Indoor surfing: surfing without the sea? Valeska Schneider tells us how

Do you only associate surfing with sun, beach and sea? Then comes the best news of the day: Did you know that surfing is possible almost anywhere there is a standing wave? Indoor surfing and rapid surfing are more popular than ever. We spoke about this in detail with professional surfer Valeska Schneider .

She tells us tips and tricks about riding waves and learning to surf . She also talks about her life as a professional surfer and professional rapid surfing . Have we sparked your interest? Then get on the wave and read on quickly!

Valeska Schneider surfing indoors: board and Dextro Energy* always with her.

Valeska, you are German champion, university champion, member of the German National Team for the World Surfing Games and take part in the Rapid Surf League. When and where did your passion for surfing begin?

After graduating from high school, I went to Australia for a year of work and travel. I first worked there and then took my first surfing course and learned to surf. I was so fascinated by the first wave that I extended my stay. At that time there was an academy there, a monthly course, and I stayed for that. I've improved so much in that month alone. Then I stayed at the surf camp and worked there for room and board so that I could continue surfing and be close to the trainers.

 

What happened afterwards in terms of sport?

After my time in Australia, I went to Indonesia and then to France. I actually just wanted to help out there as a helper at the German Championships. But then it was said “join in”. This gave me my first competitive experience. I then went back to Munich in the fall and started my sports studies there and surfed on the side. During vacation or during my internships, I always went surfing on the sea.

 

In addition to your studies, you continued to practice diligently and pursue your dream. Professionally or just as a hobby?

That was definitely just hobby-related. I wanted to get better, surf all the time and keep fit. For the moment when I'm back at the sea, so that I don't start from scratch again. I'm already an ambitious person. When I found out about the German university championships, I thought, maybe that's a little more my level than the German championships. The German University Championships were my next big goal and I had trained a lot for that back then. Always under the motto “I'm a student and then I'll have some job” and not “I'll be a professional surfer”. Of course, I thought back then that sponsorship would be helpful to finance my expensive trips. At the beginning, surfing was not an Olympic discipline or a recognized sport by the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation). Back then, Instagram didn't exist yet, influencing and advertising collaborations were just beginning. It went like this: You have a sticker on your board from a brand and are featured in surf magazines, online articles or sometimes on TV or radio. That's how it was even less than 10 years ago. And that's why the idea of ​​becoming a professional or making a living at it was unimaginable.

Thanks to indoor surfing, surf parks and rapid surfing, you can now ride waves almost anywhere. Can you explain to us in more detail what indoor surfing and rapid surfing is?

Indoor surfing is when the artificial waves are covered. It's a little different than river surfing. Ultimately, rapid surfing is the generic term for river waves, for outdoor waves, for waves in a lake or indoors.

In principle, rapid surfing is surfing on the standing wave. Especially when you start, it feels completely different than in the sea because you have no forward momentum because the wave isn't pushing. When you start making turns and flying figure eights on the wave, the movements and maneuvers are the same as in the sea.

The beginnings of rapid surfing lie in Munich, on the Floßlände and in the Eisbach. Surfers discovered and tried this out back then. In the beginning, for example, the Eisbach was not even legal. Then there was the first artificial wave of Citywaves and also the first competitions at the airport in Munich, the European Championships. I wasn't even there back then, I was still fully focused on sea surfing. The Rapid Surf League was launched in 2018 because there were slowly more standing waves. The first league was also added and the Citywaves World Tour was launched. Meanwhile, such waves were created all over the world.

I think it's this idea of ​​rapid surfing that makes it interesting for anyone who has tried surfing in the sea and discovered their love for surfing, but then finds themselves land-blocked so they don't live near the sea. Those who want to experience the incredible feeling that surfing creates again and again. So they started surfing standing waves and simply transferring everything from the sea to the standing wave.

Do you have to choose between indoor surfing, rapid surfing and surf parks – where do you prefer to surf?

Indoor or outdoor doesn't matter. I definitely like the Citywaves best. Especially the Wellenwerk in Berlin. Because it's warm inside in winter. But it is also very beautiful in summer, for example in Zurich. There's the wave out on the platform.

As a native of Starnberg, you studied in Munich and certainly spent a lot of time on the Eisbachwelle. Can you tell us any other hotspots of standing waves in the water?

Well, they're sprouting up everywhere right now. Now a wave opened up in Nuremberg last year, and one is opening up in Hanover this year. These are all river waves. There is one in Langenfeld near Cologne and one is also opening in Düsseldorf. Germany definitely has the most waves. A standing wave will soon open in Hawaii. This will be the biggest wave yet. There are also waves in Tokyo, Madrid and Milan. Austria, Switzerland and France also have many river waves, but they are very dependent on meltwater. Wild river surfing can therefore quickly become dangerous. There are new projects everywhere that are being built into rivers. Because it is of course much more sustainable and accessible and no electricity is used for it. And there are still some large projects in the USA.

