Beyond SUP, Candice competes in ocean triathlons, various Pro Longboard events, body surfing, canoe surfing, prone paddleboarding, lifeguard competitions and other ASP sanction events. In 2010, Stand Up Journal featured her as the “Woman of the Year” in their worldwide publication. in 2011 she launched an Anti-Bullying campaign called “Stand Up for the Children.” Expanding the ways in which she gives back, Candice has taken on the role of  CFO/Co-Founder of Performance Paddling LLC.  It is in the balance of fitness, competition, travel, family and faith that I am able to fully appreciate all the things I am capable of accomplishing, as well as inviting new opportunities into my life. 

Mentoring, coaching and providing leadership for youth paddling competitions and opportunities have developed into a valuable commitment to the sport we love. Thank you Candice and husband,  Anthony Vela.

Always smiling, Candice Appleby inspires us

Next generation awesome ocean athletes

The Inaugural Performance Paddling Junior Pro & Youth Sup Fiesta presented by Ocean Minded, which took place in early May, had competitors coming from Australia, Maui, Oahu, Florida, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and all over California. Proceeds were designated for Standup for the Cure for the cure of breast cancer. — with Quickblade Paddles, Izzi Gomez, Fin Film company captured the spirit and positive joy of the event in a short film (LIKE Fin Film on Facebook). 

Candice recently posted a quote from a coffee table book titled, ONE. A portion of it is here.  As you read the quote, it’s important to know that Candice posted it during a time she was recovering from hand surgery that has curtailed her competing as she heals and rehabs over the past months.  During that time she has remained active and giving within the SUP world, all with her signature smile.

“A great life includes something worth living for, maybe even worth dying for. A portion of a great life would be devoted to something bigger, greater, grander than yourself. Something that inspires you, energizes you, pulls you forward. Something that responds to your unique talent or touch and , ultimately, makes a difference in the world around you.

A great life would naturally bring more meaning, love, laughter, wonder and adventure to your days. At the end of your journey you would look back on a life of significance, rather than regret-knowing in your heart that you left the world better than you found it. Knowing that you made a difference in the lives of others. Knowing that you got something wonderful out of it, and that you gave something wonderful back.

A great life, of course, is not something we experience, it’s something we create.”

There is no doubt that in the process of creating a great life for herself, Candice radiates the energy that inspires us to dig deeper, mine our talents well and share what we can with others – generously and with love.

Candice appleby and Anthony Vela, in their water element
photo: Adlib Photography

When commenting on her life with Anthony Vela she explains that sometimes it’s like a dream. Anthony, according to Candice, was a half black, half Mexican kid that grew up an hour inland, only to become a professional ocean athlete. Candice recognizes, “My life is so blessed. Thanks to all of my friends through the years from whom I have learned about life and the ocean. I am thankful everyday. How did I get so lucky?”

Anthony Vela embraces ocean sports with gusto!

Candice, I think you have made your own luck. As a SUP Muse, you inspire us to use our talents and energy in a similar manner.

Connor Baxter, Dave Kalama, Kai Lenny, Suzie Cooney and all the elite SUP racers are in the front ready for a challenging run.

“The Olukai Ho’olaule’a is a great event. Every year paddlers look forward to competing at this event in the infamous Maliko downwinder. The day started out with rain and very light winds. But, when driving down along the north shore we could see that the wind was picking up and the rain had stopped – and there were a few whitecaps. It was looking like it was going to be a good day. Driving into Maliko Gulch, I knew there were going to be a bunch of people – there were cars parked all the way out to the highway – and it was only 10am. What a great turnout.

Once we got there – I checked in and got my board ready. And, of course had to say hi to everyone. At 11:30 we had a pule, a Hawaiian prayer and then all 300+ of us hit the water for a 12:00 start. It was a water start on the outside of the bay. The wind was a little onshore so I decided to start further outside. Once we were all lined up on the water the boat waved a yellow flag so we got ready to race. And bam the green flag went up and I sprinted right from the beginning. Dave Kalama and I pulled away right from the beginning and like always – were just trading off back and forth.

Dave Kalama showing his powerful form making his way to a strong finish

Once we got to outer Baldwin I knew I had to put a gap on Dave. So I put my head down and I shifted into 6th gear and didn’t stop until I had a comfortable lead. Once I was a little ahead, I got into a steady rhythm and kept going.

