In conversation with Matt Crowhurst
- pro wakeboarder and Yoga enthusiast |
“Q How long have you been ‘Wakeboarding’ and what exactly is it?
MC: Wakeboarding is a mixture of surfing and waterskiing. I got into it when I was 15 through waterskiing which I’d been doing at a national and internationally competitive level for 8 years. Some other waterskiers who were a little older than me had given up their skiing and moved on to wakeboarding, so I just kind of followed suit.
I got into waterskiing when I was very little. My Mum used to practise
when she was younger. Our family would spend time in the Lake District messing around behind boats - on skis, kneeboards, surfboards - generally enjoying our watersports. My brother and I then started to take the skiing more seriously until it became a full time activity around school. Both of us got a little tired of skiing at a time when Wakeboarding had started to take off in a small way in the UK around ‘95/’96, and Jake, my brother, and I
hopped on a board and never looked back.Q How did you first become interested in Yoga?
MC: I’ve always known about Yoga and its great and many benefits in terms of health. I think the simple reason that I hadn’t taken it up sooner or been too interested in cross training for my sport in any way, is that I’ve always been able to do what I can do and, health wise, I’ve not been held back. I
had a few serious injuries that have kept me off the water, but I’ve always thankfully recovered and been able to return to the activities I was engaged in before these injuries. A ridiculously short-term view as far as my health goes, I know, and not a great mindset considering that wakeboarding constantly pushes the body to the utmost limit through impact, strain and energy output.
Better late than never I guess. I finally pulled my finger out and started
heading along to a few classes at my local gym. The reasons wakeboarding is such a strain is that there are so many different forces acting on the body at any one time. There is the impact through the legs which are fixed to the board. But while the feet remain fixed, ankles, knees, hips and body are all moving in different directions. The body is being pulled by the rope and handle which keep you on the surface of the water, but you are always
getting twisted and contorted in many opposing directions through rotations, flips and so on. Flexibility, core strength, joint stability, quick explosive power as well as slow burning controlled strength all come into play. All these things were becoming more noticeably absent, which made me realise that I needed to start looking after myself...” Matt continues to answer questions on how Yoga is helping him maintain the fitness, flexibility and stamina required by his sport. |
