A new surfboard, extra coaching lessons and yoga are all confidence-boosters for surfers, but the most underrated trick in the book is less obvious.
Learning how to hold your breath longer and stay calm underwater is the most crucial skill for a surfer. Not only does it ensure you stay safe when pushing your limits, but it'll also give you the peace of mind needed to surf to your best ability.
Whether you're a learner who wants to progress quickly or a salty old sea dog looking to rekindle their passion for surfing, improving your breath-hold and lung capacity is key.
Here are 5 breath-hold tips surfers need to up their confidence in all conditions.
The first tip for learning how to hold your breath underwater is to always, always, always practice on dry land.
Otherwise known as "dry training", this is the safest way to improve your breath-holding abilities without any risks of drowning. Plus, it'll allow you to focus solely on your technique without having to worry about waves or currents.
Once you're comfortable with your breath-hold training on land, then you can start incorporating them into the water.
Start in a closed pool or still body of water and work your way into the ocean, preferably at a beginner surf spot.
Always remember to have a breathing buddy once you progress from dry training to the water, too
Before you hit the water, take a few minutes to stretch your body.
Tight muscles can compress your diaphragm and make it harder for you to breathe deeply.
Focus on stretching your intercostal muscles – the muscles that run between your ribs, as well as your chest and shoulders. By stretching these muscles, you increase your lung capacity and allow red blood cells to flow more easily, thus increasing your oxygen uptake.
Here are our favorite stretches for breath hold training.
While breathing deep and slow is important, surfing requires you to inhale as much air as possible in a short amount of time.
You might be about to wipeout. You could be held underwater for longer than expected. Perhaps you're staring at a wall of whitewater steamrolling towards you.
Either way, full inhales that expand the diaphragm will ensure you remain cool, calm and collected underwater, whether it’s your first Bali surf trip or your twentieth.
Here's how to practice deep breath inhales to hold your breath underwater for longer.
You might've seen the studies that report that smiling, even if it's fake, can send signals to your brain that trick it into being happier.
What's rarely mentioned is that smiling also helps you relax your neck and calm your muscles, putting you in the perfect state to hold your breath underwater for longer.
When every second matters, being able to breath-hold for an extra 3-5 seconds can be the difference between panic stations and a controlled wipeout.
While practicing breath-hold training, focus on keeping a slight smile on your face. Consciously relax your neck and forehead, and bring awareness to the point between your eyes.
Then, let that smile work its magic and help you stay calm and focused underwater.
Last but not least, remember that the more your thrash around and flail underwater, the faster you spend your oxygen reserves.
A calm body equals longer breath-holds and a larger lung capacity underwater, but you can't have a calm body unless your mind is also calm.
To do this, you need to find your happy place.
It could be repeating a comforting mantra, visualizing a peaceful park or landscape vista or even trying to remember your favorite meal. Whatever works for you.
We encourage you to experiment with which happy place works best when you're practicing breath-hold training on land.
Then, when the time comes to implement these techniques in the water, you'll know exactly where your mind needs to go to stay calm and focused.
Learning how to hold your breath underwater will give you the confidence to break through progressional roadblocks.
The breath-hold strategies we've mentioned above are a great starting point, but remember to always prioritize safety and have a breathing buddy when in the water. With enough practice and patience, both learners and big wave surfers will soon see an improvement in their breath-hold abilities.
The result will be more enjoyable and relaxing surf sessions!
