EXTERIOR

INTERIOR

With one complete interior and exterior the boys hit the road for their first major trip, the long drive down to Tarifa. On arrival their clinic awaited and then it was photo shoot time. These pictures were taken just yesterday and show the final finished beast. If you fancy taking on your own project then Colin is certainly worth chatting to as he will point you in the right direction and offer some sound advice.

A final word from Colin – “A really big thanks to everyone that made it happen, we are stoked to be on the road and she is behaving beautifully”.

More here – windsurfcoaching.com/blogs/news

It’s been a long hard 3 months but getting some good feedback and every one loves the van. Finally just finished an unreal week clinic in Tarifa so nice to have a nice van with everything we need!

FINAL SHOTS

First up Boards caught up with one of the Team15 teams to watch out for, The Kielder Kestrels as well as BWA youth competitor looking to mix it up with the amateurs this year,Liam Ellis.

Of course the big news this week is that you can now pre-order the Boards Spring Summer 2013 edition – which will hit shelves, or your doorstep, on the 28th March.

We also had the latest edition of the Freestyle Secrets: part three – remember you can also check out parts one and two in the technique section of the website here.

Victor Fernandez in Shoreham - in the news this week one of the World’s top wave sailors, some say the one man that could take the title from Koester, was on British shores hanging out with Nik Baker.

Hayling Island slalom is starting very soon, a little further afield Fanatic have announced further coaching dates in Lanzarote. Another option if you’re looking to head away is to take the ferry, with routes to Ireland and more Stena Line are a great travel option, particularly as at the moment they are running a kids travel for free package!

Boards also has a new video only section on the homepage – currently located just below the news, all videos will appear in this separate section, so if you’re looking for the latest videos to hit the windsurfing world make sure you continue down past the news! Top videos this week are: Ant Baker showing his slalom style and up and coming racer Tom Wells going full speed ahead.

Until next week….

Colin “Whippy” Dixon will be at Queen Mary’s on Wednesday the 20th of March, to help you blow the cobwebs off your kit and get ready for the summer. 

Colin Dixon

Get your pre season fix of tips from the pro and see the lastest “Go Pro” windsurfing movie by Coin and Marco with +25 years coaching experience.

The talk will be 7pm to 9.30pm and the bar will be open before.

Advanced bookings only. Queens Mary’s members are free and non-members for a bargain £12.

Please confirm with the club in advanced if you want to attend! 01784 248881 

Here’s what people are saying about coaching from Colin and Marco: 

“Having been coached by both of you, your coaching is All the Way to Awesome!”

Caroline Philips 

“Fantastic tuition from Colin at Club Vass this season and some top tips and dancing demo’s by Marco!” Marc Clothier 

“Their enthusiasm for the sport is infectious – even infected an old geezer like me when I thought I was immune to everything except blue-juice! What’s more, their patience and teaching styles make everything seem so simple. If only!” Bob Bennett 

“Colin coached me and my brother in Vass last year and took our windsurfing to the next level – awesome!” Steve Kingston 

“I had Colin as my coach on a couple of holidays to Dahab and LOVED IT!! He is fun, funny encouraging, and inspiring.” Jo Jones

The latest Clinics are up on our website and avaliable to book now! Still a few places left for Tarifa but going quickly and details for the Italy and Holland up now! 

Tarifa Clinic Advanced | 7th – 14th April 2013

Windsurf Coaching with Colin and Marco present Tarifa Advanced Coaching Bump and Jump & Intro to Waves!

7th-14th April 2013

North Italy – Intermediate & Advanced – Lake Garda | 18th-19th May 2013

WindSurfCoaching at Lake Garda 18th-19th of May!

Brouwersdam Holland – Intermediate & Advanced | 20th-21st April 

2013 Venue: Brouwersdam- one of the best flatwater spots in Holland

If you’ve got any questions or need more details about the clinics, email Colin and Marco directly on:
colin@windsurfcoaching.com 
marco@windsurfcoaching.com

Colin Dixon. Image credit Global Shots.

COLIN DIXON: No, it,s only water! Watch a motor cross crash section that should give you a kick up the ass and help you man up!!!!

JO WRIGHT: I used to be very scared, then I saw a 75 year old man going for vulcans, sometimes falling but every time coming up smiling. So I had a quiet word with myself and suddenly all my excuses for not trying became irrelevant! And I guess injury can happen to anyone, anywhere – even going over on your ankle walking down the street, so there is no point worrying too much!

JOHN PALMER: Always now… I remember learning to flaka and that terrified me. But, if you just try it a few times you will realise that the pain isn’t actually that bad! A bit of peer pressure always helps too. I’ve never really got over this kind of fear; have it with push loops now after seeing Dave Williams’ smashed up nose on Facebook a few weeks ago! You just need to keep at the move and the fear will go.

