NOHO Surf Balance Trainer with Bells, Bells on Soft Rope and Slackline as well as Pickpocketing Mannequin Dummy

Aloha Tribe

I was reading that there was a tightrope walker who trained when he was little by having bells put on his line by his father. That made me smile, because, as a pickpocket, I have a mannequin at home that I have loaded with bells and traps of all kinds in order to develop the soft touch of the Master Cannon.


That gave me the idea to put bells on my various soft ropes, slacklines, and tightwires. Now, the reason the young wire walker had bells on his was apparently so that his father would know that he was not only working the line, but also that he was safe. If the bells tinkled, that meant he was okay.


I, on the other hand, do the exact opposite with my pickpocketing mannequin. I try to make none of the traps spring nor none of the bells to ring.


So, my idea with my various walking lines is to do the same thing, string them with bells, then, work until I can walk anything without any bells ringing.


This then made me think of my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer. I have a wonderful net that I use for Retarius Gladitor type training (I love martial arts), and I can lay that over my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer and string the net with Christmas jingle bells of all sizes, shapes, and types. Then, as I practice my longboard surfing skills on my NOHO, the game will be, just like with my soft rope and my pickpocket dummy, to not make any noise. If I do, I lose and have to do the drill again. It makes the training a game, in a sense, where you have a very distinct goal to work for, namely perfect softness, gracefullness, and smoothness, which, is what I strive for in all of the various arts that I practice. For, I dream of beauty in each of these arts.


Bodaciously Stoked,


Lily of the Valley

Soft Rope Home Chores: Remo Williams style (movie)

Aloha Tribe,

I've set up various ropes, poles, logs, and tight wires in my home, to get from place to place, along with walking on tips and edges of furniture such as on their backs and chair arms and such, while I do my daily home chores as well as between training sessions, thus, I'm constantly training. Even while watching tv, mostly dvds about surfing, slacklining, high wire walking, and, of course, Remo Williams for the training scenes, I stand and walk on my tight wire training simulator.

My inspiration for this type of training comes from one of my favorite movies, Remo Williams, which, by the way, finally is out on dvd. The training sequences in the movie - which maybe run an hour perhaps, (always my favorite part of any movie) truly are not only really fun, but, also wildly creative  and, they work. That's the cool part. Well, that is to say, if you put in the time every day. That's the secret to surfing and soft rope  aka rope dancing it funambulist terminology, as well as low wire and high wire training, you must train daily, more so, you must be truly passionate about what you're doing if you hope to reach your potential.

So, my  home now looks sort of like Remo's warehouse did in that movie. At the moment, I was just washing and drying dishes and putting them away, all the while balancing on one of my manilla ropes strung across my kitchen, while walking about the kitchen on the rope.

I want to explore Italian hemp rope. It is the strongest type of hemp rope in the world. I truly love walking on hemp. I feel like I blend with it, harmonize with it, like it is a natural product for me to work with. It's kind of like the solid wood surfboard I'm making out in the barn, old school, they way things were done. The board, by the way, is coming along. I have it glued. Next, the shaping and sanding.

In the Chinese style of Single Rope Rope Penestrating Arts", you use a loosely hung rope, manilla, seems to be an excellent choice. Start with a larger diameter, like 2 inches, and work down to 1 1/2", 1", and perhaps possibly even 3/4".

This is a called a Shaolin Soft Rope Art,

Also from China, in the Xinjiang region in the NW, the type of rope that appears to be walked on looks like 1 inch hemp rope (China is a major producer of hemp). The art here is called Dawaz, which is a Uygur word for tightrope walker. The art of walking a rope, from here, is over a 1000 years old.

Some other words for a tightrope walker are Voleur, Ascensioniste, and Funambule. These words are talked about in Philippe Petit's excellent book On The High Wire. Also from Philippe's book, he gives the definitions of rope walking, namely,

1. Rope Dancer - one who walks, dances or performs on a low hung rope, a few meters above the ground. The rope can be tight or slack or even be loose. A modern slackliner would fit into this category.

2. Low  Wire Artist - Someone who walks on a wire made of some sort of metal that is tightly hung only a few meters high.

3. High Wire Artist - A person who walks a very tightly strung wire, at height over 30 feet. He also uses a balancing pole for balance.

For surfing practice, any of these styles of walking would work, of course, though I suspect that most people would probably stick with Rope Dancing, specifically slacklining, typically probably 3 to 7 feet or so high, I'd imagine.

Naturally, of course, there is a radically different feel to walking something loose vs. slack. vs. tight. Each, offers it's challenges.

As a person interested in balancing arts, thus, as an Equilibrist, it's great to learn it all, and, all at once.

So, I include solid stationary objects like rocks, branches, limbs, roots, curbs, fences, truck beds, rooftops, and so on in my play and experimentation. Once I get this down, just as with surfing where I'm drawn to big waves, I am drawn to the high wire. Yet, I love the feel of manilla, and, I dream of hemp rope. So, we'll have to see how this all plays out over time. The thing is, both have traditional and historical ties to rope walking. Hemp, comes from the cannabis plant family (cannabis sativa), while manilla comes from a type of banana plant called abaca. Manilla, while called hemp today by most people, is also about 20% stronger than hemp, it is cheaper than hemp, and, it is much easier to find than hemp rope of equal size, especially when you're looking for the larger sizes like 2 inches in diameter or so. That being said, there are some places on the web that have 1 1/2 hemp rope or about 38 mm diameter. Now then, Italian hemp rope, well, that's a quest, it seems. And, a worthy one. Perhaps someone can help me? I'm looking for somewhere between an 1 1/2 (38mm) and 2 inches (about 50 mm diameter hemp rope) for my walking, and thus, my surfing training.  One of the challenges, it seems, with acquiring hemp rope, is that the U.S. Government  under the Drug Encorcement Administration, and the Controlled Substance Act has a Zero Tolerance for hemp even as merely a rope for rope walkers, and does not seem to differentiate the various types of hemp or Cannabis. Interestingly enough, hemp rope because less popular than manilla because hemp required tarring when used at sea on ships, whereas manilla did not. Will my dreams of having and walking an Italian hemp rope materialize? Time will tell. But, in the meantime, I have my hemp manilla rope.


Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Balance Endurance: Getting ready for 8 mile railroad track walk

Aloha Tribe,

I have a non-operating (most of the time) railroad track near my home. I want to increase my balance skills endurance, so, I've been training myself to walk on the tracks from one small town to the next a distance of 4 miles, and then back again to where I started, for a total of 8 miles.

When I first started walking on railroad tracks, I'd fall off now and again and have to momentarily place one or the other foot down. But, as I've been practicing on various diameter ropes, pipes, tree roots, bridge railings, fences, tree branches, rocks (of all sizes and shapes), and wires, ranging from about a 1/2 inch to 2 inches in diameter, I found that my railroad track walking balance has greatly improved, as has my endurance and concentration to stay on the tracks without falling.

One of my goals is to always look ahead as far as possible. There is a tendency, to watch ones feet or near the feet, but, by looking out, a distance, it aids surfing in that to surf well, you need to watch the wave and the water ahead of you, thus, this type of training greatly benefits and develops this skill.

It's taken a bit of focus and a lot of daily training night and day, but I'm finally starting to notice some progress in my slacklining (where the line can sway side to side), tight wire walking (where there is no swaying), and pole walking, where the pole can sway side to side as well as forwards and backwards (this one is the hardest for me so far).

I'm finding that the more I walk, the more I yearn to walk. And so, training leads to visualizing training, which leads to more training in an endless spiral of mental and physical workouts.

At this point, I'm starting to play with my body a bit, while balanced. I'll shift a hip here or there. Or tense a particular muscle to see what happens, and, how to recover from it. And, I'm rigid with my diet, trying to get as lean and ripped as possible.

Slowly, things are starting to pay off, though, I am but at the very beginning of my journey. Naturally, I want to take all that I learn on the ropes and wires, limbs and rocks, rooftops and rails, and bring it to my surfing. I had not mentioned rooftops yet, walking the peaks fascinates me as an art form.

This art is endless in its depth, for, by using Chi Gung as the root behind it all, there are unimagineable experiences to explore.

Much of my training is based on the  Shaolin martial arts and chi systems. As such, I have turned my home and yard into what looks like the training sequences from old Chinese Martial Arts movies.

I am working night and day on this, even at night, doing drills like vision training with candles, as well as vision training during the day of still objects and also moving ones. Such visual training greatly enhances a surfers abilities in reading the waves while riding them, as well as in spotting distant waves while in the line up.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Soft Rope Penetration Walking: 2", 1" 1/2" Manilla Rope and Tight Wire

Aloha Tribe,

I've been doing a lot of Soft Rope Penetration Chi Gung and tightwire walking and last night I noticed my Tibialis Anterior, the muscle that goes over the shin bone and down to the big toe, needed some strengthening, due to my lifelong living barefoot and if flip flops almost totally.

In any event, I spent Saturday evening, plus most of the night, and early this morning working on these muscles, and, now, there has been some truly beautiful improvements in my muscle control and balance. I felt a steadienss I've not previously had on both my 2 inch maniila rope and also my 1 inch manilla rope as well as my tight wire. I feel, stoked, blessed, and, stunned.

This morning, due to uncountable hours of training last night, I was a bit stiff for a few minutes when I first awoke, but Chi Gung instantly took care of that.

So, when I did my balance training today for my surfing, well, I felt, really solid. And, happy.

This is so exciting. I'm so happy I literally twirled. A bit of Tibialist Anterior work, some Chi Gung, and wham, a new rope walking girl!!! I can so hardly wait until tomorrow to see what tomorrow brings.

Oh, and, as for the surf today, instead of the predicted Triple Overhead, it was Double Overhead, still Closed Out, as predicted, but that's what surfing is like here. So, no worries. After all, surf is surf and waves stoke, no matter the conditions. At least I can dream of the Triple and higher Overheads waves to come. And, come they will. Oh yes.  I'm so stoked.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

The Forgotten Balance Muscle: Surfing, Slacklining, Soft Rope Walking, Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting, Log Rolling

Aloha Tribe,

I've been training my balance a lot lately, refining it, tweaking it, kicking in the ass to truly hone it to perfection. And, in the process, I've been pondering the ever so slight leg wobble. Now, well, I had figured it was simply my knees needing strengthening or my hamstrings, or whatevers. And, I simply continued doing the above Sports and Arts and noticing daily improvments and even session improvements.

