Bamboo Pole Over Pond, Rope Over Swamp

Aloha Tribe,

It's Summer, and, what could be better than getting wet. But sometimes, you simply can't get to the surf yet you still want to practice your balance, so, what do you do?

I have a pond in my yard, about 5 feet wide and 8 feet long. I will extend it soon to roughly 7 feet by 11 foot, approximately the same size as a swimming pool on a modern Russian Submarine (really). The pond is about 4 foot deep.

So, I have a bamboo pole, about 12 foot long, and, I can simply lay it on the banks of the pond and practice walking on it. Using a variety of poles, from 1" to 6", I can have varied experiences.

In addition, I have a swamp that the pond is in, and I can tie a manilla rope to two trees on each side of the pond and roughly 100 foot apart. In this way, I can also practice walking and balancing on the rope practicing Chinese Soft Rope Qigong (a form of tight rope practice with a loosely hung rope rather than tight).

If I fall off the bamboo pole, I fall into 4 to 4 1/2 foot of water. Or, if I fall off the rope, above the pond, I hit the water, or, otherwise, I simply fall into the soft swamp. Either way, it's a soft and fun landing.

In being creative on the bamboo pole or on the rope, one can practice all kinds of surfing maneuvers from Paddling to Popping Up to various body, arm, and foot positions.

Anybody can do this over a pond, creek, or whatever you have. A sand pit or simply the beach also makes a soft landing should you fall. This type of training offers wonderful methods of dramatically honing your surfing balance.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Late Drops Yield Faster, Steeper, more Powerful Rides

Aloha Tribe,

Here's an interesting thought. let's look at, say, the water temperature in Hawaii, perhaps at Puena Point.
In the Summer the temperature averages 82 degrees F. Now, given that the average human body has a temperature of 98.6 degrees F. So, with water, science will tell you that liquid water, the molecular stretch vibrations will increase in frequency with higher temperature. 

4th of July Weekend in the Wilds

Aloha Tribe,

Bring a hammock tent, a backpack, one surfboard, a slackline or rope (for walking on - I love manilla rope), perhaps any food or drink you might want, and, head to the Wilds for Friday through Monday for an American  4th of July Surfing, Camping, and Balance Training Extravaganza.

See you there, all who make it. Everyone from the Tribe (all surfers) all over the World are welcome!!!

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Loose Rope Walking vs. Slacklining for Surfing Foot Development

Aloha Tribe,

Loose Rope Walking and Slackling are NOT the same thing. There seems to be confusion out there as more and more people get into Slacklining as they mistakingly call it "loose rope."

With a Loose Rope, the rope is simply tied around two points, such as, trees, rocks, cars, sign posts, or whatevers. And, the rope hangs loosely when it is tied, that is, it is NOT tensioned nor pulled taught in any way, in fact, when strung up, in might rather resemble an elongated letter U. When you walk on it, it looks like a letter V.

A Slackline, on the other hand, is almost always tenstioned until it is semi-taught or fully taught. This can be done in numerous ways, such as my own Ultra-Primitive method of simply using a single rope and knots and nothing else, or, the Primitive Method which uses carrabiners and also sometimes rings, and, the more technological methods which use wenches of various types. In such systems, the Slackline, when it is first hung up, looks like a -. That is, it is parallel to the ground and tight. When you walk on this, it can look like a - if it is very tight, or, more typically, a very lazy extended out U.

Between the two, Loose Rope is astronomically harder to walk on that Slackline. It is also simpler to set up and quicker to set up and only requires just one rope which is what you walk on. This rope, by the way, can be any diameter, and I have them from 11mm all the way to 2 1/2" in diameter and up to several hundred feet long.

I love balance training. And, a great way to increase your surfing balance is by supplemental training, since, any given ride on a wave typically lasts 6 to 20 seconds or so.  Thus, using something like a loosely hung rope (manilla is common, hemp less so because it is illegal in the U.S., jute feels great by the way, and even mountain climbing rope works) or a slackline (which is thin nylon webbing), has tremendous advantages, and, it's loads of fun.

All you need is a rope or a long piece of webbing, and two trees or other attachment points such as large boulders, cars, street signs, etc.

If you know how to stake out a line, you can even simply use an A frame type setup with each A staked to the ground to its sides and rear, with the rope or webbing then between the two A's.