Max Rowe at West Witterring

MAX ROWE: I almost feel a bit ashamed of myself sometimes, I teach people how to Vulcan on land in the morning then they go straight out and try it that afternoon; I remember being very nervous about trying it and always found a good reason not to! I’m having a similar battle at the moment learning the wave moves and the best ways I’ve found of getting over it are to build up confidence first or to just get the first big crash out the way early on then you go for it a lot more.

DANIELLE LUCAS: I am definitely not very confident when it comes to learning some moves.  I’m not consciously worrying about injury but I guess that must be it, as well as smashing my kit up! To get over it you just have to do it, having friends or rivals about definitly helps, that’s how I learnt to vulcan…I had someone working for me who was not as good as me but started learning the vulcan and he was getting close very quickly, that really pushed me to go for it forgetting the fear!

PHIL RICHARDS: I have had problems with minor injuries in the past but it’s important to stay positive at this time and let your body heal. My biggest bit of advice would be to avoid injury by remaining fit and flexible. Do stretches. Also, look after your feet.

ADAM SIMS: Nope, more just afraid of the time off the water! The injury list is starting to build for me but it doesn’t set me back mentally, I just visualise what I need to do a lot and then go out and do it. One time I had a couple beers then went for a pushie session, that softened the over-rotated back slaps…

ANDY CHAMBERS: No not really, except possibly in very shallow water.  If you start thinking “that looks like it’s gonna hurt’ then it probably will as you have it in the back of your mind the whole time and will reduce the chances of you learning it. Don’t think it in the first place! Put it out of your mind if you can.  And if you can’t then wait until you are perfectly comfortable with the conditions, gear etc before attempting a new move.

JAMIE DRUMMOND: Yes! I’ve blown both my knees out (either ACL/MCL/Meniscus or all of them) in the last couple of years. The first time was just messing up a tack in shallow water (radical) and the second was doing a one-handed Ponch, which is sort of my trademark move that I can pull out anywhere! I’ve been lucky so far in that I’ve not injured myself when learning any of the new power moves, even though that’s where you might expect it to all go wrong. So, don’t think about it when trying new moves as you really need to be focused, but funnily enough get more worried trying some of the more basic moves.

Bar injuries? Sharks. Terrifying beasts.

Jamie Drummond

COLIN DIXON: Hard! You just need to try stuff with more power; a lot of people sail under powered so if you’re under powered you won’t go as high or as fast,

ADAM SIMS: They are all hard, the ducking is the hardest part but once you get past that then sometimes the move can be really effortless but still difficult. Maybe the culo and burner are not so hard if you are fully powered up. Any combo which requires power and sliding is normally very, very hard though and really requires a good balance between kit set-up and technique.

JOHN PALMER: Easy! haha, nah they are pretty tough! Coolest move I’ve seen recently is Dieter’s air kabikuchi. I’m pretty sure i’ll never be able to do them!

MAX ROWE: Anything that’s classed as “new” will always be hard because it makes you think it must be because it’s “new”. In reality some of these power moves such as the switch stance kono are becoming a lot more common place because they aren’t that hard, now people are learning them as their first switch move. Best advice would be to have a go and find out as what’s hard for someone else might be really simple for you or vise versa unfortunately!!

PHIL RICHARDS: Not as hard as they look,  they just require more commitment and for you to sail more powered up.

Bubble in Vass. Image credit Global Shots.

ANDY CHAMBERS: With the development of of the new gear (sails especially), the new power moves have got much easier than when we first started seeing them a few years ago.  The hardest part has always been getting the sail duck right, once you are a comfortable ducking the sail then the rest of the move doesn’t take too long to learn.

JAMIE DRUMMOND: The new power moves that are coming out are pretty tricky. Most of them involve a lot of setup before you’re even ready to take off – so getting solid at going switch and ducking the sail is an absolute essential. Practice really does make perfect in this case and repetition will help you get the feel for ducking the sail.

Combo moves are also getting much more technical, so just the SETUP of a move can involve doing a perfect, full-speed Spock, Forward or Flaka – a challenge enough on it’s own before adding a Culo, Flaka or Shaka onto the end!

In this second part we look at equipment and approaches to learning new moves.

What are you tips on equipment set up?

Phil Richards

PHIL RICHARDS: Get a  board with inboard straps around 80-110 litres in volume.  A freestyle board is not essential for basic freestyle but it really helps to learn the moves.

Set the board up with big straps, you should be able to see all your toes once you put your foot in the strap.