Yet today, for whatever reason, at a grocery store of all places, I happened to look down at my flip flopped feet (I almost never wear shoes, and, am barefoot whenever I can be). My attention was caught by the ever so minute tremble of the muscle that lies over the shin, crosses across the foot from the outside of the leg to the inside of the leg, and, running to the top of the big toe. Viola, the Tibialis Anterior.

As it turns out, this is THE muscle known for balance. And, if you happen to live your life barefoot like I have for a huge majority of my life, walking on the ball of my foot rather than the heel, then, the muscles that is antagonistic to this, the Tibialis Posterior (on the back side) would be disproportionately stronger.

Hey, I"m  not talking a major difference in strength between the two, but, there is enough of a difference in me for this wobble I've mentioned. And, seeking balance perfection, I now know what to do.

Increase my walking in a straight line using tight wire walking, Soft Rope Walking, and slacklining, as well as walking along curbs, cracks, and any other line I happen to find, always keeping both feet on the line, one at a time,  beyond the 6 hours a day I'm currently doing them, and, of course, in surfing, focus on my backside turns more than frontside turns. In a backside turn, you pressure down with your heel, which, is the move needed to strengthen this muscle.

It will be interesting to see how this muscles strengthens with my increased efforts and more so, deeper awareness.

Naturally, I'll also be using Chi Gung to strengthen the Tibialis Anterior, namely by guiding Chi using a combination of Wai Chi and Nei Chi exercises,  done at an extremely slow Tai Chi speed, adding to the fun by listening to hippy style 60's music for the rhythmic flow.

Slowly, one by one, I'm pinning down these weak muscles, like the psoas the other day, and, adding them to my repetoire of flexing workouts.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

The Secret to Surfing Balance

Aloha Tribe,

I've been thinking a lot about balance lately. Training night and day, sometimes, even sleeping an hour or two here or there. And, as I've been exploring what's happening inside my bodies muscles, I've also been following my chi flow.

And, I found a secret. At least, for me. And, ultimately, that's really all that any of us can do, namely, find what works for us.

I mentioned earlier that I built a Tight Wire Trainer for tighrope walking today, and, I've spent countless hours on it today and this evening.

I've been studying my balance, on my new training equipment.

And I found that the secret seems to be flexing or tightening your psoas major and also your iliacus muscles. These are located on the front of your hips, sort of on the outside front actually.

By flexing these muscles, as well as flowing chi into them, I found that my balance on my tight wire trainer instantly improved 100%.

The first time I did it, I simply flexed the muscles, that is to say, I merely noticed that they were flexed as I walked on the thin steel pole. But, once I realized what muscles were involved, I was immediately able to use Nei Dan Chi Gung to mentally guide my energy or chi through those muscles.

In the field of tighrope or tightwire walking, the masters of the art say that one needs to flatten out the arch of the lower back. There are numerous ways to do this, the simplest being a game called Trap the Mouse. In it, you lay on the floor and have a friend place their hand under the arch of your back, and, at their chosing, they try to draw their hand away, while you try to straighten out your back and trap their hand. It's a fun game. Of course, it can be done alone, standing against a wall, for example.

In any event, the masters of the high wire say that the key to balance is in this movement. Thus, hip flexion, in other words, lifting your knee towards your chest.

Now, as it relates to balance, at least for me, the mere slightest energy or chi flow into the muscle, without actually flexing it, is enough to alter my bodies balance, thus, enabling me to remain casually standing balanced upon my tightwire.

Transferring this idea to surfing, such flexing of these muscles is enough to allow one to play with their balance upon their board. This then frees up the dramatic and even extreme body movements of shifing your entire weight in any given direction.

Granted, this might not work for most, but, I wanted to share it since it seems to be working for me. It was a truly wildly fun discovery tonight, and, I'm looking forward to an evening of exploration regarding degrees of tension, chi flow direction, chi density, chi temperature, chi movement patterns such as spiraliing, circling, zigzagging, or going straight, and so on.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Portable Home Made Tight Wire Trainer (Tightrope Walking) for Surfing Training

Aloha Tribe,

Today I made a fun piece of training equipment. I built a Tight Wire Trainer for practicing Tightrope Walking.

I got...

1. Two sections of 5 foot long 1 inch diameter steel pipe (to walk on)

2. Four  Tee sections (like a letter T) - used to connect the walking pipe to the base and the base to the legs

3.  Four one foot sections of 1 inch diameter steel pipe (as legs)

and, the following for making various height adjustments...

4. Two two inch connection sections of steel pipe

5. Two 4 inch connection sections of steel pipe

6. Two 6 inch connection sections of steel pipe

7. Two one foot connection sections of steel pipe

Everything  simply screws together in a matter of minutes, so I can take this anywhere such as parks, friends homes, the beach, wherevers. For the most part, it sits on the floor in the Surfing Room of my home so that I can use it anytime day or night.

When I'm not out surfing of course, I've been using a variety of slacklines, slack ropes or soft ropes, swinging poles, and similar things for practicing outdoors (in my yard, by the creek, by the river, in the mountains, in parks, at the beach, and anyplace else I might want to work on my balance. I always, at the very least, have a 50 foot section of 1/2 inch manilla rope in my orange VW Bug wherever I go, so, I'm always able to set up a Soft Rope in a moments notice for training my surfing balance.

But, with this new piece of equipment tonight, I don't have to be concerned about the rain or snow or ice. Granted, the ropes and such can still be set up in them, but, well, it's nice when the weather is intense, to practice inside by a nice warm fire. And, since I live in the middle of the woods, in a swamp, there's mountain lions, bears, bobcats, and similar animals prowling my property all the time, so training inside is a bit safer when it's dark.

One of my favorite places to train is out in the loft above the garage, with a single candle illuminating the room. The double wide barn loft doors swung wide 20 feet above the ground to the open air,

I'm happy with my Tight Wire Trainer. It'll be a great way to practice tightrope walking. Once I get a real wire and all of the rigging, of course, that will be awesomely fun too.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Fish Taco Surfer's Quest: The Beginning...

Aloha Tribe,

It just occurred to me, wouldn't be awesomely fun to go on a Fish Taco Surfer's Quest. You know, find the best Fish Tacos and see which breaks they are at. It would make for some truly yummy research and totally bodacious waves, not to mention great sessions Talking Story at each break of past fish tacos and the best rides.

Most surfer's, I would imagine, would find the breaks first, then, hunt out the fish tacos. I was thinking it would be fun to do it the other way around. Find the best fish tacos, and then, the breaks. That way, the fish tacos become the true reason for some of the most memorable surfing rides of ones dreams.

So, for me, the quest goes back to the north coast of Kauai. They have incredibly killer fish tacos out there, truly worth a flight to the Islands for the fish tacos alone, let alone riding Middles, which is my favorite break on Hanalei Bay. For me, a break isn't about the perfect wave or the perfect size or who thinks what about this break or that break, but instead, it's all about the memories and the feelings that I still have to this moment. Just thinking of my rides at Middles right now, dreaming of the perfect fish taco afterwards following the perfect ride (a time stopped Acid Drop leading to Spinning Pearl into a Reverse 180, followed by a spontaneously modified Hawaiian Pull Out still has me smiling, with twinkling blue eyes and a rumbling tummy.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Developing Surfer's Leg and Bun Muscles from Soft Rope Chi Gung Training

Aloha Tribe,

Not only is being a surfer just the greatest lifestyle on Earth, but, looking like a surfer is kind of cool too. Naturally, we develop surfer's bodies from surfing. But, there are additional things one can do, if, you happen to want to further the look of the muscles that really count.

In surfing, balance, of course, is key. And, strong balance comes from strong legs and buns of steel. So, here's one fun way to not only work on balance as a supplemental training to your surfing program, but also to get some way totally cut muscles.

The muscles I'm specifically talking about are really  being developed on me from my intensive Soft Rope Chi Gung training.

These are the muscles that are really taking some beautiful shape.

On the inside of the legs, to the side of the calf, is the medial side of the Soleus. I've never seen it developed in anybody else, so I think its pretty awesome.  And, on the outside of the hip is the Gluteus Medius. The Gluteus Medius is particularly exercised in walking tightropes, slacklining, slack ropes, and all movements involving the outside of the hips, giving really beautifully rounded muscles in the hips.

In addition, the Gluteus Maximus (the buns), the Rectus Femoris, Vastus Medialus, Vastus Lateralis, and Biceps Femoris , and the Gastrocnemus, are all truly worked because of the squatting of the legs and the focusing the weight on your rear foot. In surfing, it's the rear foot that does most of the work, while the front foot more or less mostly steers.

As I practice my balancing, I'm trying to keep my arms relaxed, this, balancing for Soft Rope Chi Gung using my hips, legs, and feet.

The feet, by the way, are the other area that are incredibly worked out while while slackling and slack roping. Developing these muscles provides truly unique ways to experience your board beneath your feet as your surf, giving you power you've never even imagined with all parts of the underside of your foot and toes.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Da Mo (Buddha) Chi Gung Style Surfing the Yangtze River Over a Thousand Years Ago

Aloha Tribe,

In 520 AD, a surfer appeared. The person was Da Mo, also known as Buddha. One day he was at the Yangtze River and he had to cross it. He borrowed a reed from an older woman, stepped on the reed with both feet, and floated into the river. Then, he called forth the wind, which blew him across.

That is a common story and the subject of numerous paintings in China.

Da Mo taught a special type of Chi Gung (Qigong), of which one branch of it was Duckweed Drifting On Water, a form of Light Body Chi Gung or Kung Fu.

There are not too many more details than this, yet, if one were to contemplate the style, some elements of the story and some of the ways to achieve them are indeed possible. Naturally, personally, I believe the whole story.

