Surfing is the art of riding on the surface of the waves. It was first described by explorer James King as he observed local Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay use their hands to guide an oval plank and reach the shore on the swell of the wave. Surfing has since developed into a professional, competitive sport with specialized equipment and new techniques. Kelly Slater is a surfing legend known for his prowess as well as for his style.
Kelly Slater
Arguably the one of the greatest athletes of all time -- and a 2011 nominee for the "Sports Illustrated" Sportsman of the Year award -- Kelly Slater is an 11-time champion of the ASP World Championship. Slater was one of the first, highly paid professional surfers -- and the first surfer ever awarded two perfect scores under the ASP two-wave scoring system. At the time of publication, he is also the youngest and the oldest world champ in the history of the sport. Slater’s unique technique and style has ushered in the New School of surfing, according to the website Surfline.
Surf Board Design
In 2007, Slater used his 20 years of experience in surfing to design and shape his own equipment that consists of shorter, stouter and more maneuverable blades. These blades are user friendly and can be used even by average surfers to ride any wave. His Semi-Pro surfboard, a trademark of the Al Merrick, has shorter rails for tight signature arcs, and deep single concave and ample rocker for deep gouging carves.
Paddling Technique
The paddling technique is one of the most popular surfing techniques. The technique requires the surfer to lie on the board with nose only a few inches above the water, arching the back and lifting the feet away from the waves. For more efficient paddling, Kelly Slater stretches his arm fully out towards the nose of the board and cups his hands with his fingers spread apart a little. He then brings his arm down through the water making a small “S” that goes under his board. He recommends practicing this technique in white water first -- and to remember that a proper paddling technique is crucial to all good surfers.
Speed
Your surfing speed depends on the position of your body, the equipment you use and the speed of the wave, notes Kelly Slater in an August 2010 article in "Surfer” magazine. While the wave and equipment change constantly, he believes that your body can be under your control. For greater speed, he says you need to think of your legs as shock absorbers and extend them to push back the energy. Keep your shoulders ahead of the line of the board with the rear shoulder dropped lower than the front one, he says. As you turn, the shoulder should move ahead and rotate with the turn. Slater also recommends positioning the hip ahead of the front shoulder to draw out a longer turn.
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