S&C — STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
PERFORM
PAIN FREE.
Our official S&C and rehab partner is Alister Cran of Surf Rehab. Surf-specialist physiotherapy that keeps everyday riders and the world's best bulletproof for the long arc of a freesurf lifestyle.
ATHLETES FROM
AS SEEN ON
WHAT YOU GET
Surf stronger, longer.
Assessment & Diagnosis
Bulletproof your body. Stay injury-free for longer so you can keep doing what you love — even into your seventies.
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Injury Treatment
Injuries suck. Come back stronger with the most up-to-date, research-proven rehab strategies — built for surfers.
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Bespoke Programs
Make your body stronger than what you put it through. Custom training & rehab programs built around your surf goals.
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PARTNERSHIP
Freesurf Federation × Alister Cran
Riding well for a lifetime requires more than time in the water. Federation members get direct access to surf-specific assessment, prehab and rehab — the same playbook Alister runs with touring pros.
VISIT SURF REHAB →ACCOLADES
A physio built for the lineup.
- 01
Surf physiotherapy specialist treating professional and everyday surfers worldwide — including Bronson Meydi.
- 02
Founder of Surf Rehab — assessment, diagnosis, injury treatment and bespoke programs.
- 03
Career roots touring with Nitro Circus, the X Games and major rock tours as a performance physio — working with athletes like Travis Pastrana and pro skater Nyjah Huston.
- 04
Based in Bali, treating pro-level surfers on the ground at the world's heaviest waves.
- 05
Specialist in the four most common surf injuries — knee, neck, lower back and hip.
- 06
Champion of heavy lifting as the gold-standard prehab for the surfer's knee.
- 07
Recognised authority on neck rehab for wipeout-related disc bulges and desk-bound surfers.
- 08
Hosts surf physiotherapy and wellness retreats blending strength, mobility and recovery.
ATHLETE SHOWCASE
The riders — breaking limits, getting back up.
TAP A CARD TO EXPAND ↓
NITRO CIRCUS — MUNICH
Travis Pastrana — Defying limits, surviving the fall.
- —5× X-Games gold, co-founder of Nitro Circus
- —Barge-to-barge backflip across the Thames (2017)
- —25+ concussions — full neuro clearance via relentless rehab
READ FULL STORY ↓CLOSE ↑
NITRO CIRCUS — MUNICH
Travis Pastrana — Defying limits, surviving the fall.
- —5× X-Games gold, co-founder of Nitro Circus
- —Barge-to-barge backflip across the Thames (2017)
- —25+ concussions — full neuro clearance via relentless rehab
READ FULL STORY ↓CLOSE ↑
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS
- —Five-time X-Games gold medalist and co-founder of Nitro Circus.
- —Backflipped a motorcycle across a 75-ft (23 m) gap between two un-moored barges on the River Thames in 2017 — only 150 ft of run-up and 36 ft to stop.
- —First rider to attempt the barge-to-barge gap since Mike Metzger fractured a vertebra trying it in 2006.
- —Began racing at age four; a career of redefining what's possible on two wheels — 100 ft in the air.
RECOVERED FROM
Travis has come back from an estimated 25+ concussions across his career, alongside the bone breaks, joint blowouts and surgeries that come with two decades at the leading edge of FMX. Full neurological testing came back clear — the dividend of relentless rehab, prehab and learning how his body works. Today he leads Nitro Circus' safety program, investing in landing pads, protocols and the kind of strength work that keeps riders getting back up.
"I want to live my life to its fullest… with sports, you learn what you're made of really quickly."— TRAVIS PASTRANA
BRONSON MEYDI — RED BULL
Bronson Meydi — Indonesia's next.
- —Raised on the tubes & walls of Lakey Peak, Sumbawa
- —Hailed best 11, 12 & 15-year-old surfer on the planet
- —Youngest ever in Red Bull Airborne, Keramas, age 14
READ FULL STORY ↓CLOSE ↑
BRONSON MEYDI — RED BULL
Bronson Meydi — Indonesia's next.
- —Raised on the tubes & walls of Lakey Peak, Sumbawa
- —Hailed best 11, 12 & 15-year-old surfer on the planet
- —Youngest ever in Red Bull Airborne, Keramas, age 14
READ FULL STORY ↓CLOSE ↑
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS
- —Raised on the world-class waves of Lakey Peak, Sumbawa — from bone-crunching tubes to high-performance skatepark walls.
