CONDITIONING PROGRAM FOR WINDSURFERS AND WATER SPORTS AFICIONADOS

Kanaha is a wonderful beach in Maui for fishermen and water sports enthusiasts. It is where beginners learn, where confidence can be built and re-built. It is the place to lay a solid foundation and therefore the inspiration behind the name of the first step of the Ocean Monkey Jedi program: “Kanaha Core & More”.

For every movement we do, a part of the body has to remain stable while the others move. The more stable it is, the more powerful, fast and controlled the overall movement can be. That is the foundation you are laying during the first step of OMJ: core strength and endurance as well as stabilization endurance for your joints (shoulders, hips, knees, ankles). This ensures that you will be able to follow the next steps of the program safely and get the most out of them.

When I started windsurfing at Ho’okipa in the fall of 2012 I had a really hard time. There was a lot of swimming involved as it felt like I would spend my time trying to rescue my gear before it would go on the rocks. The worst part was that I would end up in this situation just trying to get out, not even riding a wave!​​​​​​​​
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It was intense and frustrating. I started to wonder what the fuss was with that place that takes so much energy for such short moments of reward. As I practiced more and became fitter, I realized that the key to not waste all my energy sprint-swimming was to not fall in those key moments. What a concept! “Just don’t fall”. I actually think it’s interesting to point out. To have fun at Ho’okipa the most important skill, in my opinion, is not wave riding, it’s balance and proprioception (the body’s ability to sense its location, movements, and actions). This aspect of fitness training strongly impacts your ability to make it to the channel, position yourself where you want and make it back out again without a sneaky current or white water ending your session. Before you can play with the Ho’okipa waves you have to walk the “Ho’okipa Tightrope” which is the name of the 3rd step of the Ocean Monkey Jedi program.​​​​​​​​

Pacasmayo is home to one of the longest, most fun waves in the world. 3-minute rides on the regular with more turns than you can count, I was lucky enough to discover this amazing destination while competing on the IWT. The waves are heaven, but without proper training, entire sections are ‘wasted’ on recovery. This is precisely why the second step of the Ocean Monkey Jedi program focuses on muscle endurance in honor of this iconic destination. ​​​​​​​​
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The goal is to keep your technique on point, even when your heart is pumping and your muscles are burning, begging you to stop. With proper endurance training, you’ll gain that extra push of energy to grab that one last wave, hit that final section, or if you can get to Pacasmayo, ride the longest waves of your life to your fullest potential. Not only will your body have the grit for it but your mind will too.​​​​​​​​

Ténia is the name of the most famous wave in New Caledonia. It resembles Cloudbreak in the sense that it breaks on an outer reef made of very sharp coral. If you fall, you are pretty much guaranteed to have your equipment broken. The wipe outs are heavy. It’s an intense place and it is where I learnt to wave sail. ​​​​​​​​
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Growing up in New Caledonia, I would hear about waves but I never saw one until my friends Pierre-Yves Leroux and Alex Rouys took me to Ténia. I was 15 years old and even though my sail got destroyed at the end of my first session, I fell in love with riding powerful waves right away. Drawing lines for fun while being on the edge is such a thrill! ​​​​​​​​
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In the Ocean Monkey Jedi program, the “Ténia Power” step focuses on power training: the ability to produce the maximum amount of force in the shortest amount of time. Being explosive is necessary when one wants to have a more critical timing while riding waves, and Ténia calls for that! I also think it’s exhilarating to exercise this way, to feel like a superhero doing cool moves that will translate into bottom turns, top turns, jumps and aerials.​​​​​​​​