Use the balance and fitness of MMA to pack more punch when you surf, just like Kelly Slater...
Imagine an athlete who tackles opponents he knows he cannot beat.
His rival is infinitely stronger, faster and angrier. Well, this is what ‘Joe Average’ surfer does every time they paddle out.
Maneuvering a flimsy stick of fiberglass on the most powerful force on earth demands incredible skill and strength too. In the cage this strength will improve your balance, help you control your opponent and cultivate the ability to absorb body blows. So much so that UFC welterweight Jon Fitch recently gave it a crack on vacation. Word is, we’ll still be watching him slog it out in his day job.
And the crossover does work both ways. The newly crowned ten-time world champion surfer, Kelly Slater, dips into MMA training and has been seen sparring with former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort to improve his overall conditioning and fitness. That’s maybe because he’s also a fan.
“My favorite athlete is a fighter by the name of Kimbo Slice,” says Slater. “I know that had nothing to do with surfing, but I love mixed martial arts.” So if you’re a surfer and fan of MMA then learn from the king by heading to your local dojo to better your water-based performance.
And if you’re a fighter, now you know which sport to have a crack at on your next beach holiday.
The two sports are more alike than you think. They’re individual pursuits that require you overcome an unknown obstacle: a wave or a person. And both demand you to keep your balance in turbulent situations: take offs and takedowns. We’re not suggesting that you ditch the punch bag for the board bag or vice versa. But surfing is an excellent complement to your fighting while scrapping is an equal supplement to your surfing performance. What follows is a complete all-you-need-to-know guide to have a crack at surfing or MMA so you can drastically improve your balance without having to grow dreads or cut a mohawk.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF SURFING AND FIGHT FITNESS
Surfing is a physically demanding sport made up of key conditioning elements that transfer smoothly to MMA. Here’s the low down on both of them.
ENDURANCE
Ask any experienced surfer if his sport is tough and he’ll probably just laugh. But don’t be fooled by his relaxed attitude. The reward of riding waves makes the slog of paddling seem pale in comparison, so surfers often brush off how fit they actually are.
But imagine trying to bulldoze yourself and a heavy board through waves intent on pushing you backwards. It’s like running on your gym’s treadmill to reach the television at the end of it. And even once you are fit and can duck the board under the waves (duck diving) there’s always the chance that you get stuck in a current that can suck you out to sea.
“The paddling and duck diving aspect of surfing employs the muscles of your back, arms, abs, chest and shoulders,” says Scott Adams, a sports scientist specializing in strength training for surfing and MMA coaching.
“It’s a complete upper body aerobic workout that’ll make you incredibly fit.” To make it tougher, breathing isn’t always an option. Waves force you to hold your breath, which make it akin to the swimming.
“Rationing your oxygen intake by controlling your breathing teaches your mind to manipulate your muscles to become calm under pressure.”
And if you regularly come up against a jiu-jitsu aficionado then you’re going to face oxygen-deprived moments on the mat.
“Chock holds, body blows to your sternum and Greco Roman wrestling takedowns will steal the air from your lungs,” says sports scientists and Leeds-based MMA trainer Brendan Chaplin.
“And you have to manage your breathlessness while preventing your opponent from getting the upper hand.” In surfing that opponent is the ocean and there are no rules stopping it from getting its claws down your throat to do choke holds from the inside.
So you see, learning to manage your breathing while aerobically working your upper body is vital to success and will make you a more formidable athlete in both disciplines.
FLEXIBILITY
Being supple enough to excel in fighting and surfing doesn’t mean you can just touch your toes and hold. You have to be flexible, balanced and strong through the bottom ranges of both sports’ movement patterns. For surfing that means holding your balance while crouching down to duck into a tube or snapping your legs into a turn.
And on the mat, a good grappler will ‘nut-out’ and exploit exactly how flexible you are within seconds.
“As a flexible athlete, you are faster because your muscles don’t have to work against each other,” says Dion Riccardo a 20-year veteran MMA coach. “Flexibility also helps with posture which improves your balance and cuts your risk of injury because you’re often using the same muscles in surfing and fighting.
These can become overly tight which puts them at risk of tearing.
” But in both sports, flexibility isn’t just something that comes naturally. Use Riccardo’s top three MMA style stretches for getting flexible for the mat and the board:
1: Lunge
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Turn to the right and pivot both feet so they’re facing to the right. Now drop down on your left knee. Keep your back straight. Bring your left hand straight in the air and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. “This loosens your hip flexors which are used for kicks in MMA and turning the board in surfing.”
2: Upper-back stretch
Stand with you feet hip-width apart. Straighten your right arm in front of you and turn your hand so your palm faces right. Straighten your left arm in front and place its palm onto your right-hand palm. Now pretend someone has a rope and is pulling your arms forward. Hold 30 seconds and switch sides. “This elongates your upper back muscles and will stop you from getting knots in your back.”
3: Ankle Blade
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Turn the outside of your right foot to the ground (take some weight off of it putting more weight on your left foot) then slowly lean more weight on your right foot until you feel a stretch on the outside of your right ankle.
