The layout for the RS-X Class Olympic Windsurfing is as follows:

You can read more about the olympic RS-X class on the official RS-X Windsurfing Website, where you can get to know the format, equipment used & stars of the events.

Checkout the official London 2012 website for more details about windsurfing & other Olympic events.

This is the first part of our how to windsurf guide that will give you the basic steps necessary to enjoy windsurfing.

So, summer is just around the corner (we all hope!) and its time to get out there and learn something new that will be good exercise, sociable and fun!

Part 1 of our guide talks you through the preparation required before you even get out there on the water. There are several steps, that if taken, will make your first windsurfing experience much smoother & more enjoyable.

1. Physical Preparation – Now a days it is fairly common knowledge in the sporting world that you need to prepare your body for the physical actions it is going to have to perform. The more physically prepared your body is the easier you will find the core actions required to learn to windsurf. For example, if you include some basic squats (no weights, just the action itself will be enough) in your pre-windsurf lesson training schedule, you will automatically find the action of pulling the windsurf sail out of the water (uphauling) much easier to perform.

2. Mental Preparation – You may have heard of the term visualisation and understand what it means but do you actually ever put it into practice? In sports, visualisation can really make ALL the difference when learning a new skill or move. The process is very straight forward, you just have to calm your mind and picture yourself going through the movement/skill you are trying to learn. This process literally programs the muscles in your body to do what they need to do and before you know it you will be completing the task at hand, windsurfing off into the sunset!

Seriously, by utilising the above visualisation techniques you WILL learn how to windsurf sooner and more effectively than without!

3. Take Windsurfing Lessons – taking lessons to be shown the actual step by step skills required to learn the basics of windsurfing, including uphauling, static 180 turns, sailing position, steering and if you are going to take a full beginners windsurfing course, how to windsurf upwind/tack & how to windsurf downwind/gybe. All these skills are very specific and detailed but if shown by an experienced instructor, you can learn them easily within the scope of a beginners windsurfing course. The money spent on taking proper windsurfing lessons is so worth it!

We so often see well meaning family members or friends trying to help others learn the basics of windsurfing, where the poor learner is making the same mistakes over and over again when all it would take is one small adjustment to get them windsurfing off across the bay!

4. Focused training with muscle memory – By breaking a skill/move down into its component parts and repeating them over and over at slow speed in a controlled environment is an amazing way to condition your body into achieving results. When you are actually out windsurfing there are a lot of factors at play (the wind, balancing on the board, holding onto the sail) and it can take much trial and error to eventually figure out what is going. With some muscle memory training, once you actually get out on the water your body will just go into auto pilot mode thanks to the repeated slow motion training you have been practicing over and over again on dry land.

At the Poole Windsurfing School we use a full motion on land windsurf simulator to get students practicing the exact same physical actions they will need to repeat once out on the water. Muscle memory training is an essential part of learning how to windsurf that everyone should practice if they want fast progression.

5. Set goals – As cheesy as it may be, setting achievable goals is a really good way to push your learning forwards to the next level. The goals you set have to be achievable otherwise the fun of learning just isn’t there anymore.

There you have it, a simple step by step process to follow, from preparing physically then mentally before taking windsurfing lessons with focused muscle memory training and finally pushing your progress by setting some achievable goals. If you follow the above steps, in order, then your introduction to the sport of windsurfing will be so much smother and your learning curve WILL go through the roof!

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They need your support to help increase sustainable, public access to the waves at Broad Bench, Kimmeridge, Dorset. If you want to help Please sign the petition and share it with as many friends as you can…

Free Broad Bench Petition Form

There aim is to reach reach 1,000 signatures.

Surfers Against Sewage are calling on the Ministry of Defence to review the current situation at the AFV Gunnery School, Lulworth Camp, Dorset where existing restrictions severely limit public access to one of the UK’s best recreational waves.

The Ministry of Defence has refused to meet with SAS to discuss improving public access to the area despite the latest requests to do so.

The wave, known as Broad Bench, is situated just within the firing range’s restricted outer limits. SAS believes there is a compromise that will allow full public access to Broad Bench whilst maintaining full use of the site for military exercises.

The unique coastal morphology and environment create surfing waves which are a jewel in the crown of British surfing, providing significant social, sporting, cultural and economic benefits for the local and wider communities. SAS are also fully supporting Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) proposed for the area as these aim to restrict exploitation such as development, drilling, fishing and mining extraction rather than exclude sustainable public access. These MCZ’s will help prevent irreversible change occurring to our precious coastline.

Sponsored by Starboard, Gaastra and Mystic Sarah is the current PWA Womens Freestyle Champion and looks set to stay that way for some time!

“This year I will be focusing on improving my waveriding and getting 100% the shakas, takas, goyters and frontside 360′s down, also all the jump, tweak push loops, backs, stalled forwards and if all goes well go on with the doubles.” – Pablo

Growing up with Pozo Izquierdo (Gran Canaria) as your home spot is a damn good way to guarantee that you are going to be up there with the best windsurfers in the world. With new sponsors Goya Windsurfing Pablo Bolanos is set to become a great windsurfer!

A few words from Pablo about how he got into windsurfing…
“I started windsurfing with 10 years old at Pozo Izquierdo. I dream of being a windsurfer since I remember, I grew up looking at the best in the world right outside my door still my cousins were the ones that introduce me to this amazing sport. I love the feelings that windsurfing bring to me, the freedom, happiness that I just can’t find in any other sport.”

He’s training hard in the Canary Islands, where many of the coming competitions will be held. Whilst putting in the hours training, he is also working closely with his windsurf sail sponsor, Point 7 Sails, developing their range of wave sails.

Adam is known for his BIG backloops (just watch the video below!), full power wave riding and no holds barred sailing.

Checkout this video portrait for a bit of background about Adam Lewis, his training and some words from his sponsors Point 7 Sails:

Who is Adam Lewis? from Bartek Jankowski on Vimeo.

Adam Lewis – ‘You can’t beat the feeling of heading out on the water with just a few of your mates. Im sure every windsurfer has had that feeling watching everyone trying to out do each other on every run, hooting and whooping when you see your mate pull off something cool. This winter has been fantastic in Tenerife it’s been so windy, it’s easy to get a little lazy about going sailing but this day definitely wasn’t one of them. The wind was really fluky all day and a lot of people had given up and gone home. I just had a feeling that this was one of those days you just have to wait and eventually it will turn good! Sure enough at around 5.30 the you could see a wind line just up by the harbour wall but nothing in the bay. The waves looked awesome and the funky wind line was whipping the tops off them. We had to swim about 200m just to be able to water start but as I got upwind on my first wave I knew all the waiting and swimming was worth it, the tide was really low so the wave was pretty hollow, the first hit totally caught me off guard I only meant to do a turn but as the lip threw over I got sent up into the air and looked down to see my mate just grinning at me. The whole session was like that just taking turns on the waves without a care in the world. Epic!!’

Adam Lewis has hit the world stage of windsurfing and has his eyes set on conquering the world title!