I've been sailing a free race board since April. It's all going well, except I have difficulty getting my foot in the rear foot strap. Once in, it's ok. It's just getting it in that's the problem. I loosened them which has helped, but I still have trouble when I lift my foot to put it in the foot strap once I'm on plane. I either get it in or I catapult. Am I doing something wrong or are these wide flat boards just super sensitive?
i'd be careful about loosening the strap too much. if you jamb to much of your foot in there, say up to your ankle, you'll break your foot when you stack it. but that's a general comment. you may have loosened your straps to be on the money.
the catapult is just part of the process. as you progress you'll subconsciously use your body position to counteract the forward pull of the sail. bear in mind you are off balance when moving your feet.
windsurfing is a dynamic sport, event when you're locked in you're not really locked in. shifting your body weight subtly to adjust for shifts in wind or chop on the water. it's not really something we think about but just do. just takes time for it to be automatic.
hey john, had the same problem had only been in the foot straps a couple of times before i went to maui and also got catapulted lots of times and broke 7 harness line. the boys told me commit to the harness line to lighten up your feet. it will come trust me. good luck
Try shifting your weight on to your harness lines & boom, this should allow you to slide your foot back. I still struggle at times and have stacked due to missing the board completely. If all else fails, get your foot just in front of the strap and wriggle it around into the strap.
I also struggled to put the second foot in, my tips:
1 - Don't try and put it in once the board is planing at full speed, aim at doing it as soon as it starts planing
2- Once you have the front foot in, bear off a little, hang off the boom and slightly tip the mast forward, this way as soon as you lift the back foot, you will counteract the tendency of the board to turn upwind.
3 - also you can slide in when your board hits a wave, in that moment your rear foot is free to move, but you have to be precise with timing
There's a moment when the board is almost getting on the plane, or when you can feel there's enough power to get it planing. That's when I usually hook in, then give it the kick in the pants it needs to get going. Of course, it's gonna be a different story when planing out of gybes.
I do it OK now, but it still annoys me every now and again.
What the guys said plus :
I find when I commit to the move I do it right every time. If I fear I would miss, I usually do.
In your mind decide to do it right the first time. Lift your foot, and plug it straight in in one quick move.
Two tips i was given that really helped me are:
1) Widen your grip on the boom by moving you back hand out towards the outhaul. This will stabilize your stance and make it easie to remain on the plane when going for the back strap.
2) Underhand Boom Grip. Hold onto the boom with your front hand upside-down. When you get that catapult felling a quick weight transition into your front hand will de-power the rig and prevent you going round the front (most times
)
Having said this i think i probably sprain a toe every couple of weeks kicking the footstrap when getting the back foot in
1.Don't try and put it in once the board is planing at full speed, aim at doing it as soon as it starts planing
2.Be hooked in already and have your weight hanging off the boom to lighten the weight on your feet.
3. Bear away slightly
4.Most of the problem arises because you are not sure where the strap is without looking down- place your back foot in front of the strap so you can feel it against the back of your foot, then your foot knows exactly where it is. Then either wiggle your foot in (OK with inboard straps) or do it in one quick movement - necessary with outboard straps.
5.Dry land practice - take your fin out of the board, lay it on the grass with some cushioning underneath, and stand on it with your foot inthe front strap. Practice getting into the back strap in one quick movement. This trains your muscle memory to know where the strap is and just where to place your foot. You will find also that you have a natural stance with a distance between your feet which is comfortable and natural. If you move the straps so this is the distance apart you will find it easier to get in.
I sometimes come in and change down board sizes if the wind picks up. The problem being that the new board is usually wider between the straps, ensuring that the toenail is slammed into the strap enough to make it permanently black, but glad that water is splashed onto your face to cover the pain. 
I put into practice your suggestions this afternoon in 18+knts. Still uncomfortable but no catapults. The best suggestions in practice were:
- get on plane with front goot in the strap
- hook in and take some weight off the boom
- bear away
- place the foot next to the strap and then in one quick move it into the strap
Load up the fin and sail away
Hopefully with time on water this will become second nature. Thanks again for the help
Select to expand quotescott265 said...
Are you wearing boots? I just found that some straps ie Drake are more difficult.
Yes I'm wearing boots and they are Drake straps
