Today was a good day!
I got the chance to assist Hurley's High Performance Surf Centre on the East Coast of Australia with some of their testing procedures, which will eventually help them determine ways to alter specific movements to improve surf performance.
After strapping on a suit that contained numerous sensors to record data and also made me feel like a cross between Cathy Freeman & Spiderman, I was then 'calibrated' to ensure that all my movements were recorded accurately. Once the cameras were set in place to monitor my biomechanics visually, the team and I set about working through a list of tests which focussed on landing and absorption by using force plates.
My biggest area of weakness happens to be a limited range of movement during a test called the Knee to Wall (which measures the flexibility in your lower leg). This is quite a large determining factor on performance, as not having good range of movement in this area means that my back heel has to lift off the ground to ensure that my back knee 'drops' into a good force absorbing posture. Not much good for balance if one of your feet is basically off the board! Yet another thing to work on I guess...
The next test was by far the coolest! I got to relive parts of my childhood by using a trampoline to twist, jump and pretend I'm not a kook, to eventually pull an aerial manoeuvre and try to land on a old foam practice board and some matting. After a few failed attempts, I got the hang of it and made the successful jumps for the team. You can really see how this gymnastics-based practice would enhance your surfing performance if you continually practiced it. Even after a few attempts I felt myself being able to relax, think through the movement and start to nail a couple of good landings, which is really something you don't get the chance to do in everyday surfing, as the conditions are constantly changing.
It was a great experience and I'm certainly not one to back away from an opportunity to get into 'fancy dress'!
Thanks HPC for allowing me to get involved.