Now then, as to rope vs. webbing, personally, I prefer rope for a number of reasons. First, it's more historical in that rope such as hemp rope or the more common manilla rope have been around for ages before nylon webbing was ever developed.

More so, since hemp, jute, or manilla ropes are made of natural materials, as opposed to chemical means like nylon, they have a "life," about them that feels more "alive." Rope moves and feels differently, and, it's so much more eco or green for today's world.

Granted, virtually everybody uses slacklines nowadays simply because they are easy to get and everybody uses them, that is, they are popular because they are popular. Silly, but true.

Sure, webbing is smaller and a bit lighter than rope so it does make slacklines a tiny tiny  bit easier to transport, yet, I"ve had no problem with my ropes simply tossed in a canvas backpack.

Now while most today feel that slacklines are the original walking or balancing materials, this is not so. John Gill, the boulder, and a friend of mine, used a chain when he first started, he told me. Chain, while heavy, is easy to get and rather fun to walk on too, though, I must say, it is not like walking on rope, especially the beautiful feel of jute rope, for example.

Now then, on to working the foot. In balancing on a rope or slackline, you are working on your balance, which, as I mentioned, greatly helps your surfing balance. Yet, there is more to it than this. Laird Hamilton, the Big Wave surfer and Waterman's Waterman said in his book that surfing uses specific muscles of the foot and, interestingly enough, I've found that these same muscles can be worked to a truly unlimited degree by walking on rope. And, here is the difference between rope and slacklines. Rope, being round, works the foot more and in greater ways than a flat slackline. Your foot, on a rope, with time and training, wraps around the rope as your muscles become more flexible, and, this very muscle development, which is truly unique to rope walkers and tightwire or tightrope walkers also, leaves, eventually, a permanent "tattoo," as Philippe Petit, the world famous highwire walker said, on the bottom of your foot, the mark,  by the way, if the true rope walker and highwire master.

So, if you want to more or less just work on your balance, walk on a slackline. But, if you are truly serious about your surfing, and, if you want to go to places you've never dreamed of in your skill, then, start walking and balancing on rope. If you can get it, the rope walkers dream, of course, is hemp rope. Hard to come by in the U.S. More common over in England. So, you'll probably end up with manilla, which, is perfectly fine. Then, eventually, progress to jute. And, by the way, start with large diameter ropes and work your way down as your feet become more flexible and stronger.

Just like swimmers develop the "swimmer's body," by working out more than they do simply swimming, if you want the surfer's Foot Tattoo of the Rope Walkers art, , then, take up soft rope walking.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Shaping Alaias

Aloha Tribe,

So, I'm shaping a few Alaias.

One is 2" thick. Pine.

One is 1" thick. Pine.

And two others, one for myself and one for a friend are also 1" thick. It'll be fun to see how they turn out. Redwood.

All of them will be 8 feet or a bit longer. I'm still planning on the widths and shapes.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley's Kelly Slater Surfing Extravaganza Camp

Aloha Tribe,

So, for the next month, I've started Lily of the Valley's Kelly Slater Surfing Exravaganza Camp. Of course, this doesn't really directly involve Kelly, instead, what I'm doing is studying his moves in all of his dvds and in as many magazines as I have on him as well as all the book photos, and analyzing the movements from a Chi perspective and then, translating these movements into a moving Wai Dan series of flowing exercises, not too unlike Tai Chi actually, though more specifically, like Liuhebafa aka Waterboxing.

I have two primary forms, one is Wai Dan which means physical movements, and the other is Nei Dan which means mental or visual images in one's mind. So, in the first form, I actually physically do the movements, focusing on balance mixed harmoniously with flexibility, whereas, with the Nei Dan visualizations, I do the same form, only, I do it while sitting perfectly still and not moving but instead, simply circulating the Chi within my body and muscles exactly replicating if I was literally doing the movements.

I began my camp yesterday, and will do it for the next month, roughly 6 to 8 hours a day.

My purpose is to dramatically increase my balance, flexibility, and creativity mirrored by mimicry of Kelly's movements then, going beyond simple mimicry and adapting the movements to my own body and feminine style.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Easter Surfer Taco Extravaganza: All Welcome

Aloha Tribe,

Today is Easter. If you want to surf and eat fun food, come to The Wilds.