- —Hailed at various stages as the best 11, 12 and 15-year-old surfer on the planet.
- —Spotted and mentored by Indonesian legend Rizal Tanjung, moving to Bali to train and study under his roof.
- —Became the youngest surfer ever to compete in the Red Bull Airborne at Keramas, age 14.
- —Full-rail wraps, massive rotations and deep pits — compared to fellow phenom Eli Hanneman, with eyes on becoming Indonesia's first-ever Championship Tour surfer.
PREHAB & RECOVERY
A career launched in the slabs of Sumbawa demands a body that can keep absorbing hits at Lakey, Desert Point and Keramas. Bronson works with Alister Cran of Surf Rehab in Bali — the same surf-specific assessment, strength and rehab playbook the Federation runs — to bulletproof his knees, lower back and shoulders against the cost of high-volume tube riding and progressive aerials.
NYJAH HUSTON — STREET
Nyjah Huston — Rails, medals, and getting back up.
- —Olympic bronze, street skateboarding — Paris 2024
- —Two-time Olympian, 15× X Games gold
- —Fractured skull & eye socket (2026) — back on the long road
READ FULL STORY ↓CLOSE ↑
NYJAH HUSTON — STREET
Nyjah Huston — Rails, medals, and getting back up.
- —Olympic bronze, street skateboarding — Paris 2024
- —Two-time Olympian, 15× X Games gold
- —Fractured skull & eye socket (2026) — back on the long road
READ FULL STORY ↓CLOSE ↑
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS
- —Olympic bronze medallist in street skateboarding at Paris 2024.
- —Two-time Olympian representing Team USA.
- —15 X Games gold medals — the most decorated street skater of his generation.
- —Globally famed for "death-defying" tricks on the biggest handrails and stair sets in skateboarding.
RECOVERED FROM
Started 2026 in hospital after a heavy rail crash that left him with a fractured skull and fractured eye socket. Posting from his hospital bed he called it "a harsh reminder of how death-defying skating massive rails can be," vowing to take it one day at a time — the long road back to competition built on patient rehab, head-injury protocol and the kind of strength work that lets a body keep absorbing concrete.
"We live to fight another day."— NYJAH HUSTON
COMMON INJURIES
Know your body — rehab it right.
TAP A BODY PART, THEN AN INJURY TO EXPAND ↓
Drawn from Alister Cran's Guide of the Most Common Surfing Injuries. General education only — for your specific injury, book the free assessment.
UPPER BODY — PADDLE ENGINE
Shoulder
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑The most exposed joint in surfing. Reef compressions, FOOSH falls and high-volume paddling all stack up on the shoulder complex.
3 INJURY TYPES
Shoulder
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑AC Joint Separation
Acromioclavicular tear from a side-on shoulder hit.
+−
AC Joint Separation
Acromioclavicular tear from a side-on shoulder hit.
MECHANISM
Direct compression of the shoulder from the side — hitting the reef or sand. Six grades; 1–3 typically treat conservatively, 4–6 usually need surgery.
REHAB
- —Initial (4–6 weeks): immobilise to protect immature scar tissue, but preserve range of motion. Pool work rebuilds proprioception without loading the joint.
- —Intermediate: progress active-assisted then active range on land before adding load. Shoulder flexion and horizontal adduction will be the last to come good.
- —Return to surfing: rebuild shoulder-blade upward/downward rotation; ligament rupture means you have to retrain the joint's positional sense.
PRO TIP
Start back on a higher-volume board so the injured side doesn't have to power the paddle or the pop-up. Bias the other arm initially and step down volume over time.
GH Joint Dislocation
Humeral head forced clean out of the socket.
+−
GH Joint Dislocation
Humeral head forced clean out of the socket.
MECHANISM
Sudden force with the arm out to the side or away from the body — classic FOOSH (fall on outstretched arm). Not to be confused with a subluxation.
REHAB
- —Initial (2–6 weeks): control pain and inflammation, reduce aggravating activity, protect the immature scar tissue.
- —Intermediate: pool exercises preserve range and proprioception; progress to land-based active-assisted work.
- —Long-term: heavy rotator-cuff and scapular strengthening, then surf-specific drills before paddling out.
