Hi my name is Linda. Surfing is, in my opinion, one of the hardest sports to learn, do I mean hard or frustrating? hummm? I’m still undecided on that one. A good surf relies heavily on so many variables, most of which are hopelessly out of my control and mother nature often seems to be against me. Why am I not a great surfer? How long have you got? So I am at that stage where I feel like I have plateaued. One week I’ll have a great surf and come away so stoked that I nailed that turn but then the next week it can feel like I’m a beginner all over again. When you have a good surf your expectation goes up for your next surf and when it’s not achieved it can be a little soul destroying and very frustrating. I feel like a wave pool would be a really great tool right now. To get the same wave over and over again and be able to practice and build muscle memory would be AWESOME, after all, they say 'Repetition is the mother of learning'. It’s also said that learning to surf is more like learning how to fail. It’s true there are so many more fails than wins in this sport, thank god it’s normally a soft landing. I am trying to change my mindset and be consciously aware of what I need to do, trying to catch more waves, go for bigger waves, watch the waves I miss and see how they break and where. I used to paddle out with friends for fun and if I caught a good wave bonus but I never thought much about what I was doing and to be honest I wasn’t trying to achieve anything at that point but now it’s become almost an obsession to progress and get better at surfing. Maybe this is why I feel like I am failing more and enjoying it less? Practice, practice , practice As a weekend surfer I am seriously lacking on the 10,000 hour rule. Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule goes like this: you have to put 10,000 hours in order to become an expert or master of a subject, job, trade. (I’m applying the same theory to sport.) 10k hrs equates to an old fashioned extended apprenticeship, 5 days a week for 5 years. This is where it starts going to shit for me. If i’m lucky and the conditions are on my side I might get 3-4 hours practise at a weekend and a few sneaky morning surfs in the summer months before work.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories as I know my frustration is felt by many.
2 Comments
Sally
6/11/2018 08:12:37 pm
Love this and relate to it all. Surfing has a weird hold on me like a sickness...it’s also the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done. I am a small wave surfer most comfortable on a log I can shuffle up and down then gently paddle out again and repeat. Currently in dry dock with a shoulder injury I’m visualising the next time I can paddle out on a crisp morning with only the waves and sky for company.
Linda
7/11/2018 02:47:07 pm
Hey Sally, I hear you and thanks for the comment!!! Good luck with the shoulder and enjoy the waves x Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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