Thanks Droneabove.com for the awesome good morning Maui shot!
Good morning Spring time...... March 1 is always a time to celebrate as a windsurfer! However you look at it, Windsurfing season is just around the corner and I hope you are excited and getting prepared. There is nothing worse than pure exhaustion when you have a cold 25 knots blasting at your local spot and your body cramps up and says NO MORE! And of course you want more more and more......A lot of people ask me what can be done to get in shape to handle your first days back on the water!
Let's go Elise!
Is weight training the answer? Not really- The biggest thing you want to avoid is injury. Having big strong muscles are not necessary just to go out and have a good time windsurfing. I think you are better off being flexible and limber so doing exercises that support balance and stretch are key in my opinion. I love the jump rope, such a simple and effective means to bump up your cardio. Spending a half hour jumping rope and stretching your muscles in between sets will go a long way to get you kick started into shape. If you can get on a bike, do it. Pedaling is good. For the hands that seem to rip apart on a lot of people, get an old boom cut it down and hang it somewhere. You can do pullups from this or just hang there and let the body stretch. This gets the hands ready to go. Mix in some pushups and core exercises and you have a quick and easy no excuse workout to get onto right now!
Suck those legs up!
My next tip comes in the form of mental training. Watch videos of guys out windsurfing. Get your head into it and begin to visualize yourself out at your local spot blasting around and having some fun. Think about your movements in the jibe and how you can perfect it. Feel the chop and the bumps, picking your lines through the waters. If you are a jumper, feel the air under your board projecting you up up and away. Suck the legs up under your bum, connect with the wind let it lift you up and set you down. For you waterstarters, leave the arms long and let the wind do the work. When you need power, scissor the mast towards the nose of the board as you suck the back leg under your bum and roll onto that back heal while kicking with your front foot to get you up and going! Jibers, remember to look where you want to go. Watch the water 10- 15 feet in front of where the nose of your board is pointing. This will help you prepare for any bumps in the road. Stay low and then get lower!
Get low and then lower!
For you that want to challenge yourselves this year and learn to loop...... all I can say there is you gotta WANT IT! Build it up in baby steps from precise chop hops controlling the board up and under your bum, practice looping the sail without your board- going SLOW not at full speed. This is a big one to visualize. If you can't see yourself doing it, you may not be ready. If you are on the edge of the fence, you might need someone to help push you over that ledge! Bruno wanted it so badly he was not gonna go back home without getting a rotation. He paid some dues and made it happen in less than 2 hours! In this video you can see the commitment he had and what it takes to get the job done!
Let's get fired up and start the windsurfing season off right! Get fit, get ready..... it is gonna be a great season on the water, just ask El Nino or La Nina!
See you out there!
MP