Get a decent freestyle fin!!!! Yes, you can can chop your old fins in half and learn some moves but a decent machined fin will be faster, earlier to plane, spin out less and give you more control! They can be expensive but so worth it; I would recommend the excellent Choco Starfish anywhere between 16cm and 22cm depending on body size and conditions.

DANIELLE LUCAS: Try it various ways, don’t think it has to stay the same.  Play around with moving your mast foot forward or back, your boom up or down and also moving or changing your fin.  Also, rigging you sail in different ways can sometimes have a big effect on success rates.

MAX ROWE: Big footstraps is crucial as they allow you to get over the board fully and also prevent injuries. Try moving the bolts closer together so the strap pinches the side of your foot a bit as this makes you feel more attached to the board and will still allow your foot to rotate in the strap.

JOHN PALMER: This obviously depends on the conditions. For advanced freestyle you really need to be used to your kit, and know how to tune it, so spend time trying different set ups and tweaking if it doesn’t feel quite right. A K4 freestyle fin will help too!

ADAM SIMS: The best is when you have the sail pulled tight enough on the outhaul that it rests a little bit on the boom when you are in the gusts, then it will go neutral really easily through moves. On top of that make sure you have a nice small fin, 18cm is pretty ideal, I use it the most but I also really like 17cm, it allows me to spin a bit more through double moves.

Jo Wright

JO WRIGHT: Once comfortable popping and sliding, don’t use a board that’s too big. I was lazy and used a 100 litre for far too long, having made the switch to a 90 litre at the end of last year everything became a whole lot easier.

Putting your deck plate forwards, can help engage the nose of the board when first learning the vulcan. And don’t have you boom too low, it kills power.

COLIN DIXON: mmmmm BIG footstraps! Definitely when you are learning we don’t want you to twist those ankles. Also try moving your deck plate a tiny bit forward when learning new sliding moves, this helps get you weight forward.

How do you go about learning a new move?

PHIL RICHARDS: I like to understand the move in my head first, I tend to study others who can do it and others who are trying it and compare the difference. Watching videos helps massively in the learning process, video of others doing it and if you’re lucky enough to get the footage, video of you too. Lots of visualisation helps, I’m often pretending to do new moves in my head or miming it out on dry land (this is amusing to watch but really helpful) and eventually dedicate a few sessions of giving it a go. Lots of practice, and remember do not get angry at your mistakes, learn from them instead.

Having a lesson can really help to get you getting those new moves, having someone who knows what you need to do and can spot where you might be going right or wrong, can save you untold hours practicing the wrong skills. Don’t be too proud to admit you might need help.

Danielle Lucas

DANIELLE LUCAS: Try it, get some feedback from an instructor, then keep trying it.  I watch others and know common mistakes and routes to success and keep that in mind.  I value regular breaks so I don’t get fed up and also throw in some moves I can do,  a duck gybe or jump etc, and sometimes try a move I think is way out of my reach too for a laugh!

MAX ROWE: I will have fully visualised it after watching it online and then go out and see what happens. Having people around you learning the same thing helps a lot, I learn so much more when I’m sailing with people better than me and of a similar standard.

JOHN PALMER: I think everyone learns in different ways but there are a few key things to consider. Really important to visualise yourself doing the move hundreds of times, watch it it online lot of times too. The more you watch it the easier it is to learn. Once you think you know the move inside out the most important thing is to only try and do one or maybe two things each time you try the move. For example if you are trying to learn to vulcan there is no point trying to learn to jump, spin the board round and flip the rig all in one go. I’d break it down to

1) learn to pop

2) learn to spin the board – focus on punching your front hand behind you and looking back. Once you do this right you should be sliding backwards…

3) then think about your hand change

4) lastly think about the end of the move.

John Palmer

Getting someone to video you is also really useful, you can then compare this to someone doing the move and see what they do differently. If you get angry with trying the move then stop for a while too! If you get chance sailing with people that can do the moves, or going for some professional lessons are a good way to improve quickly.

ADAM SIMS: Either I’ve seen a video or a visualise it a lot in my head. I really visualise it a lot, then at first I make drastic changes to what I’m doing during the move to see if anything helps a lot then I start fine tuning run by run. Really though, I visualise so much about the move that I feel like I’ve landed it before I even try it.

JO WRIGHT: Watch videos online. Ask others for their top tips. Then head out and try. The best way to improve is to get someone to video you and play it back. Also, getting others to try the same move as you helps as you can learn from their mistakes.

COLIN DIXON: Watch a lot on different styles online, get the move dialed in my head first then try, if you don’t know the move in your head then you have no chance!!! I’m a massive fan of muscle memory, try and get you muscles moving the right way on dry land before you try it on the water,

How long does it roughly take you to learn something new?

