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Category:

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    surf companion
    bookslearn to surftechniquetestUncategorized

    Surf Companion

    by Pascal April 15, 2023
    written by Pascal
    surf companion

    The Surf Companion “workbook”, is your companion on further surf trips and the perfect addition while you learn how to surf. Doesn’t matter if you’re on your own, work with a coach, or if you’re spending your holiday in a surf camp.

    The Surf Companion is a beautifully illustrated and easy to understand hand book, to accompany your journey to become a better surfer. It’s made with the knowledge of ISA Surfcoach Daniel Spes, and brought to paper through the pen of Florian Hättich.

    daniel spes ©thefreesurfer.com
    Dani when I met him a few years ago in Andalucia

    I met Dani in early 2016 when he was working as a surf teacher in Andalucia. What surprised me from the beginning, was his openness about other people’s thoughts in surfing and teaching. Plus his will to progress, as a surfer and a teacher.

    A lot of other surf teachers simply feel like they know enough and their surfing is where it has to be. But Dani asked about my opinion and tried to get another point of view about things he knew perfectly well. This is the perfect mindset for a coach or any kind of teacher, but unfortunately, nothing that is found very often!

    As with so many others I crossed paths, we didn’t stay in touch. I knew nothing about the Surf Companion until I hear the podcast from “get wet soon”.  And within a few days, I had a copy in my mailbox, and things started to get their way.

    So what is the Surf Companion?

    The Surf Companion is a handbook to accompany your journey to become a (better) surfer. It’s not a book that explains it all. But it is a book that makes you understand things visually, that might be difficult to imagine.

    In surfing, everything goes so quickly, it’s often difficult to grasp the single aspects of a complex movement. If you go to the right surfcamp or have a good surf teacher, he/she will try to break down a complex movement into single steps. Then, he/she will tell you exactly what you have to concentrate on, on every single step. Once you’ve got these steps dialed in, you can put them together into one fluent movement. This sounds very easy, but you probably know how difficult this can be in the beginning, right?

    surf companion by thefreesurfer.com
    Use the blank space to write your personal notes…

    The illustrations take you through these steps and tell you certain things you should focus on. But it leaves a lot of space around for your personal additional notes. After all, it is YOUR Surf Companion. And if you work with it, it will not only become more colorful, but more useful as well. This can be because a surf teacher gives you a little hint that makes all the difference to you. As you add it to the picture, it will be easy to remember, the next time you need that tip. Or maybe a friend sees something in your surfing you do wrong every time. He might give you something new to focus on, and this changes the game. Write this as a WORD CUES into your Surf Companion, so you remember it the next time you go surfing again. (I personally use this technique for a long time already. It helps me a lot to work on mistakes I know about, but struggle to change.)

    Personal example:

    top turn surf companion ©thefreesurfer.com
    From the pages of the Surf Companion onto a wave…

    If I want to hit the lip on my backside, I usually hit it not as straight upward as I want. This is in fact something almost everyone does. But as long as you never see footage of you doing it, it feels like you’re going absolutely straight up!

    I would know what I have to do differently, ( go deeper and more square in the bottom turn, rotate more toward the breaking wave, and then HOLD this position for a moment longer). But I struggle to do it! So in that very moment, all I do is repeat to myself: Hold it, hold it… (and so on).

    In the sequence above, I use the same CUE WORDS as the Surf companion uses.

    For what level of surfing is this book?

    surf companion line up explained ©thefreesurfer.com

    The “Beginners Surf Companion” just came out now. It is great, if you had your first surf lessons, or will have them sometime in the future. Or if you rented/ bought a surfboard, but don’t know where to start. It includes many things that will become an issue for you at one point or another. Such things as jellyfish, sea urchins, and Wetsuits (how to get in and out, how to dry and hang it, or how to wear the leash with it) or how to wrap your leash around the board while carrying it. You might never even think about such things, but as you keep surfing, you’ll realize, that there is so much more to know!

    Even if you feel like you’re not a beginner anymore, it possibly has still some interesting pages for you in it. And it is at least as beautifully illustrated as the other book.

    The “Intermediate Surf Companion” is, with a fair bit of irony the German Intermediate! As for example an Australian surf coach has different ideas about what intermediate means.

    It includes different kinds of breaks, paddling, take-off, riding a wave, basic maneuvers, and a bit of board selection too. A few of the pages from the Beginners book are in here as well. But it takes you further. This is and will be a companion for you for years to come!

