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To the uninitiated observer, surfing and tai chi chuan may seem like a dance with the elements, so fluid are the movements that they give an impression of ease and grace. And yet… <\/p>\n
First of all, tai chi chuan is in its very essence a martial art, with each of its movements having one or more martial applications, sometimes offensive, often defensive.<\/p>\n
Moreover, learning the complex movements of taichi requires tenacity. Indeed, progressing in the mastery of motor skills is a long-term objective. Putting a ball in a cage or a basket, on the other hand, is a more concrete and immediate form of success. <\/p>\n
This is how tai chi chuan is also known as boxing the shadow: because taichi sequences aim to confront an imaginary opponent, but also a kind of confrontation with oneself (physical and mental barriers).<\/p>\n
As for the surfer, as soon as he puts a toe in the water, the power of the elements brings him back to his insignificance: the waves, the wind, the current all work together to push him back towards the shore when he wants to get away from it; or, on the contrary, to carry him out to sea when he would have liked to stay close to the shore.<\/p>\n
And even if the seasoned surfer develops strategies to get away from the ocean, he nevertheless spends more time rowing to get to the wave zone, the line up, than actually surfing. There’s a notion of confrontation with nature, in an unequal battle given the power involved. <\/p>\n
What’s more, the vagaries of the weather and variations in the tide mean that the surfer’s adversary is always changing, and adapting to these transformations is difficult and often a source of frustration. In short, the surfer, especially in the learning phase, has to hang in there, be patient, persevere and accept that success may not come at the first attempt. <\/p>\n
Learning to take off, that leap into the void from the top of the wave, also demands qualities of commitment that bring the surfer closer to the fighter. There’s that fleeting moment when reflection and doubt must give way to action.<\/p>\n
Don’t fight power with power, use it: use kinetic energy to your advantage<\/p>\n
The seasoned surfer doesn’t measure his strength against that of the ocean – that would be absurd. Unlike the beginner, who sometimes rushes headlong into the fray – the waves, but also the other surfers – the expert surfer bypasses the waves and uses the currents of the bay to let himself be carried effortlessly behind the waves. <\/p>\n
In the same way, the experienced surfer plays with the power of the elements, not attacking them head-on, but using them: gravity and the trough of the wave become his fuel, he draws speed and explosive force from the crest of the wave where all the ocean’s power is concentrated, he flees the wave that breaks at his back and yet returns to draw energy from his foam and even hides inside the tube formed by the lip that comes down like a cleaver.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.kisurfschool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/kisurf.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” alt=”Surfer on a wave, practicing tai chi on the beach.” title_text=”Kisurf” align=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Taichi pursues the same objective of saving energy in combat: in fact, the working method consists in avoiding any tensing of the body. An over-contracted muscle becomes slow and inoperative. Here too, the forces of nature are put to good use. <\/p>\n
A few basic principles: gravity naturally pulls you towards the ground, so there’s no need to exert force in a downward movement; the rotating hips and torso are extraordinary amplifiers of speed and energy; the breath nourishes the muscles in their alternating phases of relaxation and contraction, and when properly used, allows you to express explosive power and control stress.<\/p>\n
There is also a form of struggle in taichi, known as hand thrusting, in which the opponent’s force is dodged and returned. The hands are in contact, offering no resistance to the thrust, so that the opponent becomes unbalanced, encountering nothing but emptiness, and ends up on the ground at the end of his attack. <\/p>\n
This form of dodging strategy can be found in aikido, the defensive martial art par excellence. In surfing, too, since the surfer doesn’t bend the environment to his will, it’s he who adapts his movements to the wave’s variations to maintain his balance and express his art to the full. <\/p>\n
The ocean is not the surfer’s enemy, or the martial artist’s attacker, but rather his or her partner. Indeed, it is by pitting themselves against this adversary, whether real or imaginary, that surfers and martial artists succeed in surpassing their limits and progressing both physically and technically. <\/p>\n
This implies a notion of environmental protection on the part of the responsible surfer, and a similarly benevolent attitude when two martial artists clash: an accomplished surfer controls his or her power and takes care to preserve the physical integrity of his or her opponent, just as a slightly clever surfer will refuse to soil his or her playground.<\/p>\n
Martial arts etiquette forbids the use of force, except in self-defense, while this kind of violence is sometimes used on surf spots when there are too many people in the water. This is known as localism. The combat dimension of surfing then takes on a not-so-enhancing aspect. The violence of the local hot spot is most often expressed passively, in contrast to the combative values of sport and the martial arts: rudeness, cheating and intimidation become the weapons of the coward. <\/p>\n
The arrogance and aggressiveness of some is countered by the humility and benevolence of the great surfer or taichi master.<\/p>\n
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Surfing and tai chi chuan, an analogy with martial arts, a dance with the elements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[227,190],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-taichi"],"yoast_head":"\n