i've always been wondering that! the top guys practise in low to highwind, flat to choppy and waves irregardless using same equipment or use dedicated ones for their areas of expertice..kauli might be good in waves but would he be good in slalom and speed? antoine is tops in just about any discipline...but for ordinary sailors like us who have different conditions for our particular spots, i'd like to think no matter what our not so perfect up to date equipment is for as long as the passion and go for it attitude is there we make good sailors but in general give the passionate sailor a range of sails for the right boards surely makes him/her better as long as the whining isn't in the equation
i think you a right! a good sailor will perform well on pretty much any equipment in any conditions. However, the better and more suited the equipment is to the conditions, than the sailors performance will also improve, ohh and so will there enjoyment!
The top sailors are incredible athletes. I know I am now where near their level of strength and fitness.
I am pretty sure you could get Bjorn Dunkerbeck on a 15 year old board and sail and he would outsail 95% of the average weekend sailor. However there are some amatures who are excellent athletes too.
Its like comparing the average suburban club footie player to the national league players. Sure there are some local players who are really good but most of them would never make it in the big league.
Natural ability, self confidence ,fearless competitiveness ,youthfullness ,weight range 60 - 90 Kg ,and a little wind 
To be a good all rounder
I reckon having:
- couple of freestyle (simple ones) moves downpat for light winds
- riding waves equal (or around) to what an average surfer will surf
- ability to get onto plane is light conditions
- ability to stay on plane in gusty conditions
- can get some airtime
- can sail multiple conditions (5-30+ knots), chop, flatwater, etc
- can go like the clappers when flat water blasting
- have a good carve gybe downpat
Only been at it for a few months. This may not be what a good all-rounder is for the general windsurfing public, if not, what differences, I wanna get to this 'good allrounder stage'!
Above = My List to Learn and Nail in the next few years
easy...
the good allround sailor can.
sail all arvo in any conditions,
cook a massive steak feed on the BBQ and sink 20+ beers,
put one away with the missus,
Get up early for a surf to wash away any sign of the night before,
hit a big feed for lunch ready for the arvo session to do it all again.
Geez sounds very similar to a lot of Mambo comps I went to.
> the better and more suited the equipment is to the conditions
> than the sailors performance will also improve
Very strongly disagreed, with due respect sir, etc. Like the others said, good guys come out great on crap equipment.
But more to the point, I look at sailors here year after year with new equipment and no progress whatsoever to report for it. No more freestyle ever, and perhaps .1 knot, max for fancy gear. The heroes here would look ridiculous (speed-wise) in any pro race, and looking at the way you could count the comb strokes in their hair, they don't know it.
They have more and more sails so they spend their days changing rigs. No perseverance - hence why no freestyle too. The whining that they're too good for the wind at hand. And so on.
I remember a few years ago the local Olympic rep came out our way for a practice. At a light 170 pounds, he was at least 1.5 meters above anyone else. Technique, not equipment.
> ohh and so will there enjoyment
Enjoyment is like improvment: it's a choice that should come from oneself, not from the gear and the conditions not being "good enough".
I was at a freestyle comp last September with PWA guys, and everyone went out in crappy wind to practice the first morning. We just kept wiping out, that's all. That's the ticket.
My 2 cents. (Speaking of crappy equipment, look at my avatar.)
I reckon:
Lives in WA
Has a 4WD
Has a secret spot
Drinks Redback or Little Creatures
Hates kiters in the break
"In general give the passionate sailor a range of sails for the right boards surely makes him/her better as long as the whining isn't in the equation"
Not sure; giving someone better gear may just mean that they are sailing the same, but on better gear. Maybe a sailor who is stretched to their limit by (say) handling a Formula board and a 9.5 on a reach in 25 knots, will learn one hell of a lot more about ultimate board handling than someone who is sailing comfortably on a 7 and a slalom board in the same conditions.
Many coaches and trainers try to put people under pressure, to make the training as hard as possible, because they feel that is the way to really enhance and develop skills. Sailing with a smaller range of gear can do that; or so can sailing with the "wrong" gear. Spending time right on the edge of control can really develop your sailing.
It can also mean that the sailor spends less time de-rigging and worrying about gear, and more time out there practising.
i think you a right! a good sailor will perform well on pretty much any equipment in any conditions. However, the better and more suited the equipment is to the conditions, than the sailors performance will also improve, ohh and so will there enjoyment!
Dunno again; some people relish the challenge of using fewer bits of gear, and making them stretch across the wider range of conditions. It's a personal thing, maybe, rather than a general rule.
"To be a good all rounder
I reckon having:
- couple of freestyle (simple ones) moves downpat for light winds
- riding waves equal (or around) to what an average surfer will surf
- ability to get onto plane is light conditions
- ability to stay on plane in gusty conditions
- can get some airtime
- can sail multiple conditions (5-30+ knots), chop, flatwater, etc
- can go like the clappers when flat water blasting
- have a good carve gybe downpat
Only been at it for a few months. This may not be what a good all-rounder is for the general windsurfing public, if not, what differences, I wanna get to this 'good allrounder stage'!"
I'd add;
be able to sail in light winds; be able to sail longboards as well as shortboards well; be able to race; and be able to handle race gear in imperfect conditions (big chop or gusty winds).
Just my two cent's worth.
"I am pretty sure you could get Bjorn Dunkerbeck on a 15 year old board and sail and he would outsail 95% of the average weekend sailor."
That might be closer to 99.9+% of weekenders!
)antoine does basically all watersports to keep fit and one thing that isn't shown bold letters in all these top sailors is again passion and maybe slip in determination..this a pattern of what brick has been saying too..my belief of the all-rounder starts on a hardened sailor with all of the above, then he trains on another discipline since he/she's got all the basics so wired down the rest are easier for them to master...what can you say they're paid to do iti believe in practice 10X..once heard a group of guys saying why this top 10 pwa sailor is out on practising on his kit in 8kts. of wind meant for more and the consensus was-'that's why he's good!and we're not'...but since it's too late for me, i don't whine of my backaches and 'should have used this' i just try to sail as much till the kit weighs like wifey's travelling bag going back to shore
)
"what makes for a good all round sailor"
Simple "Practise" this means living in a place where it's windy and going out with a training plan and following this plan.If you want it bad enough you will get there even if you lack abit of natural talent.
An example of practise is i took up playing golf 4 years ago and was bloody hopeless but i wanted to improve which inturn made the game more enjoyable so i used to go out and practise every night on my lawn chipping etc.
In 2 years my handicapp dropped from 27 to 10 and i won a club grade championship.
There were other players out there that never practise but these guys were naturals and always scored well..........work hard and you can achieve anything.
a small head and huge goolies.( for reasons of balance) and hands like the robot from lost in space !!
but i don't know bout the beer and meat pies i'd probably be gybing all over the place...cool cris to race against the legend to be kicked in the butt i wouldn't mind if i were in your bootiesi had a chance to chat with dan ellis and he says"sail till a 9.0 feels like a 6.0" and robby s. i think mentioned something like "yeah the big guys are faster but if you keep your wits about it and figure a way to get thru the pack it does happen".. 
