Workshop
Waterproof — Confidence & Independence in the Sea
Fear doesn't start on the wave. It starts on the way to it.
Some surfers already know how to stand up, catch waves and even perform maneuvers but still don't truly feel safe in the sea.
They're afraid to go in alone, struggle to get through the break zone, get stressed by currents or big sets and depend on the coach or other surfers to feel protected.
That gap, between knowing how to surf and knowing how to cope with the sea, is exactly where Waterproof begins.
Waterproof is a hands-on training program built to give surfers the knowledge, ability and tools to develop confidence, independence and good decision-making in the water, even when the conditions change and the coach is no longer beside them.
- A month and a half
- 12 sea sessions
- 8 pool sessions
- Personal filming & analysis
More than a surf program
Real confidence in the sea isn't built only from improving your stance or maneuvers on the wave. It's built from the ability to read the sea, paddle efficiently, get through waves, spot currents, control the board and know how to react when things get stressful.
That's why Waterproof combines professional surf sessions in the sea with swimming, breathing and stress-management sessions in the pool.
The program was built in collaboration with the water world, connecting TRB's experience in developing surfers with the professional knowledge of Uri Sela and the Water World team in swimming, breathing and conduct in the water.
Who is the program for?
The program is intended for surfers who already go in the water but still feel that one or more of the following limits them:
- Afraid to enter the sea alone.
- Lose confidence when the sea gets bigger.
- Struggle to get through the break zone.
- Get very tired during paddling.
- Get stressed after a fall or being tumbled underwater.
- Struggle to cope with currents.
- Aren't sure how to make decisions in changing situations.
- Feel dependent on the coach or other surfers.
- Want to improve their surfing, but first need to feel more confident and independent in the sea.
Program structure
Waterproof lasts a month and a half and includes 20 professional training sessions:
- 12 sea sessions with Simon Dabah and TRB.
- 8 swimming and pool sessions with Uri Sela and the Water World team.
- Filming and video analysis.
- Building a personal trainee profile.
- Progress tracking.
- A personal work plan for what's next.
The 12 sea sessions
Getting to know you, assessing ability and building a profile
We open by assessing each participant's ability. We check the surfing level, confidence in the water, paddling, wave transition, board control and decision-making. The session is filmed and used to build a personal profile and progress plan.
Improving paddling technique
We work on more correct and efficient paddling, to save energy, improve speed and reach the catch zone with enough strength left for the surfing itself.
Wave transition and Duck Dive
Three focused sessions are dedicated to getting through the break zone. We work on timing, route selection, reading the sea and transition techniques suited to soft boards, longboards and hard boards.
Reading the sea and decision-making
We learn to identify currents, understand the break zone, choose the right place and time to enter and exit and practice decision-making in changing pressure situations.
Filmed surfing and personal feedback
Participants head out for a filmed surf session, followed by a personal analysis. We check how confidence, paddling and decision-making affect the surfing itself.
Board control and safety
We work on turning and controlling the board, safe positioning in the water, conduct before a fall, releasing correctly from the board and avoiding dangerous situations.
Wave-pool session
We practice in a controlled environment that allows repetition, improving abilities and decision-making without depending on the forecast or changing sea conditions.
Open-water swimming with boards
We work on conduct in open water, identifying currents, swimming with and without the board and coping well when the surfer separates from their equipment.
Independent surf session
Each participant heads out for a session where they need to make decisions independently. The session is filmed and accompanied by the team, but the goal is to see how the participant manages using the tools they've acquired.
Closing session
We finish with filming and another ability assessment, compare to the starting point and build a personal work plan for each participant for what's next.
The 8 pool sessions
The pool sessions were built specifically for the physical and mental demands of surfers and include:
- Improving swimming technique.
- Strengthening the ability to manage without a board.
- Working on strength and endurance in the water.
- VO₂ training to improve the ability to work under effort.
- Breathing and breath-holding drills.
- Lowering the heart rate under pressure.
- Practicing self-control underwater.
- Simulations of waves, currents and turbulence.
- Recovery and relaxation after effort.
The drills are built and performed gradually and according to each participant's level and personal ability.
What do you get in the program?
- 20 training sessions over a month and a half.
- A combination of sea, pool and wave pool.
- 12 sea sessions with TRB.
- 8 pool sessions with Water World.
- Personal filming and video analysis.
- Improved paddling and wave transition.
- Tools for reading the sea and coping with currents.
- Work on breathing, endurance and control under pressure.
- Improved board control and decision-making.
- Building a trainee profile and a personal progress plan.
- Tools for developing real confidence and independence in the water.
The goal of the program
The goal isn't to promise you'll never be afraid. Fear is a natural part of the sea.
The goal is that you'll know how to read the situation, understand what's happening, control your reaction and make the right decision, instead of letting the pressure make the decision for you.
Because real confidence in the water isn't measured by what you can do when the coach is beside you. It's measured by what you can do when they're no longer there.
Tracks in the Haifa area and the center open according to the dates of the next cycle.
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Come to the water.
Talk to me to set up a first session, and together we'll build your path forward, all the way to results.
20+ years of experience · sessions across the country