Coming into Camp One I was a little nervous, because I didn’t have a leash and there were waves. So I caught a medium size one and stepped to the tail and rode the wave to the inside. Once I hit the flat water I just kept my head down and sprinted all the way to the finish.

Awesome shot captured by Terry Marie Galpin

I had a good lead of a minute and a half on Dave – and two and a half minutes on Kai in third place. I hit the beach and ran all the way to the finish line and spur of the moment I got a great idea to dolphin dive across the finish line – even though there was no one even close to me.

Overall it was a great event and I had a lot of fun and really stoked to defend my title and hope to do it again next year! I want to thank my sponsors for all their support – Starboard, Maui Jim, Rainbow Sandals, Trident Sports, Rista Fins, Dakine, GoPro, OnIt Pro, Waterman’s Sunscreen, Igloo Coolers, Sunrite Maui, Hammer Nutrition, iDcard, EFX and Hi-Tech Sports. Also a big

Mahalo to all the event organizers and volunteers.”

Aloha, Connor Baxter

As adventures, even of the “bucket list” kind fade over time, there’s something we can all do to preserve them for ourselves and anyone else who’d like to share with us.  Using a GoPro camera and any of the various mounting accessories, capturing active adventures is as easy as pushing a button and getting out there.

Making the story something that friends and family will enjoy as much as you (star of the show) do requires a little more time and planning. Using great tools available from GoPro, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker or any number of easy and inexpensive editing tools you have the ability to take hours of action and collect in smaller buckets of interesting and quality segments.  Adding the right music is usually the most fun lots of us.

The next part takes a bit more time. Watch your project from start to finish again and again. Watch it with someone who wasn’t with you during the action. What do they wonder about, WOW about or seem most interested in?  What questions come up?  Once you really “know” your visual story you are ready to do some “wordsmithing.”  The more you practice the art of magical and creative wordplay , while still maintaining the essence of the story the more comfortable you will be as a wordsmith.  We may not ever become a master at crafting new words or cobbling together fresh phrases but we can add substance to our videos by adding a carefully scripted dialog from time to time.

This video, Reflections – SUP Lifestyle is a bit long but it solidly inspired me to try harder on my video scripting.  VIDEO SAMPLE: This is a 4 minute example made from over 3 hours of GoPro footage.  I’d love to hear your comments and link to projects you’re proud of.

There are moments between the adventure of letting the GoPro roll in the action and getting the finished, edited project that could be confusing or frustrating. I am discovering that things can be easier once I leap across and learning plateau and minimize my own “user-errors.”

Luckily, avid GoPro fans from near and far have posted exactly the YouTube video we need to answer nearly any question we type into a search box. It’s truly amazing.  Adding to that support is the GoPro site itself.  Recently, I discovered an additional resource – the call back after an online form e-mail question I submitted.  GoPro is a company 100% focused on making our experience with their products the best it can be.

Are yopu wondering what my question was? The one that I couldn’t find and answer to and finally submitted it online?  Look at the video below.  In some of the sequences there is a gray shading on the left side. The footage that has that gray l;ine came from a GoPro Hero Silver edition we took straight from the box, charged and set out to use (without updating the firmware).

How would we know we should have updated the firmware? We had actually gotten an e-mail from GoPro a week before. in the excitement of going to Hawaii to standup paddle, we ignored it. Our mistake.  Once we accomplished the very easy task of downloading the update all subsequent footage was perfect!  What a cool fix, quick and easy.

Fortunately, the team at Naish Maui Pro Center (cool story about their team here )combines excellent advice and careful guidance as they encouraged me to try the Naish Hokua 9’0″ during our recent trip to Maui.

Back story: I have paddled flatwater, downwind and surfed on an Amundson 11’3″ for the past 4 years. As an all-round SUP board it has served me happily and well.  During the 12 months between May 2012 and May 2013 I caught exactly 4 waves and surfed a total of 2 hours at Pacific City on the Oregon coast.  To say the least, my surf skills had not been honed or improved. Moving toward the sort of high performance boards in the Naish Hokua line seemed, well, scary! I was used to a barge under foot not the v-design of the Hokua.