First, the Yangtze River sometimes grows huge colonies of a plant called Duck Weed. This is a sort of small leaved plant that covers the surface of the water. There are also, by the way, huge groves of Moso  Bamboo along the Yangtze River.

Now then, Da Mo was described as borrowing a reed. Well, bamboo could be thought of as a reed, in fact, there even is a species of bamboo called Reed Bamboo (Oclandra Stridula). Da Mo was said to have taught Duckweed Drifting. This is the art I've been sharing a bit of lately. It involves ways to make the body sensitive enough to move lightly and gracefully. This is done through sequential exercises, beginning with strengthening the legs and hips through walking hills with a heavily  weighted sack on your back and is followed with the various exercises I talked about before, leading up to Soft  Rope Walking, which involves walking on a slack tight rope. Now then, I've also talked lately about Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting where you learn to stand on a single bamboo pole and paddle or push yourself across water using a second smaller bamboo pole.

It is possible, for someone skilled in the art of Light Body Kung Fu to learn to move more lightly as they gain mastery of their art. As such, one could, with huge amounts of practice,  learn to ride a smaller and smaller Bamboo Drifting pole just as lumberjacks learn to roll smaller logs (where they begin with a 12 foot long, 15 inch diameter log, then move to a 14 inch, then a 13 inch, a 12 inch, and finally an 11 inch log). The point is, as you get more skilled, you can learn to ride smaller logs, or, in this case, smaller bamboo poles.

On top of this, add some Duckweed into the river and you could ride on an even smaller pole since the Duckweed would  had bouyancy to the pole.

So, about the wind, it is a Chi Gung method that is know by some masters. Basically, it involves a form of Nei  Gung or mental Chi Gung ability, where you focus your energy using your mind.  In a case like this, you need to have mastered both projecting and absorbing chi. More so, you need to do this with extreme focus. By focusing on absorbing chi from a distance, into the palm of your hand, lets say your left hand, you can create a sort of void around you that needs to be filled with yang energy, thus, wind comes. This wind will flow toward your palm, and, can be directed out of your other palm in the opposite direction.  Sure, this sounds seemingly impossible, yet, someone like the Buddha could clearly do this.

The key to it is to absorb chi into your palm from a large geographical area. This involves also the ability to spiral chi or energy. This same method of calling the wind, by the way, can also call waves for surfing.

Using these methods, it is possible that someone, truly gifted in these kinds of arts could, in theory, ride on a rather smallish reed of some sort and be blown across a river by the wind.

Frustratingly,  Western Science tends to see things differently, and the arts and sciences of the East are only just barely beginning to be explored. The future is truly thrilling, for along with such knowledge comes whole new ways of looking at surfing, in other words, truly innovative techniques await our discovery.

The cool part of this story is that, at the very least, it provides a fun and interesting way to imagine how such an event could happen.

So, given all of this, it truly inspires me to continue my explorations into the Light Body Kung Fu style of  Duckweed Drifting On Water as well as Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting.

This weekend, possibly today even, I'll bring my moso bamboo pole to the river to see how it floats and holds my weight. I only have to apply the coconut oil to finish the waterproofing stage, then it will be ready. I just took the excess mud and ash off  once the pole dries in the sun, then I'll apply the coconut oil. If I make it to the river today, while there,  I'll keep my eyes out for a lumberjack type log for practicing log rolling on as well. Surfing the river sounds truly fun, and, wildly Watergirl.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Dú Zhú Piǎo- Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting, Suspended Pole Balancing, and Birling: Ancient Chinese and American Timber versions of Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

Today, I waterproofed my Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting (Dú Zhú Piǎo) pole using Hawaiian wood surfboard methods.

The poles used in this art, by the way, for the Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting have a length that is typically between about 5 - 9 inches in diameter (averaging 6 to 6 1/3 inches diameter) and 12 to 24 foot long, depending upon your body weight and how you want to ride the pole, whether you like it fully submerged, partially submerged, or completely floating on top of the water when you are on it.

I mixed up a combination of ashes (from various trees, tree saps,  and nuts) with mud, and I covered the pole. Now, I am lettiing it dry. Tomorrow, I'll apply coconut oil over the entire pole. Then, every time I surf on it, I'll apply more coconut oil after each session.

I spent most of my day practiced balancing on my Suspended Pole from the Treading on Soft Rope program I am studying. It is, tremendously more difficult than balancing on a slackline because the movements are so much more dynamic with incredibly wide swaying motions. But, I'll get the knack of it eventually with enough training and practice.

I also inquired about log rolling (Birling), from a log rolling school and supply shop. I so hope to hear back from them soon. I figured, that what with me living in the NW, it seemed like a sport that a Watergirl should be familiar with, after all, it certainly will enhance my surfing awareness, timing, rhythm, and balance, along with speed and strength.

Tomorrow, I plan to put the coconut oil on the Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting pole, after the mud and ashes are fully dried, and then, I'll take it down to the river for a bit of a surf. It should be interesting to see what happens, and, I'm truly rather stoked about the whole thing. Oh, and, while I'm down at the river, I'll keep my eyes out for a log for birling. I read about the dimensions today. Something about 12 foot long and roughly 12 inches in diameter should do the trick, of course, since my goal with the birling log is merely for my own balance practice, I won't be having a second person on the log like you would with the sport of log rolling, thus, a 12 foot long 6 or 7 inch diameter log, should, in theory, work fine. I'll find out. Regardless, it'll be fun to ride the Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting pole in the river and local lakes, as well as to find a log and try it in the wilder parts of the river - sort of river surfing logger style, tipping my red wool tuque hat to logging tradition and history, winter is on its way, after all.


Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Triple Overheads Coming This Weekend

Aloha Tribe,

So, if all goes well, we'll have some beautiful triple overheads this weekend. Sure, they be closed out, but, well, that just goes with the territory. Here, you learn to play in such surf.

It'll be a great weekend for surfing as well as rough ocean swimming. In fact, some Coastal Swimming will also be awesome. Coastal Swimming is when you swim as close as possible to extreme environmental features such as rocks, jetties, piers, and such. It offers tremendous challenge because precise swimming is required. It is, of course, an extreme sport and conditioning tool, practiced, by few. In fact, while I am sure there are tons more, personally, I only know of three who do it. Myself, and two surfing legends on the North Shore.

This will be a great weekend to bring my Swiss Ball to the sea. Basically, it's an air filled ball, about 3 foot in diameter. You swim out with it into the largest swells you can find, and, the game is that you have to hold onto the ball at all times. It's an elite form of big wave surfing training, taught to me big wave surfing legend, my Surfing and Watergirl mentor,  Darrick Doerner (DD). If you drop the ball, you lose. That's how the game is played. The idea is that the huge air filled ball will float and bounce in the waves, and thus, truly send you flying (while maintaining your grip on the ball at all times - that's the challenge of it), so that you actually end up flying through the air much further, higher, and more aggressively, than if you were swimming or surfing. As such, it teaches you how to fall safely while truly getting trounced in monster waves.

I love swimming in rough seas, seeing it, as my backyard, in a sense. My goal is to truly  learn to feel at home in the highest, wildest seas possible in order to use such training for Rescue Swimming work.

I hope all works out this weekend as it currently looks, and, with my plans. It'll be awesome to stretch the muscles a bit.

Assuming I can indeed go, I'll bring my monofin and Rocket fins also to further expand and develop my Watergirl training.

While the waves don't sound like they'll be much for graceful mirrored face riding, they will be super for whitewater practice, which, I've always seen as an art in itself, that few truly love. It seems we all tend to look for those mystical perfect waves, and, yet, the waves are as they are, so why not learn to embrace and play in everything.

Quite frankly, from a surfing perspective, the waves here in the wilds rather suck, but, it is what it is, and thus, one simply learns to love it. So, when it comes down to it, we all have what we have, and, making the best of it is all we can do. When we release ourselves to this, we can find art in anything.

Bodaciously  Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Ancient Chinese Rope Walking for Surfing, Slackrope Walking, Slacklining, and Balance Training

Aloha Tribe,

I'm studying an ancient Chinese rope walking form of Kung Fu, to improve my surfing. The art is called Treading on Soft Rope. Rope Walking is an art that goes back about 2000 years to the Han Dynasty.

It has several phases to the training.


                   Treading On Soft Rope.

This art is an internal art, like Tai Chi, Baqua, Hsing-Yi, or Liuhebafa (all of which I've studied), and, is rooted in Chi Gung, also spelled Qigong.

There are several phases to this ancient and traditional style of Kung Fu.

Phase 1. You wear a heavy backpack or gunny sack and run over uneven ground with holes and bumps and such. This art is a form of Rock Running. It teaches one to pay extreme attention to detail for foot placement and balance.

Phase 2. Suspended Pole Walking. You take a bamboo pole, mine is 12 foot long and 2 inches in diameter, and suspend it at each end from two trees, so that it swings, kind of like a giant long swingset, in a way. You walk on this suspended pole. The idea is that you train on it until the pole does NOT sway at all.

Phase 2 part a. Vat Walking. You get a large vat or barrel, mine is an old wine barrel, and you traditionally  set 7 of them up , currently, I only have 3. You more or less  place them within stepping disance of each other, and you fill them with water or whatever. Then, you walk on top of the barrels on their edges, since, they have no tops on them. Every day or so you take a bucket of water out of each barrel which makes them, over time, lighter, and thus, more tippy. With 7 barrels, or even 3 for that matter, you can have all kinds of walking patterns of circles, clockwise, counterclockwise, semi-circles, and so on.

    part b. Leave No Footprints On Snow. You get a pile of very loose sand, about a foot deep, or, you do this at the beach, and, you cover the area with leaves. Then, you walk on top of the single layer of leaves with the idea of leaving NO footprints in the sand. I have a nice sand pile about 20 foot square outside next to my Gypsy Vardo - a 19th century styled  Gypsy horse drawn wagon that I built, that one can live in.

     part c. Rope Running. You tie a 31.8 foot rope around yourself and let it drag out behind you and train yourself to sprint, like a sprinter, until you can run with the rope completely floating  in the air and totally straight out behind you as you run.

