Why A Great SUP Or Surf Instructor Is Key To Great Practice

Everyone who has ever engaged in an ocean sport such as surfing or SUP will have encountered days where they simply cannot find the willpower to venture out.

Whether it is a case of the waves being too small, the air being too chilly, or the sofa being too comfortable, it is a scenario many will recognise.

However, before turning your back on those bad days that seem to insist you make alternative arrangements, consider the old adage that practice makes perfect. A saying that on paper seems almost throwaway, or perhaps obvious, but under the surface is actually a peer reviewed scientific theory with its foundations in the very essence of physiology.

Every skill we learn as humans, no matter how insignificant it might seem, is causing change within the brain on a much deeper level than might be anticipated – which loosely translated, means that every wave we paddle into, or every stroke we cut on our paddleboard shapes us into more accomplished performers.

The Science

 

The scientific reality of the saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is all about real physiological change. In layman’s terms, the brain communicates via the sending of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron in a chain until the destination is reached. This is an incredibly fast process. Each neuron has what is essentially a cable, known as the axon, down which the nerve impulses travel. Stay with me…

Also within the brain is a fatty tissue known as myelin. This tissue covers the axons and undergoes a process known as myelination that has been found to speed up the signals travelling from neuron to neuron. And this myelination is the key.

Activity within the brain is monitored by two non-neuron cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes – both great scores in Scrabble). Activity that causes repeat signals, triggers the interaction of these cells to produce myelin that wraps around a neuron’s axon.

What this means is that every time we repeatedly practice that pop-up on a surfboard, or we try to perfect that paddle stroke, myelination is occurring within the brain and the signals between neurons are becoming faster – with the outcome that over time and practice, such actions begin to become second nature. Much like the golfer with their swing, the gymnast on a beam, or of course, the surfer carving the face of a wave.

However, there is more.

Good Practice

Malcolm Gladwell stated in scientific circles that a person must undergo 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become world class at something (this is how I became world class at watching The Simpsons). He suggested repeating an activity over and over would eventually elevate a person to the top of their game. However, Anders Ericsson suggested this was not enough. Instead, Ericsson said a person must push themselves beyond the boundaries of comfort in their practice if they are to truly acquire the skills desired.

Although practice may make perfect, the quality of the practice is critical. If someone heads out into the surf and continually tries to pop-up using the wrong method, myelination will still occur over time, but it will simply enhance the forming of bad habits that may prove hard to break once they have become second nature.

And this is where seeking a great surf or SUP coach will pave the way to good habits. Quantity and repeated processes trigger myelination, but ensuring that practice is of a high quality increases a person’s skillset within the sporting realm and ensures they hit the right path from the start on the journey to becoming accomplished paddlers or surfers.

A quality coach or instructor – of which ASI has an abundance - will not only be able to offer gold standard guidance on your practice, they will also have the know how to offer differentiation and the knowledge to push you as an aspiring surfer or paddler.

Hitting the water without the initial guidance of an instructor and a few lessons is akin to trying to play the guitar without any lessons. It can be done, but chances are you’ll have acquired a few nuances or bad habits of your own along the way.

The Takeaway

What we learn from the process of myelination is that in terms of the old adage, practice makes perfect, even the days that seem a drag to get out there and get your paddle or surf on, can actually pay dividends in the skill learning and honing process. Just so long as the practice you put in has the necessary quality to make it truly worthwhile.

It is also worth noting that the process of learning and becoming a better surfer or paddler never stops. The very best in the world stay there by practicing. Repeating the same routines and processes over and over until via the magic of science, the seemingly difficult becomes instinctive and entirely natural.

Perhaps with this in mind, we can look out at the grey overcast sky or the mushy waves and think, ‘You know what, this is a good day to get out there.’ And we can contemplate that perhaps, there are no bad days after all. Science said so.