In 2019 I brought to market the world’s first high performance training product – “Progressive Surfing”. “Progressive Surfing” is a training package that contains 50 individual training cards and a training and competition diary. The aim of the product is to help surfers train their surfing in an effective manner, and learn from those experiences.

I’ve known for a long time, that an essential skill of advanced surfing is for surfers to be able to think for themselves. Using the “Progressive Surfing” product teaches this skill. Through a process of experimental learning, followed by a thorough review of performances, surfers learn how-to-learn and in the process – how-to-think.

In the mid 90’s, working with professional surfers both here in Australia and internationally, I used to hand produce training diaries, which I gave to motivated surfers so that they could work on their surfing in a professional manner as they travelled the world. Around that same time, I also hand created training cards that I used extensively in my training and handed out training packs to a lucky few.

 

Fast forward to 2018, and I’m in Peru working with the Peruvian national team at the International Surfing Association’s 2018 “World Surfing Games”. Also there is former Brazilian professional surfer – Andrea Lopes – a surfer I coached in the 90’s, as she was a travel buddy with Australian surfer Neridah Falconer. Andrea was the ladies coach for Brazil at that ISA event in Peru.

 

I said “hello”, having not seen Andrea since the 90’s, and she said “Martin, I’ve got your book”. Not knowing what she was talking about, I said “What book?” And there from her backpack she pulled-out the diary I made for her in the 90’s, some 20+ years previously.  She was still referring to the information in that diary all those years later. To be honest, I had actually forgotten I had even made those diaries. I gotta say, it blew me away!

 

It also made me think that surfing is so under-resourced in developmental material, as evidenced by Andrea still using my early diary publication in 2018. So….. on my return to Australia I proceeded to review what I had done previously, how I could update the information, and what form a training product could take. As a result, the “Progressive Surfing” product took shape and was brought to market in 2019.

 

I have supplied the product to mainly competition surfers over the past 18 months, with many successful results. 2x Peruvian Olympic qualifiers, 1x WCT qualifier, 3x New South Wales junior champions, and used by the Peruvian and German national teams. The success evidence suggests that any surfer who wants to maximize their potential should purchase and use “Progressive Surfing”. It’s a product that helps create winners.