I finished up a lesson at Kanaha and who do I see coming out for some fun? My 12 year old straight out of school, right to the beach! What homework???? He had some energy to get out from the looks of it- and my go pro was ready!

Here is a little ditty on some fun from yesterday!

What's the deal with this wing stuff? I think we are still windsurfing, just with different equipment. It is the next generation of gear that is propelling us in lighter winds and giving new opportunities for some different tricks and style. What are your thoughts? Look forward to hearing from you all-

This is a great way to kick off the season and get your game on. Injury prevention is at the top of my list these days, check out Sarah's shoulder program below.

Written by World Champion Windsurfer and Certified Personal Trainer, Sarah Hauser

My shoulder story

FROM SO MUCH SITTING TO SO MUCH MOVING

As a professional athlete I had an unconventional path. At 23 years old, after having spent 5 years studying to become a computer science Engineer, I embarked on a radically different journey. I moved to Maui, Hawaii to become a professional windsurfer. I went from sitting most of the day to surfing or stand up paddling in the morning and windsurfing for hours in the afternoons.

After a year at this intense rhythm, my shoulder was on fire with pain and everyone was unanimously telling me I had ‘shoulder tendinitis’. Luckily at that time I had decided to invest in high quality fitness training classes where I discovered shoulder mobility exercises. 

After 2 weeks of mobility practice, the shoulder pain had reduced and after a month it had disappeared. Turns out I did not have tendinitis, I just needed to correct my shoulder joint and keep it happy under stress.

Throughout the years I continued to develop my own routines, taking inspiration from professional trainers and athletes in a variety of sports. Nowadays I split my time between at the desk and on the water. I have identified the movements that help me and my personal training clients stay pain free while maintaining the ability to push our limits when we decide to. Some of these techniques are inspired by functional training, yoga, rotator cuff rehabilitation, surf training, rock climbing stretches and even Gyrotonic. All of it combined into my new digital mobility program called Solid Shoulders. https://www.nc6training.com/programs

Conditioning specifically for windsurfing 

The best way to condition your body for the sport of windsurfing really depends on your goals, your current level of fitness and your discipline. A slalomer has different goals and priorities than a wavesailer or a freestyler. But overall there are 3 key pillars that we should keep in mind for conditioning our bodies for windsurfing:

1. Cardiovascular training. Fast walking, running, biking, swimming, rowing, dancing… whatever it is, make sure to incorporate interval training in your cardio session instead of keeping the same pace all the time. In the real world we swim after our equipment when it gets pushed by waves or we pump to catch a wave or to come out of a jibe. For our heart it’s the equivalent of doing little sprints throughout the session. Cardio interval training will not only increase the ability to pump hard and catch that wave but once you're on it you’ll have the juice to perform and take full advantage of the ride instead of recovering from the pumping.

2. Strength training, in a broad sense. To me that encompasses:

• balance, agility and proprioception (perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body) which you can be practiced by creating instability in workouts with tools such as a bosu or an indo board, incorporating obstacles such as hurdles and adding a stimulus like someone throwing you a ball. 

• strength, muscle endurance and power which are achieved by playing with variables of a resistance workout such as load, number of repetitions, order of the exercises and rest. I can’t give a complete program here (I actually plan on creating an online one next year…) but I will emphasize the importance of working on these 3 modalities. Whichever part of the body you’re training, you want strength to accomplish the movements of windsurfing, muscle endurance to last through long and intense sessions and (depending on your level and goals) power to jump, smack the lip of the wave or do freestyle tricks.

3. Mobility is vital

Mobility training aims to increase the range of motion of your joints through dynamic stretching techniques. Where flexibility only focuses on increasing amplitude, mobility training allows you to control your movements throughout that gained amplitude, making you able to precisely produce and absorb force in all parts of the range of motion.  

Mobility training also corrects muscle imbalances, decreases muscle soreness, relieves joint stress, improves muscle extensibility and maintains the functional length of all muscles. These factors increase neuromuscular efficiency and enhance overall function.

Designed specifically for windsurfers and wing foilers, Solid Shoulders is a unique upper body mobility program built on 8 years of experience as a professional ocean athlete and certified fitness trainer. 

It is comprised of:

   - 3 workout videos 

   - 1 foam rolling video 

   - 1 guided hypnosis for mindset training

The program can be downloaded for just $35 (no subscription required) at https://www.nc6training.com/programs

This is a great way to stay in shape and prepare for your next windsurfing vacation or clinic! You too can have healthy and strong shoulders without having to go through expensive and complicated procedures.

