Interview with Philip Köster: "The pushloop into double loop is easier than a triple loop"
Are you one hundred per cent fit again after your foot operation?
Yes, I think the foot is perfect again. Last week I was in Japan, where I tested whether it would work. Whether I can even do the competition (PWA/IWT World Cup Omaezaki from 19 February, editor's note) can take part. It hurt a bit on the first day, maybe from all the flying. But the next few days went really well, there was no more swelling and it was fun again!
Does that mean you travelled to the World Cup spot Omaezaki specifically to train there?
Exactly. I didn't tell anyone that I was going to Japan because I wanted to surf alone and test the foot. Unfortunately, there was no wind in Gran Canaria and the forecast for Japan was good. I was able to get out on the water for three to four hours every day!
Are there also a lot of locals at the spot, is there a good windsurfing scene there?
There is a very good windsurfing scene in Japan. Some of the locals can also speak English, otherwise I have my mobile phone to translate. The food is also quite good for the first few days, but after five or six days I've had enough (laughs).
Do the locals there know you?
I already know a few people, I've been there four times to surf. So I already knew the area a bit and it was nothing new. Okay, it was very cold, around eight to four degrees at this time of year. That's very cold for me (laughs), so I wore a thick wetsuit with a bonnet, gloves and shoes. That's quite different.
How did you do your rehab after the injury, completely in Gran Canaria or were you also in Salzburg (Red Bull rehab centre, editor's note.) ?
I first went to Salzburg, where the diagnosis was made. After the operation, they looked at my foot and I did a lot of training with the sports physios there. And then I did the final things on Gran Canaria. Going to the physio every day is exhausting (laughs).
You've lost a bit of weight too, haven't you?
Yes, unfortunately not enough. (laughs) But unfortunately I had to do that because many events have very little wind. And it's otherwise difficult to keep up with the Japanese and especially on Maui. Last year in Chile, I think I was at 102 or 103 kilos, now I'm at 92 to 93. That's a bit better.
How did you achieve this, did you go on a diet?
Simply eat less. That's the only thing you can do. Eat less, exercise more, swim a lot, cycle a lot, even run. Yes, even running. (laughs) I mostly swam in the sea, two to three kilometres, that's a lot of fun! And now I'm getting a racing bike next week, which I'll also take with me to the events. With eight boardbags, it doesn't matter if there's anything else.
Flying to Japan with eight boardbags?
Yes, I do for the World Cup. I take everything in triplicate because there's nothing worse than breaking a board and not having an adequate replacement. Last year in Fiji I also had eight bags with me, but I forgot all the foot straps. I borrowed them from Ricardo and Victor because there are no surf shops in Fiji and the nearest one was in Sydney. I even had a quick look for flights there... Now I always have to make a list and tick it off.
What about the tour this year? Do you have a fixed plan for which events you want to go to? Or are you doing it relatively spontaneously?
Actually, all events are on my plan. The more events, the better, I think. Of course, it's difficult with a family, but sometimes they can come along. But for the ranking, you actually have to take part in all of them. Maybe we'll even have a streak, which would be nice. Things are already changing on the tour.
When you post pictures or videos with your family, you always seem like a small family business...
We are too, we travel together a lot! When we fly to Maui, they are always happy to join us. Or Australia, so that's fun for them. And she also understands that it's my job. Manca works remotely from Gran Canaria for her father's company, which works pretty well!
And your wife takes great pictures and videos of you!
Yes, her father is a photographer. She already had good photographic equipment and got lots of tips!
Are you also planning to do slalom at some point?
It's difficult with so many wave events. And I'm still waiting for a Severne slalom board. But every now and then I go slaloming, which is fun. But it also means a lot of training, a lot of testing, lots of little things, trying out thousands of masts. It's not like wave riding, just one sail, one mast.
Do you also have the issue of testing different masts?
Okay, I haven't tested masts for years now. I don't ride the 100 per cent ones, but the 90 per cent ones. They weigh a bit more, but they're safer. Of course I also test sails and boards, but I haven't been able to do much with the injury recently. Just watching and saying what I would like to have a little differently.
And iQFoil, have you ever thought about it?
Thought about it, yes. In terms of stature, it would probably fit relatively well, it's good for foiling if you're a bit heavier, then I don't have to lose weight (laughs). Let's see, let's see. I still have a bit of time. The 2028 Olympic Games are in Los Angeles. That's possible at 34.
Back to this season, is there a new move from you?
No new moves at the moment, maybe a few little things when riding the waves
Who do you see as your favourites this year?
Marcilio Browne and Ricardo, if he keeps driving. And Marc Paré in any case. Marino will take a little longer, I think.
There's a lot of movement on the driver market at the moment, but you're still with Severne?
Exactly. That's the most fun and the most relaxed. Ben Severne really only wants to surf. He's also very focussed on windsurfing equipment and doesn't do anything that's inflatable. Even if I lose one, it's not a problem.