Outrageous, wonderful surprise!  The first minute out on the water with the Naish Hokua 9′ 0″ had me knocking knee wobbly, then it clicked. A mere paddle stroke or two had the Hokua accelerating steadily. The first thigh high glassy swell rose over the mid tide reef at Launiupoko so I went for it – and caught it!  All day I played from that start. Late take-offs? The Hokua and I laughed our way down the faces, it seemed made to rise out of the water and with a mild press of my back foot I could get a lot of tail kick right or left. This had never been part of my skill set before!  The Hokua has a super nice “between-the-feet” feel that allowed plenty of fun while waiting between sets and just paddling over the gin clear water above the reef.

While the 9’0″ is great for riders 30-60 lbs heavier than I am, even at my age, size and weight it felt zippy, maneuverable and tons of fun!  If you’ve been sticking with the SUP board that’s been your go-to equipment for some time, take a demo, rent a Naish Hokua if you get the chance. You may fall crazy in love like we did – see GoPro video below for the full story!

The start of the 2013 Olukai Ho’olaule’a at Maliko Gulch

Those very conditions greeted 336 SUP downwind racers at the 5th Olukai Ho’olaule’a on May 11.  Little did I know as I paddled out of the Maliko Gulch what was in store.  The tide was flowing in, the swells delivered confused chop and the wind clocked toward our faces as we paddled past the reefs and cliffs about a mile and a quarter straight out to sea and the starting line.  I believed the waves would be my nemesis, but one wave in particular delivered the defining moment of that all-round incredible event!  Here’s the story:

Like most of the participants, I spent a great deal of time paddling on my knees, really getting a challenging balance workout while going for the glides or taking some head-first dunks into the confused sea.  When I had feet under me, eyes on the horizon and my paddle technique cranking out smoothly, holy cow, the Naish 14′ Glide I was riding accelerated with glee and practically begged to connect those glides. Exhilarating stuff for sure. Light as a feather, my KIALOA Hulu paddle powered me through chop and (YAY!) let me brace, balance and avoid plenty of wipeouts.

From the very first paddle stroke, as fellow participants were lifted – then disappeared – behind the swells, my fear was that I’d not be able to negotiate the beach landing. All along the shoreline from Hookipa to Kanaha and points in between the swells met reefs and created a wall of crushing white-water challenge. About 75 minutes into the race Kanaha and the life guard stand was in view. I was paddling near Sean Sweet of Sweet Waterwear when I heard him say, “Judy, look right!”

Defining moment, uncaught wave of the day. And that was a good thing!

I braced my paddle in the water to my right, swung my eyes over and looked straight up into a building and breaking wall of gray-green and foaming wave. There was just one reaction, and it surprised the living daylight out of me – I was like, “Yeah!” and went for it. Went for it as in, “I want to catch this thing.”  Lucky for me, very lucky, the water was deep enough that instead of crushing right onto me, it re-built as a pillowing swell and swept neatly under my Glide. Also lucky for me, I realized how much I love being in the ocean, riding waves, being part of a huge community of like-spirited paddlers and enjoying the fruits of much practice and training. It’s all a very cool journey.

It’s tough to put into words the impact an event like one’s first Maliko Gulch downwind run delivers. Instread, here’s a 4 minute video that tells the tale. Much appreciation (listed in the credits at the end) go to Naish International  (Haiku), KIALOA Paddles, GoPro, and Suzie Cooney, CPT.

We are a salt-craving duo. I started surfing in 1965 with the same guy I am surfing with now. Yup, heading into our 43rd anniversary we’ve still got the love.  That said, I must confess a new crush – a wild and wonderful new crush on something fresh, sleek, sporty and fast – the Naish Hokua 9’0.” So, here’s the story.

Savoring the day after a sweet training paddle and surf session on the Naish 14′ Glide

My surfer guy, Ed, and I had a 40 year hiatus from surfing and re-discovered our love of walking on water in 2005 as we launched into standup paddling – and surfing.  Now it’s May and we’re on Maui prepping for the tradition and adventure of the Olukai Ho’olaule’a. Ho’olaule’a – literally, it means “celebration”, according to Olukai, it’s also an expression of gratitude. We feel that way as well.

Since enjoying the small, “fun,” version of the Ho’olaule’a last year we have had the great fortune to meet so many great friends, professionals and athletes connected by Maui’s culture and events.  What a treasure. The team at Naish Maui Pro Center stands out as a key part of what has made the experience what it is.

