Physiological Demands of Competitive Surfing

Abstract

This study was a performance analysis of surfing athletes during competitive surfing events in an attempt to inform the development of surfing-specific conditioning. Twelve nationally ranked surfers were fitted with heart rate (HR) monitors and global positioning system (GPS) units and videoed during the heats of 2 sanctioned competitions. Means and SDs represented the centrality and spread of analyzed data. From the 32 videos analyzed, the greatest amount of time spent during surfing was paddling (54 ± 6.3% of the total time) (% TT). The remaining stationary represented 28 ± 6.9% TT, wave riding, and paddling for a wave represented only 8 ± 2% TT and 4 ± 1.5% TT, respectively. Surfers spent 61 ± 7% of the total paddling bouts and 64 ± 6.8% of total stationary bouts between 1 and 10 seconds. The average speed recorded via the GPS for all the subjects was 3.7 ± 0.6 km·h(-1), with an average maximum speed of 33.4 ± 6.5 km·h(-1) (45 km·h(-1) was the highest speed recorded). The average distance covered was 1,605 ± 313 m. The mean HR during the surf competitions was 139 ± 11 b·min(-1) (64% HRmax), with a (mean) peak of 190 ± 12 b·min(-1) (87% HRmax). Sixty percent TT was spent between 56 and 74% of the age-predicted HR maximum (HRmax), 19% TT >46% HRmax, and approximately 3% TT >83% HRmax. Competitive surfing therefore involves intermittent high-intensity bouts of all out paddling intercalated with relatively short recovery periods and repeated bouts of low-intensity paddling, incorporating intermittent breath holding. Surfing-specific conditioning sessions should attempt to replicate such a profile.

Time-Motion Analysis of Young Competitive Surfers: Southern Portugal

“…The Portuguese Surf Federation [4] reports that there about 10,000 federated athletes, 70 clubs and 140 surf schools in Portugal. At a competitive level, surfing requires various high intensity physical capacities, such as muscular strength and endurance, balance, postural control and neuromuscular coordination [5]; in addition surfing involves intermittent high-intensity bouts of all out paddling, to gain enough momentum for the wave take-off, interspersed with short recovery periods and repeated bouts of low-intensity paddling [6,7]. Besides of that, surfing is characterized by intermittent bouts of exercise with variation of intensity and duration that requires high muscular endurance, moderate-high cardio-respiratory endurance and recovery, and anaerobic power of the upper torso [8].…”

“…To date there have been only two previous studies investigating the time-motion analysis of surfers during competition [1,6], and one study that investigated during training surf [9], and more one study in recreation surf [10]. Since the conditions of surfing are also dependent on the geographical location, it is important to carry out a timemotion analysis in the Portuguese surfers, since there is no study carried out in Portugal, and international studies are still scarce.…”

Associations of power at VO_2peak and anaerobic threshold with rank in British high performance junior surfers

“…While success at any level within surfing requires a high level of skill execution and technical ability [1], it is possible that physiological attributes may also be important at higher levels of performance [2]. The activity profile and the physiological demand of surfing have been previously reported [2][3][4][5]. These analyses have determined that a typical surfing session combines repeated intense anaerobic activity interspersed with aerobic exercise [3,5].…”

“…The activity profile and the physiological demand of surfing have been previously reported [2][3][4][5]. These analyses have determined that a typical surfing session combines repeated intense anaerobic activity interspersed with aerobic exercise [3,5]. Investigations of surfing have found that various physiological and anthropometrical parameters can be used to predict performance in groups of surfers with varying levels of ability or discriminate between groups of surfers that differ in ability [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

“…Investigations of surfing have found that various physiological and anthropometrical parameters can be used to predict performance in groups of surfers with varying levels of ability or discriminate between groups of surfers that differ in ability [6][7][8][9][10][11]. Loveless and Minahan [12] identified that swim bench ergometry is a useful and reliable method for assessing aerobic fitness in surfers, and it has been a widely adopted tool in assessing surfers [3,[7][8][9][10]13]. Mean peak oxygen uptake ( O 2peak ) of adult surfers during upper body ergometry has been found to be 3.3 L · min -1 (46.84 ml · kg -1 · min -1 ) [1,2,4,10,14], whereas junior recreational and competitive surfers were found to average 2.5 ± 0.5 l · min -1 and 2.7 ± 0.35 l · min -1 , respectively.…”