With the noted surf coach and former world #1 Brad Gerlach!
Three weeks ago, the noted surf coach Brad Gerlach publicly processed his thoughts on Conner Coffin (“technically and intellectually ready to be the best surfer in the world”), Kelly Slater (“He’s fucking shredding!”) and the tendency in pro surfing circles to “work” on your surfing.
The work-play conundrum formed the hub of the piece, even if it was superficially contradictory given Bradley’s work with Conner. Still, it raised a good point. “There’s work and there’s play. What you tend to hear from a lot of these surfers is, ‘I’ve been working really hard.’ Working, working, working, working, working. Have they ever considered that watching someone…work…isn’t that much fun?
Today, Gerr examines what it takes to game the tour, how it feels to be “surfing better than everybody else at certain spots and knowing it,” the advantage of having an Olympian father from a sport that’s “beautiful, judged, acrobatic, smooth, powerful” as a coach, why the new generation excites the hell out him, how “safe” everything feels and why young surfers, who should be getting better as they grow, actually start to plateau.
“Is it fear?” says Gerr, who posits that competitors are so terrified of not making the quarters, of being relegated to the WQS, of losing a bonus, that it bites into their surfing.
“All that thinking is the worst thing you could be doing,” he says. “The worst!”
So, how…do… you succeed? Watch!
Wish I could do it again this year. Lol
Thanks and why not?
more gerr please !!!!
http://waves.terra.com.br/w… – How is your Portuguese? I think he thinks he is Fabio from the comments.
Indeed.
How easy must it be to have finished your career and now just sitting back and criticising the tour guys who live in fear of falling off tour. Living the dream Gerr!
It is easier, and if you don’t understand that I speak from experience that’s ok too. Oh yes I am living the dream, I created it by dreaming it and putting it into action.
Six heat wins… Hey Conner, in most sports, coaches whose athletes can’t break the bottom third of their league get fired.
Not if the athlete is improving. I have only been at 3 events. Bells 5th, Margs 25th and US Open 9th. It’s called being a rookie Mariano. How many dudes have taken Jordy and Mick down at bells? Let alone in their first year. Give the kid a break…Or don’t.
Brad, keep in mind that the internet is ripe for fucking with people, and its especially easy to fuck with people with transcendent egos…that’s kind of why this site and its comments exist.
I’m sure you’ve improved the kid’s game, but the claims to CC’s inevitable success (his supernatural turn that nobody else can do? Have we seen that?) came so hard and so fast in US surf media that he opened himself up for critique when results didn’t materialize. Kolohe got the same shit for his first few years, Kanoa will too. It also has to do with California pros of recent years being spoiled rich kids…
I do know this and choose to engage. The claims I stand behind. I call what I see. It may take him a couple of years to reach them. So when Conner delivers I do not know. Hopefully it will be at Lowers next month. But he will do turns unseen in surfing because I am seeing them in free surfs. Just a matter of time. But give him and me heaps it’s all in fun.
Brad, I appreciate the candor and can respect you sticking to your guns. Cheers!
if its the real brad gerlach. chased the reef bus down and got him to sign a pic in the surf mag the same year he won XXL…06?
Wave was in Dec 05 but awards were 06. I was in a limo with friends though.
You got it
He’s probably just gotta lose a bunch of heats first, everyone does.
Love Brad. I’m all in on this shit. Don’t understand any of it, but I’m all in. More, please.
*former pro surfer, more a Trestles regular nowadays.
james b is actually neco p !!!! it all makes sense now.
I would like to ride the machine waves of basque. In Germany we have another kind of wave that forms in the rivers.
whats the beef with Blakey?
he shunt him for the commentators role?
actually that would be a great pairing: Blakey and Bradley.
Blakey’s the biggest company man on the mic, he doesn’t so much as question a score
Not really a beef. I love Ronnie I am just sick of hearing stats. They bore me!
stats are super sportsball but they’re boring as fuck, totally agree. i’m all on the mute button with the stats.
Haha me too!
Say what you want but I think it’s great that Brad’s keeping upbeat and positive after his acrimonious split with actress Amber Heard
hahahahaha
From an article by Sandy Treadwell, “Down, Down And Away!” in Sports Illustrated, 1972 – all about Brad’s dad:
“A Sunday night national television audience estimated at 30 million saw a giant red, white, and blue balloon ascend 80 feet above the 50-yard line. A slight man dressed in a white leather jump suit stood precariously on a wooden plank attached to the gondola and directed the placement of a foam rubber mattress—his landing pad. After several minutes of tension-building waving, the man appeared satisfied that the sponge was properly aligned and, at last, he raised his arms and stood on his toes. Helmetless, he left the plank in a swan dive and fell toward the field, landing on his back directly on target. He lay motionless for a moment, “checking myself out, making sure I’m alive.”
Among those watching on television were Joe’s wife Cheryl and their 5-year-old son Bradley, who asked, Is Daddy dead?”
My Pops wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn’t hold back. Has unbridled passion for excellence in movement. I got a lot from him.
there’s only ever been one surfer who has made the Pro Tour and actually not just said “fuck what the judges want I’m gunna surf how I want” but actually did it and thats Dane.
Maybe Kelly but he was up against guys he was so clearly better than that it was different.
Dane is the onliest surfer ever who has bought a true freesurf approach to heats.
i think your the onliest person to use the word “onliest”. Not criticism.
Wardo
Yup, great point. and he was so refreshing to watch. One of my favorites for sure.
You left out Cheyne Horan…
Speaking of Gerr, the “former #1 in the world”, does anyone know how many “former #1 in the world” surfers there have been? I’d have to guess a few hundred anyway.
You make it sound like it was easy haha. I think it is a legit stat and I would like to know who has held the lead at certain times of the year in surfings short history. Then it would be interesting to hear the story of why they didn’t win the title.
I don’t think that’s how he qualified, actually.
Derek, “Hot to game the tour”??? Check out the typo at 0:30-34…and fire someone haha…
I gotta get my eyeballs checked! Still, it kinda works! As in, are you hot to game the tour? Or, yes, Hot to Game the Tour!
But of course! My bad for such a narrow reading of it all…
could brad be chas in the future because he is also looking too much like an 80 year old, bloated version of Ellen
Ellen’s hot so shut the fuck up.
I wasn’t looking great. But 80? Haha get out of here
besides walking..what do you do to burn calories? riding a motor scooter is out too
Yeah, Connor, learning from the best!! What an amazing rookie year!
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
– Thanks Brad