PHIL RICHARDS: Sometimes it has taken a few attempts, at other times a few weeks. Everyone is different and learns in their own way at different paces.

DANIELLE LUCAS: Anything between a couple of days and months.  It depends obviously how much water time I have!

MAX ROWE: It varies a lot between one session or months of frustration. I’ve now found the best thing to do if something really isn’t working and starts to frustrate you then just stop trying for a few weeks and re focus on it because if you do the wrong thing enough times you are pretty much learning how to crash it!!! I always stop before it frustrates me as I learn so much faster when I’m just having fun.

Max Rowe

JOHN PALMER: Depends on the move! Anywhere from a few days for more simple ones, to a few years! Also depends how much time you windsurf.

ADAM SIMS: At first it was weeks, months even years but now I’d be disappointed if I didn’t learn it in one session (so long as the conditions are right and that is the only move I am going for, I get distracted easily and like making the ones I can do even bigger). Perhaps a couple of the harder moves/combos would take a bit longer, a solid week in somewhere like Fuerteventura would be enough I think.

JO WRIGHT: I guess it all depends on the amount of time I can get out on the water. I learnt to vulcan in just under two weeks in Dahab. But in the UK I sail much less, so learning takes longer. But the learning time is greatly shortened if I am sailing with people who push me and I can get some feedback on what I am trying.

COLIN DIXON: Mmm all depends on the move and you, when I leant the vulcan I did it in three days, but then flaka took three months of trying every day,

Colin Dixon

Who is behind WindsurfCoaching.com?

Founded by Colin Whippy Dixon with Marco Welde, we’re committed to using the latest technology combined with a friendly fun attitude to improve your windsurfing technique. To get in your head on the water, we use Gopro cameras, mics and headphones to get the most of your time with the dream team.

How did the team come about?

We wanted to start a dream team of the best instructors in the world, so people can get the best out of us.

Windsurf Coaching online!

How does the website support what you do on the water?

The website was built by Charlie Ellington from Speech Bubble Marketing. He sat down with us to find out how the website and the marketing around it could help us sell the GoPro DVD and promote our clinics.

Charlie is an expert in online marketing, he started Speech Bubble to fuse his love of windsurfing and any action sport with a solid degree in marketing. After designing the site, he still works hard to promote the Windsurf Coaching brand.

What useful info can someone expect to see now, and in the future, on the website?

You can now find all the information you need, book the deposit on a course, or pay in full now and get a 10% discount.

We are currently updating the website with the mega van blog, we’re on a mission to build the ultimate windsurfing van. In the future you’ll see photos from the clinics and more coming in the future! You can register your interest now for UK clinics in Autumn.

What is next for the Windsurf Coaching team? 

We have some exciting things going on with a Euro tour stopping at a few of are favourite spots, including Greece to work at Club Vass for three months and then we will be back to the UK to tour for another three months.

Marco Wedele

To book a clinic with Colin and Marco head to windsurfcoaching.com - pay full price now and get a 10% discount. Places are limited so early booking is recommended.

To find out more about Charlie and Speech Bubble Marketing head to speechbubblemarketing.com

Windsurf Coaching, get booking!

Update* just a couple of spaces left on this week, get involved!

Colin and Marco of Windsurf Coaching are heading to Tarifa to kick off their 2013 European coaching tour in style.

The first of the series of clinics will be aimed at more advanced riders looking to hone their bump and jump skills, and will take place from the 7th to 14th of April.

To book or for more info email info@windsurfcoaching.com or head to the Windsurf Coaching website here.

First of all we look at what moves to start out with, whether to go carving or aerial and the next moves to progress onto.

Max Rowe. Image credit Global Shots.

How can I get started in freestyle? What move would you advise I try first?

ANDY CHAMBERS: The first thing you need to do is get yourself on a freestyle board.  This will make a huge difference when learning new moves.  They are designed to give you lots of pop and rotate easily, also the footstrap positions are inboard which keeps you on top of the board, this is important for all freestyle. If you have the wrong board or equipment set up it would be like trying to drive a bus around a rally course!

Andy 'Bubble' Chambers

The first move to learn is the actual pop itself, as you need to be able to pop into all freestyle moves.  Once you have mastered the pop so you can do it without thinking about it then it will open up a whole heap of moves to learn.  The vulcan is usually the first but as well as that you can try grubbies, flakas and forward loops in the beginning.  Don’t just get stuck on trying to learn one move.

PHIL RICHARDS: Just go out and have fun, for me freestyle is all about pushing yourself further in your abilities but it’s important to just try new stuff and make it enjoyable. It really helps to have some friends to get into it with.

