Footstrap Positions

I never see this discussed much, if at all. I was looking down at my soon-to-be-launched-mistress last night and it got me thinking about the footstrap positions.

I'm usually on a FreeStyleWave, the new one is a Fanatic 105. I've put the straps in the 2nd hole from the front position, and I'm only using three. This is the same as I was using on my previous board and seems normal to me.

But what is the science or rule of thumb for footstrap positions?
Is there a relationship between mast track position and footstrap position? Do I change them if I'm 2m tall? Back for more speed, forward for more control?

I just stuck them in the middle.

Experiment!
Conventional logic says back and out for speed forward and in for control/ maneuverability
However not all boards are set up the same and the conditions are generally changing.
For many comfort is a key to performance so although a board might go faster with straps all the way back in the hands of a pro, someone may well go faster on the ocean with straps further in as they gain more control.
So like fin and track position, strap position is another way to tune the board.

Roo on the GPS forum says
"Make sure the rear foot strap is mounted with the rear screw in line with the leading edge of the fin.
Set up the front foot strap by laying your arm on the board with the elbow bone in the middle of the rear strap and measure to the tip of your middle finger.
This point will be the middle of the front strap, mount the strap as close as possible to this position. (some of the guys at Sandy Pt modify boards to achieve this)

I have boards that have been almost unsailable until I moved straps closer together (back strap forward) and then became a favourite

In the waves not only do you only want the rear single strap but you want to open the strap up so you can get the foot right across the board particularly on non pure waveboards and with larger fins if you want tor try waveriding.

So it depends what you want to do with your board, your body type and the conditions. Or just put them in the middle and have fun!

From a mag article a few years ago, regarding waveboards, but still helpful I think


FOOT STRAP SPREAD
Where these are placed can often be the jewel in the crown. I have sailed loads of boards and thought hmm this isn't feeling right, I can't get the rails in or I'm not holding speed. So I come in, change the strap positions and - whooohh, what a beauty!
While at first it might seem that the footstrap positioning is the most important thing - actually, the footstrap spread is actually the most important factor. And because we are not all blessed with the same leg length, it's something that you really need to tune to your own requirements.
When we talk about the footstrap spread, we are talking about the distance between the middle of the front strap to the middle of the back strap, taken down the longitudinal centreline of the board. And by and large, the spread on a wave board should be fairly wide - probably wider than you might have on your freeride board. Working through our team, Louise at 5' 6" has her strap spread at 53cm, John at 5' 10" likes 56cm, Chris and I at 6' like 57–59cm. Francisco did not give me his preferences but in a previous sneaky peak at one of his boards I measured 60cm! He once gave John a board to try out and being the polite chap he was, John took it out, gave it back and said very nice - he later told me that trying to sail it in the straps was like doing the splits!
So why is it good to have a wider stance? It gives you more control and allows easier jumping and the ability to control/steer the board in the air. To quote again from Chris:
"I prefer a wider stance on a wave board, so I can get more rail in the water when wave riding."
Find out what works for you through a bit of experimenting. When getting to grips with a new board I will usually start by setting my front footstrap in the front position, and then adjust the back footstrap to get my required spread - and go from there
FOOTSTRAP POSITIONING
Getting the spread right is the most important thing. Once you know your spread, you can tweak the board to be more front-foot-orientated riding by moving the entire strap spread forward, and for back foot riding by moving the whole set back. If you're riding a Freestyle Wave board which has inboard and outboard position options for the front straps, then you should definitely go for the inboard positions for wavesailing (and of course, a single rather than double rear strap).
The only other consideration with footstrap positioning is - if you are regularly sailing waves on one tack and are looking to maximise down-the-line wave riding performance rather than jumping - you may choose to offset the back strap, moving it closer to the leeward rail. This allows you to get the toes right across onto the opposite rail to really push down and commit that rail to the turn. I'd suggest that this is best avoided until you really know what you are doing and can really benefit from that extra bit of grip in the turn - if your back footstrap is set big enough you should be able to turn fine without having to offset the strap.

Just a thought, does the positioning really affect the performance of the average rider all that much? If you are really committed to the harness there should be little weight from your feet affecting the board's trim. So my thinking is if you aren't sure, just go for the middle positions for a start and just adjust for a spread that you are comfortable with. Maybe it is just an individual comfort thing?