[nose_manual]

After years of abuse from skating and two broken ankles, my achilles' are in need of some attention.  It's hard to surf when you're bending deeply at the knees and your back heel doesn't touch the board... it's one point of contact and you're effectively balancing on the ball of your foot.   Need a good laugh?  Watch me do this cheater five!

Anybody else in this predicament?  Suggestions?  I have been doing some achilles-specific stretches that should help, but it seems like this is a problem area for me and might take some long-term nurturing to improve.

[Kdropin]

Get a "the stick" massage it into calf/Achilles area

[Looseness]

I have other problem, tight areas but here's what I've learned:

• Consistent stretching {not before the activity} on a daily basis will have you better off when you do surf.
• Everything is connected, so muscles and tendons all the way up your leg need to also be consistently stretched. Calves, Hamstrings, even lower back is all related and should be included in your stretching.
• Practice the position you would like to attain on land, regularly. Work on getting low as possible but still with that back foot flat on the floor and the back knee dropped for backside surfing with the upper body as erect as possible. If you only try to do it when you surf.....how often is that?

[thanks_table]

Stretching prior to a workout seems to be the standard practice, but I've found that stretching immediately AFTER is much more beneficial. Obviously, both is best; and whenever you can during is also helpful.

[Looseness]

Stretching prior to a workout seems to be the standard practice, but I've found that stretching immediately AFTER is much more beneficial. Obviously, both is best; and whenever you can during is also helpful.

While people may be doing that, the current/popular theory is to NOT stretch before workout, but to actively warm up the muscles you will be using. So yeah, after workout stretching, but also just stretching in general on other occasions {I get up from my desk before lunch and do 10-20 minutes of yoga before lunch} if one is trying to elongate too short tendons/muscles/fascia .