Why you should stretch before surfing

Stretching before surfing is a must to avoid stress and injury to muscles.

It is important to stretch before surfing to avoid muscle pain and injury. Surfing requires some degree of flexibility and while our expert surf instructors are able to get anyone up and riding on a surfboard, the more flexible you are the easier it will be to catch that first wave. Some of the key areas to stretch before surfing are the shoulders, legs, neck and back. Students who stretch out and warm up before a taking a surf lesson here in Kona, Hawaii, have a much easier time learning how to pop up and stay balanced longer while riding a wave.

Shoulder Stretch

Paddling is a big part of surfing and can put a lot of stress on the shoulders. It’s important to make sure your shoulders are nice and loose to avoid injury.

Leg Stretch

The surfing pop up requires you to jump with your legs and bend with your knees. The more flexible your legs and knees are, the more balance you will have meaning longer rides on your surfboard.

The more flexible you are, the better surfer you will become.

Back Stretch

Surfing can take its toll on your upper and lower back due to the large amount of paddling around that is required. Stretching the back before and after a surf session or surf lesson will help reduce that amount of tenderness that you may feel afterward.

Neck Stretch

The most common complaint that most surfers have is that their neck is sore. Doing slow neck rotations both clockwise and counterclockwise will help to loosen up the neck.

Stretching should be something that is done before and after any surf session to avoid chronic pain or injury.

There are a number of different stretching programs to choose from, so find the right one that works for you. The more flexible you are, the better surfer you will become.

If you have any tips on how to stretch properly before and after surfing, please feel free to share them with us by commenting below. Mahalo!