The power phase should also include power cleans, power snatches, split jerks, squat thrusts and plyometric push-ups. The goal of this mesocycle is to develop your power production in order to execute the power strokes and the pop-up movements that are crucial to surfing performance. The purpose of the surf camp in early July is to allow a period of consolidation of the physical and technical aspects of the training plan. The goal of the specific cycle is to further hone the fitness developed during the surf camp in preparation for the upcoming autumn swells. Depending on the intensity and volume of the surf camp, this cycle may need to be bookended with recovery and taper weeks in order to meet the desired workload and avoid overreaching. This cycle will require you to adopt a reactive approach and respond to oceanic and meteorological conditions as ideal surf may occur prematurely at the end of August/early September.
However, the widely used periodized model has been questioned recently insofar as, despite its popularity, there is little empirical evidence to support it. Furthermore, British researcher John Kiely notes that periodization is a mechanistic model applied to a complex adaptive organism and that it is unlikely that there is a one-size-fits-all plan for any given objectives. He goes on to state that it is impossible to accurately predict an athlete’s response to training and therefore it is erroneous to advance-plan preparation programs. His purported reasons for the lack of predictive power are that an athlete’s adaptation to any training session is the interaction of several responses including: the training load, genetics, training history and transient states (biological functioning, psychological frame of mind, and social factors). In a similar vein, meteorologists find it difficult to predict long-term weather conditions due to transient influential factors. It is therefore a difficult task to combine both transient models and accurately predict your adaptation to a periodized training plan.
Once again, the solution probably lies somewhere between the two schools of thought (and is why Figure 1 is somewhat general). With regard to your training plan, you should manipulate the mesocycles to address your specific goals and be flexible enough to react to the transient biological, oceanic and meteorological conditions. This will require you to dynamically adapt the exercise intensity and volume of your land-based training in order to maintain your desired training load.
Surfing injuries
Several studies have investigated the incidence of surfing injuries with a reported incidence rate of approximately 14% of surfers being affected. In general, acute traumatic lacerations and contusions to the head and lower limbs account for the vast majority of those reported. Chronic injuries of the shoulder, neck and lower back make up the remainder with a greater incidence of occurrence being reported for competitive surfers compared to recreational surfers. Rotator cuff injuries comprise the majority of shoulder related injuries and it is therefore good practice to include rotator cuff exercises within the program (Table 3).
Very few studies have investigated the aetiology of surfing injuries and as such data are scarce. Anecdotal reports from strength and conditioning coaches working with surfers identify high eccentric loading as a key cause of acute lower limb injury. Such loading occurs when landing aerials and re-entries and would suggest that it would be prudent to include activities that develop landing stability and control such as drop jumps into the program. Everline suggests that knee valgus (knee flexes inwards) occurs during wave-riding maneuvers and that the stress that this creates may contribute to chronic lower limb injuries. Anecdotally, this view is supported by strength and conditioning practitioners in the field and highlights the importance of the inclusion of the Olympic and ballistic lifts highlighted previously in order to strengthen the joints. Contributing factors to back leg knee valgus during the wave riding stance may include reduced internal-rotation at the hip and limited dorsi-flexion at the ankle. Once again, there is a paucity of empirical data, though it would appear prudent to include exercises such as those found in yoga into your program to increase mobility in these joints.
Table 3: Injury prevention exercises
| Exercise | Rationale |
| Ys and Ts. The athlete should lie prone with arms extended out to form a “Y” with the torso. The thumbs should be pointing vertically upward. The scapular should be drawn together and the arms raised whilst maintaining the thumb position. For the T, the athlete should do exactly the same only create a “T” with the arms and torso. | Increase the stability of the scapular. |
| Rotator cuff stretch. The athlete should kneel on the floor, sit on the heels and lower the chest to the thighs. The arms should be extended above the head in a pronated position. The athlete should extend one arm even further and supinate the palm. This should be repeated for the other side. | This exercise improves mobility in the shoulder girdle and the stability of the scapular. |
| Soleus stretch. The athlete should stand with one leg in front of the other with both knees flexed. With the focus on the back calf, the body weight should be moved forwards whilst maintaining the back heel on the ground. | Increase ankle dorsi flexion to allow for greater mobility in the dropped-knee wave-riding position to alleviate knee valgus. |
In summary, the unpredictable nature of the surfing environment provides a challenge both in terms of exercise selection and being able to get in peak condition at a specific point in time. It would appear that you must incorporate a high degree of flexibility into both the training and the planning in order to adapt to the ever changing biological and environmental conditions.
