GET LOOSE AND MOVE!
If you can’t move well, you sure can’t surf well. As a surfer, dynamic flexibility and ease of movement is truly important to not only surf with some style, but to stay injury free as well….. or you can just keep poo-stancing and looking rad!
Seriously, as surfers, we’ve got to be quickly mobile, and free of tissue restrictions to move the way we really need to
in the water. Loose fluid movements…. with some stylezzzzz!
The Key To Fluid Stylezzzz….. flexibility within the muscle slings or myofascial slings of the body to promote full body flexibility . Get into some Surfing Stretches.
Muscle Slings / Myofascial slings = Interconnected muscles and fascia that work together as a cohesive unit to provide large movement patterns
Here’s several good movements that will promote decreased muscle tension across these large groupings of muscles and allow overall freedom of motion. Some flexibility for those sick moves!
Surfing Stretches – Full Body Flexibility
So we need fullbody flexibility across these large muscle sling systems to be able to move with…… stylezzz!
For me personally, the stretches shown above, I’ll use after heavy surfs, and also in the mornings before breakfast. I’ve had some chronic injuries, so I have to really work at keeping my body flexibile and free from pain. Work on these stretches for about 1-2 minutes per stretch, and per side…. work on proper breathing… and get loose!!! If anything causes pain, stop doing it! How Do You Breathe – check this post for some breathing instructions.
IF YOU WANT MORE FLEXIBILITY DRILLS, INSIGHT INTO EFFECTIVE STRETCHING, AND A FULL STRETCHING PROGRAM…..
For some of you, those two stretches may be too much, meaning you’re way too damn stiff to 
get even remotely close to relaxing and breathing in those positions. No big deal, you just need to break the movements into specific stretches for what’s limiting your range of motion. You should be working on myofascial release as well (tennis ball or foam roller release). Get into my full program STRETCHES FOR SURFERS
Some of you may find those stretches totally groovy. Solid, add them to your life routine. Look to get more dynamic with the movements, and come up with some type of flow-stretching routine that you can go through everyday.
No matter where you’re at on the spectrum of “flexibility”, for a comprehensive program to keep yourself moving properly, check out STRETCHES FOR SURFERS
A BIT OF DETAIL ABOUT MUSCLE SLING SYSTEMS… IF YOU’RE INTERESTED
Your body is an integrative mass of muscle tissue, fascia, connective tissue, bones… and all that stuff has got to be able to move! When we do move through the water, or in a turn, or pumping down the wave face, we move with fluid full body motions… hopefully. If not, you’re poo-stancing it and giving some guys a good laugh. Motion, movement, biomechanics, whatever it is you want to call it, occurs integratively, so the chains and slings of muscles that run through the body must be freely able to produce full body movements. What I’m getting at here is that our body’s movements are integrative. Movements don’t use just one muscle, they use chains of muscles to produce movement, so if we want to be free of movement restrictions, than we need to stretch chains of muscles (sling systems). There are times that a single muscle needs to be stretched to correct a particular joint imbalance, but very often to truly improve overall flexibility, chains of muscles need to be lengthened.
FLEXOR CHAIN STRETCH – IF YOU SIT A DESK, USE THIS!
This video is a bit old… it’s a bit embarassing for me to watch!…. but a good stretch, so use it.
Here’s one more video that is a great movement to increase rotational flexibility. I use this often before going to bed at night and work on some Zen breathing at the same time… help get relaxed! This movement is also really beneficial for anyone with some shoulder funk, as it teaches proper movement of the spine, rib cage, and scapula.
Use This Stuff!!! It’s essential that we keep our bodies flexibile and strong, to not only effortlessly move through life, but to be able to surf our asses off without pain, and get some pits! Step it up with your stretch routine, and utilize some beneficial full body flexibility work.
Let me know what you think!! Leave some comments below.. thanks! -cris
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