Surfing and Your Body: Mobility, Not Just Flexibility

"Surfing is one of the worst things for your body."

When I first heard that, I stopped and took a long pause. Then I thought about it for a while. Over the years of riding different waves, different boards, competing, filming and just surfing a lot, I don't think it could be more true.

Surfing is an asymmetrical movement. What you do on the right side of your body is different from what you do on the left. You paddle in an extended, arched position for long stretches. You pop up off the same side every time.

But man, it's one of the best things for your mind, body and soul.

So the question isn't whether to surf. It's how to prepare the body for it, and how to keep doing it for as long as possible.

Flexibility and mobility are not the same thing

This is the distinction that changed how I think about all of it, and it came from Kevyn Dean, a physical therapist who owns Dean Sports Consultants and was the medical director for the USA Olympic Surf Team.

Flexibility is passive. It's how far your body can be pushed.

Mobility is active. It's the strength and control you have inside that range.

Being flexible is not the whole picture. For me, the useful question is whether I have control in that range, not just whether I can reach it. Injury risk is more complicated than one movement quality, and a physical therapist can assess what you need.

In his words: flexibility is a passive quality and mobility is the ability to have strength and control throughout that range.

Three hip movements I use before and after I surf

I'm not a PT. These are what help me.

1. 90/90 hip lift

Sit on the floor with one leg bent in front at 90 degrees and the other leg bent behind you at 90 degrees. Press your front knee into the ground, squeeze your glutes, and drive your hips forward to lift your body up. Hold for five seconds, then lower slowly. Five reps per side.

2. 90/90 back leg lift

Same 90/90 setup: front leg bent at 90 with the outer thigh down, back leg bent at 90 behind you. Keep your back tall and place your hands on the floor for support.

Keep your back knee pinned firmly to the ground. Lift only the back foot and ankle off the floor while the knee stays down. Hold for two to five seconds, feeling the deep hip muscles engage. Lower gently.

3. Hip CAR (controlled articular rotation)

Setup: on all fours, hands directly under shoulders, knees directly under hips. Flatten your back so there's a straight line from head to tailbone. Don't let your lower back sag or round. Brace your core like you're about to get punched, so only the hip moves.

Forward circle: keep the active knee bent at 90 degrees and slowly pull it forward toward your chest as far as it goes without your lower back rounding. Without twisting your torso, lift the knee up and out to the side, keeping your pelvis facing the floor. Then, keeping the knee high, lift the foot and ankle toward the ceiling while driving the knee back behind you. Bring the knee back down next to the other one.

Backward circle: push your heel up toward the ceiling behind you into hip extension, keeping your stomach tight so your back doesn't arch. Bring the knee out to the side while keeping it high. Swing it forward toward your armpit. Lower it back to the floor.

Go slow. The whole point is control, not range.

What mobility unlocks, not just what it prevents

Most of the conversation around this is about avoiding injury. Fair enough.

But think about the upside. What would it look like, in surfing and outside of it, if you had enough mobility to generate power in those deep ranges instead of just surviving them? Not getting pushed there. Operating there.

That's the version of this I'm chasing now.

One question

What's the mobility issue holding you back right now in your surfing? How is it affecting your day to day life? And what are your three steps to countering it?

Let's keep building.