Fit Factor: Surf's up!

Kate Hudson does it. Cameron Diaz broke her nose doing it. Those crazy kids in the Archie comics make it look so easy. What is it? It's surfing, the sport synomous with California and bleach-blond, perfectly toned pretty people on the beach. But in all fairness, surfing is a world-wide phenomenon and is popular in places you wouldn't think, like Canada (Nova Scotia and Vancouver Island in particular), the UK, Indonesia, Chile, Italy and South Africa, plus a few places you would, like Hawaii, Mexico and Australia, where yours truly is soaking up the sun right now. And since surfing is practically the national sport of Australia, I decided to find out more about it and even try it if the chance arrives.

All I know about surfing thus far is that it involves standing on a board while riding waves, and that it gave rise to the word Tubular which hit its peak of popularity while I was in Jr. So that's not a lot, but hey, I'm pretty fit and I've got good core strength, so it should be easy for me to pick it up, right? Wikipedia has a good scientific explanation of surfing, but I'm more interested in finding out just how it's done and how easy or difficult it is for a beginner.

First things first – surfing required good swimming skills. You must be able swim 500 yards before you even attempt the sport, according to this. You should also be in at least somewhat good shape, with a fair amount of body strength, especially in your core and your upper arms, which are used both to paddle you to the waves and hoist you on your board. Do you fit the criteria? If so, find yourself an instructor who can show you the technique and help you on your first ride. Yeah, I know, you don't want to fork out money for something you can learn yourself over time, but keep in mind that surfing is dangerous and if you do it wrong, you can seriously injure yourself. There's also a bunch of etiquette that you need to know to avoid annoying the other riders, so it's a good idea to get some professional advice beforehand.

If you're thinking of taking up surfing, you should start training a few months in advance. What can you do to prepare? Take up swimming, work on your arm strength and take something to improve your balance and core strength, such as yoga or pilates. For more information on pre-surfing conditioning, check out this article from the BBC