AnyQuestion’s curated list of top performing surfers are here to help you learn about surf technique, etiquette, gear and competition prep. Find informed answers from the world’s top surfers like Tim Brown, Pat O’Connell, and Taylor Knox.

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Matt started surfing when he was 6 years old, in Cape Town, South Africa. He grew to become one of the best big-wave surfers in the world. He watches the globe for large storms, and when all the elements come together, books a ticket and chases the energy across the world. He documents the big waves these storms create and produces high-quality content that is distributed through various global media platforms. Matt's other passion is sharing his experiences to inspire and empower people to ride their "big waves".

Professional Surfer with 11 years of competitive surfing experience ~ Surf coach 

Lover of all things water 💧 🤍

Alejandro Moreda, 35, has been at the heart of Puerto Rican surfing for a decade. He's one of the Island's best surfers, combining bravery and style. His surfing has been compared to Andy Irons, but unlike peers Brian Toth and Dylan Graves, Ale has stayed close to home.

Dr. Tim Brown is a renowned sports medicine expert and innovator with utility patents, 35 years of experience, and first-hand knowledge of injury-related frustrations. He revolutionized the field in the 1980s with his SPRT (Specific Proprioceptive Response Technique) approach and is now Medical Director for the World Surf League and Sports Medicine and Performance Consultant for Hurley and RedBull. His IntelliSkin technology helps athletes improve performance and recover from injury. His mantra, "Take care of your temple," emphasizes the importance of caring for one's body.

Rochelle Ballard is an icon in the sport of surfing, inspirational to both men, women, and the youth of today in surf and wellness.  She pioneered women's surfing on many levels as a professional athlete, an advocate for women's surfing, mentoring the youth, hosted surf camps for inspiring young women, was the lead stunt and surfer in Blue Crush, an environmental advocate and wellness professional. Her surf and wellness retreat business Surf Into Yoga is in its 11th year successfully inspiring and sharing with people from across the globe that come to Kauai to have a private experience with Rochelle and her team. Through her deep-rooted love of the Hawaiian culture and people, Rochelle shares that aloha spirit and the joy she finds when surfing with all of her students. Her gratitude and connection to the ocean are something she harnesses to find both balance and flow.

C.J. Hobgood is an ASP World Champ surfer and twin brother to Damien. He entered his first surfing contest in 1989 and won several championships. In 1999, he was the ASP Rookie of the Year and won the WSL World Championship in 2001. He currently lives in Satellite Beach, FL with his wife and daughter. Hobgood plays tennis and has appeared in several films. He won the 2007 US Open of Surfing and the 2008 O'Neill World Cup of Surfing. He and his brother graduated from Satellite High School in 1997 and operated The Goods Surf and Skate in Indialantic, FL. He is also part of the Christian surfers movement.

Surf pro Magnum Martinez began his career at 15 when his brother pushed him into his first wave. Despite a 45 minute commute to the nearest beach, Martinez fell in love with competing and surfing barrels. He won the first gold for Venezuela in an ISA Masters contest in 2012, and was featured on the cover of Surfer magazine. Now a surf coach, Martinez takes a holistic approach to teaching, believing that athletes must spend time in the gym, on a Carver Skateboard, and in the kitchen to be successful. He practices this himself to continue to grow as an athlete.

Taylor Knox is an American professional surfer from Thousand Oaks, California. At 8 years old, he began surfing and moved to Carlsbad at 13. At 15, he had to undergo back surgery due to a skateboarding injury. In 1990, he placed 4th in the World Amateur Championships in Japan, ahead of Kelly Slater. Knox started his ASP World Tour campaign in 1993 and won the K2 Big-Wave Challenge in 1998. In 2001 he achieved his highest World Tour rating of 4th place. In 2011 he was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame. He was also involved in the video game Left 4 Dead and worked with Al Merrick to create the Channel Islands Dagger surfboard in 2012. Knox is known for his power surfing and ferocious frontside hacks.

Hi, Henry. You know what? With this question, I've got probably one of the best sprinters ever to have lived. He's a bit older than you guys, so you might not know him. Multiple world champion, world record holder Mark Foster. So what's your favorite lactate set ever, mate? My favorite lactate set was the old classic. It was four 100s, off eight minutes. But mine, 20 25s, off one minute. It doesn't sound like an awful lot, but if you go for it, and you go for it hard, you will pay. Yeah, I think the nature is, go hard from round one. Then you get that full on anaerobic response, anaerobic power.

