from the message board...
es:
I'm not quite 50, but pretty close. A little over 10 years ago I had a spinal injury that kept me out of the water for about three years. It's not like riding a bicycle, you can forget! It took quite a while to get back.
Just keep pushing. Nothing extreme, just each time you go surfing, try a little something extra. Go for that late take-off that you really don't think you'll make. You just might.
After a long wave at a point break, don't run back up the beach, but instead paddle back against the current.
After your session is just about over and your arms feel like rubber, rather than calling it a day, Paddle along the beach for twenty minutes. Nothing too hard, just push a little past what's comfortable. Personally, I think the best way to end a day of surfing is paddling along the beach as the sky turns from orange to purple.
Huck:
So...got any tips on weight loss? I lost 15 lbs. right away, doing just what you said (eat less exercise more). Now I'm at a plateau. To get back to my high school weight, I'd still need to drop another 20!
Huck:
kensurf wrote: Funny this thread comes up today. My Birthday! Im 51 now. I resorted to a longboard at about 38 or 40 yrs old. I used to kneeboard when I was a kid then at 30 got a 7' something board and worked realy hard to get a few waves in the crowds of good surfers. Then I went to an 8'6" mini log and that helped a lot. Then I ordered a 9'8" longboard and after 2 go outs my surfing was now fun!! 100% improvement ,,,, confidence 100%
Thanks Ken, that comment "worked realy hard to get a few waves in the crowds of good surfers" parallels my circumstances. It actually helped me to recognize why my board isn't working as well as I had imagined. If my favorite spots were as uncrowded as I remember them being 23 years ago, this board I have would probably be working just fine for me.
The biggest factor I didn't mention is that my usual surf spots are generally always pretty crowded. Meaning paddling into the pack of younger, aggressive surfers, to get a few waves, is pretty much mandatory. That takes a certain level of confidence, and maybe even aggression, which I don't have. I've never been a "charger", but especially now that I'm re-learning. But I hate sitting passively and not getting any waves. So I've been thinking about how best to address that with my next board.
Also, conditioning: I live several hours from the beach now. So whereas I used to get out 3-8 times a week, now I can only get out about maybe 3 times a month, often on weekends or holidays. So I can see that my board choice didn't fully address my current needs, since it was based on shapes I used to ride comfortably as a younger man in different circumstances.
doc:
I'll really be looking forward to what SammyA has to say on this. SOB has five years on me and is in far better shape and always has been, dammit. However -
I'm 55, I live in the Northeast US. I'm blue collar, which keeps me away from gyms. Injuries come more often now and the healing takes longer. And life has more things in it now.And lastly, working in the surf biz until a couple of years ago kinda soured me on surfing and surfers.
Started out on long logs...and hated it. If all I could do was longboard, I'd give it up happily. Went to paipos, then kneeboards, which required good waves, and never looked back except to gloat.
But, a few things.
It's a lot easier to stay in shape than to get back into shape. Don't be dumb, don't overdo it, as you'll hurt yourself and it takes longer to come back after 50, if in fact you do come back from an injury.
I'm not quite 50, but pretty close. A little over 10 years ago I had a spinal injury that kept me out of the water for about three years. It's not like riding a bicycle, you can forget! It took quite a while to get back.
Just keep pushing. Nothing extreme, just each time you go surfing, try a little something extra. Go for that late take-off that you really don't think you'll make. You just might.
After a long wave at a point break, don't run back up the beach, but instead paddle back against the current.
After your session is just about over and your arms feel like rubber, rather than calling it a day, Paddle along the beach for twenty minutes. Nothing too hard, just push a little past what's comfortable. Personally, I think the best way to end a day of surfing is paddling along the beach as the sky turns from orange to purple.
Huck:
So...got any tips on weight loss? I lost 15 lbs. right away, doing just what you said (eat less exercise more). Now I'm at a plateau. To get back to my high school weight, I'd still need to drop another 20!
Huck:
kensurf wrote: Funny this thread comes up today. My Birthday! Im 51 now. I resorted to a longboard at about 38 or 40 yrs old. I used to kneeboard when I was a kid then at 30 got a 7' something board and worked realy hard to get a few waves in the crowds of good surfers. Then I went to an 8'6" mini log and that helped a lot. Then I ordered a 9'8" longboard and after 2 go outs my surfing was now fun!! 100% improvement ,,,, confidence 100%
Thanks Ken, that comment "worked realy hard to get a few waves in the crowds of good surfers" parallels my circumstances. It actually helped me to recognize why my board isn't working as well as I had imagined. If my favorite spots were as uncrowded as I remember them being 23 years ago, this board I have would probably be working just fine for me.
The biggest factor I didn't mention is that my usual surf spots are generally always pretty crowded. Meaning paddling into the pack of younger, aggressive surfers, to get a few waves, is pretty much mandatory. That takes a certain level of confidence, and maybe even aggression, which I don't have. I've never been a "charger", but especially now that I'm re-learning. But I hate sitting passively and not getting any waves. So I've been thinking about how best to address that with my next board.
Also, conditioning: I live several hours from the beach now. So whereas I used to get out 3-8 times a week, now I can only get out about maybe 3 times a month, often on weekends or holidays. So I can see that my board choice didn't fully address my current needs, since it was based on shapes I used to ride comfortably as a younger man in different circumstances.
doc:
I'll really be looking forward to what SammyA has to say on this. SOB has five years on me and is in far better shape and always has been, dammit. However -
I'm 55, I live in the Northeast US. I'm blue collar, which keeps me away from gyms. Injuries come more often now and the healing takes longer. And life has more things in it now.And lastly, working in the surf biz until a couple of years ago kinda soured me on surfing and surfers.
Started out on long logs...and hated it. If all I could do was longboard, I'd give it up happily. Went to paipos, then kneeboards, which required good waves, and never looked back except to gloat.
But, a few things.
It's a lot easier to stay in shape than to get back into shape. Don't be dumb, don't overdo it, as you'll hurt yourself and it takes longer to come back after 50, if in fact you do come back from an injury.
Here, we have a rather nifty sandbar kind of wave. When it's good, it's very very good and when it's bad it sucks. And summer is crowds, winter is damned cold. Spring and fall are nice.But - the way you surf crap waves is very different from how you do the good ones. And mentally shifting gears for me just doesn't happen. Never did. The cheezy days screw you up for the good ones. So, I only go out on the challenging days, with some punch to 'em. When I can't do that, it's time to give it up. Rather than grovelling garbage days just to get in the water.
Instead, I have a 7'0" I keep for cheezy days. With a spinning reel and ya know, I like live bait. Rather than floundering and grovelling in the knee-biters, I'll go chase fish. Instead of having forgettable slop, I can have supper.
It's supposed to be fun, not work. If your ego is tied up with being the best in the water, you're gonna have to be surfing alone eventually.
And it's way too late to think about doing the pro tour. So pick your days, pick your spots, pick your waves. That is one of the really sweet things about getting a bit older: you have the skill to pick the best waves and the patience to wait for them.
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