I would recommend trying vulcans as they’re a good move to learn first of all and lead easily into others. I also suggest learning to loop, it’s easier than it looks and conquering this move will give you lots of confidence in your windsurfing.

It’s really important to keep improving all your skills, for example if you want to improve your freestyle, start nailing those heli tacks, up wind 360′s and other non-aerial freestyle as it will help massively with understanding the moves and make you a far better sailor.

DANIELLE LUCAS: Get out on the water and try new stuff, whether you start with a body drag, duck gybe, upwind 360 or straight in to a vulcan; the best way to get into it is just to go out and try something new! If you want to learn aerial tricks such as spocks, flakas and switch moves, learn the upwind 360 on both tacks and nail it, then once you get the jump and slide the end of the move, which is often an upwind 360 should be easy!

MAX ROWE: Have a good look around the internet for some inspiration or a video of something you’d like to learn. The vulcan is the first step for aerial freestyle but you don’t have to start there, even messing around on a big board in light winds is great practice for freestyle moves.

John Palmer at Baby Bay

JOHN PALMER: The best thing about freestyle is you can start anywhere, in any wind conditions. The first freestyle moves I learnt were body drags and heli tacks. I think heli tacks are a great place to start because they start you learning the skills you need for loads of moves – flakas, punetas, skopus, anything with a slidey upwind 360 bit in it.

ADAM SIMS: Most people will say to get on a wide board with a small sail and start spinning in light winds, but if you are already planing then yeh for sure do this also but just start chop hopping and then pick a move you like from the following and go for it (try it on both sides): vulcan, flaka, shuv-it or forward loop.

Also, if you are really serious about freestyle then I would suggest practicing the sail duck from the very early stages, basically when you are on that wide board with the small sail in light winds. On top of that the UK freestyle circuit is a great place to meet like minded freestylers and you learn a lot at each event, I still do and I’ve done a few of them now!

Adam Sims

JO WRIGHT: I think if you have been windsurfing for a while, it’s important to see freestyle windsurfing as a new, achievable challenge that will help you improve all aspects of your windsurfing.  My best tip for getting started, would be to sail around others who are freestyling, whether that be going on an overseas holiday, or heading down to popular freestyle spots such as Poole, Weymouth, Hayling etc. Ask other people for help and advice, set yourself achievable goals and remember falling is learning! Also, never forget the skills that can be learnt from going out in light-winds on a big board and small sail. Nailing heli-tacks, upwind 360′s, sailing switch stance, sailing clew first and many other moves will play dividends when trying to learn freestyle moves in strong winds.

For me, once I become a competent ‘freerider’ e.g. blasting up and down water-starting and carve gybing. I felt that my first freestyle move was learning to duck gybe; this gave me the confidence to try more ‘old school’ moves including the body drag, downwind 360′s and heli-tacks. Aerial moves had always looked to scary for me to try, but on a trip out to Dahab, seeing a variety of people going for vulcans and with the support of other windsurfers around me. I finally mustered up the courage to start trying vulcans and quickly realised they do not result in death! From there found my freestyle windsurfing really started to improve. Try whatever you feel comfortable with and build from there!

COLIN DIXON: Getting started….you already have! Freestyle is anything from sailing one handed to a chop hop, body drag or a forward loop, right up to a flaka. The vulcan opens the doors to new school sliding freestyle once you believe that it can happen (sliding), then its all becomes easy after that – remember keep your head over the mast foot!

Is it better to start with the old school or carving moves, or can I go straight onto trying aerial stuff?

ANDY CHAMBERS: I don’t think the old school carving moves help too much for the new aerial freestyle, except maybe for the Upwind 360.  Instead, I think it’s better to train some lightwind freestyle moves as this will give you more rig control for the planing freestyle moves.  As soon as it’s windy then start learning the aerial stuff!

Phil Richards, enjoying a chop hop!

PHIL RICHARDS: You can go straight in to the aerial stuff, but like I said above learning the non-aerial moves will help you progress and give you a better understanding of the moves.

DANIELLE LUCAS: As I said above you could go either way.  Carving tricks can seem less daunting and they feel great to learn, so may be a good place to start, but there are no rules.  Skills overlap though from carving tricks to aerial tricks and so it’s definitely worth learning both.  It’s also really worth learning moves on both tacks!

MAX ROWE: Personally I jumped straight in at the deep end and started learning aerial manoeuvres, coming from a skateboarding background made that a lot easier. Carving moves didn’t interest me at all back then but they are great fun and a really good way to build up confidence and learn skills that will help you with aerial moves later on.