My favorite lactate set was the old classic, four 100s off eight minutes and 20 25s off one minute. It's a challenging workout that produces anaerobic power.

What’s your favourite lactate set and what do you look for in them?

The Secrets of an Olympic Sprinter's Favorite Lactate Set

My favorite lactate set is the classic one: four 100s off eight minutes. But my personal twist on it is doing 20 25s off one minute. It may not sound like much, but if you go all out and give it your best, you'll definitely feel the burn. The key is to go hard from the very first round to trigger that intense anaerobic response and tap into your anaerobic power. 

By the way, I have to mention Mark Foster, one of the greatest sprinters of all time and a multiple world champion and world record holder. He's a bit older, so you might not be familiar with him, but he's a legend in the sport.

All right, this is-- obviously, tons of great advice. But the one that sticks out when I was younger, and I think it applies to every job and everything, is my old boss, when I worked construction, it said, use your bean. So that's use your brain. And it's as simple as that. But a lot of times, we make rash decisions or make decisions without thinking about it. So in construction, you're, like, hey, you got to use your bean. So, you know, I pick up a-- I pick up of sledge hammer. I start to swing it, but I didn't check the surroundings. Or I pick up a sledge hammer, and I start hitting this thing, and I don't look around. There's actually wires near there. It's simple stuff like that. And it applies to, obviously, all our sports. In training, use your bean. You know, if somebody says that they want to work this hard, but you know that they're not prepared to do it, and use your brain and know that they shouldn't do it, and don't make them do it. So use your bean.

Always use your brain when making decisions and don't make rash decisions.

Use Your Bean: The Single Best Advice for Life

When it comes to the best advice in life, one that stands out to me is something my old boss told me during my construction days: Use your bean. In other words, use your brain. It may sound simple, but it holds a lot of wisdom. Often, we make impulsive decisions without thinking things through. In construction, it meant being mindful of my surroundings before swinging a sledgehammer or hitting something without checking for potential hazards like nearby wires.

This advice applies to all aspects of life, not just construction. Whether it's sports, training, or any job, using your brain is crucial. It means making informed decisions and considering the consequences. For example, if someone claims they can handle a certain level of work, but you know they're not prepared for it, use your brain and don't push them beyond their limits.

Use your bean reminds us to think before we act and make decisions based on reason and awareness. It's a simple yet powerful piece of advice that can guide us in various situations.

For this question, I definitely remember one session in my life. It was about six years ago back in Venezuela. Los Roques, which is an archipelago in Venezuela. It's beautiful and just the most beautiful water you've ever seen. It's usually not good for surfing but when the right swell comes it's definitely one of the best waves I've ever surfed in my life. It's the best waves in Venezuela. I remember I woke up at like 6:00 in the morning and I went surfing, and I surfed for about six to seven hours, probably, straight. It was definitely the longest time I've ever surfed living my life and I won't forget that anytime soon.

I remember a surfing session 6 years ago in Los Roques, Venezuela. It was one of the best waves I ever surfed and I surfed for about six to seven hours straight, which is the longest session I've ever had in my life.

What's the longest number of hours you've ever surfed for?

Unforgettable: 6 hours of epic surfing in Venezuela's hidden gem

The longest number of hours I've ever surfed for was during a session about six years ago in Los Roques, Venezuela. Los Roques is an archipelago known for its stunningly beautiful water. While it's not typically a popular surfing spot, when the right swell came, it offered some of the best waves I've ever experienced.

I vividly remember waking up at 6:00 in the morning and heading out to surf. I spent approximately six to seven hours straight in the water, riding those incredible waves. It was definitely the longest surfing session of my life, and it's a memory that will stay with me for a long time.

What is the most common injury in surfing? Well, I think you'd be surprised to know that it's not a sprained back or a sprained knee or ankle or even a shoulder. It's actually lacerations. We get cut a lot in surfing. If it's not the reef bottom or rock bottom, then it may be your fins or the edge of your board or even sometimes, unfortunately, the nose. So cuts and lacerations is the most common injury in surfing.

