Editor’s Note: Shakira wasn’t wrong when she sang, ‘these hips don’t lie’, so for this month’s installment from SURFER’s healer on the North Shore, Dr. John Baker, we go through some of the most fundamental requirements for excellent surfing: getting low and staying loose. See footage from barrel hounds such as John John Florence, Nic von Rupp, Tosh Tudor, and Gerry Lopez.
You’re locked into a wave, the section is starting to curl over, and you’re crouched so low your knees are skimming the wave face just before the water detonates onto shallow reef. The lip throws over, the world goes quiet, and for a moment everything depends on one thing—how freely your hips can move.
When it comes to surfing performance, hips don’t always get the attention they deserve, but the hips don’t lie either. Surfers obsess over paddle strength, board choice, and rail game, but the ability to sink into a deep stance without straining your back or knees? That’s what separates the surfers who can ride tight barrels with style from those who get pinched, and those who can surf well into their years versus those bitching and moaning as they water from the parking lot and talk about the old days. Hip mobility is what keeps you surfing, and surfing well – not just next season, but decades from now.
Why Hips Matter in the Barrel
The physics of tube riding demands space efficiency. To fit into the pocket, you need a stance that’s compact but balanced, allowing you to minimize things that can throw you off kilter while still keeping your joints and tissues safe and athletic. This requires that your hips can get into deep flexion (getting low), abduction (knees out, creating width and stability), internal and external rotation (opening and closing the hips so you don’t collapse in the spine and upper body).
When hips are stiff, surfers compensate by rounding the back or (overly) collapsing their knees. This robs you of balance, reduces your ability to generate and maintain speed, and dumps pressure and stress onto the spine and joints. In contrast, mobile hips let you keep your chest up, eyes forward, and weight centered over your board. It’s not just style – it’s proper biomechanics.
The Performance Edge
Think of the pros who make tube riding look effortless. John John Florence crouches deep while still looking forward down the line and can adjust to any situation needed (see above). Rob Machado slides into barrels with the calmness of someone sitting in their living room chair (see below). Watch their hips: they’re open, loose, and strong… their spines, torso and overall posture: strong, open and athletic.
Machado has said in interviews that his yoga practice keeps him feeling loose and centered even in tight barrels. Gerry Lopez, who surfs well into his 70s, has long emphasized that flexibility is one of his greatest assets, allowing him to conform himself to the shape that the situation and wave requires.
“Hip mobility isn’t just about getting into the barrel – it’s about staying there.“
Dr. John Baker
Here’s what mobile hips give you in real time:
- Low stance = More Control. The deeper you can drop while staying upright, the more wiggle room you have in a tight section. But it’s not about just getting your head low (talking to the person who collapses their spine like a bent over fishing rod), it’s about getting your pelvis and belly button low.
- Mobile Hips = Fluid Transitions. With mobile hips, you can roll from a bottom turn straight into compression without breaking flow. Instead of muscling through stiff joints, your body coils and uncoils smoothly, letting the board respond instantly. Those seamless shifts are what keep you fluid in the tube instead of fighting your own mechanics.
- Fluid Transitions = Speed Maintenance. A low, centered stance created by open hips spreads weight evenly across your board, keeping water flowing clean and fast under your rails. When hips are stiff, you either stand too tall or fold forward, both of which stall momentum. Mobility helps you preserve every ounce of speed the wave gives you—crucial for making the exit.
Longevity: Surf Today, Surf Tomorrow
Performance is the sexy part, but longevity is the payoff most surfers overlook. Limited hip mobility forces the lumbar spine and knees to take the hit (your body and brain are going to figure out how to assume positions somehow, even if that means having your short-term goals destroy your long-term health and wellness). Over time, that can mean disc irritation, nerve issues in the low back and legs, meniscus wear (and tears), hip impingement, and stubborn hip labrum issues.
Every surfer knows someone who had to cut their water time short because their body couldn’t keep up. The common thread? Joints upstream and downstream doing jobs they weren’t designed to do because of locked-up hips.
When you invest in hip mobility, you’re not just preparing for your next session – you’re ensuring your surf career. It is a literal investment into the holding of your health and vitality. Healthy hips protect your back and knees, letting you surf with freedom well into your 40s, 50s, and beyond. The video of Gerry Lopez above, and the one below, are nearly 50 years apart. As you can see, his hips don’t lie.
Billy Kemper, one of the North Shore’s hardest chargers, has spoken openly about rehab and training after injury. I’ve heard him talk about investing time and money into his rehab and recovery like a business re-invest profits on updated systems and technology… It’s just part of doing good business to be investing back into the product and trying to improve it.
Land Training, Ocean Payoff
The best part: you don’t need a gym or a coach to start fixing your hips. A few minutes a day on land can translate directly into stronger, more fluid surfing. Each link directs to video.
Try these three drills:
- Deep Squat Hold (+ with side-to-side rocking)
Sit into a squat with feet flat if possible (elevate your heels as needed if your range of motion is quite limited – reducing the heel elevation overtime as you are able), with your collarbones lifted tall and with a neutral spine. Hold for 60-120 seconds. This re-teaches your nervous system to own the same position you’ll use in the barrel, but only if you are active in the squat position. Meaning, you should be actively holding yourself in that deep squat position, not just relaxing and letting gravity do the work for you. - Frog Stretch
From all fours, spread knees wide and sit your hips back, while thinking about reaching your tailbone up and back (this will help focus the stretch and tension to the hips and groin instead of just stretching your spine). You’ll feel your groin/adductors lengthen and your hips open, feeling a widening of the pelvic floor and backside of your pelvis. - Cossack Squats
Wide stance, shift side to side into a single-leg squat while keeping the other leg extended. Think about it like a lateral lunge, but your feet are staying planted the whole time. This movement can be quite difficult at first, and can help if you elevate your heels and use something to de-weight yourself (like a band or cable attachment, or even just holding onto something like a countertop or chair, as seen here). Cossack Squats build lateral hip strength for rail-to-rail transitions, and really help mobilize the hips into a natural and fluid internal and external rotation that directly mimics the demands of surfing and sport.
Related: How To Train Smarter, Not Harder with Dr. John Baker
The Takeaway
Hip mobility is the hidden tool in the surfing toolkit that all long-time riders possess. It’s what lets you sink lower, stay looser and more flowy, and thread through barrels and steep sections with confidence. It’s also necessary if you want to protect your spine and knees from the wear and tear that takes too many surfers out of the water before it’s their time.
Think of it this way: if you can’t hold a deep squat on land without wobbling or folding forward, you’ll struggle to find an ideal stance in the barrel. Training your hips on land builds the foundation your body will draw from in the ocean. When the wave throws over and everything narrows to inches of space, it’s your hips that let you adjust, balance, and flow without breaking down.
Surfing is a lifetime pursuit, but only if your body keeps pace with your passion. By opening your hips, you’re not just improving your style this winter—you’re giving yourself the ability to surf pain-free into the decades ahead. The deeper you invest in your hips today, the deeper you’ll ride tomorrow, and the longer you’ll stay in the water where you belong.