Are you in constant dialogue?
When he answers, yes. Sometimes he switches everything off and can't be reached by anyone. And then suddenly he says, Mauritius looks good, let's fly there. That's already happening.
Do you drive normal production boards or prototypes?
I use series boards for Pozo, Sylt and the other onshore events. And for Fiji and Maui I now have a few custom boards to try out. These events are very special, you don't have to jump at all. That's why the boards have to be different. In the last few years I've really only ridden standard boards and it went really well. I didn't have to change anything. I always had the same board, regardless of whether I was riding against rocks and knocking out the finbox, it was always the same one on the beach. It was perfect for the competition.
And there you have your caddy Jorge...
Yes, I can rely on him very well. Sometimes he also goes along to events, like in Fiji, he surfs really well. It's important to have someone on the beach. You lose time if you break something. But if you have a caddy there, the swap doesn't take two minutes, just 20 seconds. If you change slowly, you lose a shot in the heat. If that's missing at the end, it sucks. And in the last few years there have only been three events, so every heat was important.
You just said that you get special boards for Fiji and Maui. How big are they then?
Maximum 100 to 105 litres, I have lost weight. I hope it stays that way. These are slightly longer boards to catch more waves. That's important for Fiji. I don't have to jump with them, they don't have to hold much either, so they can be nice and light. I have double and triple everything with me, so a lot gets broken. The first year I flew there with Scott McKercher, I broke everything and only flew back with the boardbags rolled up.
What's it like for you when you're competing? Are you mentally in a tunnel? Or do you have things that help you to concentrate, such as listening to music?
I never listen to music. I'm not the kind of person who goes to the beach with headphones on. I actually just need peace and quiet. I'm already focussed then. Then I just go into the water. I know what I've trained for. I know what I can do. I rely on it.
Do you have a game plan in your heats?
Always the jumps first. Finding waves is more difficult than jumps. And I can do three jumps in one stroke. That's easier.
You also seem to have the tactic of driving behind your opponent...
Yes, it's good to know what the other guy did. If you have Marcilio Browne in the heat or Ricardo, then it helps to see whether he did a very high double loop or a perfect push-to-forward. Then you also know what you need yourself, whether a normal double loop is enough, or a delayed one, or a tabletop double loop.
Do you do mental training to prepare yourself for such situations? Or also to come back after the injury?
They tried to do mental training with me in Austria (laughs). Difficult. I feel very good, so talking for an hour about how I prepare myself is rather strange, I think. I have my own plan. I know what I can do. Where I can go in the competition. So far it has always worked very well. I haven't needed any help yet. But maybe one day.
Does it help you to know that you've already come back from a serious injury and become world champion again?
Yes, it does help. At the beginning of the injury you have a bit of a negative attitude, I think that's normal. I didn't train or do any physiotherapy at first, I just had no motivation. But then it usually clicks. Then I start training every day. It always takes time to understand everything and to come to terms with the injury. Only then can I start.
Is it different now with family in the background than it was back then with the knee?
I can't help that much at home, I'm always just lying on the sofa (laughs). Injuries are a pain in the arse, they take a long time, but I've managed well with my knee. You get used to it, even if you don't really want to.
Were you still a bit reserved during the first sessions?
Yes, definitely. During the first session, I first had to get used to it. And then I slowly built myself up again. Then I did a double loop from the right. Now everything is working again.
Do you actually train from both sides?
Mostly always from the left. That's why I first travelled to Japan to see how it goes with wind from the right. I really need to practise a bit more. But it will never be like wind from the left. I'm trying to make it as good as possible.
But you can do all the moves on both sides?
Not all of them. Not Push Forwards yet. I've never had the chance to try it out.
And with wind from the left, will the pushloop into doubleloop soon follow?
I've already tried that, yes. I think it works better than a triple loop. You don't get any momentum for the third rotation, it's just too slow. I'm still going to try it out. But I think a push double is easier. It was fun to over-rotate the normal Puhloop Forward. I thought "Oh wow, that does work." The problem is, you always need the perfect conditions. Very strong winds, big waves. You only get them a few times a year.
What is an ideal size for you then? Something like 4.2 or 4.0?
4.2 and three metre waves, if possible. That's not every day in Pozo either. All the way up and then full throttle down. And don't think about the water hurting.
You were also active in the Wing for a while, weren't you?
That was me, yes. I was sponsored by Takun, even had my own board. But I'm not that much of a winger, I have to say. I had fun riding flat water and small waves, but the whole jumping thing wasn't really my thing. The last time I was on the board was eight months ago. The worst thing for me would be an injury to my wing and then I wouldn't be able to windsurf anymore. I can't afford that this year.
We don't need to talk about goals, do we?
Yes, of course. I'll try my best.
