Better Training, Better Surfing, Better Performance
If you are new to surfing or haven’t heard about FPT or Farley Performance Training then you might be missing out on some critical steps in developing your surfing skills. Dr Oliver Farley, the man behind FPT, specialises in board sports training, breath development work, rehab and surf skate coaching.
Interviewed by friend and fellow Betty, Minnie, he opens up on his passion for surfing and how it inspired him to help other fellow surfers and athletes to take their skills to the next level.
Image credit: Joshua McCormack
Dr Oliver Farley - Your coaching professional
Q. What does surfing mean to you?
Olly: Surfing is my life's work, my lifestyle and my passion. It’s an escape and something I have to do for my mental and physical well-being. Nothing beats the feeling of coming away after scoring good waves and carving them up with mates - it’s life.
Q. What inspires you?
Olly: Helping people by fixing physical problems and teaching them ways to become a better individual in their life and sport. I thrive on creating epic environments where people walk away going “Ha, that's how I do that, or I know how to fix that now, or I can actually do that now without discomfort”. Seeing others succeed is a massive buzz for me.
Q. What was your most memorable surf?
Olly: A Shippies surf in Feb 2020 was a stand out. I arrived there on a Friday around 7pm and sprinted around from the beach to Mukies and scored it by myself (was constant shoulder high waves) until about 8:30pm then had to get back around before it got completely dark. Nothing like glassy sunset surfs, something very special about that.
Q. Tell us about the moment when the idea of FPT was born and what the drive behind it was.
Olly: FPT was an idea I had, when I was finishing up at Surfing Australia High Performance Centre in 2015, around creating an extreme sports training facility for everyday people and professionals. I’ve had a similar idea in my head for years and when I was finishing up, how it would be became a lot clearer; the structure and set up. It came to life after a job I had with High Performance Sports NZ finished up in 2017 and I was forced to make the leap and create FPT and become self-employed.
Breath Development Training in action.
“Don’t give up, be patient and talk with others! You need a team to create the dream.”
Q. What is FPT?
Olly: FPT specialises in board sports training, breath development work, rehab and surf skate coaching. Our goal is to provide the best training, coaching, rehabilitation and life skills.
Q. How did it feel when FPT became a reality?
Olly: Initially it was like, here we go, it’s time to do this! Then as things got going more there was a sense of pride and accomplishment. Bit of a leap to go out on your own and on a pathway in an industry that is non-existent. I still think that it's not at its full capacity and I know there is room for improvement. I haven’t accomplished what I'd like to have yet, but sometimes I forget where it came from, those early days of only 3 small classes a week, a handful of clients, to what it is now - 12 classes a week - it’s a huge accomplishment! And having 5 different coaches I can call upon to help is credit to putting in the hard work, trusting the process, creating a team around you and not giving in!
Q. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced so far?
Olly: Getting recognition and FPT out there into the public and finding suitable locations for skating. Like with any business it's hard in the initial stages to get it up and running.
Q. What did you do to try to solve this challenge on your own?
Olly: Learning how to use social media was a big hurdle and learning more about advertising/marketing. Seeking help is a must, walking into Ultimate Surf and Skate back in 2018 and talking to Andre and the team members there about what I was trying to set up turned out to be one of the best things I could’ve done. There I met Monique Hall, freelance Marketing Manager, and Graphic Designer, who was also starting out on her own. She has helped me with the tools I need to efficiently promote my business, I’ve learnt alot from her. Being a Betty herself, she also connected me to the Ultimate Surf Betty girls. Also grateful for Michelle Rellis, another Betty who has spread the word about what I’m doing and has been kind enough to send plenty of clients my way for training and post-rehab. I have to also credit Miko who helped me come up with a plan when things were really low and struggling to get going. I’ve learned we can't do everything on our own and we have to listen to others, and gain different perspectives on things in order to adapt and grow!
Q. Tell us about a stand out success story of a fellow athlete that has trained with FPT?
Olly: Working with the Olympic surf team for a start - that's very successful for me, also we’ve had several national champ winners from the younger age groups through to Open winners. One particular athlete and fellow Betty went from a shoulder dislocation in 2019 and months out of the water to winning U16s girls in 2020. It's that kind of story and seeing those results that put in perspective what we do, and why we do it. The buzz of others' success is very addictive and comes with the highs and lows too.
