Credit: © ASP/ CI/ SCHOLTZ via GETTY IMAGES

Freshly minted 2010 Dream Tour qualifier, Owen Wright, featured in this blog in April this year, last time he beat Kelly Slater, as a wildcard, at Bells.  Check here for that story Wild-card-vs-World-champ

And here he is doing it again, as a wildcard, in “Porch”

The amazing thing is that the two heats – while five months and thousands of kilometres apart, basically went down in the same fashion – which just goes to show that good heat strategy works anywhere and against anyone!!

Both times Slater jumped out of the gate and both times Wright waited patiently for the sets and went about HIS job.

Here’s Wright from Bells, earlier this year…

“Out there, I just stayed on my own game and really just concentrated on what I was doing.  I just got the set waves and surfed them.”

And here’s Wright from a few days ago…

“It was a really tough heat with not many waves.  Kelly got the jump on me and opened up early so I sat and waited to try and get the bigger and better waves.”

See the strategy - pretty simple stuff really – but can you imagine how that wait for set waves could have been playing in Wright’s mind; with the 9X World Champ getting busy and racking up some solid scores.

Do you think you would have had the courage to sit and wait?

Obviously staying patient takes self-belief and confidence – but that comes from having a tried and tested game plan.

And if your game plan has worked before – why wouldn’t you try it again!?

So now you know the secret to beating Kelly Slater, and the value of rock solid, proven heat strategy.

You can watch the heat go down here…

And you can watch Kelly acknowledge that Owen got the best wave of the heat here…

Technorati Tags: getty images, good heat, Kelly Slater, owen wright, Rip Curl Pro Portugal, Rip Curl Pro Search 2009, self belief, tour qualifier, wct surfers, wct tour, world champ

My friends over at SurfScience.com are absolute freaks for anything technology and performance in surfing.

There you'll find the latest on fins, wavepools, yoga, bottom curves, board materials and even the mental side of contest surfing - with an interview we did last week - The Mental Side of Winning

So check them out at…

http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-tips/sponsored-surfer-tips/the-mental-side-of-winning

Cheers

Mike

Technorati Tags: Contest Surfing, fins, mental approach, performance surfing, surf, surf board, surf boards, surfing tips, surfscience.com

When Adriano De Souza won his first ASP World Tour event last week he was once again blazing a trail for a bunch of frothing Brazzo contest surfers behind him.

De Souza has been a World Junior Champion (2003) and has won the entire WQS in 2005.  So it was interesting to read what he had to say in a recent  interview on ASL’s site.

We have no way – no path, to tell us how to be world champ.  In Australia there are 10 world champs, 10 runners up, 30 third places. You can see a path – a lot of paths.

I’m sure that there are many surfers growing up in Australia that simply just accept the fact that there is a potential pathway to a world championship – because there have been so many guys and girls who have driven down that road before.

And as a consequence, there maybe some surfers who don’t fight as hard they can to make their career all it can be.

But, for some surfers, like our Brasillero bros, it is much tougher to formulate realistic goals around their surfing careers, not really knowing or seeing what’s ahead - yet often that builds a powerful determination and desire.

Like one of my favourite athletes, seven times Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong says…

Just because something's never been done, it isn't an obstacle - it's motivation!

So, if you are committed to a career in surfing, and one lazy summer’s arvo you feel like flipping off that extra strength/flexibility session or that slop surf.

Then take a look at the video of what’s coming behind you.

Don’t ever underestimate the power of desire.

[VIDEO] - All Brazilian final at 2009 King of The Groms, including the first ever 20 pt score in Junior surfing

Technorati Tags: Adriano de Souza, asp world tour, Billabong Pro, billabong wct, Contest Surfing, desire, goals, king of the groms, King of the Groms 2009, Mundaka, power of desire, wct surfers, wct tour, world champs, world junior champion

I watched a half dozen Rd 2 heats last night and was up early this morning to check what happened and I was NOT expecting to see Parko get his third consecutive 17th in Mundaka.

Naturally the media spot light has now swung to Fanning and I really loved how he handled it

A month ago Fanning wasn't even in the race, but back to back wins have him staring down the barrel of his second world title.

However, I really loves how he puts the World Title race all in perspective, in a truly professional and mentally tough way.

“I’m not thinking about it (ASP World Title) at all, it’s just one heat. If you want to win the World Title, you have to win heats and that’s all I’m working on. I’ve got a long way to go"

Do you get what he’s saying here, its worth reading again. Because what Fanning is demonstrating here is a real ability to be in the present and deal with what is in front of him.

