[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWX79b6bVeM]
Sophie is an awesome Amiga from the UK who works for Cooler Magazine and Oakley. Needless to say, she’s hip, stylish, and tons of fun to hang out with. Unfortunately, she lives in London and doesnt get to surf very often. In a week of surfing with amigas, she improved so much as you can see in this video. We can’t wait to have her come back and take it a few steps further!
I asked an Amiga – Tiffany Joh, who happens to be a second year pro on the LPGA tour, and our newest fastest learner ever – if she had any advice for others. She didn’t have an answer on the spot, but sent us an email after she got home and had a chance to think about it a bit. I love advice and think she nailed it with these suggestions…
Holly– the last night you asked me if I had any “beginner awesomeness” advice, and I was kind of caught off-guard; no one’s really asked me a question like that before. I mean, let’s face it, If I get up in the morning and remember to put on underwear, it’s a pretty good day for me.
But on the flight back home, I was reflecting on my week and I DID realize one thing I learned over the course of the retreat: How to truly relish the experience of being a beginner.
If most people are like me, they like to stick to their strengths. It’s a lot easier on the ego and no one really enjoys being the “kook” in any situation, especially as you get older; I feel like I’ve always been in a rush to grow out of the novice stage, but honestly, isn’t being a beginner the coolest part? And even as we get better at something, isn’t it beneficial to still have that beginner mindset?
This week was a week of firsts for me. Not just with the surfing, but horseback riding, doing a headstand, volcano boarding, and (cough) Mojitos…and every day I felt like I was learning something new and climbing a steep learning curve. If we went into every experience with the humility and “froth” of a beginner, imagine how much less critical of ourselves we’d be and how much more fun we’d have.
So that’s my revised answer to the question. Leave your ego at the airport, lean into your weaknesses, and savor the process of getting better.
Dale Pues!
xx Sloppy Joh (aka Tiffany)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrww0uf0cII]
As an instructor, it’s really fun to surf with a group that is fearless, willing to listen to instruction, and just go for it! We started out with 3 ladies in the whitewash on day 1, but by day 2, they were all outside trying to catch green waves. Everyone was super stoked, which makes our jobs as instructors so easy! Check them out shredding!
This is how we do it. We take a really cool group of people, bring them to perfect waves in warm water, mix in fast horses, great food, plenty of friendly support, alcoholic beverages, relaxing mind-healing yoga, then mix well and serve up with video evidence. This is what a Surf and Yoga Retreat should look like. We like to have fun!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBEHkX8xHwU]
Where there once were only boys, there are now a few local girls borrowing boards to head out into the waves. Inspired by all the international Amigas having fun in the ocean, a trio of local ladies are now heading out shredding too! They are so excited and super cute!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qz8-yvC2DE]
Melissa is famous. She’s so famous that she needs to keep a low profile sometimes. For these reasons we cannot tell you her last name or exactly who she works for, but let’s just say she is a super hot, super talented Amiga and we’re honored to now call her a friend. She came down for a week of surf and yoga and scored on big waves, fast horses, and extreme volcano boarding.
We were stoked to hang out with her and are really looking forward to having her back!
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpAVosDrUoU]
The secret to improving is to come on a retreat with us, then go home, practice, and come back again! Seriously though, the true secret to improving is having a great attitude. On our last couple retreats in El Salvador we had several girls come on their second retreat and I was totally blown away not only by how much they had improved since I’d last seen them but also how much more they improved over the course of the week.
I started wondering what it was that was different about these particular girls. Were they more gifted athletes? Were they just trying harder? Did they have super powers?
I realized that the secret was attitude. Firstly, they really wanted to improve. They were willing to put in the time and effort to take their surfing to the next level. Second, they listened to feedback. It’s always surprising to me when ladies come on retreats claiming they want help, but when I offer suggestions they argue with me. I’ll give a recommendation and then they’ll respond with a list of reasons why they couldn’t, wouldn’t, or shouldn’t. Those types have a hard time improving. The girls featured in the video took suggestions in and put them them into practice right away, and you can clearly see the awesome results.
Third – they spent a lot of time in the water. These girls were the first in, and the last out. After catching one good wave, they didn’t just go in and figure that was good for the day, they paddled back out looking for another.
