Hey, anyone have any clues about getting into your footstraps without getting bent out of shape. I find that once I'm in the straps all is well but Jaysus it must look horrid getting there. I usually am in the harness first and fumbling around with my feet not paying too much attention to my direction, thus resulting in catastrophic catapults.

It will come with practice.

Until then, concentrate on putting your back foot equidistant from the front and rear straps, on the centreline. That way you have minimal weight on the front foot, and plenty of time to wiggle it into the front strap.

Then once your front foot is in, move your back foot aft till you can just feel the strap, and go for the quick stab.

Both of these should be done while not looking at your feet, a quick glance is OK but you want to be watching the swell so that you stay on a bit of a wave while you're doing this -- it helps you to get planing as you put your feet in the straps.

Just to emphasise - Always get your front foot in before the back foot , otherwise you'll have no end of hassles steering while you stand all your weight on the back foot so you can lift the front to move it.

Getting your front foot into the front strap before you hook in will definitely help minimise the catapults!

My routine goes: Planing, frontstrap, hook in, back strap... unless it's really blowing, and then I just waterstart in both straps, and worry about hooking in later!

You don't need to be hooked in to get in the straps - have a go at doing it the other way around if you're still having issues with catapulting. (front foot, back foot, and then hook in once you're comfortable)

You can always switch back to hooking in first later on once you're more proficient at finding the straps without looking, or smashing your toes on them when you miss!

your footstraps might be to tight, there is a trend now to gettin begginer footstrappers into bigger straps cause u dont have to "wiggle" your foot to get in..(u can always tigten them later but u probably wont mine reach my ankle).. never look at your feet.. make sure u are COMMITED to the harness (not just floating the hook in the lines).. never look at the board when gettin in the straps u will loose balance, pick a point on the horizon to look at.. and u WILL need to lean forward to take the weight of the back foot while its gettin in the bak strap, this will make u catapult but they are fun.. prettymuch the most amusing thing u will do on a windsurfer for a while! or u can take a trip to greece on www.clubvass.com and well teac ya properly!!

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barn said...

your footstraps might be to tight, there is a trend now to gettin begginer footstrappers into bigger straps cause u dont have to "wiggle" your foot to get in..(u can always tigten them later but u probably wont mine reach my ankle).. <<<<<<

Good advice but watch you don't get them too loose, if you foot slides all the way thru in a wipeout, you can break leg or knee, one of the locals did it here a while back.

I find that heading in one direction (portside?), I can find the straps easily....as soon as I start heading the other (starboard?), I nearly break my toes trying to 'smash' my foot in!!!

Front strap should be a natural movement, and I recently found that by lifting my back heel, I get into my backstrap, (toes first) faster, less drag in the water...and...away we go!!!

comes with practice as said, but now i find it as easy as spreading butter on bread, but a few things that helped, is wider footstraps help, (so when setting them up place the top one at the front setting, and the back screw in the middle or back setting), doing the shuffle along the board, and also a good on is sit into the harness so your wieght in going into the mast track and evens the board out,

thats for the back foot, for the front foot, get the back foot mid way between the front and back straps, along the center or just a little towards the opposite rail, and just shuv it in as soon as your on the plane, it helps if you do a litte carve down wind, and also if your back foot is sitting flat on the board taking all the work out of flattening the board.


remember not to look down for long periods of time because you loos balence. and have the straps set at the foward setting because it is the easiest way to learn, but once your confortable, set them back..

also if your finding it hard, try get on the plane, unhook, put your front foot in, rehook, than the bakc foot, makes it a little easier becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily...

good luck
jordan

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jord070 said...
becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily...

good luck
jordan

Yeah....hate those batapults[}:)][}:)]...WTF..

" becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily..."

Yeh, if you become a sparky Jordo, don't get your wires mixed up mate

thanks for the replies, definately try that 555, and yeah decrep that was me. Great day out for the pb's today, by the way, congrats ben. Elmo just keeps getting faster.

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Wineman said...

jord070 said...
becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily...

good luck
jordan

Yeah....hate those batapults[}:)][}:)]...WTF..

