What do you want to hear from Matt Pritchard every Monday Morning? Instructional tips, his viewpoint, specific topics, interviews with fellow pro riders, etc? Either e-mail Matt directly (matt@pritchardwindsurfing.com) or drop us a note and we’ll pass it along (info@windsport.com). Here’s Matt’s column for Monday, March 8, 2010.

Hey everyone,
I hope you are enjoying the Monday  Tips... but instead today I’m going to brag about Maui and how windy it has been. We had a long 3 months of not much going on which is very strange for Maui. I know, I know… most of you guys have at least 6 months to wait for wind or for the ice to simply melt away, but when you live in paradise or come over for a vacation and want to go windsurfing, it was pretty frustrating!

As soon as March rolled in to town, so did the wind. Everyday of the month except one has provided us with awesome conditions. I have to admit, after sailing everyday my body is a little tired. I guess you could call it being out-of-shape for windsurfing! The good news is that windsurfing is just like riding a bike; once you know how to do it, you don’t forget—your body is trained.

Start of the Season: Hopefully you guys have been working out and getting tuned up for Spring! I gave you some exercises at the end of last year to get you prepared for your first day back: pushups, pullups, jumping the rope and basic stretches (click here to revisit that post). Nothing replaces windsurfing itself but a little bit here and there will help you through your first couple sessions!

Our last topic of discussion has been all about the harness lines. Hopefully that made sense to you and you can start sailing longer with less fatigue. Becoming more efficient is the key to windsurfing. When you are fired up and on form, you are more apt to learn a new move or simply able to focus on the moves you are working on.

Tips for Getting Ready: The focus for this week is to get ready for action. Break out your gear, check it out see what needs fixing and prepare to rip! Replace your old downhaul lines with the new 4mm Spectra rope—it is the white stuff that slides like butter through your cleats and saves your back a couple pounds of torque! If you need to locate that, email me and I can send you in the right direction. It revolutionizes the rigging experience!

Cool Web action: In the meantime, here are a couple links to check out. Some cool pics of Mark Angulo coming in at Hookipa at the wrong spot—I keep telling him it is way easier just a few yards upwind. Kev has some great shots and some video clips posted on the blog- check them out here: www.pritchardwindsurfing.com/content/blogcategory/14/44/