The standing wave in indoor surfing is certainly different to surfing in the ocean - can you explain the difference to us?

This is actually very similar. So when you have a lot of speed or speed on a rapid wave, you go into that turn and you get into that flow feeling , it's the similar feeling that you feel in the ocean when you catch a wave that you can ride for longer. How you feel when you fly through the air and push in with your foot. That's the feeling you get so addicted to in the sea. This can be recreated on a standing wave and that's where this hype comes from.

What is important in rapid surfing? 

With rapid surfing it's these 30 seconds. This is a sequence of maneuvers that you perform. You have to bring in a lot of variety, so you have to keep in mind which turns you're going to perform in a row to get points. That's why these turns have to be practiced during training. Because in these 30 seconds you can't actually think. You have to have everything preset and just give it full throttle. Just doing rapid surfing, going back and forth and these turns, is like doing 30 second squad jumps and staying in the flow. Ultimately, you should never lose speed.

 

And does this also apply to surfing in the sea?

In any case, just to surf in the ocean, you actually have to react even more spontaneously to what the wave offers you. If the wave is steep at that moment you can do one thing, if the wave is flat you can only do the other. You depend on what the wave offers you. There are some river waves that change as you surf, sometimes becoming flat, sometimes becoming steeper, but this is actually rare.

How do you prepare for surfing? 

I generally train a lot in the wave pool in Berlin. Either specific turns or sequences and also a lot of video analysis. So I film during the session and then watch the video: How did I do the part, are the arms right, is the look right, is the body movement right? In general, I also do fitness training. The strength has to be there, especially the speed and reaction strength. And I also train on surf skates again and again. These are skateboards with which you can imitate surfing movements.

What are the most important talents you need to learn to surf?

You must have a basic balance and general body tension. Especially to surf in the sea you need a high tolerance for frustration, but also to a certain extent with rapid surfing. And general basic fitness and a bit of courage, because especially when you get faster or do jumps, you have to push yourself. It's not as safe a sport as jogging or marathons. Of course, it's not quite as torture as running a marathon. It's more about speed. And when paddling in the sea you need endurance. That's why surfing in the sea is more of a holistic sport than rapid surfing.

Surfing is a pretty male-dominated sport. What is it like to be a woman in this world?

In general, there is a high hierarchy when surfing. Especially when we talk about sea surfing, the old locals get the wave first at the spot. Then the young locals, then the tourists and then the women, that's how they felt. It's a macho sport. As a woman, you definitely need to have good basic self-confidence and not allow yourself to be intimidated. The men simply show no mercy, not even among themselves. There's already a pecking order there anyway, without basic self-confidence you'll never get a wave. I definitely think that’s a shame about the sport. It's not quite the same with rapid surfing, especially because it's a younger sport and you're waiting and it's your turn. But in general you shouldn't allow yourself to be intimidated and if you show up with self-confidence, then you'll get more respect. If you sit timidly on the side, then no one will give you anything because there are only a certain number of waves and everyone wants that unique surfing feeling.

What does your diet look like as a professional surfer?

I don't have a strict meal plan. I eat almost entirely vegan, I always refer to it as vegan as possible because I have noticed that dairy products tend to limit my performance. You can also wonderfully compensate for the animal proteins in meat or eggs with plants. I also think the vegan Dextro Energy* Liquid Gels are quite good. Especially when I think “Now another session or paddling out or training”. And the Dextro Energy* glucose is so practical, you can always have it in your pocket. In general, I just eat very little fast food and no sweets because I don't like them that much. So I'm fully vegetarian, but I leave out a lot of dairy products and eggs. But there are exceptions, especially because of the amount of travel.

 

Can you give our readers tips on what makes a perfect surf course to learn to ride waves?

I think it is important that there is a theoretical unit at the beginning in which the basic principles are explained. Why are there waves here, how do they break, how does the pop-up, i.e. jumping onto the board, work? And it's also important to practice things in the dry. Everything sounds easy at first, but then the sensory overload occurs in the sea. I also notice this when I teach people who want to learn to surf. It is also important that the surfing instructor demonstrates a lot and shows videos, because surfing can only be explained in theory without having seen it. You don't necessarily need this in the first surf session, but I also work a lot with video analysis. That makes a huge difference, having seen yourself and then understanding what you need to change. Often you are not even aware of things.

Of course, safety should also be taken into account. What do I do if, or how do I get myself out of dangerous situations, for example if I get stuck in a reef or in a current or if I am underwater for too long? And also that the surf instructor can assess whether the conditions are such that you can take a course and not run a risk.

Valeska, thank you for the interview!

Would you also like to learn to surf now? Then visit one of the numerous standing waves in Germany and get started. But of course only after you have successfully completed your surfing course and with the Dextro Energy* endurance products in your surfing bag.

* contains carbohydrates

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important

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Instagram: @valeskaschneider