The most common injury in surfing is lacerations caused by the reef bottom, fins, board edge and even the nose.

What is the most common injury in surfing?

Surfing Surprise: Lacerations, not sprains, top injury

The most common injury in surfing is not what you might expect. It's not a sprained back, knee, ankle, or shoulder. Surprisingly, the most common injury is lacerations. In surfing, we often get cuts from various sources. It could be from the reef or rocks on the ocean floor, the fins of our surfboard, the edge of the board itself, or unfortunately, even the nose of the board. Cuts and lacerations are the most frequently encountered injuries in the world of surfing.

The number one all-time, most favorite moment of my career was being on the ice when the clock counted down to zero, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, and the Edmonton Oilers had won their first Stanley Cup, and I was in the net for the final game. It was the single most exciting hockey experience I ever had in my life, and it will be for the rest of my life. It was that impactful and that important and that exciting. There's no question that was the number one most important sports moment I had.

Winning the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers was the most memorable sports moment of my career.

What's your all-time favorite sports moment?

Unforgettable: Edmonton Oilers' First Stanley Cup Victory

My all-time favorite sports moment was being on the ice when the clock counted down to zero, and the Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley Cup. I was in the net for the final game, and it was the most thrilling hockey experience of my life. This moment will forever hold a special place in my heart as the most impactful and exciting sports moment I've ever had.

Hey Pat, thanks for your question, which is since I've seen so many athletes from so many different professional sports. Are there any common behaviors that stand out between them and dancers and emphatic? Yes, no matter what sport and athlete comes from, we tend to have similar problems with regards to areas that lack movement. And those areas that lack movement, also inhibit normal range of motion and therefore, put stress on joints muscles. And So, the common area is that these athletes tend to share with others. NBA NFL MLB PGA, WSL, doesn't really matter. These athletes all have similar balances in the front of the ankle. So their inability to bring their toes towards their knees and flex forward on that ankle. That's called plantar flexion, and then the inability to have full range of motion of the hips that's crucial because those hip muscles are so big. Big and so important to support our knees and our backs and allow for proper movement set in such movements is like they hinge squat, Etc. So those two areas are critical and then the rib cage and the thoracic spine. So your middle back and the ribs that are attached to it. Most athletes have limited Motion in those areas and that inhibits the ability to move. Normally, and therefore, you're going to put stress on the joints and that's when those athletes tend to break. So it's relatively predict. We have these imbalances and the imbalances disconnect the brain from the nervous system to the muscle. We have all kinds of injury problems. So that's my story today.

Athletes from various sports share common behavior in terms of movement, with areas that lack movement inhibiting normal range of motion and therefore putting stress on joints and muscles. The two most common areas are the front of the ankle (plantar flexion) and the hips, as well as the rib cage and thoracic spine. These imbalances disconnect the brain from the nervous system to the muscle, leading to injury problems.

Tim, you’ve seen athletes from so many different sports. Any common behaviors that stand out between them all?

The Surprising Common Behaviors Among Athletes: Insights from Tim

Having observed athletes from various professional sports, I've noticed some common behaviors among them. Regardless of the sport, many athletes tend to struggle with areas of limited movement, which can hinder their range of motion and place stress on their joints and muscles.

One common area of concern is the front of the ankle, where athletes often have difficulty flexing their toes towards their knees (plantar flexion). This limitation can impact their ability to move properly and perform certain movements.

Another critical area is the hips, as athletes frequently experience restricted range of motion in this region. Since the hip muscles play a significant role in supporting the knees and back and facilitating movements like squats and hinges, limited hip mobility can lead to stress on the joints and increase the risk of injury.

Additionally, many athletes exhibit limited motion in the rib cage and thoracic spine (middle back). This lack of mobility can affect overall movement patterns and contribute to joint stress.

These imbalances in movement can disrupt the connection between the brain, nervous system, and muscles, leading to a higher likelihood of injuries.

In summary, athletes across different sports often share similar challenges related to limited ankle and hip mobility, as well as restricted motion in the rib cage and thoracic spine. Addressing these imbalances is crucial for optimizing performance and reducing the risk of injuries.