem of Boardmasters!
The staff is absolutly wonderful. They are friendly and helpful if you are new to surfing and will set you up with board you need. They also have wonderful classes... read more to help you improve your surfing skills. Whether you are amateur or more advanced the surf instructors will give you helpful advice to help you improve your performance. Thank you to Lucy and Finn for making our time super enjoyable, we will most likely be back to surf again soon.
We had a beginners lesson for our 2 daughters in their kids clubs session and my husband had a seperate lesson. The teachers were fantastic, patient and fun with the... read more kids. Our eldest managed to get standing during the lesson and both of them loved their lesson. Brilliant surf school I would use every time
We booked our kids in for a session. Neither of them have surfed before. It lasted 1 1/2 hours. All the kit was provided for them. Their instructor Finn,... read more was great with them. Very engaging. They were having a great time. Our kids were 5 and 8 at the time. I also did a two hour session in a group of 4 with Luke. He was very good and took time to explain everything to me, a complete beginner, and by the end of my two hour lesson I was standing on the surf board. Great fun. Super fun knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend
We have always used Ticket to Ride when they were based in Perranporth. They have moved to Watergate Bay, but we were staying next door in Waves, and the... read more school remains as good as ever. Charlie, Too, Luke and the rest of the team couldn't be more helpful. Our daughter learnt to surf with them in Perranporth and is looking forward to going to Bali with them next year. Best surf school in Watergate - ignore the rest, go for the best.