Appetizers:

        Chips and Salsa

        Bacon wrapped stuffed Jalepenos

        Fresh Fruit: Papayas, Mangoes, Pineapple, Bananas


Main Course:

       Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

       Mongolian Lamb Fish Tacos (to honor my Siberian/Mongolian heritage)

       Sonoran Pulled Pork Tacos

       Chicken Tacos

5 home made salsas

Drinks:

       Corona
       Longboard
       Margaritas

Dessert:

        Fruit Salad
        Coconut Ice Cream


Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfboards I'm Currently Shaping

Aloha Tribe,

So, at the moment, out in the barn, I'm working on 4 sticks. One is a solid wood Longboard. One, a solid bamboo Pigboard. One, a Twinnie Pig Shortboard from PU (polyurethane) - perfect for The Wilds. And the third is another is a Classic Retro Longboard.

At the moment, on the solid wood Longboard, I'm working on the rails. This board is Old-School, no skeg, turns with  your foot, weighs roughly about 100 pounds. . With the late'60's Vietnamese Jungle Style bamboo Pigboard I'm glueing the bamboo as well as the bamboo skeg. And on the two PU's, I'm working on their rockers.

It's nice to shape boards. It lets you get exactly what you want and need. Working in the barn, with the doors flung wide or shaping out in the yard on a sunny day, feels right out of the great surf movie Morning of the Earth, especially living in the country like I do, with wilds all about me.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Boards I'm Currently Shaping

Aloha Tribe,

So, at the moment, out in the barn, I'm working on 4 sticks. One is a solid wood Longboard. One, a solid bamboo Pigboard. One, a Twinnie Pig Shortboard from PU (polyurethane) - perfect for The Wilds. And the third is another is a Classic Retro Longboard.

At the moment, on the solid wood Longboard, I'm working on the rails. This board is Old-School, no skeg, turns with  your foot, weighs roughly about 100 pounds. . With the late'60's Vietnamese Jungle Style bamboo Pigboard I'm glueing the bamboo as well as the bamboo skeg. And on the two PU's, I'm working on their rockers.

It's nice to shape boards. It lets you get exactly what you want and need. Working in the barn, with the doors flung wide or shaping out in the yard on a sunny day, feels right out of the great surf movie Morning of the Earth, especially living in the country like I do, with wilds all about me.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

You Should Have Been Here An Hour Ago by Phil Edwards

Aloha Tribe,

My neighbor just gave me  a 1st edition mint condition copy of the truly magical book You Should Have Been Here An Hour Ago. It is truly a beautiful book.

I absolutely love it!!! Reading the book just so fills me with stoke and dreams and Aloha smiles.  I spent a good portion of yesterday reading the book outside in the beautiful sunshine, and, I shall do that today again too, over my breakfast of grilled fish tacos cooked outdoors on my cast iron hibachi. I realize the book is long since out of print, and, almost impossible to find, so, I highly suggest that some publisher somewhere republish this incredible book. It shares so much about what surfing was like during the 1950's and 1960's and there's just tons of ideas to explore and dream about.

A freshly grilled fish taco for breakfast, a great book, warm sunshine, beautiful waves, what more could a girl want!!!

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Snoqaulmie River Flooding: Du Zhu Piao - Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting, Suspended Pole Balancing, and Birling: Ancient Chinese and American Timber versions of Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

Today, in the Pacific NW, the Snoqualmie River is flooding, it's about a foot over flood stage at the moment and should, by the evening, be more than 4 foot above flooding. Naturally, it's a perfect day for practicing Du Zhu Piao (standing on a 6" diameter, 12 to 24 foot long single pole of bamboo) and Birling Driving (riding a log - about 11" in diameter down a river while standing on it as it races through the rapids). Both sports way enhance your surfing, by the way, and, more so, are must knows for any Watergirl.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Soul Surfer Heart Meridian: Living and Surfing with total Stoke

Aloha Tribe,

All of us, at one time at least, were Soul Surfers. We surfed, for the pure joy of it. For the feeling we got as we glided upon the water. For, the Stoke. Yet, over time, some, perhaps many, lose their Stoke, at least, the Stoke that they always strive to regain.

