76 COACHING WINDWISE TECHNIQUE
WARRIOR... IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
When blasting along we
generally adopt a ‘7’
shaped stance, then, like
changing gears on a bike to
suit varying terrain, we
either straighten (light
winds) or sink (strong
winds) our ‘7’ to adjust to
variations in the rig's power
and board speed. Plus,
when blasting along, we
should be looking forward
over an extended-
straightened leg-knee.
However, when it comes to
turning, this is often
reversed and we need to
look (and often lean) over a
flex leg-knee and this is
where your ‘Warrior’ stance
comes in!
Q. So what exactly is a Windwise ‘Warrior’ stance?
A. Look at the two photos on the opposite page and how they differ!
Pic Blasting ‘7’ Stance
“Looking forward over an extended leg and straightened knee”
For early planing straighten the 7 by locking the hips and tightening the torso. In higher
winds we sink the ‘7’ more outboard by dropping the hips and digging the heels to
control acceleration. In both situations we are ‘looking forward over an extended front
leg’.
Pic The Warrior
“look and lean over a heavily flexed leg and knee”
At Windwise we call this our ‘Warrior’ stance, which is really more of an action than
a position. It is a profoundly important skill that is linked to so many successful
transitions and moves. As ever, it is juxtaposed with another key Windwise principle
‘Opposition’ which means levering the, mast/rig in the opposite way to the body to
create counter balance. So in the apex to end of this tack for example, I’m looking
where I want to go and leaning over a heavily flexed leg-knee = WARRIOR.
Q. Why the name Warrior?
A. If anyone has done yoga they will know a similarly looking and named pose which
creates a powerful, strong and dynamic stance – hence Warrior! In recent years
we’ve be heavily emphasizing this Warrior concept at every level. We have always
taught the ‘warrior’ mantra/position yet we feel it needs far more prominence and
significance as we’ve had truly phenomenal success with our clients' speed of
learning.
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