Future world champ? Photo: Foundation Training Academy.
Making it to the top isn’t just about how many hours you log in the water anymore. It’s about more than super freakish talent too.
The professional surfers of today are approaching the sport in a more well-rounded manner, much like other mainstream athletes. Now, top pros spend plenty of the time in the gym getting stronger. They tailor their diet/nutrition to their performance needs. They have video analysis and technique critique with their coaches. Additionally, the pros of today know how important self-marketing is. With the rise of social media, self-promotion has become an essential component of a surfer’s “package,” and social media hugely impacts sponsorship contracts.
Are there exceptions to this approach? Absolutely. There are still the rare talents like John John Florence who focus only on surfing. All they need is time in the water. However, the over-arching attitude has changed. The expected road to a world title looks a lot different than it did just 5-10 years ago. In the long run, this attitude will probably produce not only better surfers, but more of them.
The creation of Foundation Surf Academy in San Clemente is a sign of the times. Launching next week, FSA offers week-long intensive training camps for aspiring grommets at all levels who are looking for competitive success. What the academy plans to offer is honestly pretty mind-blowing, and it definitely sends a strong signal about the priorities of up-and-coming athletes.
The comprehensive camp provides a number of different training elements. The first of which, of course, includes surf training. The camp takes the groms to surf each day at Lowers, Uppers, T-Street, or wherever conditions are best. The group runs mock heats to prepare the surfers for competitions at these waves. Coach Christian Saenz, former NSSA champ and current Fox Am Team Manager, walks through various heat strategies. Additionally, the whole session is video taped, and Saenz offers video analysis and individual technique coaching.
However, the camp doesn’t stop there. In the evenings, the kids cross train at Foundation Fitness. On some nights, coaches Ryan Steinhoff and Matt Smith teach the groms surf-specific exercises that helps them avoid injuries and improve their balance, flexibility and agility. Other nights, the coaches might have the kids do yoga. Not to mention the program also sends the kids home with detailed information about warm ups, cool downs, training, and nutrition. Essentially, the program helps surfers completely refine their fitness training to maximize their competitive performance.
World Tour Surfer, Alessa Quizon, working out at Foundation Fitness. Photo: Foundation Fitness.
While at the gym, kids often get the opportunity to interact with the professionals that train with Foundation Fitness. Filipe Toledo, Alessa Quizon, and Griffin Colapinto are a couple top pros that regularly train at the facility. Kids in the program get to ask the pros questions and learn more about what makes an elite surfer.
Perhaps the biggest shift from other surf training camps or coaching, is that Foundation Surf Academy coaches the kids in self-marketing. The program teaches the kids how to manage social media, pick up new sponsors, work effectively with team managers, and increase the value of their personal brand. Additionally, WSL photographer Sean Rowland shoots photos of the kids in the water all week, and all surfers are given a complete package of their RED camera footage. Surfers come away with an insane amount of content that they are free to use for social media or to pass onto their sponsors for usage. This aspect of FSA really differentiates it from anything that’s come before, and it adds immense value to the program.
Finally, FSA has partnered with Nomads hotel in San Clemente so that all the kids can stay together in one place. This helps surfers in the program connect, build friendships, and create an atmosphere of camaraderie. While this might seem less significant, the fact is that top groms will be competing with one another for years to come, and eventually they often travel together to events. This aspect of the program helps the kids build friendships that will serve them well for years to come.
The times they are a changin’, but it’s great to see a new venture helping surfing’s brightest up-and-comers achieve success. No doubt, the kids and Foundation Surf Academy have a lot to look forward to. This type of comprehensive training is what the US needs to produce more elite-level surfers.
For more information click here or check out Foundation Surf Academy on Facebook or Instagram.
