Homegrown Pro

So it’s time for the ASP to kick off the Champion’s Tour again and all eyes turn to Snapper Rocks for the Quiksilver Pro. The tour events are important to almost everyone that rides waves because surfers of every description around the world draw sustenance from these events that eventually manifest at their home breaks.

The individual’s need for self expression in his home waves is palpable. Paddle deeper, take off later, stick that bottom turn, find that barrel opening, grab that rail, then bask in the sunshine and the adulation from your peers when you pop out on the other side.

So everyday at every break there’s a very personal and unique ’contest’ going on. It starts when you arrive in the car park and someone you vaguely know, with a glint in his eye know, says, “You should have been here an hour ago, it was really pumping.” So what can you do to have a competitive edge in the line -up? What is going to give you that breakthrough performance that stuns your adversaries out there in the water where it matters most? One word - preparation.

A famous sportsman once said that no matter how good your opponent is, the one thing you can do is prepare better than him.

So maybe we should be taking a leaf out of the tour surfers’ playbook - work hard at your fitness and mental fortitude and have the right equipment for that break or those conditions.

So maybe we should be taking a leaf out of the tour surfers’ playbook - work hard at your fitness and mental fortitude and have the right equipment for that break or those conditions.

Don’t compromise on your boards and fins.

Work closely with your shaper, help him understand your surfing, the conditions in which you surf and your aspirations. Get boards that work for you and use appropriate fin sets that compliment the conditions.

Waves change with the tide. What’s good in sloppy beachie high tide runners, might not work when it’s hitting a low tide bank and it’s going square. The CT pro’s constantly evaluate the water and then choose what board/fin combo they believe will work.

Boards vary enormously so find those that work for you.

Fin choices are just as important. Fin performance is governed by three physical attributes - hold, drive and pivot.

A fin with more ‘drive’ is needed when you want the acceleration and the reach. ‘Pivot’ is required when you need to constantly change direction say in smaller less powerful waves. ‘Hold’ comes into play when its all about sticking a turn or holding an edge in a solid barrel.

Final thought - create a relationship with your board maker and ask him about the benefits of using an authentic fin system like FCS. Thirteen of the top twenty four on the CT use FCS, because they give you an edge. Period.

FCS carry a wide range of fins, many of which are designed by the world’s best surfer.

Find out more at www.surffcs.co.za The FCSII system allows you to change your fins instantly. Click out, click in. It’s that simple.