Learn to surf skate: Discover the new sport with surf professional Valeska Schneider

We all have our favorite compensatory sports . But sometimes it just has to be something new, don't you think? So we looked around and discovered a sport that combines the best of both worlds, is really fun and is good for our fitness and balance. Professional surfers in particular love this trend sport because it gets you fit for the water, but also works without being close to the sea and waves:

Surfskating .

 

At first glance, surfskating looks like regular skateboarding. But in this story we'll tell you what this special sport is all about and how you can learn it. Finally, we get a deeper insight and a few tips from professional surfer Valeska Schneider.

 

Surfing + skateboarding = surfskating?

 

Surfing or surfing is probably one of the sports in which you are most dependent on the weather and nature. In addition, the optimal conditions differ depending on ability: A beginner needs different waves than a professional and a professional looks for ever greater challenges. This isn't a problem with surfskating, a mix of skateboarding and surfing. You can start or improve on this trendy sport almost anywhere and at any time. And the best thing is: you can celebrate your exercises and successes twice. Because you benefit from the movements and feeling for the board both on the skateboard and when surfing - regardless of whether you are a beginner or a professional.

 

So basically all you need is a board and a suitable area to practice. What’s the difference to skating now? Professional surfer Valeska Schneider explained this and more to us in more detail in an interview.

 

When there isn't a wave nearby, Valeska likes to practice surfskating.

 

Interview with professional surfer Valeska Schneider

 

Hi Valeska, please introduce yourself briefly

 

I am a German professional surfer, both in the sea and on rapid waves - and am now also the founder of my own surf brand: Rivver.

 

What is surfskating?

 

Surfskating has less to do with skating - it's actually a tool that allows you to transfer and practice surfing maneuvers from the sea to land, because when you ride, you lean into the curves as much as you do on the waves. You don't have to push the surfskate with your foot, you can get the board moving just by moving in the right timing - in the right rhythm.

 

Is surfskating just for surfers?

 

You can use surfskating as a pure technique tool to practice maneuvers for surfing on the sea or on artificial waves - if you practice the swing correctly, surfskating can also be a real workout: turning uphill will work your abdominal muscles hard stressed and the pulse also goes up.

 

You can also use the surfskate as a cruiser to comfortably ride around the city. Or simply to experience that flow – like surfing.

I also know some who have just started surfskating. Then they realized that they really enjoyed it and later switched to surfing or started doing it as well. Surfskating is a sport in itself.

 

What is the difference between a surf skateboard / surf skater and a normal skateboard?

 

A surfskate or a surfskateboard can in principle have a normal skateboard deck. The crucial difference is the axle – it has to be relatively loose, i.e. wobbly. For example, if you tried to skateboard on a longboard, your progress would be very slow and you would only be able to make turns in slow motion.

 

Who would you definitely recommend surfskating to?

 

I would recommend surfskating to everyone - you can do it as a child, but also when you get to the senior level. I don't think it's too demanding on the joints, depending on how intense you do it. I would recommend - especially if you really use surfskating as fitness training - that you regularly change sides, i.e. the foot that is in front. So that there are no imbalances.

 

How did it start for you?

 

In 2016 I found out that these boards existed. At the beginning I didn't understand it at all and just rolled backwards (laughs).

 

How do you start?

 

If you want to learn to ride a Sufskate, you can of course initially push or push yourself with your foot, but at some point you will be good enough that you can only start riding by turning and moving your body. And that's exactly where you want to get to. You can practice surfskating on flats first. And then also on slopes, when you make a curve at the bottom and go back up - like on a wave.

 

Which exercises/training are most effective if you want to improve?

 

The absolute tip or trick is: Where you look, you go. The rotation of your entire body begins with your eyes and with the following head and body movement the board also turns in the direction you want to go. Especially with surfskate beginners, you can sometimes see how they drive towards the other person or an obstacle in a panic, but don't look away - instead of looking away and going somewhere else.

 

What other tips do you have for us if we want to learn to surf skate?

 

Once you've learned how to start driving from a standing start or as soon as you can build up a bit of speed, you can practice your turns even better with cones. Personally, I'm always a fan of supervised training - I also took supervised surf coaching over a longer period of time right from the start because I wanted to improve quickly. Sometimes it's very small tips and tricks that can suddenly help you make much faster progress. There are now courses in Cologne and Düsseldorf or in Frankfurt and also in Munich. You can also just try out the sport there.

 

Should you take a surfskate course as a beginner or can you learn to surfskate on your own?