Watch the video and be inspired!
Recently we had an Amiga from Western Australia visit us for a week in El Salvador. She had quit her job and decided to embark on a journey around the world to surf and explore. You can read about the whole journey on her blog.
After Rebecca’s trip she emailed me to say thanks and also to ask for 1 thing that she could work on back at home in order to continue to improve her surfing. Rebecca is a yoga teacher, she’s super fit, has been surfing for a few years, and she brought a thin, narrow shortboard on the trip. My response was as follows:
“ Hey Bec,
I think one of the things you could work on is to relax and not be as serious about it. I feel like you are a perfectionist which is what makes you so awesome at things but in your surfing it may lead you to get frustrated which is counterproductive.
You’re surfing really well I thought but riding a thicker/wider – but not longer – board might help too. Your board doesn’t carry speed very well because it’s thin, so you have to work really hard to make sections. You looked really good on those longer boards that you rode, but they were so long. Riding something like 6’0 or 6’1 but 19″ x 2.5 or even 2.25 thick might really be awesome. If you have mates at home with boards like that you should ask them to try theirs to see how it feels.
Ok, I know that was more like two things, but in the end it just comes down to enjoying it and having fun!
That response sums up the advice that I have for multiple Amigas. I’ve noticed that the girls that improve the most have a few things in common.
1. When we give feedback, they don’t make excuses. They don’t take the criticism personally. The say “ok, cool, thanks” and then immediately try to implement the advice.
2. They don’t get down on themselves. They think positively. They don’t say “I can’t do it” or even “I’ll try” but “I will do that on the next one”. The way we talk to ourselves makes a difference. If you say “I can’t” you’re right. Saying “I’ll try” leaves room for failure. If you say, “I will” then you will, maybe not that very next time, but eventually you will!
3. Don’t get too caught up in trying to ride a board that’s not right for you because it’s cool or it’s what you have. Finding the right board for you whether it’s a longboard, fish, or fun shape, will allow you to get the best waves and thus have more fun.
4. Remember that it is all about fun. With a smile and happy attitude, none of the rest of it really matters. If you’re having a good time, you’ll surf longer, be happier, and enjoy improvement.
To read the blog posted by Bec on this subject, click here.
Check out the video highlights of Rebecca’s sessions in El Salvador
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOcKNuFj76Y&list=UUi17EZzkx9RLwtw9Ujt0MQw&index=2&feature=plcp]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aeLyxusqU&feature=vmdshb]
Picking the right surfboard can be challenging. Ideally you’d test drive before you buy, but unfortunately that’s rarely an option. I get a lot of ladies asking me for advice on the perfect board. It seems that most advanced beginners (someone who can paddle beyond the whitewash and is trying to catch green waves) are dealing with similar issues. They want to be able to ride a board small enough to duckdive but big enough to allow them to catch a wave.
That perfect combination can be a tricky thing to find. I often see ladies picking boards that are too small for them just so that they can duckdive, but what good is getting out past the whitewash if the board is too small to get them into waves?
The solution: get a Rusty Dwart!
The Dwart is a surfboard model by Rusty Surfboards that is relatively short, wide, and thick. It’s short enough to duckdive, but still wide enough to have sufficient volume for paddling into waves and gliding across mushy sections. Most Dwarts come with 5 fin boxes so you can experiment with the fast and loose feel of a quad setup, or the traditional but stiffer tri-fin.
See video above for Lindsay talking about why she loves her Dwart as she shreds on wave after wave in El Salvador.
If you want to see why I love my Dwart, click play below!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8xgg7biEEM]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGjarnGmPJA]
Rox grew up in the Philippines with strict parents that claimed surfing was too dangerous. When she was 27 she moved to San Francisco and as soon as she got a car she also got a surfboard, and finally followed her dream of learning to surf. Two years later, she is loving her life spent in the ocean as much as possible. She came to Nicaragua to improve and loved it, especially the horseback riding.
I grew up in Southern California but my mom also thought surfing was too dangerous for a nice young lady. Fortunately I only had to wait until I was 15 and I had friends with cars until I could disobey my parents and go surfing. I was so inspired to hear Rox’s story because I could definitely relate.
It’s never too late, and anything is possible!