Indoor coaching gym session, part of the 12-week program.
Q. Who inspires you?
Olly: I don't personally take inspiration from individuals, but Surfing Australia HPC (High Performance Centre) has been a massive inspiration behind the initial FPT idea, as well as other small businesses similar to mine that are based overseas and specialize in extreme sports coaching and training. I probably take a lot of inspiration from music and visualizations of high-profile training facilities and dream/visualize what I can create.
Q. What do you think other people should know about this organization?
Olly: Well.. as well as being the owner, I bring a unique skill set to FPT as I’m also the only person in NZ who has done a PhD in surfing performance enhancement - which involved 10 years of university education, 16 years working within the training industry and 8 years within High Performance Sport.
Also, FPT covers surfing specific training and takes a sports science approach, much different from what others offer, and we know that process works to give optimal results. We have breath development classes that teach athletes how to remain calm in stressful situations and surf skate classes that teach skills that cross over into better surfing. FPT also covers rehab for these extreme sports athletes and I do spend a lot of my personalised sessions doing this kind of work.
Surf Skate classes.
Q. What other board sports programmes do you train and how do they all tie in together?
Olly: Snow training - I work with a number of snowboarders and skiers. There are loads of similar muscular, movement and coordination requirements especially for the lower body. I also provide Skating NZ training advice too for managing ankle injuries, recovery etc, and again, loads of similar crossovers with the body positioning, stance, body awareness and fundamentals.
Q. What would you say to someone considering surf conditioning training?
Olly: It’s an investment in your life and capabilities. Like with anything in life, the more you invest the more you will get out of it in the long run. You can be anywhere in your journey of boardsports to take part and recieve the benifits of one of our programs.
Q. What would you say to someone considering studying surf conditioning training?
Olly: If they would like any advice they can hit me up! The field of sports science within surfing is growing and it is still in its infancy. With surfing now in the Olympics it will only gain more attention within this space. Follow your passion!
Q. If you could train/work with one athlete you haven’t had the opportunity to yet, who would it be?
Olly: Probably John John Florence, as I know there are some areas we could work upon to fix that dodgy knee of his. Trouble is, when you don't train and aren't strong enough and have high impacts from constant airs, or neglecting certain areas - weak things break and that's what has happened.
Q. What is something happening with FPT currently or in the future that you are excited for?
Olly: Excited to get the Friday Skate Jams up and running frequently with Ultimate Surf ‘n’ Skate. The first one was really fun and had a massive turn out - which was great and is a real buzz when you get a lot of like-minded surfers in a room. You can feel the atmosphere change when people get going. It’s a great feeling to see people progress while enjoying themselves and it’s why I love the work I do.
Another biggie is that I’m seeking a commercial property to establish a proper training/coaching/rehab centre for FPT! Been a while in the making but I feel like we are getting closer and closer - so watch this space!
Q. It’s been an interesting year for the sports and fitness industry. How has FPT supported its athletes during these unprecedented times?
Olly: Certainly has been! I have a training app that allows me to write up programmes that have videos of the exercises/drills and I can talk to athletes and clients over video calls about their training etc. and set them up with proper individual plans.
"6 drills to help with the bottom turn" One of Olly's many training videos developed for participants training at home.
Q. If you could share one piece of advice what would it be?
Olly: Don't give up, be patient and talk with others! You need a team to create the dream.
Q. Share one tip for someone considering taking up surfing.
Olly: Same as above - get out surfing as often as you can to practice/learn. It is a love-hate relationship at times. You can come away feeling amazing, have great waves/vibes in the water, then the next time you might have a crappy surf, get wasted by some waves and struggle to get some rides. A bit like life really but once you start doing it, you'll never look back in regret!
Q. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Olly: If anyone would like any information on training, coaching, to share some ideas or to collaborate then feel free to hit me up at Olly@FPT.co.nz! Always open to suggestions and want to grow the community more and more.
Farley Performance Training | visit www.fpt.co.nz to find out more.