2-hour beginner training makes it all wrong

rollerrider · Joined: 17 May 2003 Posts: 100

Yes spot on GT. Obviously good instruction makes a difference and can prevent bad habits and wasted time. But it all comes down to motivation and a lot of hard work and practice. Anybody with enough ambition can overcome physical limitations and increase athletic ability. With some ambition one can do some research for instructional information or find find proper lessons or info from other windsurfers. Even bucket loads of money and the best instructors won't help without a lot of hard work and practice. So any beginners reading this should understand and cherish that fact that windsurfing is not easy and a life long learning process. But it is an individual sport so if someone comes away from a lesson slogging around in paradise once a year that's fine too.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

Here's a recent Facebook post on Andy Brandt's time line that is relevant to this issue:

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

Iso’s,

I get your meaning even if you are having difficulty explaining it. Since practice is simply the act of repeated physical movement that builds muscle memory, every time you windsurf you are practicing. Heck, every time you go for a walk you are practicing how to walk.

I think the term you are looking for is organized practice. A practice where you have a specific goal in mind.

Coachg

PeconicPuffin · Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 1830

whitevan01 · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 607

Carol Dweck calls it "deliberate practice", the author of .Bounce calls it purposeful practice.

AndreiA · Joined: 14 Apr 2013 Posts: 73

Everyone, with all this active participation, almost nothing helps to answer the original question:

How to reduce the number of quitters, who strongly believe in 'practice' but for one reason or another, practice wrong moves, and give up because (quite understandable) 'it's too difficult'?

Or, simply, how to bring more people to the fun side of windsurfing?

And please, don't argue it's all 'their fault' (i.e. lack of commitment, etc etc.).

grantmac017 · Joined: 04 Aug 2016 Posts: 946

Teach people on kit that will work in lots of different conditions rather than the current excessively wide beginner gear. Something to be said for being able to go places right away.

GURGLETROUSERS · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Posts: 2643

You seem compelled to deny reality AndreiA by telling us NOT to argue that it is all down to them if they give up the sport. It IS down to the individual!

It has little to do with whether they are doing it rightly or wrongly. It is that some people find that they simply don't have an afinity with the sport, or that they simply lack the all important ability to learn from their mistakes and progress at it.

Any teacher (I was a kayak instructor) knows this. Take a dozen people taking up the sport under a controlled learning environment, and it quickly becomes obvious to the instructor that two or three will show themselves (to their delight) that they are 'naturals', several will be 'normal' but well suited to making progress, but one or two will simply be square pegs in round holes, and unsuited to the sport. i.e. lacking in instinctive balance, or some other problem. No amount of 'proper' instruction can overcome the issues in such cases. The sport is simply not for them.

So I insist that it IS all down to the individual as to whether they will continue, or cut their loses and give up. Simple fact of life!