In Chi Gung, Chi or energy travels through, around, and also beyond our body. Within our bodies, we have pathways called Meridians. There are numerous ones, such as the Kidney Meridian and the Liver Meridian, as well as Vessels, such as the Conception Vessel, and so on. The one that seems to relate to all surfers though, that is, the strongest of all of them, which is exemplified in our surfing, in how we view surfing, and, in how we live, is, the Heart Meridian.

Interestingly enough, each of our Meridians is associated, not only with a given organ, such as the Heart, but also, with particular emotions. In the case of the Heart Meridian, the emotion that is linked to it is the emotion of joy, what we'd call extreme Stoke.

Surfer's in general are some of the happiest people on the planet, for we are doing something, and living a lifestyle, formed around the activity of playing and living in joy. In a way, most of us are like a bunch of kids, that is, our inner child is alive and well and waxing up our boards even the second we get out of the water, for yet another session.

As surfers, we have strong hearts, and, that means we have strong Heart Meridians, which means we are healthy and happy. And, what a cool lifestyle, you know.

Being a Soul Surfer, I surf for the love of doing our art. The pure love of surfing. That's what Soul Surfing really means to most all surfers.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Bundoran, Ireland for St. Patrick's Day

Aloha Tribe,

The place to be for tomorrow, what with it being St. Patrick's Day and all, sounds like Bundoran Ireland. So, grab your green board, mine's a Hawaiian Blades Thruster, hop on a plane, and jet over tonight for the beginning of the party. It'll be a day of surfing, feasting, thriving in the beautiful Irish weather and landscape, and, of course, contemplating on  and wishing all the best for all the wee folk.

Bundoran is a beautiful magical spot, and, a great place for a St. Patrick's Day feast and celebration, and a bit o' a surf. All who can, let's meet there. Bring beer if you got it, food if you can, a green board's a must, and above all else, a smile.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Bottom Turn Pump vs. Lateral Zigzag Shimmy for Flat Sections and Top Turn Timing

Aloha Tribe,

Eh Brahs, I wanted to talk about Bottom Turn Pumps vs. Lateral Zigzags for those sections of the face that are flatter, and, for where you need or chose to improve the timing for your Top Turns and Off the Tops.

Everybody, of course, uses Bottom Turn Pumps, after all, you see it all the time with the Pros, and thus, we all blindly mimic it without thinking, after all, it works. Yet, to me, it's a rather very unaesthetic action, resembling sort of a frantically frenetic humping, in a sense. Instead, I've come up with a move that's so much more beautiful and stylish and, oh so much faster.

I call it the Lateral Zigzag Shimmy, and, basically, what you're doing is when you're in the flats, in a long section before a second peak that you want to hit, you Zigzag your board at an ever increasing tempo, allowing your rails to lift your board for faster planing, and, allowing gravity to work for you as you race down the bottom of the face you're working with each successive Zigzag. In a sense, the move feels rather like when you're on your skateboard, and, you're going to fast, and your front truck begins to shimmy your board back and forth faster and faster, until, often, you wipe out unless you can regain control through absorbing the extra energy with your feet, ankles, and legs, and hips.

The Lateral Zigzag Shimmy is a lighting quick way to increase your speed, using centrifical force, planing, and gravity all in your favor, and more so, the faster you allow yourself to carve, the faster you'll glide at breakneck stylish speed instead of ending up looking like some hormone enraged ape desperately trying  to get laid. Sure, strong words, but, style is everything, you know. And, why imitate the masses when you can simply branch out in originality and individualization? Dream. And, dare.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Stealth Slacklining for Surfing Creativity

Aloha Tribe,

Slacklining or walking a slack rope is a great way to keep in shape for surfing. Personally, I love the rope, I love the way manilla feels, it's relatively easy to get, though webbing is easier to find in many places nowadays, and, it moves so nice. Besides, it looks good.

I've tried all different diameters of rope, and my favorite is 2" manilla, though, that's a bit hard to carry around, especially if you're thinking of using it for Stealth Slacklining.

So, get whatevers you can, preferably, something that will blend into the environment where you are. For the most part, Stealth Slackling is an urban sport that I've been working on. Basically, you simply carry some webbing or rope in a backpack, and set up quickly, anywhere in the city that looks ideal, preferably, in a spot that is rather illegal to be there. The idea, of course, is simply to have fun, but, by setting up your art, where you want to set your art up, it adds an element of artistic expression unbounded by conformity and rules.