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hahaha you know what i mean, catapults, i was out sailing all day, so im struggling to keep my eyes open, so i cant see what i type..
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firiebob said...

" becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily..."

Yeh, if you become a sparky Jordo, don't get your wires mixed up mate

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jord070 said...

Wineman said...

jord070 said...
becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily...

good luck
jordan

Yeah....hate those batapults[}:)][}:)]...WTF..

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hahaha you know what i mean, catapults, i was out sailing all day, so im struggling to keep my eyes open, so i cant see what i type..
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firiebob said...

" becuase you dont get put off by batapults as easily..."

Yeh, if you become a sparky Jordo, don't get your wires mixed up mate

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Good onya Jord for taking the constructive spelling checks in the manner they're intended

I think some guys (me included) look forward to your posts so we can correct your spelling, but you always have a positive response, keep up the good work!!!

Anyway back on topic.

Paul it as great to meet you yesterday.


I have found one cause of the "getting into the straps problem" is that your boom may be too low.

Perhaps try raising your boom a bit. This will help to commit to your harness and take the weight off your feet so you can move your feet around the board alot easier.

Wishing you a fast recovery and see you on the water soon.

Cheers Bender

Hey bender.
Feelings mutual, thanks for the tip. Got a funny feeling that boom height may have been in question. I guess fine tuning comes with both experience and listening to valuable advice. See if I can't hone my camera skills right now. By the way, congrats on 37kn plus

Damn...must be the medication, I'm repeating myself...anyway well done

The descriptions so far have described light to moderate wind. If you find yourself well-powered on a 5m (or there abouts), you might find that back-foot-first is better. ie: back foot straight into the footstrap; front foot just slightly to windward of centerline, just behind the mast track.

When it is really windy, the water-state and the gusts really affect your balance and so you waste quite a bit of effort just getting the back foot into the strap; especially on really short boards or speed boards.

Firstly, if you are putting multiple boards on the roof of your car the footstraps may be getting squashed out of shape which won't make things easy; if this is the case then I found putting s tennis ball into each footstrap stpped it.

Secondly, try the Da Kine Control Contour footstraps, you won't believe the difference they make for getting into the straps and how much more comfortable they are once you are in them.

I always go front foot first, I've heard some people go back first.......what's the diff?

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Sailhack said...

I always go front foot first, I've heard some people go back first.......what's the diff?

Don't know, but for me coming out of gybes it's always front foot first, but I water start with my back foot in the strap.

i usually put my front foot in first, cos i have found that if i put my back foot in first and lift my front foot up the nose lifts up and i start fishtailing,
if i waterstart i put my feet in and then lift out of the water.

How do you actually put your back foot in for a waterstart. I find that if I try to put my back foot in the board is pushed head to wind as I wriggle my foot in and the rig dumps down on me. Otherwise if I dont try to get my foot right in the board rounds up as soon as I am up and any weight goes onto my back foot. I just dont seem to be able to plane away from a waterstart with my feet in the straps.

hi all ,after just conquring the foot straps ,my biggest prob was as soon as i lifted my back foot to slip into the strap i got catapaulted,a friend told me to do 2 things ,lift boom up and move the mast foot forward this put more weight on the front foot hey presto the rest is just practice regards bazz

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frant said...

How do you actually put your back foot in for a waterstart. I find that if I try to put my back foot in the board is pushed head to wind as I wriggle my foot in and the rig dumps down on me. Otherwise if I dont try to get my foot right in the board rounds up as soon as I am up and any weight goes onto my back foot. I just dont seem to be able to plane away from a waterstart with my feet in the straps.

I'm assuming that you're talking about a 'both footed' waterstart in the straps, and not a backfoot only one?

The trick is to turn the board downwind before you get your back foot in (i.e. pull the tail toward you, rather than pushing your foot toward the board..) And push the rig forward more to retain directional control. Also needs plenty of wind to get enough grunt in the sail to make it work

I often find that I don't put my feet 'properly' in the straps until I'm up and going.. Depends on the conditions, but sometimes it's easiest to get mostly in, then get up and out of the 'slop whacking me in the head' situation, and then sort the rest out later!

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555 said...