    For whom is the Intermediate Surf Companion?

    surf companion

    I would say it is for everyone who is somewhere between going to surf for the very first time, to people who call themself intermediate and already know how to surf a wave and do some turns. Especially if you don’t surf every week. 

    With the illustrations and your personal reminders from previous sessions, it can be a huge help. And the explanations of a re-entry and a good cutback might be helpful, even if you already know how to do it.

    In short?

    Buy it! It’s made with so much love for the details and it’s for sure helpful. Unless you’re a professional already. Is even helpful for coaches to work with it. Or you can simply use it as a coloring book while you’re away from the ocean and feel sentimental…

    If you buy it through this article, you get it for the original price, but I get a few $ too. Not enough to buy a beer here, but should be enough for a Bintang!

    April 15, 2023 0 comment
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  • bookstravel

    Swell by Liz Clark, a book review

    by Pascal August 8, 2019
    by Pascal August 8, 2019

    Favorite pick You love surfing, traveling and the ocean? You love freedom and the idea of scheduling your day around tides rather than working hours? So did Liz. But she has probably…

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  • blogbooksgermantravel

    “Archipel der Wellen” by Stefan Götzelmann. A book review

    by Pascal May 23, 2021
    by Pascal May 23, 2021

    Archipel der Wellen is a declaration of love for Indonesia, it’s people and of course, it’s waves. To me, one of the biggest difficulties, if it comes to writing about surfing, is…

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  • booksgermanpeopletravelUncategorized

    Insight Africa von Carlo Drechsel

    by Pascal March 11, 2019
    by Pascal March 11, 2019

    GERMAN/ PEOPLE/ BOOK Insight Afrika von Carlo Drechsel. Mehr als das Reisetagebuch eines landlocked Surfer wie dir und mir. Wie für viele von uns war für den immer noch in Deutschland lebende…

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  • bookstesttravel

    Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan, Book review

    by Pascal May 17, 2019
    by Pascal May 17, 2019

    BOOKS/ REVIEWS/ TRAVEL On wave-rich surf trips, we usually try to spend as many hours in the water as possible. After this, we’re too tired to do many other physical activities, and…

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  • blogbooksgermanpeople

    Fuck you Happiness! Buchbesprechung mit Andreas Brendt

    by Pascal February 25, 2019
    by Pascal February 25, 2019

    German/ People/ Books/ Interview Fuck you Happiness! Buchbesprechung mit Andreas Brendt Zervus Andi, lange nicht gesehen. Erzähl mal…wo bist du gerade? Und was machst du so? Unterrichten in Deutschland, oder irgendwo den…

    0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

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  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Portugal
      • Azores, Sao Miguel
      • The Wave, Bristol
      • Fuerteventura – One week at Europe’s North Shore
      • The Ultimate Guide To Surfing In Tenerife
      • Andalucía, Spain’s best known surf secret
    • Africa
      • Taghazout, Morocco
      • Senegal
      • Mozambique
    • Oceania
      • Fiji
    • Asia
      • Philippines
      • Sri Lanka
      • Maldives
      • India
      • Taiwan
      • Mentawai Surftrip on a budget
      • My love-hate relationship with Bali
      • Rediscovering Medewi
      • Nias. The change
      • Lombok
    • Central America
      • Barra photo Love Story
      • Guatemala
      • El Salvador
      • Nicaragua
      • Costa Rica
      • Panama
    • Caribbean
      • Dominican Republic
    • South America
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Surfboards
    • Surfboard Travel Quivers [3 Great Options]
    • Lib Tech review
    • Studer Surfboard review.
    • If and How to order your custom surfboard with Semente
    • Surfboard Monogamy – The idea of a one board quiver
    • Surfing a Fish- Maybe just what your surfing needs
    • Ho Steve surf accessories review
  • Techniques/ Learn how to surf
    • Surf Companion
    • Surf fit/ Paddle fit for your trip
    • All beginnings are difficult
    • 3 surf safety essentials for beginners
    • How to order your custom surfboard
    • Why surfing a twin fin
    • How to surf a twin fin
  • Must read Travel books
    • Travel books by continent, a list
    • Barbarian Days, William Finnegan
    • Swell, Liz Clark
    • Surf Companion
    • Archipel der Wellen, Stefan Götzelmann
    • Fuck you Happiness, Andreas Brendt
    • Insight Africa, Carlo Drechsel
  • This and that
    • Traveling during Corona
    • Senegal, the new Morocco?
    • India, maybe your best surf adventure ever?
    • Sri Lanka in winter. Worth it?
    • Nias. The change
    • The earthquakes in Lombok
    • The high art of slowing down and doing nothing
  • Contact/Collab