Be Like Water

Kuba Gasiewski is a skilled all-round waterman, originally from Poland, but now based in Mauritius, where he is the chief windsurfing instructor at ION CLUB in Le Morne. Kuba rips on any kind of board, from windsurfer to surfboard, kiteboard to SUP, but what he is quickly building a reputation for is challenging the conventions of learning how to windsurf. We’ve featured before his innovative methods for teaching windsurfing to children, but now Kuba has turned his attention to the very basics of windsurfing instruction, which he argues haven’t changed in line with the breakthrough design changes of modern boards and sails. He advocates a more fluid approach to learning and our stance, encouraging us to embrace Bruce Lee’s saying, “Become like water”, arguing that windsurfing is easy if the correct method of instruction is used. Read on as Kuba opens the debate on the methods of teaching windsurfing in the modern age.

- Kuba Gąsiewski 

IT’S EASY

When details are given too prominent a role, learning can become a difficult and frustrating process. With a few little hints and corrections though, what seemed to be so hard, becomes effortless and easy. In fact, windsurfing is an easy sport, once you understand it.

Some years ago, windsurfing kit underwent some revolutionary changes. Boards became shorter, wider, more stable and with footstrap positions much closer to the mast. Sails got lighter too, with better balance and became even more effortless to handle. It is so much easier to windsurf now when compared to years ago. So if equipment has changed so much, it’s logical that our way of teaching windsurfing should also be upgraded. Yet most instructors around the world are still using the same concepts as 30 years ago. Therefore making windsurfing as hard, or maybe even harder than it ever was. People say that kitesurfing is easy to learn and windsurfing is difficult! My opinion on that matter is that both are the same, easy to learn! It’s just a question of how you have been taught.

TAKING A STANCE