JOHN PALMER: I think start with what you want to learn, or what you feel confident learning. At the start I’d been watching Harty’s ‘Turn for the Better’ and wanted to learn heli tacks and vulcans. I didn’t think I was good enough for vulcans so went with easier moves for a while until a few mates and I decided we wanted to learn them. There are some people (tend to be the freestyle kids) that can vulcan, spock and everything before they can tack, so it really is down to the individual.

ADAM SIMS: Aerial, that really is what freestyle is about so why not start when you can. If you are not at the point of wanting to take off then yeh try carving for a bit and keep working on those chop hops.

Jo Wright, enjoying the old school.

JO WRIGHT: There is no harm with trying a few old school moves to build confidence (and lets not forget they look very cool!) and then from there learning the vulcan will provide the key to the rest of the freestyle windsurfing world. In between all that, don’t forget to head out in light winds too!

COLIN DIXON: It’s your call really, some kids just learn to vulcan before they can gybe; what I would say is try everything, do not get stuck in a rut, everyone does that!! Keep trying everything and what ever feels more natural go for it!!! Don’t give up; if a move is making you mad then have a break, go for a sail and do stuff you can do, that will remind you what windsurfing is all about. Then, when you’re feeling refreshed go back to it.

I’ve got to grips with vulcans, spocks and that kind of thing, what’s the next move you would recommend I learn?

ANDY CHAMBERS: To be honest whatever moves that you can watch and see other people doing that you can understand in your head are usually the easiest ones to start learning.

The first switch move I learnt was a switch one handed flaka; I guess this was becuase I could already do normal flakas and when I was sailing along switch stance it felt like the more natual and easiest thing to try.  Switch stance moves open up a whole new variety of the moves you can already do.

Also, try small variations on the normal stance moves like one handed or ducking the sail at the end (diablo/cana brava).  Another big piece of advice is make sure you learn the moves on both sides, don’t be a one side wonder!

PHIL RICHARDS: Try some flakas, grubbies, some clew first vulcans and spocks and dabble in some switch stance moves like e-sliders and clew first puneta (switch spock).

If you can vulcan and spock make sure you learn it on both tacks (this is much easier to do as you are just getting in to freestyle and not set in your ways). Plus if you can’t already, learn to loop!

Danielle Lucas

DANIELLE LUCAS: The forward loop is always a crowd pleaser!  It really depends where you are learning and your learning style, but people usually go for flakas and switch-stance moves after the vulcans and spocks, most have been trying them at the same time as the spocks.  It can really vary depending on confidence levels too!

MAX ROWE: I think it’s really important to learn the grubby and flaka as these will open the door to switch stance moves. If you jump straight into switch moves from here you’ll be missing some really important skills that will make your life a lot easier.

JOHN PALMER: Start learning to shaka! They are a cool move and feel awesome. Probably a good time to start learning to duck the rig too for konos as it’s tough to learn.

Colin Dixon, flaka! Credit Richard Keaney

ADAM SIMS: Shuv-its and forwards, they are probably two of my favourite moves but also a move that I’ve been doing the longest. If you are passed that then try switch and then looking at ducking the sail for switch konos or air funnels.

JO WRIGHT: Variations such as spock 540′s, one-handed spocks then I guess grubbies, flakas etc.

COLIN DIXON: Go switch! People can get put off doing this; the hardest part is to learn to keep your speed when in switch. Once you have mastered this and the popping, or should I say catapulting, and can then land sliding normal stance will feel so much easier!

Check out more in the Boards technique section here and coming up in the next part of freestyle secrets we look at equipment advice and strategies for learning new moves. 

Colin Dixon. Image credit Global Shots.

Go Pro with Colin and Marco DVD.

What is covered?

A whole range of moves including lightwind, carving, upwind, jumping and freestyle extras.

Colin and Marco talk you through each stage of each move in a very clear and concise way, making it easy to understand. They used a huge variety of camera angles to film each move both from afar and up close, so you can see exactly what each body part should be doing. This is what sets GoPro aside from previous coaching videos, it reinforces the importance of each step and part of each move.

Don’t miss the ‘Mistakes’ section, highlighting the common mishaps from each move and how to avoid. This part for each move is definitely worth a watch, at the very least for the comedy crashes!

Who is the DVD aimed at?

GoPro with Colin and Marco focusses on moves and whilst there is a lightwind section to make the most out of the coaching delivered you would want to be a competent windsurfer – planing in the harness and footstraps. This does not by any means indicate that you should be pulling off planing carve gybes, in fact the opposite is true. The coaching in this video can take you from blasting, through corners and into your first flat water tricks; if you are at the comfy windsurfing stage where you can happily blast around but want to take things to the next level this is absolutely for you.

