Babeled

I started surfing about a year ago, which is a shame really because I’ve lived at the beach for 28 years. Surfing is something I have always dreamed of doing, but never had the resources to do. So now I make up for lost time. I surf as much as my schedule will allow. You know the saying, “practice makes perfect”. Well I’m doing just that. “50 times”,  fellow Babeler Greg Molyneux said.

Sports like surfing and golf take a lot of practice before you can even preform the core functions. 50 attempts is an average of what one would need to reach that level of basic technique. You gotta learn fundamentals.  Even from there the learning never stops…

I agreed. So I said to myself…

Self, more dedication and education is required. I’ve paddled out about 30 times now (only 30 because of the cold water in Jersey and my lack of a wetsuit until recently). Not only do I need to get out there and do it more, I need to read about it. I need to learn from others. Professionals would be good to hear from…

And wouldn’t you know just such a professional was to visit my town. His name was and is Shaun Tomson. In tow was his book, Surfer’s Code: 12 Simple Lessons For Riding Through Life. Quite fortuitous I would say… Hmm? Hmm?

I was not able to make it to the book signing at Pine, the local surf shop/ art gallery.  Half because i was engaged in other activities and half because who the hell is Shaun Tomson? I was however able to procure a signed copy of the book. I read the 191 pages over a period of 5 days so that the lessons would sink in. It was a very captivating read. Especially learning about the big wave rider himself. From his childhood in South Africa during apartheid to his 14 years on the world surfing tour and his record six year winning streak in the Gunston 500 in South Africa (1972-77), Shaun Tomson told of his enriching experiences. That’s when I understood the folly of my ways and my intellect. I missed out on meeting one of surfing’s’ greats.

The lessons/chapters in the book were awesome, both for my life in the water and on the land. From changing how I wait for waves to my thoughts of being some thing’s “lunch”. He really has a way of putting things into perspective. He brought a whole new mindset to what I was doing and how I was thinking. I wanted to catch a wave, but I wasn’t dedicated to it. I was too worried with all the details and wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. I was leaving my dominating “safe” life on land and actively joining the “food-chain”, as he so delicately put. I was joining a community in the wild.

Basically the book was great, it totally helped and even the dude at the surf shop who’s been surfing all his life said the lessons were “right on”. There are 12 lessons in the book and each one is fantastic for the soul. The lesson that agreed with me the most was lesson 8, “I Will Always Ride into Shore”, because you should always finish what you start. Now I’m not saying that because of this book I can now surf because I can’t. I’m still working on the turn after the drop. Who the hell am I kidding, I’m still working on the drop. Actually I’m still working on everything. Practice makes perfect… and “I Will Paddle Back Out” (lesson5). I’m only 20 away from 50 times and so close to putting the “fun” in fundamentals.

A huge thank you goes out to Shaun Tomson with Patrick Moser authors of this book. Their book has brought this Jersey boy much enjoyment both in and out of the ocean. And I will forever ” Honor the Sport of Kings” (lesson 12).

Check out Shaun Tomson discussing The Wave at Jefferey’s Bay.

Popularity: 12% [?]

In ancient Greece, the Olympics was an athletic competition between city states that only free men who spoke Greek were allowed to participate in.  Furthermore, athletes had to qualify, have their name in the lists and take an oath before Zeus that they had been training for 10 months or more.  Also, only the most youthful and vigorous of Greeks were allowed to participate.  It was an elitist event in every sense of the word, as only upper class Greeks who met very specific criteria were allowed to participate.

As a child I had a vague unrefined dream of one day being some kind of Olympic athlete.  It was borderline ridiculous, considering I had no interest in sports and limited athletic aptitude.  Even if I did have an amazing athletic ability to run or swim really fast, I probably never would have made it to the Olympics.  The traditional elitism of the Olympic games would have held me back.

These athletes train for hours a day, every day for years.  Do you know what that sounds like to me? A job.  It sounds to me like you can’t really have a job and be an Olympic athlete, which means you have to have an alternative financing method.  You need a source of income, and generally it has to be a lot of income.  For a lot of people, this income comes from their rich parents.  Other people have sponsors or benefactors, but you can not really acquire a sponsor or benefactor until you have already demonstrated much promise in some arena of Sport.

To achieve the  caliber of athleticism and skill necessary to be competitive, you also need to hire a coach, preferrably a coach who’s only job is coaching you and only for hours a day, every day for years.  Coaches don’t work for free, and they don’t really work for cheap either.  Furthermore, coaches are generally arrogant, elitist narcissists who only want to be known for having coached winners.  You have to show them that you are worth their time, even if you are paying them.

A lot of the sports we find in the Olympic games today are the kind of sports that underprivileged kids just don’t have any opportunity to participate in in the first place.  Sports such as fencing, tennis and rowing are the purview of the very rich, country-club-attending upper echelon of our society.  There are other sports included in the Olympic games that are more accessible to every level of society, but high class sports are certainly favored.