Most if not almost all slackliners use carabiners for setting up their lines, but, as I have mentioned before, using my Primitive Slacklining System, namely, simply using knots, all you need is the webbing or rope which saves you weight and money, and, it adds an element of style to it since the primitive system is outside of the box of what everybody else does.

The idea here is to slackline in places that you'd skateboard. In other words, find anyplace that looks crazy, wild, and fun. Between two buildings if you're into highlinging, over water which is always fun and beautiful, between trees or lightposts, or even hooked up to cars, after all, why not? Between two boats or a boat and a dock is great fun, by the way, with the added challenge of the swaying boat or dock, you've got to try it!!!

Wear clothes that blend in. Use a slackline or rope that blends in, learn to tie your knots quickly, set up your line, and, do your art. No limits!!!

By doing Stealth Slacklining, you're like the surfers of yesteryear who had to sneak across private land to surf a break. Most of us conform too easily today, in our surfing, and, in our slacklining. Well, I say, cut the harness loose and run unbridled and you'll learn to free your art in ways open to new creativity and wild insight.

By doing Stealth Slacklining, the point is that you'll find new ways to express your art that you normally would not have even considered. For example, suspend your line at an angle uphill or downhill. Or set up a zigzag shaped line. Or maybe connect several lines or ropes together, creating a sort of spiderweb effect or like the spokes of a wheel so several of your friends can all walk interconnected lines simultaneously, which, adds a broader sense to your balance as you have to harmonize your movements with your friends, just like surfing on a Party Wave.

The point of this is not only to have fun but also to open yourself to new paths of creativity, which, then can be applied in everything you do, including in how you surf. In other words, learn to adapt the concepts of everything to your slacklining or balance arts of any type or surfing, and, you'll find yourself opening new envelopes of ingenuity daily.

Personally, for my Stealth Slackling, I prefer, black slacklines that I carry around in a black backpack. I guess it gives me a sort of catburglar kind of feel to my training that I find fun. When I was in Scotland, in Edinbourgh, I studied a bit about the guy who was the real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was a guy who was a thief. And, he often traveled on tops of the buildings. Now, I'm sure he didn't use ropes to tightrope on, but, that's one of the things I studies as I walked the streets their each night. It would have been so easy, in the old district where he plied his trade, to stretch a rope across the street at rooftop height on dark nights, to safely cross from one side to the other as a second story artist. It was fun exploring where to hang my ropes while I was there.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Moving Small With Focus Rather Than Large Movements Unaware

Aloha Tribe,

So, what is the secret of surfing? Being aware of what you're doing. Truly aware. Fully, totally, 100% aware. Aware not only of every single muscle movement in your body, but more, how the internal fluids of your body move too, including blood flow, oxygen flow, and mostly, Chi flow. More so, we also need to be aware of what our board is doing, and, what the wave is doing, as well as where we are in space in relation to the wave, and all obstacles in the water, including other surfers, animals, rocks, logs, or anything else that might be out there.

So, how can we develop such awareness? Well, to get a general idea, go and rent or buy the movie Men Who Stare At Goats starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges. It was originally a book, by the way, by John Ronson. Now sure, the movie spoofs a bit with Star Wars, using terms like Jedi and such, but, the concept behind the film is total Chi awareness using principles of Chi Gung. Sure, it's just a movie, and, it has nothing seemingly to do with surfing, yet, the awareness of ones self that the movie is about, is, really, what surfing at a high level is about.

Now then, back to surfing. When you surf, pay attention to how your body moves, and, how each and every muscle moves. Sure, you might say that you simply do it, but, the thing is, a much much deeper level than that, is to truly be aware of what you are doing, exactly as you are doing it. For there, lays the heart of mastery.

The way to do this is to experiment with your body. Try moving your weight a bit this way or that way as you surf, and, see what happens. Try weighting and unweighting one foot or the other. Move your arms in different positions. Allow your body weight to shift and flow, and, notice what happens. Above all, be aware. The smaller, the more focused your movements, the more you can understand what is happening as you surf, how, and, why. And armed with this, you then have a blueprint to experiment with, and thus, you can push your level to any height you chose to aim for in surfing.