Hold for 30 seconds and switch. “Your ankles should be flexible in both sports and will do a lot of the grunt work, so this stretch keeps them supple and improves your balance.”
CORE STRENGTH
This attribute is the meat and potatoes of surfing and fighting.
Lack it in either sport and you’ll be as sturdy as a newborn giraffe.
If you’re a surfer, you’ll appreciate that it helps fighters land kicks, fend of flurries of punches and sprawl against takedowns.
“All of these demand your core to be rock solid, not just from an aesthetic perspective but from a functional outlook too,” says Chapin. Just try arguing against Cheick Kongo’s midsection. “And if you learn fighting skills then your core strength has no choice but to improve, which will make you a better surfer.”
In surfing, core strength is what keeps you on the wave you’ve worked so hard to catch.
“What’s more, your core is switched on for the duration of every wave and even more so when you do any turns and tricks on it,” says Adams. Even professional surfers such as Mick Fanning attribute a vigorous core-training routine as the secret behind winning a world championship and recovering faster from injury.
“Both surfers and MMA fighters will benefit from training posture, core stability and increasing kinesthetic sense,” says Adams “Both sports rely heavily on knowing – at all times – where your body is in space (kinesthetic sense) and then reacting quickly to get it in the right space. This is tough to replicate in gym workouts so if surfers are practicing MMA and fighters are out surfing, they can each benefit by honing their kinesthesia.
It’s important to know where your joints are in space because surfing and MMA can be disorienting and both are done very quickly.” The bottom line? Abs that show aren’t just for bodybuilders. Check out the workout below for tips on how to get yours in good nick.
FAST REFLEXES
Reflexes are the glue that bind your training and mental ability so you can adapt to your situation.
“Both sports are based on conditions that change every second and the best athletes in both disciplines succeed by capitalizing on this,” says Adams. “If you’re a surfer, MMA training will sharpen your reflexes because the penalties for skipping a beat can be far higher than they are in the water.”
MENTAL TOUGHNESS
As with all sports, your brain it the most important driving force behind success. Both disciplines toy with the world’s most dangerous opponents: angry men and nature.
Elite big-wave surfers ride 80-foot walls of water that hold enough energy to power your house for over two years. A momentary lapse in concentration in these conditions can cost you everything.
But that’s not to discount the punching power of fighters like Mirko ‘Cro Cop’, who could easily switch off someone’s lights for good.
“The key to success in these sports is to let go of all fear by gaining confidence in your abilities, which comes from practice and hard training,” says trainer and psychological sports coach Ross Chouler.
“To get rid of fear, surfers and fighter can try this technique: think of the situation you fear. Imagine you’re at the end of the situation where the fear is at its peak. Run the situation backwards rapidly in black and white like you’re rewinding a DVD. Do this 5 times and when you think of the fearful situation again you’ll have a different feeling: no fear.
” But exactly which discipline creates the most fear is best settled by lieutenant colonel Bill Kilgore of Apocalypse Now fame when he said, “You either surf or you fight.”
THE BEST MMA MOVES FOR SURFING FITNESS
Use these MMA strength-training moves from Jeff Clark, a former professional surfer and world-renowned MMA trainer at San Diego’s The Arena gym, to fighters like Diego Sanchez.
Do his workout 2-3 times a week to improve your all round performance.
1: Basic jump rope
(Do four to five, two to three-minute rounds)
Why? “In MMA this provides calf endurance for footwork and explosiveness while striking, says Clark.
“In surfing it provides calf strength for board control and finer motor skills for high level maneuvers.”
How to do it: Hold an end of the rope in either hand and start with it at the back of your legs. Flip it over your head and jump over it. Easy as can be.
2: Burpee
(Do five sets of ten-to-twelve reps)
Why? “In MMA these are awesome for endurance and fast-twitch muscle development in quads and glutes,” explains Clark.
“For surfing they’re great for control and speed in getting up, then endurance and control while maintaining a low stance to turn the board.”
How to do it: Begin in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet behind you so that you are in a press-up position.
Return your feet to the squat position then leap up as high as you can, throwing your arms above your head.
3: One legged squats
(Do three to four sets of six to eight reps)
Why? “In MMA these are great for isolating leg strength,” says Clark. “For surfing these are ideal for improving your balance.”
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart next to a railing that’s at arms length. Raise your left leg off the ground so its knee is straight and in-line with the base of your abs, toes facing the ceiling. Bend your right knee to lower yourself until the bottom of your thigh is parallel to the ground. If you need to, hold onto the bench or railing for support. Pause then straighten your knee to press yourself back to the start. Repeat with the other leg.
4: Duck walks
(Do three sets of ten steps on each leg)
Why? “In MMA this is a basic wrestling fundamental, which helps develop speed and strength for your strikes,” says Clark. “For surfing this creates balance strength and control when you’re low in your stance.”
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a single dumb-bell in front of your right shoulder with your wrist facing away from you. Take a step forward with your right leg, letting its knee drop down to the ground. Stay in the crouched position and slide the other leg forward. Drop your left leg’s knee and repeat. Look forward and once you get in motion stay in motion.
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