About Sarah https://www.hauserlifestyle.com/copy-of-b-i-o

Sarah Hauser is a professional windsurfer, brand value ambassador, motivational speaker, and personal trainer recognized worldwide for her performance and innovation in big wave windsurfing. 

Based on Maui, Hawaii, Sarah is a 3x overall winner of the International Windsurfing Tour, 2x Winner of windsurfing's most prestigious contest the Aloha Classic, and recognized worldwide as one of the top big wave riders in the history of the sport.  Her accomplishments have earned her the attention of a following who not only supports her athletic conquests but also her advocacy of eco-friendly and gender-balanced policies, projects, and products worldwide. 

Sarah constantly pursues mental and physical training techniques to fully prepare herself for any situation big waves or life may throw at her.  After receiving her personal training certification, she has helped the world’s best windsurfers as well as those vacationing to Maui with workout programs to keep them on the water longer, performing at their best, and feeling great.  With the recent changes in times and as part of her relationship as a value ambassador for SAP, Sarah has expanded her training to virtual fitness classes to stimulate the body and mind through a long day on the grind. https://www.nc6training.com/programs

Athlete reel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De16KpCeAJM&t=3s

Good bye 2020! Looking forward to a new and beautiful 2021....... Here are a few of my favorite fun family pics of 2020. There was plenty of good to be celebrated even in these times..... See you all in the new year!

Watch out because wherever you go on Maui these days wind freaks are talking about the Wings, the Foils, the this the that and everything in between! This summer it seemed as though 8 out of 10 windsurfers on Maui learned how to Wing Foil. With the Covid restrictions for travel in place, Kanaha seemed empty and if you didn’t know any better, you would have thought 10 windsurfers out there was crowded! The wind was cranking all summer and I think the windsurfers may have gotten a little bored or just curious? A lot of them decided to try something new!!!! And good for them….. The Kahului Harbor turned into the happening place to go-

There were families bringing their kids, their dogs and cats and it looked like a crowded day at Lake Garda! Gusty winds shifting all over the flat water made for a very safe and easy place to learn this new sport. As a windsurfer, the best way to learn to foil is on your windsurfer- since you already know how to windsurf getting used to how the foil works is pretty easy. The ONE thing you have to know and remember is there are at least 4 KNIVES that are riding underneath you- so BE CAREFUL. 

For those that have never been on a foil before, the wing offers some help to hold your balance. Once you do get up and on the foil, the world changes. You are hovering around a couple feet above the water. It is silent and a very free feeling. You can go as fast or slow as you want. It is easy to shoot upwind, downwind and back and forth. Flat water blasting has not been this fun in a long time! The coolest thing about it all though was seeing all the kids learning how to do it. I’m talking about 10 year olds getting out there and figuring out a new sport for them. Not just 1 or 2 kids, 10 or 20 kids are out there doing it and getting good quickly and this is just Maui! I know the Gorge has kids doing it and it is attracting the youth into a wind powered sport which is great to see! 

Is WingFoiling going to replace windsurfing? NO, is it a great option and something FUN and exciting to Learn? YES- In my experience it makes blasting around flat water with light/ fluky winds a lot more fun, all with no strings attached! Another bonus is the equipment is easy to set up, bring your wind and your pump and let her rip. 4 screws mount the foil in to the board and off you go. Super easy and it all fits in your car!

Check out this video of Ben Proffitt on Windsurfing.TV as he gives a pretty funny intro to how this all works!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7KLdl5ESAY

Who would have thought we would be wondering when the island of Maui would open up to having visitors come? For those of us fortunate enough to be living here things are pretty good. Empty beaches, no traffic, sun, wind and warm water all to ourselves! We are able to use the ocean and get our fix. Kanaha Beach Park is closed so access to the ocean is the difficult part. Some people are parking near the airport and walking in with their gear, but that is quite a mission. Prior to Hookipa opening, you had to take your life into your hands, park across the road and jump fences to get out there...... First wold problems I suppose.

People have been asking about virtual clinics and how this could be the future. I think a lot of the basics can certainly be covered but there is nothing like being on the water and watching exactly what is going on for the student. However, being able to analyze video and understand incorrect movements is the key to learning and correcting those bad habits! Jibes in particular are quite easy for me to see what people are doing that needs improvement. This is where technology can take over. Get out your GoPro, get a mount from Fly Mount and collect some footage that shows your movements. It is important to see your feet and hands so having the camera looking down on you is a great angle. Another good mounting position is from the back of your boom. With all this time on our hands, editing video should be no problem! If you are struggling with those jibes, upload your video's to Vimeo or YouTube and send over the link. I'll pick some of them out and analyze!

Our May clinic on Maui has been postponed till further notice once things open up. Details to come as we see how things progress on our magic little island.