Do not let limitations hinder you. Do not take someone elses style or word for this or that being the way to do something. Instead, find out how you surf, how your body works, how your board rides, and, what your break truly is like. And, with all that, play. The more relaxed you are, the more freely your energy or Chi flows, and thus, the more you can sense what you are doing, what your board is doing, what the wave is doing, and, how all these things fit together.

Don't buy into the idea that you can not and nobody can truly think as they surf. That idea is nonsense, perpetuated simply by those who have not yet learned, nothing more. You can be fully and totally aware of every microsecond of your surfing, of all that your body, board, and wave are doing, and more so, you can think fast enough to change any of these or at least how you respond to them.

Instead of surfing blindly, simply riding, allow your mind to truly speed with lighting and then allow your body to follow, for when you can do this, you can dance on water.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

You Shoulda Been Here: Last Weekend's Surfer Party

Aloha Tribe,

You shoulda been here over the weekend this past weekend. It was a great surfer party. Super waves. Tons of food and drink. Lots of Surf Movies. Much Talk Story.

I made...

Kalua Pork

Boiled Shrimp

Crab Cakes

Sea Bass Fish Tacos (the harvestable kind of Sea Bass)

Spicy Tomato Salad

Asian Noodle Salad with Mango Salso

Mango Chutney - for the Crab Cakes and the Shrimp

Fresh Fruit - Pineapples, Papayas, Mangoes

for beverages...

Longboard  Ale

Mai Tais

and for dessert...

Banana Pie, Coconut Cake, and Coconut Ice Cream

and, at midnight... Midnight Cubano Sandwiches

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Ultimate Surfboard Control Training: Unique Method

Aloha Tribe,

So, here's something that will send  your surfing style into radical gear in no time. Get something like a Bucky pillow. I got this one...

http://www.bucky.com/catalog/bed_pillows_natural_buckwheat/Buckwheat_Bed_Pillow.html

... and found it to be the perfect size for this Chi Gung Surfing exercise.

What you do is to lay on your back, with the pillow under your hips. Extend your legs out, suspended in the air. And, extend your arms, in whatever your surfing stye happens to be.

You can start with a Pop Up. It takes a bit of visualization, but, the more deeply you visualize it, and allow your body to feel it, even though you are actually on your back, the more this exercise will help you.

So, here's how to do the Pop Up. Laying on your back, with your Bucky pillow or whatevers (it should be firm, like a Bucky pillow, my teddy bear, Fluffer, also works, by the way), have your legs together just as you would if you were laying on your board. And, your hands are pressed against the "deck" which, in this case, is towards the ceiling, since, you are on your back. Your arms are bent, and, your hands are roughly at about your boobs (or chest, if you're a guy).

Now then, you are, literally laying on your back, with your arms pressing, nothing, but, you are imagining you are laying on your board, having just paddled, and, are about to do a Pop Up. It just takes a bit of a spatial mental twist, that's all. Visualization and adaptation are everything in this art.

So, arch your back as you straighten your arms, pushing your hands towards your ceiling or your imaginary deck, and, then, slowly, Tai Chi speed, move your legs, into a squatting position, your legs and feet suspended in the air, your hips still supported by the Bucky pillow, teddy bear, or whatevers.

Feel your crouch exactly as you would as you Drop Down a waves face. Play with your feet a bit, making sure to press a bit more with one or the other, depending on how you want your board to respond during the Drop. In actuallity, your feet are simply pressing up into empty air, more or less towards the ceiling, your legs suspended in the air, your pivot point being your hips. Your arms, extended, as you feel comfortable. Now, practice weighting your front or back foot.

Here comes the Bottom Turn.

Are you a Goofy Foot, a Regular Foot, or a Switch Foot like me? And, are you going to turn Frontside or Backside in your imaginary wave?  Let's say you're riding Goofy, and, you're going to do a Backside Bottom Turn. You weight your heels a bit, loosen up your toes pressing the air, and shift your body weight back a bit, depending on how radical you want your turn to be.  Play with this, get the feel of it, experiment, and, be willing to look really silly and giggle at yourself (that's allowed), and mostly, have fun with this.