The Olympic games were and are an elitist endeavor designed for rich people to amuse themselves while extorting money out of the lower classes who are convinced to adulate the athletes and purchase Olympics paraphernalia.  They rope you in when you are small with promises of athletic glory and world fame.  Upon your inevitable failure as a member of the working class to ever become an Olympic level athlete, you are left to buy a little hat with five rings on it and watch the Olympics on television while being bombarded by advertisements.  I am not suggesting that anyone do anything to make this any less of a ridiculous elitist athletic spectacle.  I’m just saying that it is one.

Popularity: 22% [?]

The summer season is upon us, and if you’re looking for a quick way to get your body in beach shape, then you are in trouble.  It’s already too late.  But, you can still start now and you will be looking and feeling progressively better over the course of the summer.

What are Kettlebells?

Kettlebells are basically iron spheres with a semi-circular handle at the top.  They were developed by Russian body builders to increase strength, muscle mass, endurance, and burn high levels of fat. They usually come in a variety of sizes starting at 4 kg (approximately 8.8 lbs) and increasing in 2 kg increments.  As the Kettlebell has become more popular in the U.S. over the past year, it is now possible to find them in pounds rather than kilograms.  This is good for those of you who are afraid of the logical metric system.

Why Kettlebells?

The design of the kettlebell allows for many interesting exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time.  The exercises usually incorporate elements of traditional weight lifting and cardio training.  The dual-purpose work out fits nicely with many people’s lifestyles who do not have the time or motivation to engage in both strength and cardio training programs.  Additionally, kettlebells enhance your coordination and balance because of the complex movements performed in the exercises.

How do I get started with kettlebells?

Many of the exercises possible with kettlebells are difficult to describe.  This has led me to the use of books and videos.  I recommend a video first, because seeing these exercises is the most helpful to being able to do it yourself.  Once you have begun to get familiar with the kettlebells and the exercises, graduate to a book which will usually have more complex exercise routines.  But in order to use the books, it usually is wise to already have some familiarity with kettlebells because of the terms that are used to describe the exercises usually require knowledge of other, more fundamental exercises.

Pitfalls or dangers?

Well, it is an iron ball…  But seriously, the workouts can be intense so make sure that you start with the appropriate weight-levels and be careful.  The fact that you are getting your heart rate up into fat burning and cardio-training levels means that some of these exercises are like sprinting while lifting weights.  Also, you WILL drop the kettlebell at some point.  Make sure you have proper sneakers on to protect your feet, but also realize that dropping the kettlebell is a fact of life and as long as you don’t hurt someone, it’s alright.

How to learn more

I purchased the DVD Art of Strength: Providence and am very satisfied.  The instructor is pretty good at explaining/demonstrating the exercises and it utilizes a two minute “Round” framework.  That means the exercises are performed for two minutes, sometimes with the two minutes divided into smaller blocks with sub-exercises.  However, I think that video may be discontinued, so check out The Art of Strength: Newport instead.  This is typically different from how I train, so it is a nice change.  In terms of books, Enter the Kettlebell is pretty much the kettlebell bible, so it covers almost anything you could ever want to know or do with a kettlebell.  Periodically, I will post updates with exercise descriptions and instructions.

One-hand snatch exercise image from Mike Malher

Popularity: 10% [?]

It’s been about nine years since the last time I was devoted to running on a regular basis. And let me tell you, today proved that it’s gonna take some hard work to get started again!

My rendezvous with running started in high school when I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to play soccer (my favorite sport) and play music in the marching band (yes I went to band camp) during the same season. This really pissed me off, and after some inquiry I was told the only sport flexible enough to fit my schedule was cross-country.

Needless to say, on paper cross-country looks like torture compared to every other high school sport. I mean who the hell would want to spend the entire Fall season running miles upon miles upon miles until sunset? Well for all its negative points, I was finally sold when I found out the girl I liked was on the team. Oh man, here was my chance to mack it and get some exercise at the same time.

Well to make a long story short, I never got the girl, but I did fall in love with running miles. It didn’t happen immediately - the first month was pure hell, and I threw up after my first practice. But slowly I developed my abilities, and by senior year I had maxed out at nine miles.

For those who have never tried long-distance running, I highly recommend it. Here are some of the positive results I guarantee you will gain from exploring this activity:

1. Endurance - Your experience of the relationship between mind and body takes on a much greater intensity when running. You will soon learn that your mind has a different threshold for endurance than your body. And the most awesome aspect of running is when you can tell your mind to shut up and you reach a new personal record.
2. Increased Lung Capacity - This is an awesome plus because increased lung capacity will enhance any other exercise routine you have.
3. Deeper, More Refreshing Sleep - You’ll be out like a light when you hit your bed. And when you wake up you’ll have more energy than usual. The fact is internalized stress messes with your sleep cycle, and running is great for burning off all that extra energy.
4. Running High - Things get real light and colorful after you run a couple miles. It won’t last longer than a couple minutes, but it does happen. There’s really nothing like experiencing your body at the peak of physical exhaustion.

For those of you who attempt to begin a long distance routine, always remember to hum the theme to Chariots of Fire when you begin and finish - it’ll make it that much more dramatic and awesome.

Image Used in this Post

EX2 Backyard Burn PSFP image courtesy of Brain Knight Photography.

Popularity: 10% [?]