William learnt tho swim when he was 18 months old an he dived to 15 meters when he was eight. He began with serious training for the sport in 2003. William was the first freediver to dive at Dean´s Blue hole which is the world´s deepest known blue hole with an entrance below the sea level. It goes 202 metres (663 ft) deep in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas. At first William trained in Italy with Umberto Pelizzari and other members of the Italia Apnea Academy. He helped to found Apnea Academy International with English translations of the texts. William broke his first world record in the discipline CNF (Constant Weight No Fins) in April 2007, diving to 81m (265 feet). Since then he has broken this record several times and remains the first human being to descend deeper than 90m (295feet) in this discipline.
Vertical Blue is a freediving school that draws on the experience and training of William Trubridge as well as material from both the Apnea Academy and AIDA International schools of freediving. Every training session combines these elements: Safety, Enjoyment, Awareness andStyle, so that students are shown ways to develop techniques of style and awareness underwater while operating in maximum safety and enjoyment.Vertical Blue aims to cater to the student's individual goals also, and the content and direction of courses and especially in-water teaching can be tailored to match these goals a certain extent.
In a Vertical Blue course the theory is integrated smoothly with practical exercises, the mental with the physical, the discipline with the play, in a balanced and holistic approach that promotes learning.
If you sign up for some course, you will investigate the physics, physiology and psychology of freediving as a sport, you will be guided through precise exercises to improve your aquaticity and you will learn how to harness your breath so you can use it as a tool for relaxation and longer and deeper freedives.
In his training for world record attempts Course Director William Trubridge has developed several completely new techniques and training exercises and these are incorporated into the course syllabus in the more advanced courses. They include:
photo credit: Jacques de Vos
A course for the complete beginner. Students are given the basic techniques and theory necessary in order to make their first steps into the world of breath-hold diving. The emphasis is on efficient breathing, relaxation, and sensitisation of the body to being underwater.
A generalized freediving course that caters for students of a wide level of ability, from a relative beginner to an experienced freediver. Theory lessons, practical sessions in the sea and classes of yoga and relaxation fill the days, and there is the opportunity to try all disciplines of freediving, and take home videos of your dives. The final day is elective, and students can choose between snorkelling, spearfishing, or further training in Dean's Blue Hole, with a seafood meal to round up the week.
A four-day advanced course that focuses on the specific discipline of freediving without fins or any other form of assistance (CNF). Dubbed by some as 'pure human aquatic potential' this discipline is both the most demanding and the most rewarding. William Trubridge is the current world record holder in no-fins freediving, and will use videos, demonstrations, and exercise drills to perfect students' technique whilst maintaining their own personal style.
Master your game in the three keystones of freediving: mind, body and technique.Offered only once per year, the Vertical Blue Master Class is the pinnacle of freediving education. It combines instruction from World Champion and record holder William Trubridge with a special guest instructor. This year's instructor is Mauricio Fernandez, the CMAS finswimming world champion and record holder (50m in 13.89"), who will share his unparalleled expertise with the monofin. Past guest instructors have included Simon Borg-Olivier and Sara Campbell). 500-hour Sivananda instructor Brittany Trubridge will teach yoga and lung exercises, and a hand-picked team of expert in-water instructors rounds out the team. The most advanced techniques, used in training and preparation for competitions and world record attempts, are described and demonstrated.
For additional information you can go to: school.verticalblue.net/
Source: Vertical Blue School website; Thanks to Team Vertical Blue
