Stylin

Do you have a style? Do you want one … or a better one? Do you care? It’s a bit abstract but Peter Hart, abetted by some names you may well recognize, contends that by focusing on a waveriding style, you can improve both technique and the overall experience.

- Peter Hart

Before we go any further let me draw the distinction between ‘having a style’ and being ‘stylish.’ What defines the stylish sportsman is a sense of effortlessness. It’s the apparent ease with which they execute a complex skill that draws the eye and makes them such a pleasure to watch. It’s Roger Federer casually dispatching the rocketing service of a giant Russian with the deftest of touches. It’s Usain Bolt breaking 10 seconds for 100m with a cheeky smile and at what appears like a canter. Even in the most explosive, dynamic phase of a move, they seem to have an extra yard of space, an extra second and it never looks as if they’re trying too hard.

We can all surely strive to become more stylish on the water but to a large extent, stylishness is a blessed innate gift. You’ve either got it or you haven’t. But as for ‘having a style’ – that’s unavoidable. According to the dictionary, a ‘style’ is just ‘a manner of doing something’ – and we’ve all got one of those whether we like it or not. Happily it is a thing we can change and develop. And no field is more open to interpretation than that of waveriding.

The problem for many amateur waveriders is that they have stumbled on that adage of “practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent.” Most tend to frequent the same spot, which works in a certain wind direction. Soon they find themselves following set routines; drawing the same well-worn lines on the same parts of the wave and quickly the spark disappears from the marriage.