Did Kanoa Just Crash Our Coaching Trip?

“Am I being pranked right now?” thought Justin as Kanoa Igarashi sits up next to him in the lineup.

The previous night, all-star surf coach Dan Mori (who organized this epic co-coaching trip to El Salvador) showed clips he was able to procure from the local videographers of Kanoa shredding this same surf spot just a month prior. Dan broke down every movement, showing us all how Kanoa applied the same techniques he was teaching us (albeit Kanoa’s application of the movements were much more crisp and powerful than ours).

And the next day, Kanoa showed up. Coincidence?

I love serendipitous moments in life like these. Those gleeful occurrences that catch us off guard remind us how exciting life can be.

Kanoa proceeded to put on a clinic for us and the locals (Justin had a literal front row seat) and we all were inspired by his performance and Dan’s sage technique advice.

Kanoa was here to warm up for the upcoming El Salvador comp at La Roca. Apparently, he preferred the surf spot we were at. But it’s much more fun to say that Dan set it all up, isn’t it?

Progression Prevails

The Kanoa siting was on the second to last day of the trip. Leading up to that day, I saw every surfer on the trip level up their game. Some showed signs of increased stability, speed, and control. Others showed more power and consistency in their movements. And all improved their paddling, takeoff and approach to the waves that came in.

Daily coaching sessions from Dan and I fueled their progress. But it was their own intention to learn that was the foundation of why they improved so much. Each and every surfer on the trip was there to learn. And in order to learn, one has to make mistakes. A lot of mistakes.

“Get ugly” as Dan would put it. Sometimes we all had to get ugly before things began to click.

That’s a very humbling thing to do, especially when the waves were so long and so beautiful.

As Dan sat out the back making sure our surfers got the best waves, I sat inside, making sure the surfers stayed calm and used less energy if we were caught inside. Attempting to minimize the noise, Dan and I only provided the surfers with two or three focus points.

“Enter and glide. Maximize each stroke.”

“Step the back foot back farther. Wider stance.”

Day by day, the surfers improved. By the end of the week, I was floored at how far they had come. New movements and approaches to the wave that would take a month or more was dialed in by the end of the week.

Without their willingness to take a step back, and humble themselves, they wouldn’t have leaped forward nearly as much as they did.

I was inspired, and impressed.

Don’t Over-reach, Too Much Volume

Throughout the week, we all remembered to have fun. We brainstormed a new rashie we should make – on the arms it will say, “Don’t Over-Reach” while the back will say “Too Much Volume”. These playful quips kept us all laughing ear to ear while eating fresh oysters and drinking refreshing coconut water from Super Coco.

There was never a dull moment and it’s safe to say it was a nice blend of coaching work and surf trip shenanigans. These are the kinds of coaching surf trips that are rare. Often times a coaching trip has too much seriousness, too much “work”. Other times, the coaching trip turns into more of a regular surf trip if the waves aren’t so good and there’s not much to work on. This trip was a fantastic balance – waves every day, long warm days to spread out a nice flow of coaching, resting, and surfing.

Many thanks to all of the surfers on the trip. In addition, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish as much without the help of Nancy who consolidated all the video clips each day and provided vital first aid throughout the trip. The lineup got busy, but with the help of locals Misael, Samuel, Alfonso, Marvin, and Jose, all of the surfers got plenty of waves. And Dan and I didn’t have to worry about video clips. The local videographers, Joseway on water photography, and Edgar on drone didn’t miss a beat. Antonio and his staff made sure we were well taken care of when we returned from each surf. Finally, big thanks to Dan who opened up his trip to us – not only was his coaching A++, he had fostered over fourteen years worth of goodwill with the locals so that we could have such an amazing setup. He was family to the locals and by association, we felt like we were too.

Until next time, I’ll see you in the water…