Influence of technical skill level and sport specialization on surfing injuries: A cross-sectional study

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the influence of sport specialization and the level of technical skills on injury risk in male surfers.

Design: Descriptive epidemiological study.

Setting: Web-based surveys.

Participants: 295 male surfers participated in the present study, of whom 25 (8.47%) were competitive surfers, and 270 (91.53%) were recreational surfers.

Main outcome measure: This study consisted of a single registry. A web-based survey was used to record information on the injuries sustained during the past year.

Results: No association was detected between the surfer's performance level and having suffered an injury during the practice (p > 0.05). Conversely, the results indicated that the higher the level of specialization, the greater the likelihood of suffering a sports-related injury (χ2 (3) = 12.9 p = 0.005; ES = 0.20). In addition, surfers who showed a medium-high self-concept of their skills (scores of 6, 7, and 8) tend not to get fewer injuries (χ2 (8) = 36.8 p < 0.001; ES = 0.35.

Conclusion: higher-level specialization surfers tend to suffer more injuries than lower-specialization surfers. Nevertheless, a good self-concept of technical skills may contribute to a lower likelihood of injury.