I talk with so many surfers who are worried about what is going to happen at the end of their heat, or in two heats time, or if they make the final, or if they can just get to the quarters in 3 of the next 5 events.

Because these surfers are future focused, they aren’t focuses on the job at hand – doing everything they need to do to win their heat. Things like preparing well, hunting the peak, talking positively and so on.

You can’t be focused on two things at once.

And there is a delicious irony to all this that Fanning obviously has insight into. If you focus on the job at hand, the results will take care of themselves.

The World Title – “It’s just one heat” That’s my vote for quote of the year.

Good on ya Mick!

Technorati Tags: billabong wct, Contest Surfing, delicious irony, Fanning, Joel Parkinson, mental toughness, Mick Fanning, Mundaka, Parko, staring down the barrel, wct surfers, wct tour, world champ, worth reading

The big surf companies are keen to get their contests run and won.

Obviously they can save a lot of bucks on the cost of running an event if the waiting period is minimised.

So the pressure is back on the surfers to be in good enough physical and mental shape to meet the demands of surfing four pressure heats in one day…

"It's two back-to-back events where I have had to surf four heats on the final day to get the win and it takes a lot out of you."

And that coming from a fitness freak lie Fanning!

The other finalist, Bede Durbidge, commented that he “felt good and fit” in the final.

Contrast that with Patrick Bevan, who Bede eliminated in the semi…

"I was feeling really tired in that heat"

He admitted that…

"I didn't eat today”

which definitely wouldn’t have helped his performance, but interestingly Bevans lack of nutrition and heat fitness lead to some tactical errors…

"Bede is a great surfer and he pushed me in a couple of average waves, I was a bit confused out in the line-up and I didn't catch the good ones."

It also added pressure to Bevan…

"I was a little stressed halfway through the heat and I didn't surf as good as in my previous heats."

My point is that a great heat surfing mindset is only on icing on the cake.

If you haven’t already baked the cake, long before the heat starts, there isn’t alot you can do - even with great thinking.

Receipe for Contest Surfing Success: Train hard, think hard, surf hard

Technorati Tags: asp world tour, bede durbidge, Bede Durbrige, bevan, Contest Surfing, fanning mick, fitness freak, mental approach, mental shape, Mick Fanning, Patrick Bevan, performance surfing, Quiksilver Pro France, receipe, strategic decisions, surf companies, Surf Contest, surf fitness

When Marc Lacomare beat Jon Jon Florence to win Rip Curl Pro Junior at Seignosse in France today and put himself back in the lead on the ASP European Junior ratings he did it with a plan.

“I stuck to my game plan during the final which was to be patient and get the better waves to score well enough and win the thing."

Things to note…

1.  He had a plan - too many surfers just froth into the next round without thinking too much about how they'll surf it, where they'll sit, where the waves are and what moves they'll pull.  That 'no plan' approach works up to the limits of your talent.  But if you wan to surf above and beyond your limits you need a plan.

2.  He decided on his plan before the heat started - Obviously Lacomare did his "beach observation" before the heat and figured out that he had to be patient to get the waves that would win him the heat.  So he could stress a lot less during his heat, knowing that waiting was the right thing.

3.  He demonstrated understanding of the most critical factor in hi performance surfing - YA GOTTA GET THE BEST WAVES.  The higher ou climb with your surfing career the more you'll see anyone can win.  If everyone rips, then the ont thing that separates the winner from everyone else is the waves.

Jon Jon was really blowing up in this heat and it would have been easy to panic, but to his credit he stuck to his plan - Guess that's why Marc Lacomare is leading the series

You can check out the final right here - Go to Day 3

Rip Curl Pro Junior Final

So what do you do?  Do you plan or just froth it?  Either way let me know

Best wishes

Mike

Technorati Tags: Contest Surfing, critical factor, game plan, hi performance, performance surfing, pre heat preparation, seignosse, strategic decisions, surfing career

Technorati Tags: Contest Surfing, self belief, Surf Contest, WQS

ASP Announces Inaugural ASP World Junior Tour
http://budurl.com/zhz6 [PRESS RELEASE]
This has gotta be good for surfing

Jordy Smith pulls arguably the best surfing move ever
http://budurl.com/93nt [VID] >—- CRAZY rodeo flip! YEW!

And if you didnt see the heat - click on the link below!

Go to Heats on Demand -  Rd1 Heat 13

http://www.billabongpro.com/jbay09/videos.php?rLingua=gb&rDay=1

Please leave a comment below.   I love to hear your thoughts

Cheers

Mike

Technorati Tags: Contest Surfing, cool head, jbay, strategic decisions, tahitian