surfers are not athletes...

\r\nOucchh, I can\'t throw a football 10 yards & hit the broad side of a barn. Do this next game you watch. Put a stopwatch on any player; quarterback, nose tackle, etc. A typical NFL player actually does about 5 minutes of activity in any game. Could I do it- No. I would rather spend my money on a Tennis Tounament like the Leggs Mason in DC this week instead of any football or foosball game this season. My opinion- they are better athletes & so are Pro Surfers even if they cant tackle. Cheers

 

There's a theory in education started by a guy named Gardener back in the 80s that says there are "multiple intelligences." Schools pretty much run on this theory today because it's been able to both explain and predict a lot about why people are the way they are, and how some people can become really good at certain things. Today, we believe there are as many as 9 different intelligences, one of them being Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence, which has been identified with certain areas of the brain and how well it functions. Even very small children begin to show signs of this form of intelligence, before any kind of training or practice at any particular skill.

In this thread, I'd argue that athletes that are considered "all-around athletes" posses this form of intelligence. It's more then just being strong or fast. It also has to do with coordination, grace, body mechanics, efficiency of movement, reaction time... and a lot of other things that can also be improved with practice, conditioning and training. People like this also often get good at other things that overlap into kinesthetic skills... like playing guitar, or creating art.... both rooted in physical movement and bodily control. If they are truly kinesthetically intelligent, and go on to develop those skills and become athletes, then those are the guys (and women) we come to know as "all-around athletes."

Then there are people who are really good at only one thing. A lot of guys are only golfers... or arm wrestlers... or marathon runners. Are they athletes? By virtue of the fact that they train and focus on a single sport, and excel in it to the degree that they're better at it than everybody else (or almost everybody else), I'd say yes, they are. But there has to be some distinction between those who happen to be gifted in a particular skill (much like olympic weight lifters or competitive eaters) and those who posses superior kinesthetic intelligence.

Ten world titles in anything seems to me... superhuman. But what kind of "athlete" are we taking about? Slater strikes me as an "all-around" athlete.

 

I can surf..play football, softball, mountain bike, basketball, hockey, frisbee, beach volley ball, soccer, tennis, ping pong, etc. I am awesome..but not as awesome our resident glory hole riding "yankee" fan.

An athlete knows an athlete. An athlete is one who has sports come easily to them. Easy to learn, easy to succeed. We all know who we are...period. Just cause you surf or play some other sport...doesn't make you what many would call "a natural". Go watch a youth sports league ie. soccer or little league, you can see the naturals at a young age. Even watching a person how they run can show his/her athleticism.

 

Seeing how the guy above me brought motor learning theories into the topic, ill expand on it, since i'm halfway thru my kinesiology college major.

to be good at surfing you need to practice a lot and the key is VARIATION of practice. your not gonna get good if all you surf is head high short beach break closeouts. you needa practice with as much variation as possible. Practice in freezing water, surf reefbreaks, surf switch stance, practice airs, surf right when you wake up, surf with the goal of catching as many waves as possible, surf and try to ride the wave all the way to shore, wakeboard. Switch it up.

If you can do that, then you will get good. In fact you would get better that way then just trying the same floater every wave of your session, because especially in such a dynamic sport like surfing, there is NO such thing as muscle memory (everything is changing/moving)

But to be able to surf with that variability you're definitely gonna need to be in good shape, cardio and strength wise. So YES good surfers = athletes.

 

you do care,negativity aint my game its yours,i run a successful small biz which allows me complete freedom and its so easy to ruin people from where we are behind our screens aint it. but its just an opinion thing. only thing is nobody elses matters but yours.as far as the bare hands thing,thats beneath me too a point,dont let your creedly little kook fingers write a check you cant cash a22hole

 

Well Said...Ive always thought surfing is very similar to Golf....both are very mental and very selfish driven activities). But surfing is way more fun!