Phase 3. You take two bamboo stakes, and pound them into the ground. My takes are 6 foot long and I bury them 4 foot.. Then, you take a manilla rope, mine is 1 inch diameter. I also have a 1/2 inch that I want to learn on, and you tie the rope between the two stakes so that it is sort of like a slackrope or slackline. Then you walk on that until it does not sway.

Phase 4. You go to a river, I live on a creek and the river is about a mile away, and, you tie a rope from one side of the river to the other, onto trees. I'll be using my manilla rope. The river, I have not measured, but probably is about 300 or more foot across, I imagine. Then, the final test it to walk the full length of the rope without falling in.

Phase 5 . The last phase, never really ends, because you always use something smaller and lighter. It is called Treading on Duckweed Across the Water. It starts, as an art called Single Bamboo Pole Drifting or dú  zhú piǎo  or 独 竹 漂. It comes from the Wujiang drainage area of the northern Guizhou Province. In it, you get a 6 to 6 1/3  inch diameter, 12 to 24  foot long piece of Moso bamboo. This acts as your "boat," in a sense. You stand on this in the water. You also use a pole, mine is 12 foot long, one inch Tonkin bamboo and is used to push yourself or pole or paddle yourself across the river, sort of a Chinese version of SUP (Stand Up Paddle) surfboard. With this art, you start on the large Moso bamboo pole, then gradually get a smaller and smaller one, and also a thinner piece of bamboo, until it, ultimately is simply a flat reed. Moso bamboo grows primarily in Zhejiang Province in SE China. It grows to about 6 inches in diameter and roughly up to 90 feet tall. It actually can grow up to 3 feet in one day!!!, thus, making it truly filled with awesomely bodacious amounts of Chi. Not only do you float, paddle, and practice balance on the Du Zhu Piao Single Bamboo Pole Drifting pole, but you also practice a form of Chi Gung called Taoist Yoga on it. In many ways, this is similar to Indian styled Yoga, only it is more Yin based or softer with more focus on what happens internally in your body, as such, personally, I feel it is a much healthier and more beautiful art. I'd imagine, in half a year to a year, with the popularity of SUP Stand Up Paddleboard paddling that is going through the surfing world, that people on SUPs will begin doing Yoga as a form of balance training on an unsteady platform, in this case, an extra thick surfboard type craft. Of course, since I prefer Chinese style, I'll stick to Old School style of practicing yoga, that is, Taoist Yoga, on a floating bamboo pole, which, I must say, is much harder than SUP by far!!!


All of these exercises, put together, make up this particular style of slack rope walking.  And, as I see it, they all relate directly to surfing in that they teach balance, foot control, agility, strength, flexibility, and grace and beauty, all in a fun and rather unique way to train. As you can see, I find the history and traditions and such of an art like this truly fun to do and replicate. You'd all love my yard, by the way, where I am making all of this training equipment. In a way, it looks right out of a Chinese martial arts movie where the hero builds a bunch of traditional and primitive training equipment to train on while he gets ready to fight the villain in the final part of the movie.

This method, is an ancient Chinese method of rope walking from the Hubei Province area of China in the NW.

Many of these training methods come from a book called 72 Consummate Arts Secrets Of The Shaolin Temple by Wu Jiaming.  I have added my own interpretations and materials to the arts in the book based on my experience in Chi Gung and in surfing, as well as to fit the environment where I live, while trying to stick as closely as possible to the traditional Chinese methods of practice.



Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Rock Running, Rock Balancing, Rock Surfing Tai Chi and Rock Chi Gung for Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

One of my favorite training exercises that I was taught by my Watergirl mentor is Rock Running. In it, you find an area with a lot of large rocks or boulders, at least large enough for perhaps the ball of your foot to land on, and, perhaps up to a foot or several feet in diameter. Basically like what you can find on the North Shore of Oahu near Alligators, or, quite frankly, like I am so blessed to have right in my yard down by the creek. What I was taught was that you actually run, by leaps, bounds, and springs, from rock to rock, as quickly as you can. This being the  case, it helps to have someone with you to make it a race in that you can push each other in this method. This method teaches your to overcome fear, to pay extreme attention to details such as positioning, to learn to slow down time, to increase agility, flexibility, and speed, yet, it does require total attention for it can be extremely dangerous.

Rock Balancing is my own version of this, where I basically simply stand still on one or two rocks, while maintaining my balance for as long as possible, allowing my muscles in my torso or core to develop, as well as the muscles of my legs and buns. Holding a position like this, using the concepts behind the Chig Gung practice of Zhan Zhoung, one might hold a single position for an hour or more. During this time, when you first begin, you use muscular effort to do this, trying, of course, to relax as much as possible. With time and experience, you learn to hold positions that would lead quickly to muscular failure, by circulating your bodies energy or chi (qi) through your muscles, using your mind to guide the energy. Naturally, there are a series of exercises leading up to this method, and, quite frandly, even holding a stationary position, especially with your arms raised as though you were surfing or slacklining, will have most people reaching muscle fatique in minutes. It takes time to learn to hold a position still for over an hour, let alone several hours.

This advanced form of Rock Balancing, is actually, what I call Rock Chi Gung, since, to do it properly requires the ability to manipulate your chi to various parts of your body at will. This skill, by the way, while seemingly irrelevant to surfing, has tremendous surfing applications, as well as direct applications for virtually any sport such as  skateboarding, snowboarding, slackliining, slackrope walking, and tighrope walking.

Rock Surfing Tai Chi basically involves movement imitating surfing movements, while, balanced on rocks. Or, on tree roots or tree limbs, for that matter (both are also favorites of mine). With this exercise, you simply get into a surfing stance that you like, then, imagine yourself, in extreme slow motion, at Tai Chi speed, which basically means moving more or less as slowly as you can, you shift your body from one surfing body position to another, such as going from a Backside Turn to a Frontside Turn to a Drop Knee Cutback.

All of these exercises can essentially be done on anything, from rocks and branches and boulders and roots, to urban environmental applications (also my favorites), such as curbs, guardrails, handrails, pointed roofs on buildings, posts, poles, fences, horizontally suspended chains and ropes, to virtually anything you'd find in an urban environment. I see this as a new art form, and, a new sport of my own creation. In a way, it's sort of like urban skateboarding, only, without the skateboard, and, at a stationary or very slow moving pace, with positions held up to several hours.

The reason you move slowly, or, remain still, by the way, is to not only learn to build up your chi in your body, but also, you learn how to circulate it to any part of your body for injury healing, increased endurance and speed, and even increased strength, flexibility, and agility.

While this form of training seems to be rather paradoxical for action board sports such as surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding, the thing is, the more you do it, the better any of these sports will be for you to do, opening secret doors unimagined, and, leading to unlimited potential and limitless boundaries.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Taco del Mar Fish Tacos and Homemade Fish Tacos: The Perfect Surfer's Diet

Aloha Tribe,

Well, in another month, it'll be a year since I've started this blog, though, not a year since I began surfing, which actually started in about January or so with my new Christmas present Robert August Wingnut longboard. In any event, I have been living, more or less, for the last year and a half on my Surfer's Diet, aka: Fish Taco Diet.

Basically, I try to eat one or two fish tacos a day, and, some fruit, namely, papayas, pineapple, and mangoes. Sure, I can't stick to that exclusively in that friends come over, we go out to dinner, or whatevers, but, for the most part, that's it.

I totally ove the fish tacos from Taco del Mar, I think they do a truly awesome job making them, in fact, it would be so cool to be the Taco del Mar fish taco surfer girl, if such an awesome position was available, for I'd love to represent them as a Surfer and Watergirl in a heartbeat. I always get my fish tacos from there with everything, plus, extra extra jalepenos, yes, that's double extra. I love the heat of chilies, especially jalepenos and habaneros. I typically try to eat about 8 to 12 jalepenos and about 5 habaneros a day.

If I don't have a Taco del Mar fish taco, I simply make my own. Here's how.

I almost always use Mahi Mahi.

I'll get a half pound or so, and, marinate it in a combination of tequilla and citrus juice, along with cilantro, chipolte, and Mexican oregano.

1/2  pound Mahi Mahi
1 shot tequilla - I personally love Jose  Cuervo Gold Tequilla
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
handful cilantro
several shakes of ground chipolte - enough to cover the fish
several shakes of Mexican oregano - enough to cover the fish
organic corn tortillas

I then take that, and, put it in a plastic bag and marinate it overnight in the fridge.

The next day, I braise the fish in the oven in a covered Le Creuset Mini Oval Coquette - my favorite is the Caribbean blue color - totally Watergirl, I must say.

While that is braising, I'll grill outdoors on a cast iron hibachi, the jalepenos and habaneros, which, when done, I"ll finely chop the hananeros and cover the fish with them, then, add the whole jalepenos. I'll next grill this all, along with my corn tortillas, and that's my typical daily meal. Twice a day, for the last year and a half. Along with fresh fruit, plenty of water every day, we are surfers after all and water is our element. And, sometimes, margaritas or Corona Extra.

If I don't make my Fish Taco at home, I'll always grill my Taco del Mar fish tacos on my hibachi. You see, what I do is I go to Taco del Mar, or have a friend do it for me, and I pick up around 30 to 40 fish tacos at a time. I always down one right away, after all, it's a moral imperative because they are so yummy. And then the rest, I bring home, wrap in parchment paper, and place 6 to a gallon sized plastic bag into my freezer. Then, I simply take out two a day, which, I always grill to warm them up, I guess, because for me, the act of doing that is my Baja Moment, I mean, you see, as a surfer, my dream of dreams is to surf Baja and as such I always have with me my Spanish Dictionary as well as numerous Baja maps and travel books, just in case today happens to be the day I make a Vagabond Feral Surfers run below the border. One of these days, I WILL!!! And I know, to some of you such romanticism of food and a surfing destination may seem silly, but I suspect that at least some of the Tribe know what I mean. You know.