The more relaxed you are, the more sensitive you'll be with this exercise. As you practice this again and again, I just got done with a 2 hour session of this, for example, you'll find you get more and more control of extemely small muscle movements everywhere on your body. And, that's what you're shooting for.

The neat thing about this exercise, is that, while it seemingly seems silly or like it makes no sense or would not have any practical application to surfing, because you are holding your legs in the air as you practice this, you are learning to move your legs as softly as you'd move your arms while doing a Tai Chi form. As such, this exercise will teach you to have truly sensitive feet and legs, with complete mastery over your muscular and energy (Chi) control of them. By "pressing" your feet in different directions, as you imagine them pressing against the deck of your board, you'll develep very senstive ankles and sole as well as toe sensitivity. This then, will make your feet stronger, so that you can learn to turn your board more with your feet, and, less with your body weight, thus, you can hold your balance better by remaining more centered on your deck with your body and head. This, naturally offers you more options for doing any type of move, whether you surf a longboard or a shortboard.

Link these soft, subtle practice movements in with your breathing, and, you have the makings of a great Chi Gung Surfing exercise, that will truly make your surfing awesome.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Why Slow is Fast for Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

Today, I wanted to look at one of my favorite ways of training  Chi Gung, namely, slow training. Now, many of you have probably heard of Tai Chi. And, perhaps some of you have heard of Accupuncture or even Feng Shui also. Chi Gung is the root of all of these arts, as well as of all energy for that matter. In other words, anything you think or do is, a form of Chi Gung.

So, what does this have to do with slowness versus speed, you ask? Tons. You see, let's take a look at Tai Chi for a moment, or, slow motion Chi Gung. You simply move your body in a series of extremely slow, smooth movements, while coordinating your movements with your breathing. It's the breathing part, and the internal part (that which happens inside your body), by the way, which most Tai Chi practitioners miss, sadly. The reason is that most qualified instructors simply don't know the true roots of their art.

And, what does this have to do with surfing? Well, everything. How or why can we surf, and, why do we get better over time? Great questions, those. Let's look at them. In an average hour, most surfers spend probably about 50 to 55 minutes either paddling out or sitting in the lineup waiting for a wave. And that leaves only about 5 minutes or or per hour to actually ride, with an average ride, if you take all breaks into account all over the world, probably being something like about 8 seconds or so. Sure, there are breaks where you can get a long ride of maybe a minute, sometimes even a fair bit longer, but for the most part, most rides are 8 to 10 seconds.

Now, in talking to DD (Darrick Doerner), my surfing and Watergirl mentor, about Sunset Beach on the North Shore (of Oahu), he told me that the average surfer maybe caught about 4 rides per session or outing, what with paddling out, waiting in the Line Up for your turn, waiting for the right wave, and so on. 4 or 5 rides a session?  I was dumbfounded at that. Here I had been surfing out in The Wilds as well as at Hanalai Bay in Kauai about 25 rides an hour or so, not knowing that was, "wrong," so to speak.  Then again, I never hung out too much with the crowds and such, being Feral at heart and in soul. Naturally, I politely said nothing, and simply listened and nodded and studied Sunset. That got me thinking though, no wonder it takes some so long to learn to surf.

They say that on the California Coast, about a year of surfing is equal to about a month of surfing on the North Shore. And, off the East Coast of Africa as well as in Bali, there are spots that a month of surfing the North Shore is equal to a week there, in other words, it's possible to pack in a lot more surfing than some of us do, thus, our overall wave count can dramatically climb,  if we but think about what we're doing and where we're doing it. Be in the right place, at the right time, and, you can learn extremely quickly acquiring vast amounts of experience. It adds up quickly. For example, you could get about 4 years of surfing experience in by surfing the North Shore for about 4 months, if, you typical break was in Southern California. Not a bad trade off actually.

Okay, so, getting back to our topic. Time. Namely, slow and fast. By training in slow motion, using Chi Gung, or various forms of Tai Chi, you can learn to truly pay deep attention to every minute movement your body and breath makes, and as such, you truly learn to not only relax, thus greatly increasing your flexibility, but more so, you learn to live and think in slow motion, or, in other words, at extremely high levels of speed, to put it in sports jargon, you learn to surf in The Zone.