Talk about in-depth experience, passion for their respective board sports and endless patience for questions and sharing advice – and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Have you ever rented SUP equipment during a vacation? It can be a real grab bag of choices. Many times we’ve headed out with less-than-amazing equipment, heavy paddles and a wave good bye once the credit card has been swiped. The team at Naish Maui Pro Center lives a very different vibe.  Martin never stops smiling as he fine tunes and repairs the rental fleet maintaining tip top condition and appearance.  Sam has a knack for considering our abilities and matching that to the breaks that could provide us the best experience on any given day.  Jay is obviously proud of both the retail and rental aspects of the shop, as well as the culture that’s been developed. It was fun to chat with a few Naish riding Maui locals out at the break as they inquired where we got our Hokuas. The moment we said, ” We rented them over at Naish Maui Pro Center,” they immediately shared a similar story or two.

Be prepared to be an SUP kid in a candy store at the Naish Maui Pro Center. Rack after rack of Naish board choices spread as far as the eye can see. There’s something for every ability and size. It was there in front of the area holding the Hokua line that I saw it – the Hokua 9’0.” I surf an 11’3″ all round board and love it – but sadly, it couldn’t hold a candle to this sleek and snappy  Hokua calling my name. Heck, at my age (63) and my surfing ability (you’ll see in the video) would I be able to stand on it, balance and even catch a wave? I didn’t care, it was too beautiful not to take as my board of choice for surfing this week. Take a look at the 1-minute video collage of an afternoon of glassy awesome-ness at Launiupoko.

In love there is always “that moment!” While I had plenty of fun rides and better bottom turns than I’d ever enjoyed, there was that moment of connection. A larger than usual set had come in with a chest high swell rather than the thigh highs of the day.  This glassy wall peaked in front of me and the lip took a sudden and crushing fold down, breaking right in front of me. I dug in my paddle and braced, expecting to the be tossed in the drink.

HA! Not so. That Hokua easily broke through the wave, the power of the crest whipped past my ankles and I did this quick turn, and (SURPRISE) caught the next wave in the set.  We’ve seen the pros make the Hokua perform. How cool that it can bring even the novice to a new level of SUP fun!

(The BIG Story:  Naish 14′ Glides  for the Olukai Ho’olaule’a on Saturday)

Mother-daughter stoke as Heather Relyea Baus and daughter, Savannah, stay in synch at the Carolina Cup.

We recently posted an article by Cyril Burguiere that celebrated “family” as an integral part of his life, sports and SUP.  Earlier in that same week the crowd at the Carolina Cup clicked endless images of mother-daughter team, Heather Relyea Baus and her daughter Savannah as they tandem-ed their way through 12.5 mile “Graveyard” Elite Race course. I think the many participants and onlookers saw something more than two determined and prepared athletes competing in a very challenging race.  Heather says it best in her own words, “When we look back on the photos its all very surreal and inspiring to me as an athlete as well as a Mom.  I look at the photos and don’t really see us.. just something a lot deeper. ”  Browsing through a few sample images (below), you’ll feel the same something more!

The race, the hand-in-hand finish and the after race connection all capture a synchronicity of spirit nurtured through countless hours of shared fun and effort in, on and around the water. More images are available by Nicholas Leason.

Crucial to successfully completing the elite race course is the choice of SUP board.  Heather explains, “Nick Leason owner of MHL custom and shaper Greg Jaudon and myself decided to design a true unlimited board that could suit my daughter and me as a tandem board or super fast unlimited board for the solo guy.  The board is 16′ x 25″ .  This may seem narrow, but really the longer the board the more narrow you can go.  MHL has the magic touch for stability.  These guys are amazing. ” By the way, the mother-daughter team finished 5th overall females and 1st in class with a time of 2:44:06.

ES:  How did you train and what were some highlights of the race?

HRB:  We sort of eased into the “training” to where it didn’t feel like training but just time on the water together, we really enjoy this.  My daughter is quite the chatter box on the board and we both love the diversity of paddling in the panhandle area of Florida.  The conditions of the water, currents and wind are forever changing compared to our past experience when we lived in Puerto Rico.  I think what excites Savannah the most on our paddles is the diversity of nature we see  while out on the water.  This winter we focused on ocean skills and tandem downwinding technique. This has been a real thrill learning together and it certainly paid off at the Carolina Cup!