One of my favorite things to do is to grill my fish tacos while sitting outdoors in my yard, down by the creek,  and, as my food grills, I always read one of my two favorite coffee table surfing books for the umpteenth time, either Stoked by Drew Kampion or The Surfboard: Art, Style, Stoke by Ben Marcus. These are two of my favorite books and I always read one or the other while cooking, as a sort of surfer's ritual and tradition, my tradition, my Baja Moment as I like to think of it. I love traditions and as a surfer, we have so many truly beautiful ones. That's one of the things about the Tribe, I love our surfing traditions, history, legends, heroes, and lore. Such tales stir my heart and soul and I truly loving sitting around with other surfers Talking Story, and, to do it over Fish Tacos, well, that's even better!!!

Oh, hey, here's a cool way to meet a bunch of surfers at your break. Get the fixin's for home made fish tacos or, go to whatever Fish Taco restaurant you have by you or that you prefer, and gather up as much as you can, along with plenty of beer and limes of course. Tote along a grill or hibachi or some such thing, and, after you session, toss it all on the grill. The smell will bring surfers running, and, it's a great way to meet new friends.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Chi Gung Surfing Moves for Surfing Mastery = perfect on NOHO Surf Balance Trainer

Aloha Tribe,

Chi Gung is about learning to use the energy in your body. As it relates to surfing, Surfing Chi Gung involves teaching how to utilize your bodies energy for dramatically improving strength, flexibility, coordination, agility, injury recover (over 7 times faster than normal), increased body and muscular speed, almost unlimited endurance, as well as grace, beauty, and flowing softness.

One of the ways to practice this is by extreme slow motion exercises which mimic your surfing style. In other words, the first move is paddling.

What I like to do is to lay down on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer  and to arch my back like the yoga cobra position, sometimes in surfing called the Scorpion Back, and to position my arms as though I am paddling my board. First, I'll have my right arm forward and my left arm as though it is in the pulling stroke, then, I switch arms. I'll hold each position for as long as I can. What this does is to tighten the muscles of the body which are used in paddling, and, this creates muscular tension, which, in turn, blocks the chi flow of the body in that particular position, thus, building up the pressure of the chi, in this case, in the lower back muscles, the upper back, the shoulders, arms, and chest.

When you can no longer hold the position, and you come out of it, it will relax the muscles and the energy or chi (qi) will flow freely through the previously tensed muscles, completing the bodies circulation of energy, and thus, supply your muscular tissue with an increased supply of blood, oxygen, body fluids, and chi. This in turn, helps the muscles to grow, and, to heal.

Next, I'll sit on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer as though I've made it out to the lineup and I'm waiting for a wave. In this position, I'll just let my body relax, and really focus on the musceles involved in sitting.

Next, I'll spin my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer, you'll need a fair amount of room for this if your using a longboard and in mid spin, stop, and focus my attention on the muscles involved in spinning and twisting my board to turn it around. Most surfers use their legs at the beginning stages, while more advanced surfers use body position and leverage while sitting back on the board.

Then, I mimic paddling again, only this time, using more power and muscular strength to more accurately copy the paddle style of increased speed used to actually catch a wave.

Following this, my next position I actually break down into several steps. It's my Pop Up. The first step is laying on the board, the next, 1/3 of the way through, the next all the way through while focusing on hip flexibility, and the last, the final stage just before standing. Each of these positions is held as long as possible.

And finally, I stand, keeping my legs slightly bent, my body in my natural surfing style pose. From here, I shift my body on my NOHO Surf Balance Trainer to positions I like to use while on a wave, such as a backside bottom turn, a frontside bottom turn, a backside top turn, a frontside top turn, a drop knee cutback, cross stepping, and nose riding, both hanging five, and hanging ten. Each pose is done in a variety of patterns, depending on how I might visualize a given wave to be acting. From here, I love adding all kinds of new moves, anywhere from my own invention The Submarine (the rarest and most unique surfing move), to Pearling Recovery moves, Stalling, Angling, Pulling Out, Kicking Out (I personally prefer Pulling Out better - its softer and more graceful), Hawaiian Pull Out, 360's, and any other moves that simply sound fun to work on.

Putting all of these parts together, the entire exercise can last as short or as long as you like, the longer, the better. In fact, if you can hold a position for a full hour, you're doing super great.

In the martial arts, such as the most Watergirl martial art there is, the Chinese Kung Fu style of Liuhebafa, also known as Waterboxing, this extremely advanced form of martial arts which is not only the most complex of all martial arts, but also the longest form, is often done by Masters of the art for up to 6 hours a day.

Interestingly enough, the more time one spends on this type of exercise, be it Waterboxing or Surfing Chi Gung, the more benefit you'll see.

At first, most surfers won't want to put in the time, after all, why not be out in the swells, surfing, right? But, the thing is, if you put in the time and effort and work through the basics of this exercise, you'll eventually known what the feeling of chi should be like in each movement of your surfing, and, at that time, you'll be able to stop focusing on the more basic through advanced levels of Wai Chi Surfing, and move instead, to the master level training of Nei Chi Surfing, where you flow your bodies energy using your mind instead of your muscles. When you can do this, at this point, you'll be able to really start to have some fun with Chi Gung and surfing because a whole new world opens up to what you can do on a wave.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

The Secret of Old-School Classical Longboarding: Chi Gung Soul Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

As you all know, I love the longboard. It spiritually fits me.  I guess it's because of my hippy girl nature, that, and the Chi Gung and Shamanism I've practiced for a lifetime. You see, such a way of looking at life, that is to say, truly blending with the energy around you, the chi or qi, creates, a receptive harmony that just fits naturally with the longboard.

Sure, all of us see ourselves as Soul Surfers, yet, how few of us really understand what that really means? Naturally, the answer can only be found deep within each of us, in our own way, for, only ourselves, for we each walk our own path. Mine, happens to bushwack the wilds for that is my nature.

Soul Surfing, to me, is deepest explored using Chi Gung, since, as a tool, this 4000 year old Chinese art not only supplies the exercises and tools to do the job, but more so, supplies the language too that so many of us as surfers, lack. After all, we can say, we're stoked. But, what does that really mean? And, are their various levels or degrees of stoke even for ourselves? Of course there are. In fact, the depths are not only unexplored, which makes them utterly exciting, but more so, are virtually even unknown.

To find the secret of longboarding, all we really need to do is to find, within ourselves, that which allows each of us, for ourselves, to flow freely, naturally, and receptively, in graceful lines with the sea.

Sure, of course there's high performance longboarding, and, sure, many are on that path, but, for the Classical Stylist, for the Old-School Surfer, well, it's all about the flow.

And, what exactly is that flow? Well, it's how we feel the wave, and, how we blend with it and become one with it. When done the way we might dream, the result, is pure magic and feels like floating above the sea. In a way, it's not at all unlike how I like to think it would be for the comic book Marvel Super Hero The Silver Surfer, as he soars through the universe and galaxies, assuming, one could really do that, of course. But you know, that's the cool part in a way, we can, in our minds. And, as such, we can feel what is beyond us, with our energy, once, we know the secret.

Such a path of learning to feel and embrace the energy or chi (qi) around us, is what the field of Chi Gung is all about. It teaches you, basically, to simply learn to really embrace all of your senses at levels you never even imagined possible.

When in such a zone, instead of simply being on a wave, or, riding a wave and feeling the energy of a turn, there is so much more depth beyond this. You can feel the tiny ripples of each wave, the density of the water and its relationship to the bathymetry of the seascape, the minute shifts of yin and yang energy as they flow within and about you, your board, and the sea. When in such a state, it is as though time slows to microseconds, with each 1/25th of a second or even faster, not only noticeable, but more so, able to be played joyfully with.

This zone, of course, it what all pros in any sport tie into, they simply don't call it Chi Gung, merely because they haven't probably heard of the field, thus, the simply call it "the zone." But the cool thing is, once one begins exploring this in depth, there is so much to it that a mere label like the zone is like a simple title on a book without any of the details that are in the book. In other words, it means virtually nothing without the depth.

Of course, to enter such a zone, one needs access to both the right and left hemispheres of their brain. The left hemisphere, for logic, and the right, for feelings and emotions. Combined, one enters the realm that few, even elite athletes, know.

We all tend to set limits for ourselves, based on the statis quo that we are familiar with. And, all that Chi Gung is merely about is being willing to tear those limits asunder and boldly embrace what lays beyond in the wilds.

Such moments, in sports, occur when there is any kind of breakthrough, such as the breaking of the 4 minute mile, or the riding of a 50 foot wave. Until it's done, it seems impossible to all. Once done, many can do it. So really, the only limits are our own bravery and imagination.

And that really is what a field like Chi Gung is all about, and, that, at least to me, holds the secret to Soul Surfing, and thus, the secret to Old-School Classical Longboarding.

Chi Gung Soul Surfing for Old School Classical Longboarding, I see it as an unexplored virgin path through the wilds of the mind and body to unimagined places yet to even be created.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfing Session through November: The Quest of the Soul Surfer

Aloha Tribe,

So, starting possibly tomorrow, Monday, at the latest, I'm thinking of doing my best, if all works out, to surf through November. Ideally, I'll be able to surf as much as possible each day, hopefully, building up to surfing long sessions in the swells. I'd like one long session each day, rather than numerous sessions. A bit more challenging with a wetsuit, what with particulars and all during the day, much easier, in a tropical sea wearing a string bikini. In any event, I'll do the best I can to maximize each day.

It'll be a great challenge for the month, just to see what happens. I'm preparing for a trip, though, I don't exactly know where I'll go (Vietnam maybe?). I'm hoping my surfing mentor and Watergirl teacher has some ideas. Essentially, I'd like to find a spot, anywhere in the world, and go there for, perhaps, 2 or 3 months of daily training, dawn to dusk each day. I really want to dramatically increase my surfing up several notches.

I'm hoping for a quiet wave, one, alone. Ideally, in a tropical environment. Living off fish and fruit, sunshine and water. Basically, due to the importance of this training, I see the world as my potential playground, so, I've a bit of exploring to do, to pick just the perfect magical spot. It'll be interesting, to see where it ends up.

