Old king Canute, was an actual personage from history. He was the Danish king that united all the Britons under his authority. The legend of king Canute involved him being carried to the seashore at low tide, where he commanded the ocean to “Come no further”.

The game I have invented is a combination of football, swimming, wrestling and Indian wrestling. I pick a point where the breakers are rolling across a sandbar and the object is to resist the force of the sea’s surge and hold my position, keeping dug in at one point. This can involve either a hand- or a toehold.  Often times I will enter into the sea-foam as it’s breaking with the force of a defense of tackle and so I get the experience of heavy contact, which reminds me of my old days playing football. It can be more challenging then it sounds, as the rip tides can come from any direction, so a lot of balance and stabilizer muscles are brought into play.

Out of bounds

In most sports, when someone goes out of bounds, the play stops and everyone relaxes. Out of bounds in Canute’s game, is when you get caught in a riptide running through troughs that are over ones head, in such case rather then relaxing, the game gets quite exciting. Getting tossed on the coral-heads, ore dragged over sea urchins is very motivating to get the game started again.

I’ve been playing this game for about two months and have been complimented on my physique since having begun this game. Up till know it has been a great source of fun and a good source of conditioning, that I eagerly look forward too on a daily basis. It is perfect for me because, although I may be sweating, the sea keeps me cool and perspiration-free. The movements demand strength, but also the ability to relax into the tide and my movements, when performed correctly, are circular and flowing, much like one would find in the practice of Tai Chi. The sea provides a constant challenge, because the waves are never the same (great surges, cross-waves, tricky chops, it even gave me a nasty uppercut). When I’m immersed in my sport, I enter ‘The Zone’ and for me is a perfect type of action-meditation.

Right now I’m writing this from the bench, having been taken out of the game by a wave where I was clearly overmatched. It is helpful to remind myself and invoke my personal motto: ‘Don’t get cocky!’ Hence the name of the game.

For those who are not familiar with the legend of Canute: the game turned into a mortal combat, the score ending:

Tide and Time: 1

King Canute: 0