ABK Camp- A users perspective

[mikemcd]

Hello All,

Just thought I would share my thoughts on an ABK windsurfing Camp that I just came from at Kalmus this weekend. All I can say is... Wow!!

My first 2 years of windsurfing I struggled to learn what I could from guys at the beach and reading magazines but it wasnt until my first ABK camp that I learned the right way to sail. Its made all the difference for me.

This weekend was my second camp that I attended and I learned just as much from this as I did my first time. It is amazing how fast one can advance in skills when given the proper instruction.

The forecasted winds from earlier in the week fizzled which left us with very little winds but Andy and crew stuck with it and taught us tricks on how to improve our skills for both light and heavy wind sailing.

I personally sailed backwinded on the wrong side for the first time ever (on purpose) and am almost to the point of doing a helitack and a duck jibe. I never thought I would even try doing one of these moves let alone actually have a chance of completing one.

These guys are so full of information and helpful tips that they could fill up weeks of training... wind or no wind.

People were there from all levels from advanced freestyle tricks to someone who had been on a board for 6 hours, 10 years ago. Everyone progressed incredibly fast in just those 3 days of lectures, on the water training, and video analysis.

The food was great (thanks Sarah), the company good, and above all it was a blast!

I would recommend this camp to anyone and everyone. They have another camp this coming weekend at Newport in Rhode Island. To my knowledge there are still spaces available. You can get more info on it here:
http://www.abkboardsports.com/

Kudos to Andy and crew for a another job well done.

Matt Corey
Meteorologist, etc.
iWindsurf.com

[aborkovsky]

I like ABK a lot, Andy is great -- but is this really a place for informercials?
--ab

[pacspeed]

They have to keep the banner ad sponsors happy!!! Ha!
How bout a banner ad for the Bunny Ranch? I volunteer to be the product tester and write a review.

[gemoore]

I do think that this is an acceptable place for testimonials, which is what Matt posted. It was not an infomercial, which would have been a posting from someone at ABK.

A LOT of postings to this forum are queries for advice on how to do something - plane, jibe, use the harness / straps / etc. Unfortunately, internet forums are a TERRIBLE way to teach windsurfing.

Ive taken lots of clinics and lessons, and there is no question in my mind that ABK runs the best program. Having struggled through my own advancement, and given numerous lessons myself, Im certain that the most valuable concept out there is Andys sail chi exercises, and Im not aware of anybody else who teaches them. I think ABK should emphasize sail chi more than they do (and Ive told them so).

When I went to my first ABK freestyle clinic, most windsurfers would have said I was pretty good (in the B&F/carving jibe mode anyway). After listening to Andy, I realized that his approach made more sense than what Id been taught before. It was a frustrating week (dont take my word for it, ask Andy). It took me a summer to unlearn my old ways, and I made slow progress. In my second ABK clinic, I made huge progress IN THE CLINIC. Landed my first willy-skipper, donkey jibe, reverse monkey, flip jibe, planing hoss tack, carving 360s upwind and downwind, and was doing backwinded manuevers well enough to try some planing backwinded tricks. Im not up to 50% on the harder moves, but Im very happy with my progress.

And its not like I live somewhere with fabulous wind and can practice all the time. I live in upstate NY, all my good days are frontal winds. Theres no such thing as an afternoon thermal here. Im a weekend sailor, pushing 50 years old, who gets about 50 days a year, less than half of them planing (and a third of them on vacation in Hatteras).

So if youre spending tons of money on equipment and you cant do all those moves, if you think youre too young to learn them, or you dont have enough time on the water to learn them...think again. Youre passing up the best buy you can get in windsurfing, which is a week with ABK.

Make that two weeks. Itll take you the first week and 1-2 months of time on the water to unlearn the things that are holding you back.

: )

Geoff Moore

[ray123]

Hey,
Ive been to a couple of ABK camps. I found them very helpful. However, they were before Andy took over. What are the sail chi exercises? Id be curious to know.
Thanks,
Ray

[peluffo1]

I just went to the camp in Rhode Island, the wind was mediocre and the weather not helpful. My windsurfing skills (the meager few that I had accumulated) left me during the first lecture and it was almost like starting over, but I do see a much better future in their approach to windurfing than mine. I must say the sail Chi excercises were very educational and I wish I would have gotten that lesson on the first day instead of the last. As far as Rays question, the excercises are basically sail handling excersises that you do in light wind on the beach,You rig a sail and set it on a board or something that will hold the base and you can practice using the sail for getting backwinded, balancing the wind clew first, rotating the sail, etc.

I suggested sail Chi as part of a freestyle video but I am sure I am not the first.

All in all I would consider the camp a very worthwhile experience that I will try to repeat next spring.

Nick

[gemoore]

Ive told Andy that sail chi needs to be core material, one of the starting points. When I teach beginners, I cover the simplest sail chi exercises (#1 and #2), and Im quite certain it helps them a lot.

Nick - once youve got sail chi on the beach solid, do it on your board in the water. If you closely look at Andy sail, he uses those skills in every move (even sail chi #5).

GEM