Practices: Teaching Surfing and Inclusivity (w Nuno)

Surfing is a practice that has a lot in common with ∞OS. Both are dealing with the notion of a wave as the base element and there are many procedures and algorithms that are in common, especially when it comes to dealing with incoming impulses, going with the flow, accepting the intention and “riding” on it, instead of opposing its force…

In order to explore more about this practice we talked to our friends at Special Surf 78 school at Peniche, Portugal. Nuno is a professional in physical education. They have one of the best surfing schools in Europe and they also teach people with special needs. They work with autistic kids, people who were disabled after an accident… Nuno, his brother and their team of instructors are doing an amazing job and together with their students reach very impressive results.

We decided to interview Nuno about their approach to teaching, to know more about their magic recipe. What we found out is that the key is the step-by-step approach and, of course, a lot of empathy. Something that could be applied in any other realm of life. Watch Nuno talk about it in this short interview we did this summer.

The key of their approach is to approach the person step by step, making small incremental advances. Another important aspect is the way surfing influences people. Water is a constantly changing environment, so people learn to adapt and to respond and therefore improve their cognitive and motor skills.

Learning surfing also has benefits because it’s a social activity and yet you’re doing it on your own. In the interview fragment below Nuno is talking about the importance of inclusive approach to teaching, when you mix different people with different skills, so that they can learn from each other.