ES: The dialog between the two of you from the race that you posted on Facebook was priceless!    The dialog in general is pretty hilarious, mother and daughter have two very different takes on the experience as it unfolds.  Sampling below:

SAVANNAH: “Wow Mom did you see all those amazing houses??? MOM: “Hang tough S we’re leading the unlimited”! SAVANNAH: “Mom why aren’t you going faster??” MOM: ”Because i’m dying”… SAVANNAH: “I’m gonna pop some tags.. I got 20 dollars in my pocket….!!” MOM: “Go S… Annabel Anderson is passing us!”… SAVANNAH: “OMG MOM!!!! Those waves are HUGE and they’re breaking!!!!!” MOM:..” WE GOT THIS”.. SAVANNAH: “How much farther”??

HRB: I think because she is not looking directly at “mom” she tends to open up more and really talk about things.  Some days are “serious matters”  you know… like informing she needs to change the trucks out on her skateboard…. to recipe ideas for dinner and I think an entire week of Harry Potter series summary.  OH and many, many National Anthem practices out on the water..   The dialog for Carolina Cup was not as energized as training paddles..that was a really tough race for both of us.  However she did sing, comment on the gorgeous homes, inform me she had to pee.. and how much farther!

Fun on water and fun sailing was woven into family life from the start.  Daughter, Savannah, started sailing and competing in regattas at age 6. Soon she wanted to accompany Mom on her training runs for the Molokai to Oahu race in 2011.  According to heather, “Savannah is very unique and I learn a lot from my daughter.  She has style both on and off the water.”   

Cyril Burguiere “sees pink” across a handful of sports enjoyed with the whole family

Family is my priority, my love, and my passion; however, sports and the outdoors are right up there as well playing a big role in every decision, every dream and aspiration. The great thing is I don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. They can all be combined together – they are all part of a lifestyle, and the more I explore this lifestyle, the further I get pulled into it. I credit the Northwest and watersports communities for helping us see the way along this journey.

My wife and I standup paddle (SUP) and ski, so our kids do it as well. We don’t watch any cable television, so our kids don’t either. We realize that our children will get more and more influenced by mainstream culture, but we believe they will naturally gravitate to this lifestyle because it is so good.

Cyril and his wife, Tiffany,  share the family-sports stoke!

I always played sports as a child, but nothing close to what my children are getting. I did get to explore the world, its cultures and landscapes and always had a love for travel and the outdoors. It wasn’t until my early teen years that I started my near obsessive relationship with sports, but they were all indoors or on artificial fields. I competed in NCAA Div I track and field and learned a lot about training discipline and the importance of technique and repetition. I even wrote an essay about the benefits of sports for children (my now wife was a classmate of mine). In my 20s, I finally started experiencing outdoor sports. I also became a proud father of two girls, Erica and Isabel.

Now a father of two daughters, I have learned so much from them. I’ll be honest, when I first found out we were having a girl, we were living temporarily in Texas, and my then old-world (‘traditional’) way of thinking, had me thinking sports as a family were going to be lower priority, probably something I’d have to go and do alone. I was visualizing Barbie dolls and pink stuff everywhere. I was only partly right: the pink stuff became Erica’s ski jacket and goggles following behind me on steep ski runs and hucking off a 4ft jump when she was 3 feet tall, the pink KIALOA sticker on her Keiki paddle, and my daughters’ pink gymnastics leotards bouncing up and down almost daily on our backyard trampoline.

A pink blur = great fun

Some of the rules we live by:

