Change For Good

Finn Mullen explains why if you want to keep improving your performance, then you have to keep changing your game and why variety rather than specialisation in training, is now recognised as a positive attribute.

- Finn Mullen

There was a period, not so long ago, when the only time you would read about an athlete’s achievements was when they won or had some sort of success when of course the more interesting story is what led them to that point. Nowadays the reach of social media allows us a much greater insight into the lives of sportspeople and is often given by the athletes themselves. We see all behind the scenes work that goes on and can break down their actual performances frame by frame on our computers or phones. The wealth of information has never been greater, but of course with that comes the responsibility of filtering the content to the relevant. Amongst the many athletes that I admire and follow, there is a core group that inspires me most of all and interestingly they have a characteristic amongst their vast range of positive skills that are increasingly recognized as a marker of sporting success. The group is those that surf with additional sensory and physical needs and the reason is that they, more than others, define the most admirable ability to adapt to their chosen sport. For whatever reason, they don’t have the normal range of mental and physical tools, but does that stop them? Heck no! Bethany Hamilton for instance not only survived a shark attack in which her left arm was bitten off, but she also went on to return to professional surfing and has paddled into Jaws! The ability to adapt is one of the most powerful tools an athlete can have for long term progression and especially in SUP surfing where the field of operation is rarely the same twice, except you’re lucky enough to have a Kelly Slater style wave pool in your backyard!

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