Surfing and Martial Arts

nice to see another eskrimador in this forum!
definitely does compliment each other. it's all about balance and coordination. other than FMA, i was heavy into BJJ, and surfing really helped out in that aspect, or vice versa. most of the gracie brothers are hardcore surfers, reason why they picked hawaii as their stomping ground here in 'merka

 

BJJ is super fun, like chess

 

^^^this... poetry in motion, really

 

bjj black belt and muay thai for about 7 years.

not a very good surfer since i dont live close to the water. But i think the balance in bjj helps with surfing, plus the conditioning. Plus bjj lifestyle is very similar to surfing, unlike boxing and muay thai which is small amount of techniques and gets repetitive drilling them.

With bjj you have many styles and evry day can be something different. Plus a lot of bjj'ers on the coast surf...and both lifestyles smoke...

 

Involved with some martial arts (mostly did it with my daughter). Anything that helps with your flexability and ability to focus with a lot going on around you helps your surfing. IM me if you feel like paddling out in the victory at sea conditions this week. I'm right off Bullpup.

 

Funny I just posted along these lines in the surf/sport thread. I trained BJJ and Muay Thai pretty hard for about 5 years(actually what decreased my water time along with an attempt at domesticity). I see a HUGE overlap, not only in the physical conditioning involved, but moreso in the states of mind you can reach and how said states of mind transfer into your everyday thinking.

I haven't rolled in a couple years now, too many skin ailments, torn meniscus, etc...and Jujitsu will forever hold a place in my heart, but the peak activity that trumps all in my book is riding waves. And IMO, it's the fear factor that does it. Getting beat up on the mats isn't that bad, but when you're paddling your arse off to get under that clean up set, or turn around and take one of those clean up set waves, man that just gets the juices flowing like no other.

 

kenpo for 5 years. some helped and some hurt. messed up my foot work on the board for a bit until i adjusted

 

I'd say it helps a lot if you have time for both. I practiced TWD when I was younger and that made my balance and flexibility unreal, still am very flexible and have great balance today and I don't even practice anymore and haven't in years, but some things stick with ya. I wouldn't do anything too brutal though, as that'll keep you out of the water at times, which in my opinion, is unacceptable HAHA

 

some of the most bad-ass guys on the north shore dont want any part of the surf, its all about what you are comfy with

 

The flexibility and fitness achieved in martial arts practice obviously is well suited for surfing fitness and performance. I screwed up my knees and wrists after many reps on the heavy bag and gave up kempo after 10 or so years. Tai chi is very beneficial and you gain vitality instead of being one of the walking wounded. It has helped me with balance not only in the water, but in life. And it is very practical climbing in and out of the ocean on slabs of slippery rocks like you find in Costa Rica as the whitewater is hitting you.

 

wow it seems like i dont want to get into a fight with any of u guys if u know ju jitsu lol.i never took karate,im not a fighter,im a lover.if u can do some big chuck norris roundhouse kicks,im sure thatll help with ur roundhouse hacks

 

not badasses, just exploring another side of ourselves, I am not good at all, but its super humbling to get smoked by a younger smaller opponent, and its fun to grow another skill, kinda like a growing a third eye or a 6th limb or something

 

I don't know karate, but I know karazzy!!!!

 

It all depends on the person Cep, knowing what to do, and doing it in the heat of the moment are two different things. A real fight doesn't go like a BJJ tourney, or even a TWD or Karate comp, it can't hurt to know any of it, but when the sh*t hits the fan, it's all about keeping your composure and utilizing what you've learned and applying it in a real life situation. There are a lot of people who would appear untouchable in the "gym" but when faced with real violence they crumble. On the other hand take someone with no formal training and a whole lot of craziness and toughness and they can do a lot of damage as well.

 

I have a black belt in Taekwondo and brown belt in Karate and trained in Hapkido for 2.5 years with a 9th Dan Korean Master. I currently represent my TKD schools demo and weapons team as well. I would say as stated by others it will help with balance and perhaps tune your senses. Plus it can be helpful when you get called out to "meet me at my break".

 

this always spirals into something douchey. No, martial arts won't help directly help your surfing any more than yoga or jumping rope. It will help you when your friend cuts someone off and gets jumped in the showers, of course then you can roadhouse them all and tell Warchild to back off. Back off, Warchild. He's with me.

 

General conditioning, flexibility, core strength, and balance. I started with Karate in high school and then got turned on to Muay Thai about 5 years ago. There is no doubt that it will help with surfing.

Dealing with Warchild is a bonus.

 

I know Kung Fu!.... Oh no no wait, thats right, I know Karen Fu. We went to high school together.