Hi everyone, hope you are all getting ready for spring to really kick in! I did a lesson a little while ago and what a great student he was...... He sent me an email summarizing the session and the things that stood out most to him- I sent him back the comments in CAPS below and after reading it all, thought that a lot of people could benefit from just reading along..... Hope you enjoy and get some good tips here! If you are in need of upgrading any gear for this season, let us know or check out the new SHOP!

A little overhead view while out teaching.....

Harnesss Lines:

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Matt doesn't want to give up on my using longer lines.

Should try to make everything 26" at least.  Right now I have a mix
of 24 and 26.
YES START OFF WITH 26 AND GET TO 28 EVENTUALLY.

Says today I seem to be working my arms continuously.  I need to stop
standing so erect.  Erect is fine for flat water or racing, but I'm
never in flat water.  Erect is like a "7".  He wants people to be
like a 6?  Butt out, hanging, zero effort on the arms, using
trunk twist to point and sheet in depending how you pressure
the harness.
YES, CORRECT AND EXACTLY. YOU LET THE HARNESS DO THE WORK-

You sort of crunch your abs.
YEP, SUCK IN THE SLACK FROM THE HARNESS LINES.

Boom flush with top of shoulder.
YES

Jibing:
-------
Wants me to keep sail further away, but during the sail flip
don't make a big rotation ending with the sail outside the turn
and "beside" you.  Keep the sail in front of you and flip it
there.
YES, KEEP THE SAIL FURTHER AWAY FROM YOU SO THAT IT PULLS YOU THROUGH THE TURN IN THE FINAL STAGES WHERE YOU NEED THAT SPEED MOST. YOU HAVE THE JIBE DOWN NICELY BUT YOU COULD BE PLANING OUT OF THEM ALL WITH A FEW CORRECTIONS. THE OTHER THING I NOTICE IS YOU ALWAYS GRAB THE MAST ON THE OUTSIDE- EVERY TIME. I  WOULD LIKE FOR THAT TO NOT HAPPEN- BOOM TO BOOM DROPPING YOUR WEIGHT LOW WITH YOUR RIG AWAY FROM YOU AND REACHING UNDER YOUR OLD FRONT HAND TO GRAB THE NEW SIDE OF THE BOOM!

Waves:
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Move back hand back and forth a LOT more.
YES, GET MORE INTO A SURF GROOVE AS IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE POWER FROM THE SAIL, YOU NEED TO USE LEG MOVEMENT AND HAND MOVEMENT TO ESSENTIALLY PUMP THE BOARD TO MAKE IT MOVE.

Back on the boom for the bottom turn.
YES

Up on the boom for the top turn.
YES

Push down on the boom for your bottom turn.
DON'T THINK OF PUSHING DOWN SO MUCH AS LETTING THE RIG PULL YOU FORWARD INTO THE TURN, IF YOUR WEIGHT IS LOW IT NATURALLY PULLS DOWN SO THINK LOW AND THE REST HAPPENS.

This will help maintain speed and keep the rail engaged better.
YES

Don't get so far out in front of the wave. YES- USE THE WAVE AS YOUR DOWNHILL RAMP FOR SPEED
Watch your entry. YES, DONT' GET TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE WAVE, STAY TIGHTER TO IT LIKE YOU WERE HAVING TO PADDLE IN LIKE A SURFER.
Better to wait until the wave is more critical than making your
1st bottom turn too soon.
YES, BUT STARTING AT THE TOP OF THE WAVE AND HEADING DOWN IT ON AN ANGLE TO GENERATE SPEED.

Just because you did your first bottom turn doesn't mean you
can't ride upwind back on the wave to stay in the good spot.
YES, ALWAYS BE LOOKING UPWIND AND DOWNWIND-

You need to look downwind AND upwind as you are riding.
YES EXACTLY YOU GOT IT!!

VIDEO TO COME….

Top Turn:
---------
Everything twists back DOWN at the top -- hips torso head hands AND DRIVING HEELS TO MAKE THE BOARD TURN AND THROW SPRAY
go back DOWN the other way.

Fin Position:
-------------
I have a fairly narrow stance with my straps.  Matt is 2" wider.
YES,

My fin is back.  Matt says leading edge of fin in center of strap.
Mine is at back of strap.
YES

Fin back is for speed and ?pointing?  You can ride the fin better?
YES, CORRECT.

Fin forward is easier turning. YES, I understood the reverse.  I should
start with moving my fins forward.  Frankly I've always had my fins
in the middle of the A box and never experimented much.
WELL THIS WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE AS YOU WILL HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR TURN.

Harness:
--------
"Yve" at Da Kine can help get adaptor that will prevent hook moving
around on Da Kine Thermo.  I need a much bigger spreader bar which
will help a lot.  I see a "leverlock" on their website, and they
are differentiating between sliding and locked spreader bars.
TO KEEP YOUR T4 HARNESS TO AVOID HAVING TO BUY A NEW ONE I WOULD SUGGEST GETTING A 12" BAR AND THE ADAPTER KIT FOR A FIXED BAR-

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS THERE, LET ME KNOW I CAN HELP OUT.

GREAT SAILING WITH YOU, LOVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM TO LEARN!!

