Going full circle with pro-surfer and coach Luke Stedman
3 min video | 7 minute read | Slowraft Editions #01
Grounding with Luke
Luke Stedman is a former professional surfer, now a professional coach hailing from a rich line of surfing royalty on the east coast of Australia. His methodology has led him to design and create "Blackball," an inspired method of core surfing principles to help any level of surfer raise their game.
The quintessential golden Aussie, Luke has followed his goals through fashion, surf and the world tour. Living from Bondi to LA, we sat down to hear how his roots have led him to where he is today.
You like the interview process?
Being interviewed is an excellent exercise because everyone needs to have a strong narrative around their direction, like what they're selling, promoting, or working on. You should take time and understand what that is.
Tell us who you are...
My name is Luke Stedman. I'm 47 years old, and I live in Byron Bay. Health is my number one priority. I love to be fit and healthy and surf as often as possible.
Blackball has seen you make a real name, coaching all abilities of surfers to huge success; how did you come to create your process?
I focus heavily on surf mechanics, building strength and mobility. The challenging thing I find when it comes to teaching surfing is that there's not a lot of opportunity around surfing. It should be called paddling because that's what we do most. Let's go paddling!
It's hard to get good at surfing. I do a lot of work on land and help people understand what movements they can do to help achieve their goals.
Nothing is better than seeing my students or clients get that stoke, that feeling of accomplishment, achievement and a triumphant moment in time. To me, that's what gets me out of bed to go coaching.
Your Pop is a living legend in Australia's surfing history. What influence did he and your upbringing have on your achievements and where you are today?
I was bred into surfing. My dad made surfboards, did the surf report, and compared surf events, so surfing was in my blood. I was fortunate enough to be able to do the tour many moons ago, and I got to compete against my idols, which was awesome.
After retiring as an athlete, I wanted to do something different, so I started a fashion brand, which I worked out was tough and not for me. Not that I don't like hard things; it was just that I was away from the ocean, far from what I loved and far from in control.
“Many moving parts are involved in business; you can only control a few factors yourself. Business start-ups are challenging but also incredibly rewarding when done well.”
You touched on business; tell us about ISWS and how moving away from the ocean only made you want it more?
I have started a couple of businesses and found that they are incredibly challenging and more complex than I thought they would be. Many moving parts are involved in business; you can only control a few of the factors yourself. Business start-ups are challenging but also incredibly rewarding when done well.
My first venture was a clothing label, Instead We Smile. I wanted to make it about positive, fun, enjoyable experiences. Then, I quickly learned that making clothing and selling it was challenging because so many other people needed to be involved. And for me, that was frustrating because I had no control over it.
In contrast, with coaching and doing what I do now, I'm working with clients independently, and I can focus on controlling the environment in a way that I know will help them succeed. I get a really quick win that's rewarding for both parties, and I feel like that is a much more successful life experience for me.
Tell us about your process.
I heavily rely on visualisation and manifestation. It's something that I work with my students, especially the ones that are competing. We dive into the ability to sit there, focus on the end goal, and understand a strategy to get there. I enjoy the visualisation process; I try to pass this knowledge down to my kids today. It's a massive part of people's success. They might do it subliminally, but it's a big part of many sportsmen's success.
My process and goal is not to peak in my physical, mental, and spiritual health but to keep striving. I want to better my performance, like a PB (personal best) and strive to go up each level. I'm competitive in that way. I'm competitive with ensuring my students and clients seek their personal best. I want them to better their performances in every way possible.
In a competitive space, how do you seek potential?
There are two types of competitors. The one competitor who loves competing in a competition environment with a team or individual sort of comps, surf comps, sporting events, but then there's the other person who's competitive with themselves, and they're always striving to continue to better their performances. I've got a bit of both within me, and I'm fortunate - that's something that I'm gifted with and something that I try and instil my family with, like my clients and my students, and I believe that's really important to have.
You've moved back to Australia from LA. What's been the main factor in this?
The best way to describe how important something is is when you don't have something, and then you look back and miss it. The ocean is everything to me. There have been times when I haven't had an ocean close by, or the ways or the beaches aren't really what they are here in Australia, what they're like here, and how easy it is to take something for granted and how easy it is to understand what sort of experiences it facilitates, like bringing up the kids around the ocean, surfing, health, mental, spiritual, physical, across all of those aspects, the ocean really does lend itself to helping you reach your goals in all areas. Not having the ocean is my one kryptonite.
Only the top 1% make it with any elite sport - how do you cater to that?
Parents and students invest a lot in my coaching, and I work to give them a template that's good for surfing and life in general. I help with life skills across the board, so whether it's understanding how to study for something or making a strategy to achieve a goal, they may want to do that because surfing is fun. They're having the time of their lives, so they're happy to design a strategy.
A student may be less happy designing a strategy around a math question, but if we can help create a successful template or process, hopefully, they'll use it in other areas of their lives after surfing.
How's your day-to-day shape up these days as a father?
Darsan (Luke’s better half) and I try to do the same things we did before with the addition of our kids. We incorporate them into our lives, so we aren't changing, just adapting to parenthood. If we're training, we'll have them train as well. We'll get elastic bands, set them up over the crossbar, have them do little springs and jumps, and create little programs for them to do so that we can do our program as well.
I like to encourage your kids in a particular direction. To do that, they have to see you do it, but then make sure there's something they can do that's fun along the same path. And that has been our priority; I'm excited for them to grow into our life because it's so fun, and health is number one. You can't do anything in life without being as fit and as healthy as you can. So I want them to have that ability.
In this next chapter, we want our kids to follow the path that we're on. So training, going to the beach, surfing, being healthy and having an awesome time doing it. It's got to be fun, right?
I think we do a good job of making it as fun as possible.