 

You can definitely try it out yourself and learn on your own. But you have to be careful when surfskating so that you don't get used to the wrong technique. For example, if you simply stand on the board and wiggle your ankles back and forth - this will give you momentum, but it would be cheating. Plus, it looks a bit funny and doesn't help you improve your sea technique at all. Once you get into the habit, it is very difficult to get rid of this incorrect technique. That means an introductory course and a few basics are helpful, but in the end surf skating is also a lot of practicing yourself - getting the feel for it and not giving up too quickly because it often works much better the next week.

 

Where can you learn to surfskate as a beginner?

 

The best way to learn is to go to a clear, straight area - it can be a bit sloping in places - but really not too much, because being fast is not your goal at the beginning. It's important that the asphalt is very flat and not too rough, otherwise you won't be able to make progress. Since you drive very slowly at the beginning, the asphalt should also be very clean. Even small stones can interfere with surfskating and may even cause you to fall. If you are not yet confident in driving while learning, you should also make sure that there are no cars or similar things nearby or even driving - it can happen that you fall off the board and the board shoots away in the opposite direction. There are a few large areas in every city, for example Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin or Theresienwiese in Munich - there is enough space and flat asphalt, so no cobblestones or sidewalks.

 

What are the best conditions?

 

Unfortunately you can't surfskate in bad weather. If the street is wet or slippery, you should definitely not surfskate there because it is much easier to slip or slide. But feel free to look around for covered alternatives in your area. There are some underpasses or large highway bridges that you can use as a practice area when it rains. Or you can check whether there are parking garages or park-and-ride areas near you - if there is little going on there and there are no cars nearby, these areas are good for practicing.

 

Are there also options for indoor surf skating - such as in skate halls?

 

Yes, there are a few of these skate halls. However, skaters and surf skaters have completely different routes. The skaters always go straight in and out of the hall, while the surf skaters make their turns. It is also the case that skaters tend to distance themselves from surf skaters: it is new and much easier to learn than skating - the skaters sometimes say “they just wobble, they don’t do anything” (none tricks or jumps).

 

Which systems are better suited then?

 

If you are a little more advanced, you can also go to the typical skater bowl or a pump track as a surf skater. A pump track is roughly like a hill track for mountain bikers, but it is asphalted when skating. You drive down from the first hill, take the momentum with you and always “push” again after the hill - this makes you faster and faster. You can learn to get into the surfskate flow on pump tracks - the feeling when you ride up and down the bumps is amazing. In the bowl you can practice your turns even more, but you should be a level higher.

 

What equipment do you need?

 

Especially at the beginning, protectors are very, very important - just like with inline skating or normal skating, that means: knee pads, elbow pads and wrist pads. You should also definitely wear a helmet. Sometimes I also train in full protective gear - for example when I go to the bowl. I don't want to ruin my clothes (laughs) or myself. There are now different brands that offer surf skates, but it actually depends on your own taste which board you want. It actually makes sense to try things out a bit - you have this opportunity, for example, if you take a course. There are some boards that are more intended for riding quickly through the bowl. The axle on these boards isn't quite as wobbly. But there are also other boards with very, very wobbly axles that also need to have good springback. You can really practice your technical maneuvers with these.

 

Which Dextro Energy* products do you use/recommend for surfskating?

 

That depends on how long you want to drive. For a workout or endurance training, I would rather go for products with extra carbs, for example the Protein Crisp bars or the easily transportable and dosable Energy Gums* . The cubes are ideal for less strenuous technical training. I'm a fan of classic flavors. I recently discovered liquid gels with caffeine. I like them very much.

 

Do you have a tip for where you can learn the best moves?

 

There are more and more surfskate communities - so far I mainly know some in Munich, Cologne and Berlin. In Berlin, for example, if the weather is good you can just go to Tempelhofer Feld and you're sure to find someone cruising there. And someone always has cones or music with them. But you're more likely to meet people there who want to do a bit of cruising for fun. If you plan to use surfskating as a tool to practice your maneuvers in the ocean, you should practice with a coach or in a coaching group.

 

Do you have any last words for us?

 

Surfskating is so accessible, you can learn it quickly and I find it more exciting than, for example, pure longboarding. I trained a lot with it, but you can also just do it as a hobby. Personally, the only thing I'm missing is the infrastructure in Germany. Because most skate parks are designed for pure skating.

 

* contains carbohydrates

 

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

Valeska's Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/valeskaschneider/?hl=de

Photo credit

Photographer: João Cabrita Silva