The Zone is a semi-mythical place that virtually all top athletes in any sport get into now and again, but, the secret is to learn to do it every time and constantly, never getting out of it while doing your sport. This, fellow Tribe members, is where the art is, and, where the true excitement and benefit of Chi Gung is.

Just as getting a lot of experience, such as riding many waves, helps you to progress, getting more in tune with your body than you ever imagined even possible helps you to progress, and this, you learn to do by slowing down and truly studying and absorbing what you are doing every fraction of a second.

For most of us, if you ask us how our ride was, we might say is was Epic. Or,  Bodacious!!! Or Radical. Or whatevers. But, how many of us can truly say exactly what we did, exactly as we did it, and, how it felt, and, why everything on any given ride happened as it did.

Once, DD asked me, "why did you fall". This was before he told me his Rule Number One: No Falling.  As I looked at him for a second, he said, "why do people fall? Why would anybody want or chose to do that?"

And so, I told him. We fall, in general, because we lose focus. We aren't paying attention to exactly what we are doing and what our board is doing and what the wave is doing. Instead, we get out of the movement, removing ourselves from what is happening, and we think about what we want to do such as "I want to hit that lip then..." and so on. Now, there's nothing wrong with thinking about what you want to do, in fact, you truly do have to surf ahead of where you are to avoid accidents like hitting someone or to make a certain section of a wave or whatevers. But most of us think too slow. Worse, we think rigidly. Our plans, you see, have to be spontaneous explosions of lighting fast calculations absorbing absolutely everything and making no mistakes. If, we don't want to fall. Sadly, most do not know how to do that. But, there is hope. And, Chi Gung offers the path to learning this skill of thinking and thus responding physically faster than you surf.

It all starts, with, how we breathe.  And, with slowing down. Thus, surfing longboard can truly help you master your shortboard, for those of you who might be wondering. Learn to surf slow, and, very soon, you'll surf the way you want to surf, the way your feel your surfing, the way you dream. And that, is a pretty exciting place to be.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Cardio Training for Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

A lot of surfers wonder how to increase their cardio. And, while it is true that there are countless ways, my favorite is paddling my board and swimming. Both, come natural to surfers.

Here's what I like to do.

First off, one of the things I learned from DD (Darrick Doerner), was to always swim for my board when I lost it. Of course, this rule is sort of a moo point in that Rule Number One, I was taught, was...

1. Don't Fall

A simple rule, seemingly. In, theory.

To go along with swimming for my board when I fell, which, I was not and am not supposed to do, one naturally learns to surf without a leash. Both swimming for your board, and, not using a leash, are Old School Classic ways of training. And, both truly have merit.

So, when I don't fall (though I do sometimes) , here's what I do. I paddle my board in, all the way in, Old School Style, to the beach, and, more so, I get out of the water with my board, stand on the beach for a moment, then, paddle back out to surf again.

Doing this has helped me to learn to paddle hard, fast, smooth, and with at least a little style.

Now, another thing is, DD often surfs about 2 miles out. So, naturally, one has to be able to swim in 2 miles regardless of the surf. And, since that is what he does, and, since he is my teacher, that is what I do too. To train for this, one of the things I love doing is swimming across Hanalai Bay. It's about 2 miles from one side to the other, and one of the things that the top lifeguard there taught me was to swim over and back each day as part of my training.  With some practice, I got to being able to swim comfortably over 6 miles.

As for paddling my longboard, I do it in two ways. One is that I paddle for distance or time. I simply go out and paddle my board for a few hours. The other way is to work on speed, which of course is most important in Taking Off and also in getting out of the Impact Zone, when one falls or Pulls Out in a bad position.

So, with the speed work, I simply do wind sprints. Sort of like what a sprinter would do on the land, only, I do it paddling my board.

I also paddle upstream in local rivers to build endurance, power, control, and, to work on perfecting my paddling stroke.

So, sure, you could do all kinds of things for cardio. DD has me running rocks in what is called Rock Running, and he loves mountain biking and running in the sand, all of which are great. And, if you want to stick with a beach theme, 2 on 2 beach volleyball rocks.

For myself, I've found that working on both cardio and form at the same time helps. That way, I can learn to do my cardio smoother, and, as a surfer, that's important to me because smooth movements are what surfing is all about.

Bodaciously  Stoked,

Lily of the Valley