Ki Surf Coaching

Under this name, which refers to the notion of Chi, Ki or Qi, meaning “energy or circulation of breath” in Asia, I wanted to demonstrate the complementary nature of surfing and tai chi chuan.

On the surface, there’s nothing to compare: surfing is aquatic, cardio-driven and based on speed; whereas taichi is practiced on dry land, with relatively slow movements. And yet…

The balance

On closer examination, the similarities between these two disciplines are innumerable: the complex, slowly executed movements of taichi are a veritable game of balance and postural correction, which will be beneficial to surfing, a sport which in essence relies on the ability to maintain one’s balance.

One piece of advice I give my students in both taichi and surfing, for example, is to avoid looking down, as this puts the body in a posture unfit for maintaining its balance. In surfing, this will result in a fall. In a taichi context, the practitioner will work leaning forward, which can, in the long run, create poor posture and back problems, whereas the very aim of taichi is to correct bad everyday postural habits.

Preserving and strengthening joints

The Chen style of tai chi chuan I teach involves the deep muscles in low postures, such as those usually seen in kung fu.

The practitioner thus strengthens the leg muscles needed for efficient surfing, as well as those that keep the joints(knees, shoulders) in the right configuration. The postural rigor of taichi will therefore benefit the surfer, since he or she will tend to injure himself or herself less when surfing, when falling, going under the wave or landing at the bottom of the wave after a rather radical maneuver.

Fluidity

The tai chi chuan practitioner discovers that the mobility of the pelvis enables him or her to link series of movements fluidly, as if they were a single, large movement. The taichi method enables progressive, subtle yet powerful transfers of support.

If surfers want to be able to adapt to wave variations and make efficient, balanced rail changes, they also need to be able to execute their movements harmoniously. It goes without saying, then, that practising taichi improves the surfer’s fluidity and efficiency.

The power

Chen-style taichi is no exception to the rule, and its slow pace makes it possible to learn movements that are very difficult both in terms of coordination and memorization. And if there’s one sport that challenges coordination, it’s surfing.

To begin with, the taichi practitioner learns to coordinate his or her breathing with the movements in order to work in a state of optimal muscular relaxation. For example, surfers often lack fluidity and amplitude because their shoulders are too tense.

This relaxed work, with perpetual rotation of the pelvis and low supports, produces unsuspected benefits in terms of power and explosiveness. In taichi, we call fajin the moment when the practitioner executes a movement at real speed, like a discharge of energy, on the occasion of a punch, a palm thrust or a jumping kick.

Learning how to combine relaxed time with energetic bursts is beneficial to the surfer, who must be able to launch explosive bursts to maneuver at the top of the wave, while at the same time being able to return to an optimal state of relaxation if he or she is not to lose control of the board.

Slow versus fast

The ephemeral and versatile nature of waves makes learning to surf difficult. That’s where taichi comes in, as it offers an opportunity to develop fine skills in a context conducive to the repetition of movements: feet anchored to the ground, in search of supple, calm yet precise movement.

In this way, surfers, caught up in the urgency of the wave, will feel the benefits of their taichi practice acquired in “slow motion” mode. It was this observation that led me to continue learning this martial art and passing it on.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that learning taichi is easy. Like surfing, every movement engages the whole body; it’s a question of truly inhabiting your body and connecting all its parts. This same harmony of the unified body enables you to surf correctly, fluidly and in tune with your sensations.