Brad Mansfield who attends many of our coaching weekends and holidays is becoming a regular wave hound catching just about anything he can get his fins on. Here he rides down the line on a little green teaser at Tolcarne getting in some prep before he joins us in Portugal this September!
Bodyboarding Lessons For The First Time
We had some new recruits join us for the weekend including Paul from Bodmin who has bodyboarded a bit before and decided now was the time to take his riding to the next level. Like Brad, Paul has decided to join us in Portugal for a bit of sun and some barrels! Gavin and his son George from Suffolk who had had a lesson previously wanted to get some more tuition time in the water. We sat down with Gav to hear his thoughts on the coaching weekend to get an inside perspective.
Name: Gavin Tattersall
Location: Suffolk
Job: Managing Director Of Valve Company
Age: 47
What did you expect from the weekend?
A better understanding on how to bodyboard, learning some key techniques to improve my wave count rather than just relying on luck.
Were your expectations fulfilled?
Yes, the weekend was what I imagined, especially in terms of the technical and experienced advice on offer.
What specific aspects of the coaching helped you improve?
Being shown how to properly position myself on the board certainly improved my riding. Once you have caught the wave it is so helpful to know how to distribute your weight. I also gained a better understanding of the waves in general which aided my wave count.
What did you think about the video and photo analysis?
The picture analysis was helpful, initially you think you are doing it right but when you get to see the images and video you can see where you were going wrong. To receive that added tuition outside of the water is really beneficial and easier to take on board than when you are in the sea.
Why did you bring your son with you?
I thought it would be good for George to attend. He has bodyboarded before and I could see his riding progress during the weekend as well. George said himself that his bodyboarding improved due to working on his arm positioning.
What was your overall impression of the weekend?
I thought it was a really good friendly weekend. The coaching and environment is not high-pressured and is pretty relaxed whilst still being productive. I might come again in the autumn to challenge myself with some bigger waves!
Bodyboard Waves – Experienced Guidance
After a lovely meal down at the Fistral Beach Bar on Saturday evening the troops were back and raring to go on Sunday morning. With Fistral not looking that appealing we decided to keep to our Sunday tradition in hitting the road to find some Cornish gold. Whilst our little adventure didn’t look too golden amongst the clouds it did deliver some fantastic swell. With experienced local guidance on hand there almost always is a wave to be had on our Cornish coastline, you just need to know where to look.
Book Your Bodyboard Trip Today
We can’t wait for our next summer bodyboard coaching weekend in August, take a look at all our upcoming Newquay events here as well as our international destinations here.
Check out a few more shots from the weekend below.
After recently joining us on our Bali trip Nick Wadey was getting stuck in at Fistral.
In the smaller conditions at Tolcarne it was perfect for the crew to work on some 360s and Rob Barber got things started!
The gang go over the finer details at lunch during the photo analysis.Tim from France who is tempted by our Moroccan holiday sets a nice trim down the line.
Happy crew!
Photos by Aaron Parsons Photography and Joe Woodhouse.
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