So, what I'm looking at is a month of intense surfing starting sometime this weekend or by the end of the weekend, followed by several months of finer  honed surfing, after which, I'll probably head possibly back here for more surfing the wilds alone, which should get me through Spring.

By Spring, I'll be, hopefully, where I plan to be with my surfing to hit the North Shore for a few months or so.

I'm looking at a lot of surfing in the year ahead, ideally, daily, for most of the day, every day. A year of that should get me into shape for the following year, after which, then, well, it's a surprise.

I'm pretty excited. So, I've some planning to do to figure this all out regarding details and such. But, that's what weekends and some good margaritas and cerveza are for.

My goal? The quest of the Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Chi Shredding: Turning Your Board Using Chi (qi)

Aloha Tribe,

So, it's about time to talk a bit about Chi Gung (Qigong), and explain a bit of what it can do. The first thing that comes to mind, is, shredding.

In other words, it is possible to turn your board, be it a longboard, shortboard, skateboard, snowboard, wake board, or even a slackline (technically, you're not "turning" it but you're controlling how the line moves or remains stationary) using, chi (qi).

Now, as we all know, the way most of us turn is by weighting our toes or heels. And, of course, we use our upper bodies too, especially leading with our arms and shoulders, and, even look where we want to go.

But, there is another way. A mysto way. The way of chi surfing.

You see, the thing is, once you learn to circulate chi (qi) in your body, and, beyond your body, you can learn to weight and unweight your toes or heels, as well as the front of your board or the tail, all using, chi.

In this way, you don't have to risk losing balance since, your muscular body shifts remain, stationary. Instead, its your internal energy, your chi, that moves and flows through and around your body.

Most of you have probably seen the movie Star Wars. Well, in many ways, chi is like The Force, only, it's real.

So, imagine guerilla styled surfing on mysto waves using a mysto way. Pretty cool, huh?

Well, how does it work? That's the tricky part, where training comes into play. First, you need to learn to build up chi (qi) in your body so that you have more than enough. Then, you learn to circulate it through your torso, and, eventually, through your arms and legs. Also, initially, such training requires physical muscular effort, called, Wai Chi. But, with practice, you can use your mind to circulate your chi, using a method called Nei Chi.

With nei chi, you flow your bodies energy within and around your body, into your board, and also into the wave your riding, as well as absorbing energy or chi from your board and the wave simultaneously.

When you are at the level where you can do this with your mind, your surfing then becomes one of surfing energy, a totally unexplored, untapped, wild frontier of surfing waiting for those daring enough and interested enough to explore.

This same energy can be applied to all of the forms of training I've talked about lately, such as tightrope walking, slacklining and slack rope walking, balance training of all types, yoga, including Tree Yoga,  and of course, all board sports.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfing Chi Gung (Qigong) for Wave Science

Aloha Tribe,

I love the study of the sea. And, as a surfer girl, its a required subject to learn as much as possible about waves and bathymetry, storms and swells, tides and currents, water temperature and saline density, along with a host of other subjects, making it, nearly endless, which, for me, is the exciting part.

I feel truly blessed. Where I live, there are beach brakes. In fact, according to Willard Bascom in his truly  awesome book Waves and Beaches: the dynamics of the oceans surface, the shoreline here is the gentlest of any beach anywhere, which, makes it pretty cool as far as surf goes.

You see, with the reefs of Hawaii and other places, the waves are, more or less, predictable. As is, the ride. It's the first thing I noticed when I went to the North Shore last Spring.

But, with gentle bathymetric beach breaks where I call home, the waves constantly change, even from wave to wave, offering, truly incredible opportunity for spontanaity on the waves. Not at all unlike, in a sense, what Nick Muller does with his snowboard. Nick, as a snowboarder, I believe, is truly the best when it comes to smooth riding style, creativity, and adaptability, he's just utterly awesome. Interestingly enough, from what I've read, he's trained in qigong (chi gung) for awhile, which I think is pretty much way totally kills.  Everybody should study it, I believe,  if they truly want to excel in any sport or activitiy, no matter what it is, for it offers means to go beyond any physical and mental performance of any kind, there literally is that much potential.

In any event, I find the spontaneous adaptability and creativity of soul surfing to truly be the key to surfing harmoniously and receptively with any wave. And, such skills are honed in home breaks like mine, making me feel truly blessed.

Now for most surfers, why goodness, they'd not even think of surfing where I do, the waves are too sloppy, too closed out, too unpredictable, too dangerous (in the Winter), yet, for me, they're truly beautiful.

And as such, I'm on a quest to truly study them, as Willard Bascom did, in a way, that is, by hanging on the beach at every chance and truly studying with an inquisitive and questioning mind. For, in such, comes the art of performance on the surfboard, chiefly, through in-the-moment genuine playfullness.

That's the key to it all, a quick eye that takes in the environment in a flash, with a honed body that can match the slow motion type observations, with a soft gentle smile of relaxation and joy.

I love studying waves and the sea, for Surf Science so fascinates me. And, the more I learn, the more I find it offers me ideas of how to surf in new and excitingly untapped ways.


Bodaciously Stoked,


Lily of the Valley

A Simple Manilla Rope and an Umbrella for Surfing Training

Aloha Tribe,

I've been thinking a lot about my surfing lately, and, working hard at improving it, particularly as it relates to perfection in balance, namely, through softness, gentleness, and beauty, honed by slackrope walking, on, a manilla rope.

Why a manilla rope? Because I'm a traditionalist. In my surfing. In my training. In my way of loving life. In other words, I find beauty in the "old-ways," primarily from maintaining the tradition, but more so, from the challenge of simple equipment, when one merely had to make do with what you had. I like that. A lot. For in it, I find beauty.

Regarding slackrope walking, there's an area in Central Asia, specifically in NW China called Uyghuristan, aka East Turkistan aka Xinjiang (in Chinese). And there, at an orphanage, they specialize in tightrope walking, and have, in the area, for about 400 years, I believe. What I find fascinating, is the simplicity of the equipment used. Rugged hand chopped logs for supports, manilla rope for walking on, and, no safety net. It reminds me of the Chinese martial arts movies I love where the hero always builds his specialized training equipment using local materials such as bamboo and rope. I love such training camps.

As such, I'm in the process of setting up my own "martial arts - so to speak" tightrope walking course in my yard using logs and manilla rope. I have the rope, a 50 foot section of 1" diameter 3 strand twisted manilla. Now, all I need is the logs for the supports. In the meantime, I have numerous trees to use since I live in the middle of a swamp, on a creek, in the middle of a forest.  I want the logs, simply to have the system portable. I have a place I can get them at a local rugged log bed maker in a nearby town, but in the meantime, I'll simply use 2 x 4's, which, while not fully ideal as far as romance goes, certainly can do the job.

But, for the moment, I simply use two trees, and, my manilla rope. Tying it around the trees, cinching it semi- tight, takes but moments, and I am ready.

Walking the rope has enabled me to explore myriads of minute balance possibilities, finding, within each muscular undulation, artistic depths unbound and unfathomed. Gtowth, namely, progress, seems to come in bursts. At the moment, I'm working on total muscle control, with, much to go.

In the last few days my progress has leaped with startling bursts, yet, I have much to explore, for perfection, of course in anything for that matter, can never truly be reached but always strived for off unexplored paths, bushwacking the wilds of imagination.

With my simple manilla rope, I've found a body awareness that has eluded me since my old Chinese Monkey Kung Fu days of yesteryear. Those days, of course, bring back smiles of Monkey Beds - a horizontal rope that one slept on, a Monkey Vine - a vertical rope for practicing kicks and strikes, and, tree climbing, along with ropes set at various angles for climbing, diving, and jumping, over, under, and around in uncountable patterns of mesmerizing complexity.

Compartively, my manilla rope has made my longboard seem much more stable, as you can imagine. Thus, allowing me a greater freedom of surfing expression on my quest for art and soul on the sea.

I love my surfing camp that I've created. It's a wonderfully fun place to train, with all  kinds of wild training equipment, not at all unlike my old pickpocketing training camp I used for honing my skills in that beautiful  and exciting art.

Oh, as for the umbrella, since I'm following a 400 year old Chinese martial arts kind of theme in my training camp, the umbrella I use is an all wood and paper Chinese umbrella with a straight handle. The paper is green and white, the tines are bamboo, the handle wood. It is light, beautiful in a rugged kind of way, that blends perfectly with the manilla rope I'm walking on. The umbrella, by the way, is traditional to the Chinese tightrope walking style, which is why I use it. That being said, I find it a perfect supplement to exploring shifts of air currents as they effect my balance for surfing, while, walking the manilla rope.

Bodaciously  Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

How Slacklining and Slackline Yoga helps Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

I've been doing a lot of slacklining and Slackline Yoga lately, often, hours a day, lately, up to 6 hours a day.

Now then, some of you may wonder how such training possibly helps my surfing, after all, what's wrong with surfing to surf, right?

Well, the thing is, slacklining, let alone Slackline Yoga, is much tougher than surfer, hands down. No comparison, actually. As such, if you can slackline, then, you can surf, once, of course, you learn how to surf and learn how to swim and all about the sea and all that goes with surfing.

Walking or doing yoga on a slackline is like using the stringer on your surfboard as your balance point, the only difference with, a stringer has an additional 14 to 20 inches or so of width on either side of it to help stabalize balance, while a slackline or a slackrope, is merely the width of the webbing or rope that is used, perhaps anywhere between a half inch and 2 inches or so wide.  Thus, there is less room for error on a slackline or slackrope.

As for the movement of a surfboard, that too is easier in that the movements, whether raising or dropping the tail or nose, or raising or dipping an inside or outside rail, offer much greater room for experimentation, error, and play.

So, at least for me, I've noticed that my time spent on a slackline or a slackrope or a tightrope, tightwire, or even a pole, branch, or rock, greatly increases my awareness and my maneuverability and thus control of my surfboard. This applies, regardless of whether one rides a shortboard like my thruster  (I wish I had a twinie, I love them so, well, one day perhaps I'll somehow obtain one through cash, grace, or luck) or a longboard.

