Tree of knowledgeThe core of our coaching curriculum and a roadmap for your progression 

What is the Tree of knowledge and how can I use it?

You can explore the graphic using your mouse wheel or hand gestures to see the various elements in more detail.

The Tree of Knowledge forms the core of our coaching curriculum, and as far as we know, there is nothing like it available anywhere else. This flowchart is a visual guide to all the key surfing skills you'll want to master as you progress from a beginner to a skilled athlete. The graphic is the result of years of refining our methodology to find the most intuitive and logical path to developing your surfing skills.

Some of the skills are physical and involve learning the correct techniques and timing to succeed. Other skills are more mental and involve learning how to read the waves and conditions to get the most out of any session. Most surfers will work on several different skills at any given time in their development. A good tactic is to try to focus on one physical skill and one mental skill during each session in the water.

It's important to note that while it's not essential to master all the boxes, the more you skip, the more likely you are to encounter problems in the future. The boxes in earlier levels form the foundation of skills further along the chart, and the more holes you have in your foundation, the more likely it becomes that your development will plateau. That said, don't feel like you have to be perfect at one skill before moving on to something else. Just make sure to come back and revisit any skills that might still need more work.

One thing this chart does not illustrate is the exponential increase in time that each level will take to master. Because each skill builds on its predecessors, the more advanced skills have increasingly more components and may also require more specific conditions to practice them. Consequently, if we assume someone is able to surf regularly on a majority of days, the timeline for working through the Tree might look like this:

Level 1: A few days to a few weeks

Level 2: A few weeks to a few months

Level 3: A few months to a few years

Level 4: A few years to a few decades

The end of Level 4 does not represent the end of your development, as these sections are just introductions to those specific areas of advanced surfing. If you have mastered even one section of Level 4 and are still looking to progress, you should consider long-term professional coaching.

Surfing is a wonderful sport because there really is no end to the potential for development.