The coach behind Elite Surf Coaching
Ivan Villalba has spent more than twenty years teaching people to surf better. This is how he got here.
The short version
Ivan started surfing in 1991 and competing in 1993. Since 2002 his job has been the same thing every day: helping other people surf better.
Not the fantasy of surfing. The real work of it.
How he coaches
One focus per session. Every wave filmed. Honest feedback in the water, not a pep talk on the beach.
He has worked with competitive surfers and national teams, including an Olympic qualifier, and with people who had never stood up on a board.
The method
Years of coaching turned into a system, the International Surf Levels. A way to describe what a surfer can and cannot do yet, at every stage.
It is what makes the coaching repeatable instead of a set of tips, and it is free to explore.
Credentials
Surfing since 1991. Competing since 1993. Coaching since 2002.
Sports technician in Surf, Level 1. ISA Level 1 Instructor. ISA Level 2 Coach.
Based in Canggu, Bali. In the water with students almost every day.