This month we look at footwork in the gybe. It is not as complex as you think and specific actions will make you light on your feet and put precision into your gybes. Get this phase right and the nirvana of either your first gybe exit, or even a planing gybe exit, is so much closer! The best news is you can really practice the footwork at slower speeds in light winds and on bigger boards.
When I talk gybe, I am talking the ‘step’ style of carve gybe where we change our feet before the rig, as this is the most efficient and versatile gybe and can be done in all winds on all boards. I see all sorts of funky strap and hybrid gybes and these might work to give you a ‘dryish’ gybe but they will never be as efficient or effective as a proper step gybe. As I have said before, the gybe is a thing of beauty, and if it is worth doing it is worth doing well.
As a recap I will go over some general gybe tips and give you the inside line on what light wind moves to master. Lastly I will give you some top tips on the footwork, which runs from mid gybe into the exit phase. The rig rotation and carving out of the gybe will be covered later this year.
“SEEING THE CLEW WITH A WEIGHTED BACK FOOT MAKES FOR SLICK FOOTWORK.”
OVERALL GYBE TIPS
As it is spring time, let’s have a quick recap on the main gybe tips:
1. Back hand waaay down the boom.
2. Front hand back on the boom.
3. Always hang off the boom and keep pulling down on it when unhooked.
4. Back foot back and on the rail. The back foot can come out pre bear away (or during), but it must be back and next to the back strap.
5. Scissor/steer a flat board into the gybe. This means not carving till your board speed is up. The sail will lighten and the rails can thereby be carved smoothly.
6. Roll into the carve on an extended front arm. How we start, and carve, is how we end. Rig away at the start helps keep it that way mid gybe which helps lighten our feet!
7. Carve through gradually increasing back foot pressure, after setting the rail on your front foot.
8. Look out of the turn dead downwind, aiming to get the rig across and open. This helps weight our back foot to lighten our front foot.
Denne historien er fra Issue 383 - March 2019-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 383 - March 2019-utgaven av Windsurf.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
