Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Take a Clinic

I’ll actually be giving a clinic at the Carolina Cup with Jimmy Terrell when this gets posted, but that’s not the reason I’m suggesting you take a clinic.  I simply think that if you’re really serious about becoming the best you can be in this sport it’s worth hearing what people who’ve achieved a lot have to say and learning from them.

When I was a young C1 paddler I used to hang on every word the older National Team paddlers had to say about training, technique and racing.  When I became a National Team member myself I used to like to talk to the competitors from other countries and share ideas about everything to do with training for paddling.  I’d pick up little things that I could try in my own training, some of which I’d find really useful, and some which I never tried again because they didn’t seem to add anything.  The point is I was willing to learn, and over the course of my career this helped me get better.  Many of the things I learned back then are things I’ve been able to apply to stand up paddling and I still use today as both an athlete and a coach.

When I worked for Toronto’s bid for the 2008 Olympics I had the opportunity to rub shoulders with a lot of former and current Olympic athletes from a variety of sports.  I had way more time to actually talk to them about training and competing than I did when I was in the Olympic village and met them there.  I found that even though our sports could be incredibly different the experience we shared as athletes while training and competing was remarkably similar.  I learned things from these athletes, especially about the mental side of training and racing that I found useful, and with athletes in events with a similar energy system profile to mine I learned useful things about training.

I’m fortunate that my sprint canoe background helped me become competitive in SUP pretty much from day one, at least on the flats if not in the ocean.  But I’ve had a lot of help from, and asked a lot of questions of, paddlers with far more experience than me.  They’ve helped me become better and pretty competent in the ocean.

I haven’t done a Kalama Kamp, but I’d love to.  I’ve had the privilege to teach a clinic with Dave and Jimmy.  In that circumstance, even though I’m teaching the clinic, I’m essentially taking it as well as I’m listening carefully to everything Dave says.  As much as I’ve spent most of a lifetime with a paddle in my hand, his has been spent on the ocean.  I can’t think of a better learning opportunity considering where I am at now as a paddler than to hang with him for a week.  If I can find a time when work isn’t busy and he’s offering a camp, I’m definitely in.

At the Carolina Cup this year there are lots of clinics and if I weren’t teaching one myself at the same time I think I’d be signing up for a couple of them.  I’d love to hear what Annabel Anderson has to say.  Here’s an athlete that excelled in other sports unrelated to paddling and surfing before starting SUP.  In a very short time she became not only the fastest woman in the world but frequently paddled with, and even beat, some of the top guys in races.  I figure her background and mine are at least a little related in that they weren’t on the ocean.  I’m sure she’s picked up a ton of tricks in becoming such a strong ocean athlete that I’d find useful as I continue to improve on the ocean myself.  Annabel is doing her clinic with Johnny Puakea who is a very successful ocean paddling coach.  I’d really be interested in his perspective on SUP as well. 

Travis Grant and Jamie Mitchell are also giving clinics at Carolina.  I’ve sat in on a clinic Jamie has done with Jimmy and it was well worth it.  I’ve also taught one with him and Jimmy.  Though I’ve had the opportunity to actually train with Jamie, which is the best way to learn from him, the clinic experiences were really useful for learning as well.  And though I’ve raced Travis in both outrigger and SUP and talked paddling with him, I haven’t had the opportunity to hear what he has to say in a clinic.  I know it would be useful to me.

This week’s Tip of the Week is to take a clinic.  Hopefully by this point I’ve convinced you to do that sometime, but let me take it one step further.  Take as many as you can, with as many different instructors as you can.  Don’t make the mistake of always signing up for one with your favorite paddler, be it me or anyone else.  Get as many different perspectives as you can, and then figure out how they apply to you.  All of the paddlers I’ve mentioned here are incredibly well spoken, articulate and passionate about paddling.  They’re personable and can tell a good story.  You’ll not only learn, you’ll be entertained while you’re learning.  They’re motivating and inspiring.  I guarantee if you take a good clinic you’ll be a better paddler and enjoy your own paddling more because of it.