20 COACHING WINDWISE TECHNIQUE
If you stand on any shoreline you’ll often hear, “It’s time on
the water that counts!” But is it really that? There are
thousands of windsurfers all over the world, who have spent
huge amounts of time ‘on the water’ and still feel they’ve
not reached where they might like to be or where they
possibly could/should be. In truth, it’s what we do with our
time on the water that really counts. It’s so easy, and
almost too much fun to only blast about ‘trying a few
things’ without much of a ‘routine’. In my experience of
assisting people to break through plateaus and add more
spark and results to their windsurfing sessions, it’s not just
about identifying the exact ‘tip’ or fine tuning what is
actually going wrong, it’s also a lot about ‘how they sail’.
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WIND
SURFING
Whether it’s coastal, inland, flat water or waves, next time
you turn up at your local spot, watch for a second. Note
how many sailors just blast back and forth predominantly
on a beach ream across the wind, trying a gybe or move at
each the end of the run. Great fun and nothing wrong with
that, but how about adding even more confidence,
enjoyment, and, I believe (and so often see) progress
relatively easily. You do this by Varying Your Runs and
Sailing Triangles to increase your skills base and transition
rate. Here’s how to do simple things well!