Episode 55: Meet Martin Dunn- Surf Coach and World-Class Surf Trainer

The Oceanriders Podcast

Meet Martin Dunn, a Professional Surf Coach and an International Surf Trainer. He’s been in the field for more than 3 decades now and will still be in the years to come. He has coached a variety of audiences, from moms and older ones to champions and winning teams. Martin believes that every person should be given an equal chance to experience the waves and be a better surfer. Today, he’s out to provide the wisdom, tools, and resources for surfers to find the joy and recognition they deserve.

In this episode, we talked about Martin’s own journey- his sacrifices, risks, challenges, and rewards. Martin also shares with us valuable surfing techniques on: achieving balance, gaining speed especially on smaller waves, and combining manoeuvres. He also talks about the most important thing that a surfer must do before paddling out and the biomechanics of a perfect cutback. If you are a surf coach, you may also want to hear expert advice on how to provide instructions, communicate according to your learner’s perspective, and help them face the pressure and frustrations that come with being in the professional league. Don’t trust everything on the web! Tune in and find reliable sources to take your surfing on a higher level!

Episode Highlights:

• 05:00 The Life of a Professional Surf Coach
• 10:49 Before You Paddle Out!
• 17:41 The Biomechanics of a Perfect Cutback
• 26:55 Catching Waves Techniques
• 32:33 Be the Surfer of Your Dreams
• 39:52 Reliable Resources to Become a Better Surfer
• 46:42 The Surfer’s Real Journey
• 53:11 When and How to Give Advice

Now that housekeeping is out of the way, I'm really excited to introduce you to a worldwide legend. His name is Martin Dunn, and he is my guest today. Martin has been influencing worldwide professional surfing for the past 35 years. He's a Professional Surf Coach who has taken his students to the summit. He is the driving force behind the success of team Australia and Team Peru's surfing team and over 20 WCT pro surfers too, such as Julian Wilson, Carissa Moore, Sally Fitzgibbon, and his own son Ben Dunn, just to name a few. So if you grew up learning to surf in Australia, you are bound to have also come across one of his booklets on surfing drills. He started his career by writing a thesis about the perfect cutback. So in essence, Martin is the man.

“You can make the big time if you have a certain level of talent but also the work ethic to work harder. You need to learn how to lose a lot before you start winning and get to the big time. Someone who hasn't got that package of skills hasn't got that skill.” -Martin Dunn

So today, we get to know Martin a bit better and find out how he innovated way before the others and became a professional surf coach. Martin also lets us in on a few tips to improve our own surfing. We also get to discover Martin's latest surfer-related project whose ambition is to make us all better surfers. So without further ado, please enjoy my conversation with Martin Dunn.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Take care, have fun, and enjoy the waves.

Ciao,

Imi

Connect with Martin:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Resource Links:

Books

• Stoked by Bob McTavish

Freebies

• Try Martin Dunn’s Surf Coaching 7-Day Trial

Quotes:

• 11:25 “If you have a chance, get out while you can.” -Martin Dunn
• 15:29 “What's perfectly correct one day can be perfectly incorrect the next.” -Martin Dunn
• 22:19 “The act of being a coach is to bring instructions into a user-friendly model that people can understand.” -Martin Dunn
• 33:55 “You can't create a change for better surfing overnight. There is a journey and people need to understand that.” -Martin Dunn
• 34:07 “People are fit enough to surf.” -Martin Dunn
• 47:30 “You can make the big time if you have a certain level of talent but also the work ethic to work harder. You need to learn how to lose a lot before you start winning and get to the big time. Someone who hasn't got that package of skills hasn't got that skill.” -Martin Dunn
• 52:17 “One bad coaching session is like going to a restaurant and having one bad meal. Just one bad meal is all it takes to destroy a reputation.” -Martin Dunn

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