MP

A little talk on the Porch with Kevin Pritchard.

KP on the Porch from Ezzy Sails on Vimeo.

I love taking photos, especially when they come out good.  This week, we have been on it with some good results, I think.

If you didn't gather from my lack of blogging that I have been having the time of my life, too busy to blog, here is a small segment on what I have been up to the last year. I have been having tons of fun and enjoying it all as my mom would tell me to do. We have covered the west coast up and down and now we need to find a new adventure. Maybe the east coast, maybe somewhere else. You just never know.

Coming Home from Johannes Neumann on Vimeo.

Someone just asked me via email on some jumping tips so I decided to share them with everyone listening.....

The biggest key to getting air is to  load hard on the takeoff, meaning you gotta push down with your legs and explode upwards with them while hitting the piece of chop at just the right moment. Grip with your toes to roll the windward edge of the board up so the wind can get under you, suck your back leg up and under your butt and keep the power of the sail sheeted in so that you can keep power to the jump with your sail. If you sheet out, you just drop like a stone and don't get as high or as lofty of an air! The landing is usually the hard part, keep the tail of the board under you so that when you touchdown you don't spin out. A lot of people tend to straighten their legs out in mid-air and when they land like that they fall onto their back pushing the tail of the board away from them. So keep the board close to you, the more you bend your legs and arms the higher you are gonna fly! Always remember to look where you want to go….. Here a little sample of the possibilities for a big chop hop!

Sometimes it takes a little something to push you over the edge to do something you have always wanted to do..... For a lot of people it is the new year coming- Resolutions as they are called, designed to get you motivated and COMITT to doing something you have always wanted to do. I hear a lot of people talking about making the trip to Punta San Carlos, and now more than ever is the time to make it happen!  This post is to officially encourage you to COMITT to doing something new, doing something fun and making 2013 your best year ever!

So the time is now- let's make some plans to go WINDSURFING and have some fun and maybe even learn some new tricks. The boys from Baja are giving a way FREE MONEY!!! Yes, you got it right, $300 smackers with your name on it...... So go get some and see you on the water!

http://www.pritchardwindsurfing.com/clinics/

 

Looking back is sometimes a good thing- you can learn from your past in order to move forward in the future! Today’s post on 12-12-12 is looking back and time for YOU to think back to what you were doing 10 years ago. Did you think back then you would be doing what you are now? Please comment- a little bit like homework only way more FUN.  Here’s my take.....

I was 29 in 2002- happened to be my “Golden Year” which means the day you were born and the age you are is the same. July 29th is my day-

I had some pressure to win the PWA Freestyle title- Kev had won both the racing and wave discipline on the tour and if I took home the freestyle win, it would be a Pritchard Sweep...... So needless to say it was game time. I trained with all my might and took home my first world title.

I also got engaged to my lovely wife in December 2002. Wow, what a year......

Fast forward to 12-12-12 and I would have to say that I would not have changed a lot. There have definitely been some hardships along the way, but that is part of life..... I’m still living the dream, getting in the water whenever I want and thoroughly enjoying and loving the sport of windsurfing. It is in my blood and provides me with a great lifestyle to hang with my family ( We have a 3 year old boy who knows how to talk a great story) and do things that matter most. What will come in 12-12-22????? Time to start thinking about that and visualizing where we all want to go.... Look forward to Comments from all- big or small!!!

Focus Forward

1. Look behind you just as much as you look in front of you!!! Yes, that is right, the wave is coming from behind you- if you can’t see it, you are gonna be in trouble. Be patient, just because you are coming in doesn’t mean there is a wave right behind you- Look for it, wait for it!

2. Position on the wave is key- Spend 20 minutes on the beach watching the best guys and study what they are doing before you go out!

3. Use the wave as a downhill ramp! Once you catch it, don’t run away from it. Let the wave be more of your source for power and speed. Think about how a surfer rides the wave, he goes down the face on an angle to keep on the wave and uses the downhill ramp as much as possible!

4. Once on the wave and riding, keep your weight low and forward. Anytime you get your weight too far back you tell the board to STOP! Once you slow down, you are at the mercy of the wave and it will do with you what it wants!

5. LOOK where you want to go- always be looking down the wave and picking your turning points. Try your best to always stay as close to the breaking part of the wave as possible so your downhill run is steeper and easier to keep your speed. Always remember your body follows your head.....

Hope this helps any of you working on your wave riding skills! Looking to be a great season here on Maui...... Come for a visit! See you on the water-

Here a little video blast to see where I am looking-

Down the Line from Pritchard Windsurfing on Vimeo.

Another one of Kev's boards just sitting around in the original box looking for a new home..... While he is on the road, he likes to give me things to do to keep me busy! I guess after selling most all of his PILE OF EZZY sails (still some sizes left so drop an email of your wish list) he wanted to move some boards-

Here we have a Brand New Kode 94- Wood Carbon top of the line construction going for $1,599! These guys retail for  $2,349

There are also a lot of other sizes available in new and used so if you don't need a 94, let us know what you want and we can see what we can do for you!

Starboards Blah Blah about the board:

The Kode Freestyle Waves are Starboard's wave freestyle boards. Their nature is to be aggressive, fast and maneuverable.