Just to emphasise - Always get your front foot in before the back foot , otherwise you'll have no end of hassles steering while you stand all your weight on the back foot so you can lift the front to move it.

I just don't get this. I guess I'm different to other people. I always go in back foot first, then hook in, then front foot. If I come off the plane later on, I always take the front foot out first and try to just cruise with my back foot in, waiting for a gust. All this talk of the board heading upwind or out of control...what's that all about?

On the other hand, spending even one second with only your front foot in makes you catapault fodder, especially in rough water or gusty conditions.

The key is the front foot - use it to apply pressure behind the mast foot to steer the board off the wind, and the rest of your weight can be in the harness, with just a teensy bit on the back foot.

heya willow - i agree with nebs again backfoot first / front foot first - makes no difference once you get good but the oldschool consensus was front foot first, so it's just practice practice practice, and in 12 months time you'll wonder why you even asked this question

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555 said...
I'm assuming that you're talking about a 'both footed' waterstart in the straps, and not a backfoot only one?

Back foot only - front foot just behind the mast. To do both straps at once, you are probably seriously overpowered and you are in survival mode, in which case there is a higher chance of catapult anyway.

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The trick is to turn the board downwind before you get your back foot in (i.e. pull the tail toward you, rather than pushing your foot toward the board..) And push the rig forward more to retain directional control. Also needs plenty of wind to get enough grunt in the sail to make it work

If you turn your board too far past 90deg. you will probably catapult; it takes quite a bit of skill to hold onto a sail while you are going off the wind (eg: thats why the formula boards have a "chicken strap"!).

When you waterstart, you shouldn't be pushing your foot sideways at all; you should be pulling (even in high wind, although that gets kind of... hard), ie: start board pointing just upwind slightly, then pull with you back foot as you stand up.

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I often find that I don't put my feet 'properly' in the straps until I'm up and going.. Depends on the conditions, but sometimes it's easiest to get mostly in, then get up and out of the 'slop whacking me in the head' situation, and then sort the rest out later!

The original question was how to not get out of shape... I'm pretty sure head-whacking falls into the out-of-shape category...!

Back foot first is really about preference; if you are relying on grunt for back-foot starts, then as mentioned elsewhere, there may be other reasons for it, eg: boom height, personal style, etc.

Most catapults while getting into the footstraps are caused by straightening out your legs too soon . Get in the harness and planning keep you knees bent(stay low) front foot in first and keep pressure on the back foot, which should be just in front of the back footstrap, and keep the board in shape with your back foot,Stay low and get that back foot in quickly then straighten up your legs and shift your weight forward and up wind you go!!!

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mathew said...

555 said...
I'm assuming that you're talking about a 'both footed' waterstart in the straps, and not a backfoot only one?

How do you know what Frant meant? You're not Frant!

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Back foot only - front foot just behind the mast. To do both straps at once, you are probably seriously overpowered and you are in survival mode, in which case there is a higher chance of catapult anyway.

Or just pleasantly powered on a small board... with no chance of catapulting at all..

Perhaps you're talking about a formula board?

Recognised waterstarting technique (Per Peter Hart, and Jem hall) is back foot behind the front straps, and front leg extended down into the water to give you stability, and so you can give a bit of a kick if there's not quite enough wind to launch you clear of the water.

I don't know why you'd ever want to waterstart with one foot in the straps - I've always found it to be an all or nothing sort of arrangement.

If you have your back strap over the fin, and your mastfoot around 135cm from the tail.. you're going to end up with your feet about 1.2m apart if you have the back one in the strap, and the front one by the mastfoot.. that sounds pretty out of shape to me!

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The trick is to turn the board downwind before you get your back foot in (i.e. pull the tail toward you, rather than pushing your foot toward the board..) And push the rig forward more to retain directional control. Also needs plenty of wind to get enough grunt in the sail to make it work

If you turn your board too far past 90deg. you will probably catapult; it takes quite a bit of skill to hold onto a sail while you are going off the wind (eg: thats why the formula boards have a "chicken strap"!).

Note that I didn't say keep it miles off the wind - The question was "how do you get your foot in" Once the foot is in, you can turn back to a slightly less hazardous heading (or just sheet out once you're up.. can't catapult if you're not sheeted in!)

