Surf Video Analysis
Because things always feel very different to how they look, our best teaching tool is the video camera. As with most sports coaching, video coaching cuts out the middle man and shows you exactly what you need to do and just how much you need to do it. We often use the video camera with beginners but it is especially useful for coaching experienced free surfers and surfers training for contests.
After the lesson, we relax with a cool drink and a note pad to watch all our waves back on the big screen. It’s always a little humbling seeing yourself surf, it's like hearing yourself sing, but it's a lot of fun and incredibly productive too.
Afterwards, we cut the footage together and make you your own mini surf movie. You can check out some innocent surf movies on Facebook or on YouTube.
Examples of Video Coaching
One of the keys to successful surf coaching (and teaching in general) is to focus on one specific point (and not to waffle about all the things one could be doing better). As a coach you decide what point to focus on by asking yourself two questions: 1) What is the surfer's current limiting factor? 2) What skill is it possible for the surfer to improve upon given the condition of the waves, the condition of the surfer and the time we as a coach have with them? Below you can listen to (and see) some example of how we use video analysis at all levels of coaching to fast track the understanding and automation of a specific new skill or concept...
Level 1 Video Analysis
Here's an example of how video analysis is really useful even for complete beginners. Here we can see Marcia and Renee figuring out how to accelerate by turning their hip forward towards the beach.
Level 2 Video Analysis
Level 2 surfers are paddling out past the white water (with a coach), catching unbroken waves and starting to surf across them. The first time you go out the back though, everything you've learned in the white water seems to go out the window. Here the use of video helped Megan to follow Lei-Shin's example and look up so that her head was higher than her hips.
Level 3 Video Analysis
Level 3 surfers are comfortable catching unbroken waves on their own and surfing across them. Level 3 coaching is about starting to perform basic functional maneuvers. We start with white water climbs then floaters and cut backs. Here we see the classic first step as Cyrus sees how he should have climbed over the broken section of wave instead of running around the bottom of it.
Level 4 Video Analysis
For Level 4 surfers video analysis is the bread and butter of the coaching we do with them. Level 4 surfers can perform basic maneuvers and so they are concentrating on doing them with maximum commitment, speed, power and flow in the most critical part of the wave. On this occasion we're looking at the importance of holding the bottom turn and getting the board up to 12 o'clock.
