Can you learn to sail without wind surf lessons

How do I look at someone on the water?

My own experience as a long time instructor and coach has taught me to pay very close attention to people, how they move, their attitude and confidence as this pays a huge part in how they act and respond to instructions and prompts when out on the water.

This starts from when you first meet them on land, rigging the kit and doing the very basic land based drills that we go through for getting on a board, uphauling, secure position, basic sailing position, and steering or tacking.

When you watch a beginner windsurfer on a board, who has not had proper lessons, you will see them doing the basic actions, but missing some core skills that would make each move, more successful and easier.

This could be something as simple as looking down, not using their head to adjust balance or shifting their weight to help with steering and control.

Another really useful tool that we now use is BBTalkin headset, that let’s us have constant communication with the sailor on the water, so we can fine tune you at the right time and let you experience key adjustments that really deliver much faster progress.

Understanding the basics of windsurfing and sailing

Having a good understanding of sailing is not necessary when learing to wind surf, but a good instructor will keep you focussing on the wind and how this affects, what you’re doing and where you’re able to sail. General all round awareness is important and this is something you need to develop over time.

A good instructor will also keep you on your toes and should be getting you to develop routine movements and core skills will are the basis of basic windsurfing.  Once the penny drops at this very early stage, the other things like wind direction all start top make even more sense.

We will make sure you work through basic movements and how they should become part of your routine, as they become part of  the more advanced movements as we progress.

Common mistakes when getting started without an instructor.

When you’re starting out, everything is new and you have no idea what works and what doesn’t.  You may well have watch Youtube videos, but the reality and practice are quite different, especially when considering the kit you’ll be using so there are loads of questions leaping out at you, even before you’ve hit the water.

• Stance – there is a lot more to having a good stance than just feeling balanced.   Steering, controlling power and gusts, heading up wind, faster tacking and gybing are just some of the things that a good stance will rapidly improve.   Your instructor should be regularly correcting your posture and stance when on the water to help you create muscle memory and allowing you to feel the differences whilst you’re sailing.
• Understanding the wind – a beginner will understand the very basics of wind, but you need to have someone talking through situations whilst on the water and experiencing wind shifts, gusts, lulls and how they affect what you’re doing whilst windsurfing and how to prepare, before big changes blow through.
• Safety – as with paddleboarding, a total beginner to windsurfing, needs to be told and made aware of dangers and safety in relation to wind direction, wind strength, tides, currents, waves, beaches, boats and more. This comes from an instructor who has that experience and knowledge. 

What are the key benefits of getting professional wind surf lessons.

The key benefits that someone will get when joining on a proper wind surf lesson include:

• Core skills  – These are the basic movements, body positions and movements, that can be taught and ingrained from the outset, that will see faster progression at all levels of sailing.
• Focussed instruction – a great instructor or coach will watch each pupil carefully and adapt what they’re asking the pupil to do, to better suit them or the conditions.  This is something that comes with experience.
• Adapting things on the spot – We use the BBTalkin headsets, which allow us to watch and deliver instant feedback and giving tips and feedback that is used to positively reinforce.
• Learning to be safe – Delivering not just the lessons, but additional awareness around being safe is so important.

Skills gained on a beginners lesson with an instructor.

When learning windsurfing, the right approach can make all the difference in how quickly and effectively you progress. Our focus is on delivering a well-rounded lesson that equips students with both technical skills and a solid mindset. Through our structured teaching methods and advanced equipment, we aim to provide a comprehensive learning experience that not only improves physical ability but also boosts confidence. Our goal is to ensure students leave with the knowledge and tools they need to take on windsurfing independently or with continued support.

• Core skills would include – Vision, Stance, Drive are just some of the main thigns that should be brought into your lesson for each thing you’re doing from Uphauling, sailing, turning and steering.
• Mindset and awareness – When we teach we try to deliver concepts and a mindset that will help the pupil to really understand what they’re doing and be aware of the environment they’re enjoying.
• Speed of learning – our own teaching method along with the best kit and BBTalkin headsets, allows us to deliver success and a positive mindset, very very quickly, which is so important to the pupil.  This helps them to leave us with the right knowledge and confidence to take on this new challenge either, alone or with our help.

Misconceptions about teaching yourself.

• It’s cheaper – That’s a common thought as you save a few hundred pounds in lesson fees, but: how much longer does it take you to get to a more advanced level and correct those fundamental mistakes.
• Natural talent – Who doesn’t like to be naturally amazing at something, but imagine how much better you’d be if you’d enjoyed a structured and logical learning process with some really powerful Core Skills.

So should you get a proper windsuring lesson or not?

I run a professional watersports centre here in Bracklesham and not far from Chichester and West Wittering, and we’re very proud of what we deliver and how we teach people to wind surf.   But this isn’t about us, this is about you and your windsurfing journey, so if you’re looking for schools in different parts of the country, then check out this listing.

If you get it right and get some awesome lessons from a great instructor, you will find that you progress much more quickly, which is going to save a huge amount of time.  You’ll be safer, more capable and enjoy your time on the water a lot more, no matter how far you want to go.

Our most successful and popular courses are the Private/Shared sessions with a maximum of 2 people, so we can deliver very focussed training at the right pace for you.

Be aware that not all instructors are the same, so make sure you get references, google reviews etc to make sure they’re capable of delivering the very best lesson.