Anything regarding movements and such that can be done on a board can be done on a rope or webbing, and as such, slacklining offers truly an endless opportunity for personal growth, limited merely by your imagination, energy, and patience, after all, when the waves call surfers, the waves call and who among us can resist such a siren?

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Mountain Hiking while Slacklining, Tree Yoga, and Slackline Yoga for Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

Last night, I hiked my steepest local mountain. I've been doing it each day for the last 4 or 5 days.

Along the hike, each time I find a suitable rock or tree limb or tree root that I can stand on or walk on while balancing, I've been doing it.

In this way, I'm working both my endurance and balance skills at the same time. You see, climbing the mountain as quickly as I can,  naturally, fatigues my muscles. And, by constantly balancing in this fatigued state, I'm learning to find balance while my body is pushed to its physical limit.

At likely spots, I set up either my slackline or my Tree Yoga kits, which I carry in a heavy backpack to make my task even more challenging, and I work out on them, while physically exhausted.

This is dramatically effecting my surfing in a positive way even on a daily basis. Each time I train, my surfing is not merely improving but making dramatic leaps into the stratosphere.

This training idea came to me upon reflecting upon the Winter sport of the Biathalon where you Nordic Ski and shoot a rifle during your race. The skiing exhausts the body and the shooting requires perfect body control.

This training I am doing using the balancing gear does the same thing as far as sports goes. In this way, I'm training myself to surf not only the North Shore regardless of the swell size, but also to surf anything of any size, in time, of course.

In the meantime, I'll keep pushing myself constantly to improve in all ways. I want my surfing, no matter the conditions, to be perfect, more so, beautiful.

Oh, the key and secret to the whole thing, by the way, is the Chi Gung that I practice. It allows my racing heart and utterly exhausted body to be able to find perfect balance nearly instantly by calming my body, slowing my pulse, helping me to gain focus and smoothness, all in an instant. I highly recommend this kind of training to all of you who truly want to improve beyond your wildest dreams no matter your sport or activity. Good luck and have fun. Be sure to study Chi Gung, also spelled Qigong, it's the key to it all.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

France: Balance Training: Slacklining, Tightrope Walking, Surfing, Pickpocketing

Aloha Tribe,

Wouldn't surfing France, just totally kill!!! As I was thinking of places to go for an upcoming trip, France jumped right to mind.

I guess it's because the most daring tightrope walker of all, Philippe Petit , is from there, namely, Nemours, and, to do him honor, since I so look up to his style of walking and balance, I'd love to visit France. Along the same note, my surfing Mentor, Darrick Doerner, is Basque, and, that's between France and Spain, so, my two favorite guys who inspire me in the balancing arts, specifically wirewalking and surfing have ties to the area.

I'd love to come to France for a few months of surfing, slacklining, wire walking, rope walking, Recreational Tree climbing, Tree Yoga, and Slackline Yoga. Naturally, from an artistic persepective, I'd also love to study the local pickpocketing there since pickpocketing for entertainment and study is an art form I truly find fascinating, especially, as it relates to balance and physical harmony with oneself and one's surroundings.

I'd love to search out the top surf breaks, the largest wildest forests for my aerial balance arts, and, the major cities for my other stylistic artistic explorations.

France, to me, is art. In all that she is and represents. I see the country as beauty, grace, harmony, and balance. Thus, it seems like a perfect place for my studies.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfing Iran

Aloha Tribe,

I've been studying, very closely and in great detail, the Iranian coast, especially as it relates to bathymetry and thus surfing. I'm finding that it is truly fascinating in many ways. There are numerous spots on the Arabian Sea, that, with the right storm, could produce some truly epic surf.

I love bathymetry, and, I see it as my secret to finding beautiful waves in exact locations.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfing Alone: A Spiritual Quest

Aloha Tribe,

Softness.

That seems to be the key to it all.

 You see, we all love the idea of finding not only a wave to ourselves, but more so, a break to ourselves, and even more than that, a whole beach to ourselves.

That's what I have in the Pacific Northwest during the late Fall, the Winter, and the early Spring. The swells, for the most part, are too large for most people, from what I've heard, too wild, too gnarly. And, the weather, to snowy, rainy, windy, and outride freezing. Yet, if one loves frozen weather with wildly abandoned winds whipping against your body, then, you'd feel right at home. As, I do.

And, since I can merely speak from my own experience, the key, as I said, seems to be in softness.

Now, what exactly do I mean by that? Well, I mean many things. For example, the more one can relax, the more your blood and bodies energy, also called Chi or Qi, can freely flow through your body, thus, interestingly enough, warming you up. As a bonus perk, such flow of energy also leads to greater flexibility, which, leads to faster muscle response, thus, greater surfing opportunities for doing what you love on your board.

In the Winter, when the winds bite your wetsuit nearly from  your body, that's yin, an ancient Chinese idea of all that is soft and dark and receptive, cold and stationary and black, oddly enough. In such times, the more one can embrace it with their full being, the more one can learn to dance with such feelings any time of the year, and, in any place, such as the nice warm tropics of the North Shore of Oahu.

Sure, you'll be highly unlikely to find a wave alone there in the Fall and Winter, let alone a whole break, or more so, an entire beach, but, one can dream. And, hey, there are always other spots like Gabon, the islands near Java and Indonesia, Vietnam, and, dare I say it, the seemingly unsurfed so far, Cambodia.

I'd LOVE to surf Cambodia. It's been a dream of mine for years. Sure, the surf might not kill, yet, just the idea of unsurfed breaks sends my heart, mind, and soul into overdrive as I pour over tour books, maps, bathymetric charts, and reports of all kinds.

Why surf alone? Well, perhaps its because of the freedom of it. For it offers the true Soul Surfer the canvas on which to paint their art.

Sure, sharing such a place with a core group of brahs couldn't be better, and, safer of course, but, daring it alone is exciting too.

There are many places I plan to surf. As I mentioned, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iraq, the Basque region of France and Spain, Germany, Switzerland - in the rivers of course, both the Arctic and the Antarctica, the Bering Straits, Malibu, Jaws, Mavericks, Grand Haven Michigan again - I miss it so, the rest of the Great Lakes - Lake Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, the New England States, Scotland - oh yes Scotland - I love it so there - especially the Outer Hebrides, Ireland, England, and Siberia, to name but a few.

Will I find myself alone in these places? Perhaps, if, I chose wisely when to go. Night surfing. Summer time in some instances. During the worst of all possible swells in others. When there is Political unrest if it is possible.

I see surfing alone as a Spiritual Quest, as a time to really surf for me. It's a time to explore who I am in relation to the sea, the truly explore my journey as a Watergirl.

I would love to paddle my board, yes paddle, and surf, from Canada to Baja. Can it be done? Literally? Maybe not. But, what fun in trying. It's what, 1200 miles or so. Given 6 months, perhaps it could be done. At least, in the trying, it would be an adventure, and thus, a Spiritual Quest.

I truly love surfing with others. For I love talking story. I love being stoked for others as they surf, which is one of my favorite things to do, I get so excited for everybody. I love learning about our history, a subject I feel surfers, especially Watergirls like me, truly are obligated to thoroughly know as perfectly as possible. I love talking in Hawaiian and Hawaiian Pidgin and Surfing Language, I find all so beautiful and in talking, it so helps to have friends to talk with and share in such languages.

Yet, where I surf, there is seldom others, except during the nicest days of the Summer. It is then, that I beam in happiness. Though, when alone, I find myself.

Chi Gung, also spelled Qigong, is the secret to surfing alone. For with it, one can truly explore depths within oneself and within ones own surfing that is not possible any other way. If only others took an interest in this exotic subject, it would be such fun to share, and teach. So that others could enjoy it too. For I truly believe, that using Chi Gung, totally new boundaries within surfing performance will be reached and explored with unlimited potential. And, I find this utterly thrilling, for, such ground is ripe for exploration, virgin territory on an unmarked map, places, without even names yet.

Yes, surfing alone is indeed a Spiritual Quest. And, it truly excites me to pursue it. It is not merely the path least taken, it is, off the path, bushwacking the wilds of our surfing frontier. And, what could be more sick than that?

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

A Pleasant Day

Aloha Tribe,

Rather tiny, knee high or so. But nice. Beautiful weather. Calm. As the week goes on, bigger rides are coming, Double Overheads before the weekend which will be super.

Happy with whatevers. The smell of surf wax. A fun ride in my VW Bug. Brew and Fish Tacos in the lot. Hanging. It's all good.  Paddling. Being. Carrying my board. Watching the surf. Like I said, whatevers. Oh, and my ukulele but of course. Good swimming though. Everybody so needs a monofin and some Rockets.

Oh hey, the new Warshaw book, The History of Surfing. Way totally love it!!! I so love our tribes history. Required knowledge. at least I think so. It makes our sport richer and so much more beautiful. Personally, as a Watergirl, I so hope to memorize the book. Along with his Encyclopedia, of course, A ton of work? Of course.  Character flaw of mine. Gotta love it.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Why Train for Surfing Rather Than Simply Surf? : Answer: The North Shore

Aloha Tribe,

Some of you, perhaps even many, may wonder why I train so hard for my surfing, rather than simply surf to surf. After all, surfing to surf is our sports natural and traditional training method.

Yet, I know myself, and, I love  pushing myself to extreme limits in any sport, whether I was training in Women's Epee Fencing for the Olympics, doing martial arts, playing Scottish Shinty, skateboarding, or, of course, surfing.

I want to be the best surfer that I can be. And, as such, I'm using my lifetime of Chi Gung training to help me, which, creates unparalled mental and physical body awarenss for surfing as well as any other sport such as snowboarding or whatevers, and by using all of the supplemental training exercises I do, whether it's lifting weights, mountain bike riding, playing basketball, Rock Running, Coastal Swimming, slackling, tightrope walking, or any of the other sports I utilize to help my surfing, I've found, at least for myself, that such physical activity tremendously increases my surfing skills, awareness, and stoke.

