Importance of following your favorite surfers

If you're like most surfers, your Instagram feed is probably packed full of insane surf clips from around the world. Next time you catch yourself scrolling through these videos, instead of just passively watching to get your dopamine hit, try focusing on one of your favorite surfers. 

Go into their profile, check out a bunch of their posts and try to pick up on the small nuances that make their surfing great. Pay attention to their technique, body position, where they are positioned on the wave and how they shift their weight through a turn. It’s amazing what insights you can gain from doing this. 

Overloading Your Learning

As we progress in our surfing journey, we tend to mimic what we see, just like we did when we learned to walk, talk and everything else. Watching a thousand different surfers can make it difficult to develop your own style & you can end up consuming a mishmash of influences that don't quite fit together.

It's important to narrow your focus and find a few key surfers whose style resonates with you that will help you to build a more cohesive and personal approach to engaging with a wave.

Focusing On Your Favorites

One of my favorite surfers at the moment is Josh Kerr. His effortless style is something that I admire and try to emulate in my own surfing. By having Josh Kerr regularly appear in my feed and stories, I get to repeatedly review his foot placement, how he transitions between rails, and his overall style. This repeated exposure helps me understand and internalize his techniques, which I can then apply the next time I’m in the water.

The Benefits of Focused Observation

When you regularly watch someone whose style you admire, you start to notice the finer details of their technique. This could be how they position their body, the timing of their movements, or even their approach to different types of waves.

By taking the time to dissect their surfing, it allows you to identify these specific elements that make their surfing great. Then, over time, slowly incorporate these elements into your own surfing. 

Applying What You Learn

So the next time you’re on the couch, instead of mindlessly scrolling, take a moment to dissect the technique of your favorite surfers. Pick up on the small details, try to incorporate one element into your surfing at a time, and watch your surfing improve.