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When you waterstart, you shouldn't be pushing your foot sideways at all; you should be pulling (even in high wind, although that gets kind of... hard), ie: start board pointing just upwind slightly, then pull with you back foot as you stand up.

I often find that I don't put my feet 'properly' in the straps until I'm up and going.. Depends on the conditions, but sometimes it's easiest to get mostly in, then get up and out of the 'slop whacking me in the head' situation, and then sort the rest out later!

The original question was how to not get out of shape... I'm pretty sure head-whacking falls into the out-of-shape category...!

Actually, The question I was answering was

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frant said...How do you actually put your back foot in for a waterstart.

And 'slop whacking me in the head' is a symptom of floating around in the water on a windy day.. the wind makes little waves - slop, or chop if you prefer, and if you're fiddling around in the water, they often slap you in the head. Nothing out of shape about it..

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Back foot first is really about preference; if you are relying on grunt for back-foot starts, then as mentioned elsewhere, there may be other reasons for it, eg: boom height, personal style, etc.

There must be some reason that Jem Hall, Peter Hart, Simon Bornhoft, Royn Bartholdi and other recognised learning resources recommend front foot first..

Sure, it is possible to do either method, just as it is possible to brake with your left, or right foot in your car.. One is easy to learn, and works fine for most everyday drivers. The other is less obvious to start with, but once mastered allows some different driving characteristics which are more desirable in some circumstances.

I started out back foot first, but then changed to front foot first, and now won't go back. There should only be a couple of seconds at most between both feet going in, so the whole catapult argument is not really relevant!

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frant said...

How do you actually put your back foot in for a waterstart. I find that if I try to put my back foot in the board is pushed head to wind as I wriggle my foot in and the rig dumps down on me. Otherwise if I dont try to get my foot right in the board rounds up as soon as I am up and any weight goes onto my back foot. I just dont seem to be able to plane away from a waterstart with my feet in the straps.

Could your back strap be too tight??? I can slide my foot in without having to "wiggle" it. I find that makes it easier to pull the back of the board towards me and under my bum, if I'm very under powered the front foot then goes as far forward as possible and the back foot comes out of the strap and goes forward a bit as well. If powered up, the front foot goes straight into it's strap, hook into harness and away.

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decrepit said...

frant said...

How do you actually put your back foot in for a waterstart. I find that if I try to put my back foot in the board is pushed head to wind as I wriggle my foot in and the rig dumps down on me. Otherwise if I dont try to get my foot right in the board rounds up as soon as I am up and any weight goes onto my back foot. I just dont seem to be able to plane away from a waterstart with my feet in the straps.

Could your back strap be too tight??? I can slide my foot in without having to "wiggle" it. I find that makes it easier to pull the back of the board towards me and under my bum, if I'm very under powered the front foot then goes as far forward as possible and the back foot comes out of the strap and goes forward a bit as well. If powered up, the front foot goes straight into it's strap, hook into harness and away.

Could be the case as this is a problem that I have come across on my new CarbonArt board with nice new non broken in straps. Also been thinking that it might be a bit to do with flexibility of the body or lack thereof. Normally I put the outside side of my foot on the board and my leg bent sideways towards the tail of the board which allows me to pull the board close. With my foot in strap and leg bent upright I just cant pull the tail as close. Because I sail in very shallow water cant sink the tail as the fin gets stuck in the mud. Maybe just have to work on technique in deeper water.

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sailhack said...

I find that heading in one direction (portside?), I can find the straps easily....as soon as I start heading the other (starboard?), I nearly break my toes trying to 'smash' my foot in!!!

After experimenting yesterday, I realised that when I'm bearing left, I balance the weight between the boom/harness and my 'front' leg, when trying to get the back foot in, as my left leg is stronger, I find the back strap easier that direction. I was putting too much weight onto my back foot heading the other way causing me to push down whilst trying to find the strap, inevitably turning the board windward. (also, I think, the main cause of the many slide-outs I was having!)

Might have to excercise my weaker leg doing 'one-legged' squats......(or get on the bike!)