does your surfing change as you get old(er)?

[betty boop]

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Well, old ones and not so old ones, does your surfing improve with age as all good things should, or is it decaying with the rest of your body?

Has more experience make surfing a different thing for you as you find some wisdom in the world?

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[puurri]

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Well, old ones and not so old ones, does your surfing improve with age as all good things should, or is it decaying with the rest of your body?

Has more experience make surfing a different thing for you as you find some wisdom in the world?

.

welcome to the compost heap.

[Buff_Brad]

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Well, old ones and not so old ones, does your surfing improve with age as all good things should, or is it decaying with the rest of your body?

Has more experience make surfing a different thing for you as you find some wisdom in the world?

.

welcome to the compost heap.

It's should read Betty "has more experience MADE surfing........blah blah" but maybe I'm just a perfectionist.

Didn't go out last night.....up relatively early ..... to improve my aging .....with surfing.

[daryl]

My surfing leaves so much room for improvement, no worries. It's the jumping up, call it reaction time, and getting out the back, that, the skills you can hack at, the reaction times maybe just don't get better.

[moreorless]

Smoother and mellower (but only because it gets harder and harder to do a decent turn).

[Spoon]

I think you move on to a different style. There will always be the extremely dedicated like Ringy, NC and ST who will be out at first light every day and they are all in their forties. For the more average punter like myself I find that you may move onto mals or a fish, I have also got a Miller's powerglide.
You tend towards what will help with the paddle since due to work or family you don't surf as much as you did or would like. Due to the boards you ride you tend to surf smoother or maybe it's an age thing as older guys on short boards tend to be smoother than the young-uns who seem hell bent on aerials on a lot of waves. I think you also appreciate being still out there enjoying the whole experience and you know that there will always be more waves so there is not this need for aggression and arrogance. Just my take. Anyway I am just happy to be still doing it at 46 and now enjoy going for waves with my kids.

[oldman]

Decaying, mentally and physically, now that you ask.

[monkeyman]

Yep - I'm rubbish when I'm cold, I'm hopeless if I don't stretch, I occaisionaly prove that I have been surfing for 25 years by doing something good, and I'm one of the people out there when it gets bigger and the under 25's take the day off.

I also ride different boards from mals to fish and normal boards.... no embarrassment about conforming with overly tattooed, brown melanoma skinned, bone headed locals.

[Larry]

The loss of stamina when things become a little meaty - paddling through ten or so lines of anything over 4' is a bit of a task for 60 +

The disrespect in the water, some of the younger lads have a problem with blokes as old as their grand dad out there with them.

Fear is harder to beat, whether it be caused by a ledge jump or a late take-off.

Reflexes - gone to shite,
Ability to surf quickly - gone forever
Sunburn - old skin loves cancer
Exposure - Long winter sessions lead to symptoms of exposure
Eyesight - Lots of floaters in front of the pupil
Hearing - Wax balls as big as marbles

.. but the pleasure never goes away

[vb]

Good luck to you Ringo ... thought I could notch up my half century riding but exactly what you said in your last paragraph hit me late June. CAT, MIR scans ... protruding discs/severe degeneration. Six weeks not being able to do my shoelaces up, every cough like a f.... knife thrust.
Think I may have brought it on myself a bit. Earlier that month decided to get into a paddling regimen and was doing about 2k a day, thinking "no pain, no gain'' as regards the feeling in my lower back. Don't know what's in store ... maybe get a 9/6 and go back to kneel paddling (I'm 6'3/90kg) to get that concavity out of my spine, maybe just bodysurf ....

[ric_vidal]

If your back's rooted or you get arthritis or your shoulders don't work....well I spose it all goes down hill from there

Yes, that sounds familiar.

Everything on me still works fine (touch wood).................................for now.

Watch you don’t get a splinter, stRinger.

[Shaunm]

Not sure but my boards keep getting bigger

[oldman]

Fear is harder to beat, whether it be caused by a ledge jump or a late take-off.

Noticing this a bit lately, where I used to be a person who likes to challenge my fears, I am less inclined to now.

Also, early morning surfs seem to be a thing of the past. Early morning now means about 8.00 am, although I would like to turn that around this summer. cough, cough.

[Grooter]

^^^

Noticed this lately myself, I put it down to being a dad now for the last 15 months. The other weekend I chickened out on a couple of 8 foot (on the face) waves and I don't know why as I used to be able to take them on without a problem.

I think it's down to surfing every 2 or 3 weeks these days as opposed to once a week before I became a dad. I've lost a bit of confidence in keeping my footing taking the drop on the bigger ones as they tend to hurt a bit more when you hit the water at full speed.

[oldman]

Noticed this lately myself, I put it down to being a dad now for the last 15 months.

I think it's down to surfing every 2 or 3 weeks these days as opposed to once a week before I became a dad. I've lost a bit of confidence in keeping my footing taking the drop on the bigger ones as they tend to hurt a bit more when you hit the water at full speed.

Yeah, hard to separate all those things. Becoming a dad makes you realise that your life isn't just for you anymore. Risky behaviours are considered with a different perspective.

Getting out less definitely contributes, but there is also a psychological edge to it. In a sense I'm not trying to prove anything to myself any more. That's nice in one sense, but can sort of lead to you doing nothing, which is not so good.

[Nick Carroll]

I reckon it's kind of a balance, I've got way more awareness now than when I was younger and don't waste nearly as much energy, much better style, and I've got way better boards now than then, but I can't move as quickly, have slower reactions, and feel a bit more exposed to injury in bad wipeouts.

Surfing goes through stages of development over a really long time, there's times when you have to charge and make mistakes, times when you have to persist despite feeling like you're at a standstill, times when competition really fits in and times when it doesn't, and times when all the different good points come together and surfing feels super effortless. Psychologically I'm happy with my charging days, they're somewhat in the past and I don't feel a need to catch waves with less than a 50% chance of making 'em like you tend to as an early-20s-something. Also don't need to dominate or try to dominate the crowd as much.

[scatters]

Been riding for 45yrs (i'm 55), had the hip replaced, the ears rebored, busted bones & I still wanna get out every chance I get. The thing that does me in is my riding getting inconsistent as i've gotten older.You know one day riding good next day I do a grom lookalike.

Noticed that I now tend to think of the consequences of getting smashed too often which impacts on wave selection & what I'll do on a wave 'cause ya just know that recovery is going to be much longer than it used to be which will keep ya out of the water.

Suppose the main age issue is reduction in muscle mass which probably initally translates into lack of shoulder/paddling power which affects all aspect of this fantastic sport.ie paddle out,duck dive,catch wave,get up,balance on wave..

So yeah getting older has had an impact on my surfing but I A'INT GOIN' TO STOP NOW. I'll just have to get longer boards.

[Beanpole]

Yep couldn't agree more. Statistically your body does really start to show the signs after 45. Reading glasses and joints. Not the prefered kind either.

I find I have to kind of pace it out a bit if I expect to do a lot of surfing over a decent swell. One day-go for it all day. Possibility of two or more in a row-might leave a little in the tank for the second and third rather than being totally stuffed, burnt and chaifed to buggery by day three.

I was really feeling in tip top form after a year of regular running and lots of surfing but the flu this winter has knocked the stuffing out of me about three times and I'm really just looking at upping the routine about now.

Funny how long improved aerobic fitness hangs around for once you get it.