Today we have the honour of having Nicola Bresciani, an icon of Italian surfing from the late 90s who has accumulated several Italian championship titles and many other achievements such as the Quicksilver Air Show in Anglet, in our forth episode of Beyond the Waves . Since the beginning of 2024, he and his team from the Nicola Bresciani Surf Academy have been ambassadors of the KGUARD brand in Italy. Do you want to know what our guest is doing now? I invite you to continue reading.
Nicola Bresciani was born in Tuscany (Italy) in 1981, in Forte dei Marmi. At the age of 14 he first came into contact with surfing and at 18 he signed his first contract with Quiksilver, thus beginning his career as a professional surfer.
In the following years he became the most famous Italian surfer in Italy, winning several Italian Champion titles. Many of his victories, his innovative tricks and his aerials, made him an icon of modern Italian surfing and the man to beat until the late 90s.
Over the years Nicola has organised national surfing competitions in Italy and has collaborated with the most important brands in the sector. Today he also trains the new generation of surfers in Italy and collaborates with the Italian Surfing Federation FISSW.
Q1. How and when did you discover your passion for surfing? When did you decide that you wanted to dedicate yourself to professional surf coaching?
"I discovered surfing at 14 years old like many kids do, out of pure curiosity. Since that day I have never stopped thinking about the waves.
I decided to start doing surf coaching when I had shown everyone my value and the competitions no longer gave me the strong emotions like in the early days and I thought it was right to give space to the new generations."
Q2. What has been your most memorable achievement so far in your sporting career? And as a coach?
"Without a doubt the best results as an athlete were winning the Italian Championship for several years, reaching a semi-final of a stage of the Europe EPSA circuit in ITALY and reaching the final of the Quiksilver Air Show Surf De Nuit in Anglet.
As a coach I have been participating in all the ISA World and European Championships for several years now, archiving several results. At the moment, among the best are two gold medals at the EUROJUNIOR 2024 in Santa Cruz, Portugal and a 4th position as a Nation."
Q3. What is your next challenge? What motivates you most about this new challenge?
"At the moment, the main goal of my life is to be a good father and a good husband. Family is everything to me. In addition to this, at work I would like to grow my surf club more and more and continue to improve my way of training the new generations of surfers."
Q4. Who have been your biggest influences or mentors throughout your career?
"I have had the opportunity and the honor of working alongside international level coaches such as Adriano De Sousa, Ian Martin and Jesus Maria Guerra from whom I have learned a lot as a surf coach. But my number 1 mentor is and will always be my father and my mother who have taught me a lot in this life."
Q5. What habits do you recommend for those who want to become high-performance surfers?
"Unfortunately, Italy is not rich in waves, so the first advice I can give to those who want to improve their surfing is to travel as much as possible or move abroad."
Q6. How do you manage pressure when you are facing an important competition? How do you help your athletes to handle pressure?
"I have learned to manage pressure with time and experience. After several World and European Championships, today I feel very confident in what I do and if I am calm and happy, my boys are too. There are different ways to manage the pressure of athletes.
I try to make them feel good, I keep them busy with exercises and I try not to overload them with responsibilities. I always tell all of them that the best athlete is the one who manages to have fun on every occasion."
Q7. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as a professional surf coach?
"The advice I can give to those who approach the world of coaching is not to rush too much and to try to gain as many experiences as possible, to study and to try to work alongside people who are more competent than them, trying to assimilate the best."
Q8. What are the essential items that are never missing from your equipment when you train or compete?
"My camera, my computer, my surfboards bag and a good waterproof bag."
Q9. What do you think of KGUARD Premium Waterproof Designs products and brand?
"We have been using and testing K-Guard products for about a year and the first thing that comes out is that they are built with very resistant materials with a really useful and beautiful design."
Q10. What is your favorite KGUARD product? Why?
"There are two products that I love the most, the dry bag for wetsuits and the brush to clean my van. The rod bag is sturdy and the water drain function is brilliant. The brush is indestructible and essential for keeping your car or van clean."
Through his dedication and love for surfing, Nicola Bresciani has inspired generations of Italian surfers and continues to bring his experience and energy to the surfing community. Grazie , Nicola.