Michelle Drielsma

AES, AEP, ASCA2, FMA2, FRC, Kinstretch, CHEK Coach, HLC2. 

Michelle Drielsma is an Accredited Exercise Scientist, Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Coach from the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Michelle is a graduate of Sydney University with a Bachelor in Exercise & Sports Science. Through personal and professional experience, Michelle is constantly striving to better her own and her client’s surfing preparedness, performance and recovery. Michelle’s interest in understanding how the body adapts to the imbalanced forces placed on a surfer’s body, acutely and chronically, led her to write “Fluid Surfer” – a mobility and self physical therapy techniques book which explains why surfers are likely to develop musculoskeletal problems and how to address these.

Michelle’s career highlights include sports performance work with WSL CT and QS surfers, Australian Rugby Union, Australian Defence Force, Basketball NSW, China’s Olympic Swimming Team, Mixed Martial Arts athletes and an Olympic Snowboarder. Michelle has also studied with the CHEK Institute, FMA Strength Tranining and Functional Anatomy Seminars (FRC, Kinstretch).

Michelle has an extensive history of writing for several health and fitness publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The Inertia, Exercise & Sports Science Australia, Nine MSN, GQ Magazine, Fitness First, Ultra-FIT Magazine, Oxygen Magazine, Surfer Today, Girl Surf Network, Australian MMA and three children’s books (Lesson Zone).

“I’m a strength coach, exercise rehab specialist, surfer and am passionate about teaching surfers how to look after their bodies so they can surf more efficiently and avoid injury. It was in my mid twenties that I threw myself into surfing wholeheartedly. Previous to this I had a somewhat balanced body from a history in dancing, teaching correct strength training techniques and exercise rehabilitation. When I started surfing everyday, I noticed my upper back started to hunch over more, my shoulders, neck and lower back ached, my head started to poke forward, my hips were rotated, my trailing knee and ankle was developing occasional pain and my glutes were starting to flatten. It appeared that these sensations were highlighted within my own body because I had not started surfing from a young age and these same symptoms were exactly those that start to creep up in long-time surfers.

The body wisdom you can gain by reading Fluid Surfer is not something easily available to surfers today, unless they visit a physical therapist who is also a surfer who understands biomechanics and physiology.

I personally teach the principles in this book, Fluid Surfer, and 100% of clients who have adhered to their mobility programs have found great benefit to their posture, surfing and muscle tension levels. We can’t all see a massage or physical therapist every day, but we can learn techniques to free and soften up our bodies for enhanced surf performance and longevity. ” – Michelle Drielsma.