How to Train for Big Waves with Private Instruction?

Riding big waves is the ultimate test of a surfer's physical endurance, mental grit, and technical precision. For those who aspire to go beyond chest-high rollers and into the realm of towering, roaring giants, structured training is not just helpful—it’s essential. Private surf lessons provide a personalized environment where every minute is tailored to build the exact set of skills required for heavy water surfing. At Always Summer, we believe the path to mastering big waves begins with precision, repetition, and mentorship that adapts to your unique pace and potential.

The Foundations: Physical Conditioning for Big Waves

Before paddling into a lineup where the waves can reach two stories high, your body must be fine-tuned to handle the extreme demands. Big wave surfing places enormous stress on every muscle group, particularly your core, shoulders, back, and legs. It also tests your cardiovascular endurance and oxygen efficiency.

Core Strength and Stability

Big waves often break unpredictably. Your ability to stay balanced during takeoff, in critical sections, or mid-drop depends heavily on core strength. Surf-specific exercises like Bosu ball squats, plank variations, and stability drills mimic the kind of balance work needed.

Cardiovascular and Breath Training

Wipeouts in heavy surf can mean multiple-wave hold-downs. This requires a calm mind and lungs that can operate under pressure. Apnea training, deep-breath work, and interval swimming improve your body’s response to oxygen deprivation and carbon dioxide buildup.

Leg Power

Landing a drop on a 20-foot face demands strong, responsive legs. Plyometric training—jump squats, box jumps, resistance band work—prepares your lower body to absorb and redirect impact forces smoothly and safely.

Mental Resilience: Training the Mind

Physical preparation gets you into position; mental preparation keeps you there. Big wave surfing is as much about fear management as it is about technical skill. The psychological challenges are intense. You're confronting forces of nature that can leave even the most seasoned surfers humbled.

Simulation and Visualization

A powerful mental rehearsal practice helps you react with confidence under pressure. Visualizing wave takeoffs, navigating barrels, or managing hold-downs creates neural familiarity with extreme conditions. Practicing these visualizations regularly primes your brain for real-time decision-making.

Exposure Therapy in Surf

Gradual exposure to bigger and more powerful wave conditions your nervous system. With private instruction, this process becomes structured. Coaches can control the settings—wave size, break type, safety tools—while pushing your boundaries incrementally.

Breathing as a Mental Anchor

Mastering breathwork has dual benefits. It enhances your oxygen management and keeps your nervous system in check. Box breathing, slow exhalation, and meditative breath holds are mental tools that surfers use to stay composed during long hold-downs or fast-approaching sets.

Reading Big Waves: Environmental Awareness

Big wave surfing requires a sharp understanding of ocean dynamics. What direction is the swell coming from? Is the tide rising or falling? How does the bathymetry affect wave shape and speed?

Analyzing Swell Patterns

Big wave spots operate on specific swell windows. You need to know how to read swell charts, identify the period and angle that creates ideal (and dangerous) wave behavior, and track weather systems days in advance.

Spot-Specific Knowledge

Every big wave break has its personality. Some close out quickly; others offer long, heavy walls. Knowing the entry points, exit strategies, reef contours, and local currents is a must. This is where private instruction excels—your coach knows the terrain intimately and shares insights no online forecast can offer.

Equipment Mastery: Board Control and Safety

Your equipment is your only interface with the wave. It needs to be an extension of your body—responsive, reliable, and perfectly suited to the conditions.

The Right Board

Big wave boards, or guns, are longer, thicker, and narrower than typical shortboards. They allow paddling speed and stability, critical for catching massive waves early and staying steady during steep drops.

During private sessions, you get feedback on your stance, weight distribution, and turning techniques on these specialty boards. Coaches can also adjust fins, rocker, and rail setups according to your progression.

Leashes, Vests, and Helmets

Big wave surfing often calls for inflatable vests that help you surface faster after a wipeout. Helmets are increasingly common in reef-heavy spots. Leashes need to be thick and long enough to withstand violent pullbacks.

Training with this gear takes time. You need to get used to the drag, the inflation mechanisms, and how your board behaves in different setups. It’s not something you figure out mid-wipeout.

Paddle Strength and Technique

Paddling into a big wave isn’t about sprinting with brute force. It’s a dance of timing, strength, and smart positioning. The energy needed to move against strong currents, duck-dive under set waves, and reach peak speed for takeoff requires conditioning and technique.

Distance and Interval Paddling

Long-distance paddles build base endurance. Interval paddles mimic the fast bursts needed when you spot a wave and need to race into position. Both are vital components of big wave training.

Efficiency of Movement

A strong paddle stroke is smooth, deep, and consistent. Lifting your upper body too high wastes energy; short, choppy strokes burn out your shoulders. A coach can fine-tune your stroke mechanics so you move farther with less effort, critical when every second counts.

Mastering the Takeoff

The drop on a big wave is often near-vertical, fast, and unforgiving. Everything depends on getting to your feet instantly and with balance.

Timing the Entry

Too early and you’ll get pitched. Too late and you’ll miss the wave—or worse, free-fall down the face. Through repetition in coaching sessions, you’ll learn to read the wave’s lip and respond in microseconds.

Body Mechanics

Your pop-up must be explosive and fluid. Drills on land translate to quicker transitions in the water. Coaches watch frame-by-frame to correct shoulder angle, foot placement, and weight transfer, making each takeoff sharper and safer.

Navigating the Lineup

Once you're in the zone, the work isn't done. You need to know how to position yourself, avoid collisions, and handle crowd dynamics, especially on well-known big wave days.

Priority and Etiquette

Priority is sacred in big wave lineups. Knowing who’s up next, recognizing committed paddles, and showing respect builds your reputation and keeps everyone safe.

Exit Strategy

Not every wave ends with a clean kick-out. Some shut down hard; others leave you deep inside with no clear channel. You need to know how to exit safely, where the rip currents flow, and when to bail.

Recovery: Bounce Back Stronger

Training doesn’t end when you get out of the water. What you do between sessions affects your performance just as much.

Nutrition and Hydration

Big wave surfing burns serious calories and drains your electrolytes. You need a recovery diet rich in protein, healthy fats, and hydration. Post-surf meals should replenish muscle glycogen and reduce inflammation.

Mobility and Injury Prevention

Stretching, foam rolling, and mobility drills maintain joint health and prevent injuries. Many big wave surfers integrate yoga or functional movement into their daily routines.

Sleep and Nervous System Recovery

Quality sleep resets your nervous system, enhances reaction time, and consolidates motor memory. Eight to nine hours of uninterrupted rest is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.

The Role of Private Instruction in Big Wave Training

There’s no shortcut to becoming a competent big wave surfer, but private coaching accelerates the learning curve exponentially. Unlike group lessons, private instruction gives you:

• Immediate correction of errors

• Customized training plans

• Spot-specific tactical insight

• Emotional support and confidence-building

• Access to local swell knowledge and rescue protocols

Your coach doesn’t just tell you what to do—they surf alongside you, break down your footage, and adapt techniques to your body, mindset, and goals.

Why Choose Always Summer?

At Always Summer, we tailor your big wave training to the real you. From the moment you paddle out, you’re not following a script—you’re progressing based on your ability, comfort level, and ambition. We emphasize safety, mastery, and consistency over ego and shortcuts. Whether you're aiming for your first double-overhead ride or refining your 30-foot drop, our private sessions prepare you not just to survive big waves, but to thrive in them.

You bring the courage. We bring the coaching. Let’s paddle out.