Two landmarks moves in windsurfing, the carve gybe and forward loop, are delivered particularly well, so if you’re looking to start trying or determined to land either of these moves we are certain the tips from Colin and Marco will help. Again, the mistakes sections are a must watch for these two and pay close attention to the hand and foot movements.

Marco Wedele.

Where can I buy? 

The GoPro with Colin and Marco DVD is available at a number of retailers as well as directly from their website here.

Want coaching in person?

Colin and Marco don’t just do DVDs, oh no you can also catch them at various locations around the world sharing their wisdom and getting to take your windsurfing to the next level.  A full itinerary of their clinics over 2013 can be found here. 

Boards Recommended Retailers:

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Boardwise

Quayside Windsurfers

Robin Hood Watersports

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Juice Boardsports

Tech Trial

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Andy Biggs 

Bray Lake

L.A.R. Watersports 

Puravida Boardriders

Wet n Dry Boardsports

4Boards 

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Want to join Colin and Marco in WA?

Colin Dixon and Marco Wedele of Windsurf Coaching are heading down under very soon, and we can confirm that they are coaching earlier in 2013! There’s a few dates throughout February, check the poster for full details.

The coaching duo will be taking to Perth and Lancelin beaches to coach both blasting and wavesailing to locals and those from further afield wishing to make the journey. Looks like a good excuse to head to WA if you ask us!

After this Colin and Marco will be touring around the UK and much of Europe on a non stop coaching tour, stops include: Tarifa, Morocco, Holland, Austria, Italy and many more!

You can find out all the details of the coaching clinics run by Windsurf Coaching here. 

Plus, over the winter why not brush up on your technique with the GoPro with Colin and Marco DVD? Click here for more info and to purchase. 

Just some of the products in this week's Eye Candy Wish List

Let’s face it, we all like a little bit of Eye Candy. Something to stare longingly at in the winter months to remind us of warm and windy times, or to prepare us for the next on water session. Here’s our top pick of awe inspiring, eye catching items which should be at the top of any windsurfers christmas list.

If you’re not spending as much time on the water over the winter as usual, it’s even more important to keep the windsurf moves ticking over in your mind, so let’s look at the top visuals for improving your skills.

Go Pro with Colin and Marco DVD

First up we have the Go Pro with Colin and Marco DVD (£29.95); this has been shot with five different camera angles to give you a real inside look at exactly how to do a whole range of moves from carve, duck and laydown gybes, through to 360s, body drags, loops and vulcans.

Colin Dixon.

Marco Wedele

Colin and Marco are both exceptional coaches with a lot of experience, which definitely comes across in this DVD.

To find out more about Go Pro with Colin and Marco head here.

Another top DVD collection to guide you through your windsurfing journey is Jem Hall’s trilogy (various £); whether your just starting out, getting to grips with freestyle or taking to the waves, Jem has it covered. Take a look at the trailers below and head on over to http://www.jemhall.com for all the info.

Tricktionary

Tricktionary (various £), as many of you may know, is another great way of learning a lot of windsurfing moves. From the very beginning right through to the most complex of manoeuvres, Tricktionary is the place to find all the info. Tricktionary is now available as a book, DVD, app and more, head here for full details.

But windsurfing of course is not all about watching specific instructional pieces, just watching the pros pull off truly incredible feats can be enough to inspire us to head onto the water. One of the best people at filming and producing movies for this very purpose is Andre Paskowski, we’ve all recently seen Rewarded, but remember Minds Wide Open (£24.00)? One of the stand of windsurfing movies of all time, and a great stocking filler too!

Check out the trailer below, and for more info on the filming, the team and what the movie is all about head here. 

Minds Wide Open Trailer from Andre Paskowski on Vimeo.

Stepping away from moving images to the printed variety, there are a lot of awesome windsurfing photos out there and some of the best have been chosen for a selection of 2013 calendars now on offer. The biggest, and potentially the best, are the 2013 Open/Shut windsurfing calendars (£19.99); one focussing on the UK breaks and the other going worldwide. These calendars take some of the best shots from PWA photographer John Carter and put them into a glossy, classy calendar which makes a nice addition to any windsurfers wall.

Check out the Open/Shut website for more images and full details of the calendars; alsocheck out this link for more details of other windsurfing calendars available for 2013.

Worldwide windsurfing calendar 2013

UK windsurfing calendar 2013

Whilst we’re talking about printed windsurfing images, it would be rude not to remind you that the Autumn Winter Wave Annual of Boards Magazine (£8.50 inclusive of p&p) is currently on sale too! Again this wil make a great stocking filler, especially for any wave head; with the Cloning of Koster, travel to southern America with Maui’s best, looking back at the evolution of wavesailing and much more more there is something for everyone in this 180 page publication. Check out more and where you can purchase right here. 

