To finish off his expose on how the windsurfing body works, Simon Bornhoft summarises the key performance enhancing actions for you to try the next time you hit the water. Photos: WindWise / Karen Bornhoft
As we’ve illustrated throughout this BodyWise series, how we position and move our body has a huge impact on our potential. Our fitness, mobility and agility raise or restrict our game. You can ‘know’ how to blast, gybe or jump and repeat verbatim what you’re meant to do, but you still have to move that body! Our success is down to being physical and more determined than we think. But while there are times of concerted exertion, it’s technique and body mechanics rather than raw strength that enables us to make breakthroughs. Plus, if you’re not in the first flush of youth you need to make damn sure you’re using your body as best you can, otherwise board beats body every time!
While it’s quite common to blast back and forth in our comfort zone burning a few calories, we only truly advance when we make positive efforts to deliver the right forces at the right time. I know suggestions such as ‘flex the back leg and get low’ work, but it’s your accentuation and commitment in doing it that makes the difference. Thus, this feature is to motivate and remind you that simple points make the biggest difference. So get out there and give it a damn good go!
• Take this feature along to the beach
• Choose one of the points / themes and try applying it to the relevant situation
• Enjoy, accentuate and really believe in what you’re trying!
Whether this is for your light wind skills training, freeride, wavesailing or freestyle, these actions stand out time and time again as working for pretty much every level of windsurfer!