1. Fun. Keep it fun. This is not the time to get an adult workout in. Build a snowman, stop to check out the wildlife, enjoy the large tree roots and caves on the mile long trail down to the surf spot. Show your passion and fun – bring out that inner child that is so easy to do with sports. On our many trips to summer SUP races, we try to mix sightseeing to keep it fun for the kids. My fellow KIALOA paddles teammate, Karen, is really good at this as well – our families actually met up at a wildlife safari park on route to the same SUP race last year.
2. Explore, diversify. As I mentioned, we are a ski and paddle family, but we also mix in other activities, such as gymnastics, swimming, slackline, trampoline, bike rides, playpark, beach. We learned from this after we put Erica in a full weekend, all winter, ski race program at 5 years old: she loved it and excelled at it, but she burned out and wanted to do other things. We’ve since dialed back and now try to diversify the activities more. For example, we will not do more than two days of the activity our children are requesting. Living in the Northwest makes diversity easy – I’m writing in the Spring, when we can literally do every sport mentioned above and there is a whole community behind each sport wanting us to be a part of it.
3. Balance, agility, suppleness. I’ve read several studies that examine what is most important in a child’s development at different ages. For youth under 8 years old, these three skills seem to be the most important for development. Endurance and strength come in the later years. For this reason, our cross country ski loops and paddles are short. Most events we have been to organize short kids races, which is great. We spend more time jumping, turning and showing off. Gymnastics, the playpark, our basement trapeze and the trampoline have all been great for our girls – they gravitate to these sports on a daily basis to use up every bit of energy they have.
4. Rainy days rock! As parents, we model that rainy days don’t stop the lifestyle. We’ll still walk to the supermarket, I still paddle and bike to work regardless, we never say “oh no, it’s raining!”. Actually, SUP in the rain is amazing when the water is calm – I love the way the rain drops hit the water, and I still paddle just as fast! Rain in the winter also means it is snowing in the mountains, which is great for our ski season. Our family is always watching weather and planning our next adventure and for that reason we get more sun than anybody else. I have many stories of friends complaining about a rainy weekend, when it was actually sunny an hour away at the coast or mountain.
5.  TV is for family movies.
6. Provide kid’s gear. It doesn’t have to be high end; it doesn’t need to be waxed. Our kids love knowing they have their own gear – whether it is a paddle to take dad’s board around, or some hand-me-down skis from big sister or friend. This can be the most challenging for finances, especially when trying to diversify and explore many activities. We found an incredible combo in our kids’ board, the Tahoe SUP Grom and paddle, the KIALOA Keiki adjustable paddle. Both pieces of gear should last them from age 2 to 12!
7. Listen – and HEAR. It gets old hearing “great job!” and “you were awesome!”. Those are obviously very important, but having been on the receiving end as a young athlete, I know the importance of getting honest feedback and encouragement. I forever thankful to my mother for having always stopped to listen to me talk about my sport and what went right or wrong. We ry to let our kids communicate and think through what they have done, and I believe it does them a lot of good to discuss specific examples of what was a ‘great job’ and what was not so awesome.
8. Healthy eating. Last, but definitely not least. This obviously starts with the parents and is truly a lifestyle. We don’t claim to be experts, but we enjoy learning and talking about food. We try to talk to our kids about the benefits of different foods and how to combine foods. Erica’s top 5 foods: 1. Red lentils, 2. Spaghetti, 3. Tomato soup, 4. Pizza, 5. Raw peppers.

There are many more things, such as sleep, that could make the list. The main one – have FUN! Get out there regardless of the weather – you might surprise yourself and your kids won’t even know the difference. To them, nothing beats being outside with mom and dad!

With Vimeo, YouTube, blogs by pros and all sorts of social media links, we can “meet up” with SUP professionals we admire. SKYPE is another way we can get great training tips from our favorite pros. Suzie Cooney, CPT of SuzieTrainsMaui encourages SKYPE training and has had great success with that medium.

Robby Naish (happy birthday this week) and Kai Lenny in Alaska

Recently I watched a short video of Kai Lenny and Robby Naish paddling around icebergs and basically “chilling” in Alaska. It’s good to study their stance, paddle placement, reach, posture and recovery during racing sequences as well as more recreational paddling.  Sometimes it’s tough to assimilate exactly what is making their performance so efficient and powerful.

Dave Kalama provides a bit of advice in his blog article I found to be easy to put into practice. “Don’t rush.”

He explains that even if your technique is effective, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are utilizing it properly. If you rush through all the phases of your stroke and don’t take the time to execute each phase correctly, then you are not using your level of technique in an efficient way.

For me, one of the pieces I took away was to take the time to really drive the paddle down into the water. Create a complete stretch of your reach. According to Dave, ” it only costs you a little patience and time to completely extend your arm forward. Also, rushing through the recovery phase will break the flow of a smooth rhythm, which is where real efficiency resides. If you rush into getting your hips all the way back under you to the neutral position, then you miss out on all the potential momentum you can generate through the hips. 

During yesterday’s training that resulted in muscle fatigue and “good workout” soreness, it might have been that fully extended reach, getting my hips back to neutral and rotating the upper body appropriately that made all the difference.  There’s nothing like practice, exploration and observation to add even more fun to this sport we love so much!

We’d love to hear from you – what blogs, videos or images have been useful as you improve your technique?