Contents close up, what are you looking forward to reading?

Boards Autumn/Winter Wave Annual 2012/13

Windsurf model

If you’re looking for a slightly more quirky christmas gift, then a windsurfing model could be just the ticket! In the past these resembled 1980′s style equipment, now however the models are made incredibly well and really look like miniature versions of real equipment! Perfectly placed on the mantel piece of any windsurfer, these models are produced and sold by a few companies, our top pick are the one’s from Boardwise.

We’re going to finish this weeks wish list with something a little different, and just for the ladies (well, we have seen men wearing them too actually!). Nalu Beads (various £) have come up with an original way of remember for favourite sessions at your favourite breaks.

Each bead is named after and inspired by a surfing break, pop the beads together on a bracelet, necklace or anklet and bring back memories of great surfing or windsurfing times what ever the weather; plus they look amazing too! Check out a couple of our favourites below, and for more info head to the Nalu Beads site here.

Hawaiian Islands

Gwithian

The Witterings

Boards recommends the following retailers for all your shopping needs. These retailers stock listed products along with a lot more christmas gift options.

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Boardwise

Quayside Windsurfers

Robin Hood Watersports

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Juice Boardsports

Tech Trial

_____________________________________________________________________

Andy Biggs 

Bray Lake

L.A.R. Watersports 

Puravida Boardriders

Wet n Dry Boardsports

4Boards 

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Club Vass kids

It was great to see so many familiar faces, especially the growing band of Club Vass kids who are definitely showing the way on the water!

Jim sums it up nicely…

“Thanks guys for another amazing two weeks at Club Vass, super windy, old friends, new friends, awesome instructors, great kit, super friendly bar and hotel staff, huge Global Rave & BBQ nights all captured (refreshingly) by Globalshot Pictures… Just gets better every year.“  Jim  (For more feedback check out http://www.clubvass.com/pages/what-you-said)

Colin in drag

Don’t forget to reserve your place early for next summer as it’s booking fast already.

And it’s your last chance for this summer – there are just a few places left for 30th September departure, at only £549 http://www.clubvass.com/pages/offers

We can’t wait to watch the DVD, but if you need a little more tempting here is Colin and Marco telling you all about what you can expect…

Hi Everyone!

It’s been an amazing summer so far…

Olympic Goddess

Olympic windsurfing medallist and competitor for London 2012 Bryony Shaw came to Club Vass for pre-Olympic ‘rest’ time. She generously passed on some top tips during the Speed Week clinics, then blasted everyone (including Whitey and Whippy) out of the water during our Wednesday slalom.  Best of luck Bryony from all of us at Club Vass – not that you need it!

Speed Week

Speed Week with the mighty Dave White and Club Vass All Stars Colin ‘Whippy’ Dixon, Adam Chubbuck and Jake Kibblewhite was a huge success. This year we had a mega group of over 36 ‘speeders’ including more ladies and teens than ever.  As Dave says, it’s all about feeling relaxed, comfortable and in control. It’s the sheer enjoyment of windsurfing, but the need for speed was also fulfilled! Look out for next year’s Speed Week dates – although we may have to re-think the name – so much more than speed.

Vass Mexican Wave

Club Vass were also part of the longest line of windsurfers in the world (see Boards News here). Over 230 boards took part, starting at the mountain and coming all the way down past our centre, smashing the world record. It was an awesome display – thanks to everyone who took part and donated money to the RYA cancer research appeal.

Sept Deals

There’s still time to catch the sun in Vassiliki with our great September deals -

£100 off all 2-week holidays, departing 2nd September and only £499 for all 1 week holidays departing 9th 16th, 23rd and 30th September, if booked before 31st July. All prices include flights from Gatwick, transfers, accommodation, windsurfing hire and tuition, mountain bikes, SUPs and kids’ clubs

Club Vass – Dahab

Make sure you get your full UV and wind quota for the year. Flights to Dahab are available now for your Autumn-Winter fix. It’s one of the best times to be there – perfect wind conditions and temperatures and of course the best kit and instruction at Club Dahab.

Club Dahab pioneered the way and once again we are the only British centre in Dahab. We are the only centre that includes the full  and fabulous Club Vass tuition and rental package in your holiday price. Egypt is still a good value destination – it’s cheap when you get there. But remember, flight prices do not get cheaper as you get closer to date, so book fast!

See you soon!

Tony & Roger

Bryony Shaw drops in at Club Vass