PRO TIP
Ligament rupture rewires your shoulder's positional sense — expect to feel uncoordinated and rebuild it progressively, not in one session.
Rotator Cuff Related Pain
Bursa and supraspinatus tendon irritated by overhead load.
+−
Rotator Cuff Related Pain
Bursa and supraspinatus tendon irritated by overhead load.
MECHANISM
Repetitive overhead activity (paddling) inflames the subacromial bursa and supraspinatus tendon. Driven by stiff pec minor, weak posterior cuff and a locked thoracic spine.
REHAB
- —Unlock the chain: pec minor length, posterior cuff strength, thoracic spine mobility.
- —Build scapular mechanics — upward and downward rotation — so the cuff isn't compensating.
- —Progressive rotator cuff strengthening before returning to high-volume paddling.
BACK LEG — TORQUE CENTRAL
Knee
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑Back-foot torque on turns and awkward landings put the medial knee structures first in line.
1 INJURY TYPE
Knee
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑MCL & Medial Meniscus Tear
Medial collateral ligament and inner cartilage damage.
+−
MCL & Medial Meniscus Tear
Medial collateral ligament and inner cartilage damage.
MECHANISM
Twisting load through a planted back leg — common in hard turns and bad landings.
SYMPTOMS
Pain in the knee, swelling, a popping sensation at the moment of injury, difficulty bending and straightening, and a tendency for the knee to lock up.
REHAB
- —Settle the acute stage: manage pain and swelling before any loaded work.
- —Intermediate: progressive strengthening of the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves to offload the medial structures.
- —Champion heavy lifting as the gold-standard prehab — strong legs are an injured knee's best insurance.
PRO TIP
Check your board's rocker. A flatter rocker forces more torque through your back knee on every turn — not what an injured MCL or meniscus wants.
ENGINE ROOM — HYPEREXTENSION COUNTRY
Lower Back
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑Hours arched on the board, plus desk-bound lives between surfs, leave the lumbar spine stiff, irritable and undertrained.
1 INJURY TYPE
Lower Back
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑Lower Back Pain
Disc, joint and muscular irritation from a hyper-extended paddle position.
+−
Lower Back Pain
Disc, joint and muscular irritation from a hyper-extended paddle position.
MECHANISM
Sustained lumbar extension while paddling, combined with poor hip mobility and a deconditioned core.
REHAB
- —Initial: a lower-back mobility series to settle symptoms and restore segmental motion.
- —Intermediate / long term: progressive loading — hinge patterns, anti-extension core, glute and hamstring strength.
- —Address hip and thoracic mobility so the lumbar spine stops absorbing every movement.
PRO TIP
If your day job is at a desk, your back is already pre-loaded before you paddle out. Daily mobility is not optional — it's the price of entry.
IMPACT ZONES — BREAKS & SPRAINS
Wrist & Ankle
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑High-velocity falls on skate and surf land on wrists and ankles first. Fractures need surgical clearance before any rehab loading.
2 INJURY TYPES
Wrist & Ankle
OPEN ↓CLOSE ↑Wrist Fracture
FOOSH-driven fracture of the distal radius / scaphoid.
+−
Wrist Fracture
FOOSH-driven fracture of the distal radius / scaphoid.
MECHANISM
Fall on outstretched hand — the body's reflex to brace catches the full impact through the wrist.
REHAB
- —Rehab is guided by your surgeon or specialist; do not load through an unhealed fracture.
- —Once cleared: restore wrist range, grip strength and forearm endurance progressively.
- —Reintroduce push-up and paddle positions only when pain-free under load.
Ankle Fracture
Awkward landings, rolled ankles and stair-set impacts.
+−
Ankle Fracture
Awkward landings, rolled ankles and stair-set impacts.
MECHANISM
High-impact landings or rotational forces on a planted foot — common in skating and on shallow-water bottom turns.
REHAB
- —Follow the surgeon's protocol — weight-bearing status dictates everything early on.
- —Restore dorsiflexion range first; loss of it stalls every other progression.
- —Calf, peroneal and single-leg balance work before returning to dynamic landings.
“
Alister helped me fix my back injury and sciatic pain. He brought me back to 100% and above.
— TAINA ANGEL IZQUIERDO / PROFESSIONAL SURFER