More so, I'm training for the North Shore. I've surfed there last Spring, and plan to go back as soon as I can. I'd like to stay for 4 months or so. Since the Fall and especially Winter swells are not only huge but also powerful, I want to be in the best shape that I can in order to surf safer, with more confidence, and, with a greater sense of spontaneous playfullness.  In addition, my goal is to surf softly, femininely, and with style and beauty.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Balancing on Manilla Rope for Ligtning Fast and Dramatic Time Slow Down Awareness for Surfing Pop Ups and Balance

Aloha Tribe,

This morning, it's early, about 2 AM or so, I used a 1" manilla rope, 32 feet long, to practice my surfing on since it was the middle of the night and pouring rather intently outside. Not that I mind the idea of surfing in the rain, nor, at night, but, I just thought I'd do some practice in my warm and dry living room by my wood burning stove.

Instead of hanging the manilla rope like I would a slackrope or slackline, I simply stretched it out on the floor across my living room. Then, I stepped onto it and began walking it, playing a game with myself that I had to keep my whole foot on the rope and that I was not allowed to wobble and touch the floor with the outside edge of my feet.

Interestingly enough, yesterday's backpacking hike and balance session seemed to have kicked my kinesthetic and proprioceptive muscles into a high degree of senstivity because I found staying on the line much easier than normal, especially since my lateral foot swaying allowance was mere fractions of an inch so that I'd not touch the floor.

After practicing a variety of walking and balancing and also rope yoga on the manilla rope, it occured to me that I could practice my Surfing Pop Ups on it too.

So, I lay down, then, popped to my feet, the game being, just like my previous game, that my feet were not allowed to touch the floor once they left the ground during the initial Pop Up.

I found that this game gave me accuracy and more so, delicacy to my Pop Ups, creating a sort of light and gentle floating kind of feeling and motion.

I can hardly wait for dawn to  bring this new training feeling to my surfing. Naturally, while a Pop Up is typically done lightning quick, especially if one rides a short board on steep, fast waves, what such training offered me was the instantaneous mental shift into super high speed clarity and mental focus, thus, dramatically slowing time, thereby offering me all the time in the world to execute my Pop Ups, which,  not only greatly added to the joy of the feeliing, after all, I've always loved this part of surfing, but more so, allowed me to instantly get in the groove for the ride.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Heavy Backpacking for Surfing Training and Balance Training

Aloha Tribe,

Yesterday, I went on my daily hike in the mountains.And I wore a moderately heavy backpack, at least for me, since typically, I prefer to travel Ultralight as a backpacker.

In my pack, I carried my Tree Yoga straps as well as my slackline kit, so that I could practice both in the mountains on my hike.

As I walked up the mountain, stopping at every rock, boulder, branch and tree, that looked promising and met my needs, I practiced balancing and walking on them. It was then that I noticed that my backpack kept my weight high on my shoulders, which, totally changed the feel and rhythm of my balancing, working my core stabalizing muscles in new and unique ways, offering them challenges as my increased weight shifted much easier and more dramatically.

I realized that using something like a backpack or a weighted vest, that I could work my balancing muscles just as though I were training any muscle in a gym, thereby making them stronger, thus, making balancing for surfing or slacklining or tightrope walking all the more easier without my backpack.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Trampoline for Slacklining Balance Training and for Truly Magical Flowing Surfing Training

Aloha Tribe,

Today was fun. I used a 14 foot trampoline and practiced my "slackline" walking steps on it. That is to say, while I didn't set up the actual slackline, I acted as though I had, and, found that the trampoline offered a similar kind of training resistance for balance training. With each step, the trampoline would jostle and bounce, offering wonderful training for my legs and balance.

As I walked, I stepped very very slowly, focusing on each step with total deliberation, as though I were hundreds of feet in the air. Such visualization makes the experience more authentic. As I'd step forward with my rear foot, thus, unweighting it, I'd move it out to the side, engaging my gluteus medius or the side buns muscle (in swimming, used in a major way for the breaststroke), and I'd hold my leg to the side, as though I were doing a sidekick in martial arts. I'd allow myself to sink into this position, standing on one foot, the other foot lifted as high as possible, in this case, about boobs high was the position that I held, and I'd hold the position for as long as it took to play a bit with the stance, perhaps, 20 seconds or so, simply for the muscular and balance training of it, focusing on deliberately letting the trampoline bounce and move as much as possible to increase the challenge.

I believe this training will DRAMATICALLY improve my slacklining and tightrope dancing skills, and thus, my overall balance, which, will make my surfing much more fluid and flowing. I can hardly wait to get into the water to see!!!

Tomorrow, I might try to get one or more of my friends to walk around and bounce on the trampoline randomly as I practice this exercise to replicate the unpredictable ripples of a wave as well as a swaying slackline. It should be grand fun.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

50 M Swimming Sprint Muscles for Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

Upon reflection, it appears that as surfers, we need both fast twitch or anaerobic speed oriented type muscles, as well as slow twitch or aerobic kinds of muscles, depending upon where each of us typically surf, of course.

As for me, I surf mostly in the Pacific Northwest, namely, Washington mostly as well as northern Oregon. Yet, on occasion, several times a year when I can for, ideally, up to 4 months at a time, I like to surf Kauai and the North Shore of Oahu. And, of course, I dream of Mavericks.

I've read that Mavs can have up to an hour out paddle, so, I'm gearing myself for that on an aerobic level, focusing on ocean swimming in as wild of seas as I can, for as many hours as I can. I believe that such swimming in intense turbulent water builds both aerobic and anaerobic muscles.

Yet, that being said, this post is about overall body look, and I'm shooting for that female version of  Bruce Lee kind of look. Ripped, shredded, lean beyond all reason, while maintaining feminine flowing curves in the right places. This being the case, since Bruce focused on explosive speed training, I'm doing that too, only, in my case, it's with swimming and paddling my longboard laying down.

Sure, I could do SUP (Stand Up Paddle) and it can be done quickly, though, for most, I'd imagine it's more of a casual kind of paddling, leading more to aerobics than anaerobics. So, for paddling, I much prefer to lay down. This develops the proper surfing muscles, and, it can be done for speed and endurance, depending upon how one strokes.

All three books are GREAT and I highly recommend each of them!!!

I'm using three books to help me achieve my desired look. One is...

1. Steve Smith's Military Workout  Series: The Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue & Navy Search and Rescue Swimmer Workout by Steve Smith.

   With this book, I am studying a variety of training to be able to swim in wild and huge waves under any conditions.

2. Sprinting: A Coach's Challenge by  Samuel James Freas.

    This book is teaching me about how to swim really super fast, like lightning in the water.

3. Swimming Anatomy by Ian McLeod.

    And this book shows me exercises to develop specific muscles for various swimming strokes to achieve the proper look and strength.

Using these three books, I am transforming my body into that of a true Watergirl, with my goal of being capable of swimming in any sea conditions no matter the swell size,  to paddle into any surfing conditions on my surfboard, and, well, to look as cute as possible. Sure, the last one is just for fun, but, why not?

With this plan in action, I have chosen the 50 M Sprint to be my swimming length of choice. I believe that this distance with give me the proper power to be able to paddle into anything I'd hope to paddle into. I know the current limit is about a 30 foot face. So, I want to push myself with speed training to see just what I can do and if I can ever achieve this or, dreaming, even paddle into larger surf?

I think that speed paddling while laying down not only is great for catching waves more often but also, for getting out of the impact zone as quickly as possible as well as also being able to paddle up huge faces with confidence and proper timing.

The Fall is upon us and soon, huge swells will be hitting the Pacific Northwest, with up to 27 foot or triple overhead towering heights last Winter and early Spring. Where I surf, there seems to be few in the water in the Winter and early Spring, in fact, I typically was not only the only one in the sea but also the only one on the beach for miles around. Dangerous and silly, yes, but, my training called me to push myself. So, I shall do the same this year.

One of the training tools that DD (Darrick Doerner) has me doing for big waves is to bring a 2 to 3 foot diameter Swiss Ball into the ocean and the game is that I'm not allowed to let of of the ball. It teaches you to handle heavy impacts while getting tossed around, it teaches confidence, and, it's utterly wild. I'm looking forward to the swells getting big enough to train properly using this technique. For it too develops muscles like steel and ripped like cable. Of course, the next level, is to hold the ball beautifully and gracefully and with style, but that's yet to come. Maybe this Fall, if I am lucky, it's at least a goal of mine.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Slacklining, Tightrope Walking, and Balance Training

Aloha Tribe,

Today, I started a new phase with my Surfing Training. I'm focusing heavily on balance training, and as such, am using Slacklining and Tightrope Walking as well as other Balance arts to enhance my skills on my longboard.

So, here's my program...

1. Walking everywhere as though I'm on a Tightrope, namely, with one foot landing directly in front of the other in a straight line, the heel of the front foot brushing the toes of the rear foot with each step. In other words, each step I take, while going grocery shopping or whatevers, is along a line, like a crack in the sidewalk, a straight shadow of a building, or even just an imaginary line.

2. Headstands and Handstands with various leg positions and body positions.

3. Walking on metal pipes and tree branches of various diameters and heights. On the ground. A few inches high. Several feet high.

4. Walking railroad tracks. My goal here is to learn to walk up to 8 miles (for endurance and mental focus), which is the distance between two local towns here with unused railroad tracks.

5. Walking on hemp rope with a rustic log support frame.

6. Walking on Military Rappeling rope supported by 2 x 4 frames.

7. Finally, to learn to properly set up a wire and tension it safely for walking an actual tightwire.

8. Walking and balancing on rocks down by the creek.

9. Sitting on a Swiss Ball whenever possible.

10. Standing on various balance balls and disks while doing chores such as washing dishes, doing laundry, making the bed, brushing teeth and vaccuming and such. 

I'll try to do at least 3 hours a day of just Balance Training, as well as time spent on my NOHO Surf Trainer, and my Indo Board, and, of course, surfing as much as possible at every opportunity.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley