Hi,

What is exactly under or over rotate with a backloop?

How to adres the under/over rotation?


Backloop tips in very onshore conditions also welcome : )

Like how an ice skater spins faster when tucked in, and slower when arms are extended.... tucked in bent elbows is faster rotation, so to slow it you extend. You extend legs a little at end to get ready for landing anyway.

Under rotate hurts your back and upwind shoulder - big water slap. Less common when learning (I think) is the over rotate... and you know it straight away as the board is flat when you are still well above the water and u need to bail out at that point. However trying to slow things halfway thru is not so relevant I think.

Onshore backloop is no different, in fact I think cross-on is best conditions to learn in as you need to point the board upwind in the air.
Vertical wave - really vertical. Shoot that nose straight up to the sky 12 o'clock.... and a little upwind helps. At apex, look over your front shoulder and back towards the water - it will go around and you have no say in it. It just goes around. Stick the landing almost vertical nose down. Refine from there. mentally is an easy loop as its slow and you can control.

Yes, going up vertical, looking over the shoulder, coming around and seeing the water down there.

Board goes almost vertical down, nose of the board hits the water first and I go over the front.


Don't know if i 'under' or 'over' rotate...

Thats a little under rotated. Kinda... it could be just lack of back leg stomp.
But it is all in the last 1-2m. Watch some videos of landings its not quite vertical and the nose rocker is used to bring the board back up from sinking (if you're not sinking the nose you're going to break boards) and the back leg extension at just the right time to level the board.

Landing too downwind can throw you off too but I wouldn't be too hard on yourself its dead stop and not easy.

Yes, sounds like under rotation if you're going over the front. Just keep rotating a little further each time while keeping the nose first entry nice and steep. When I land them I always feel like I'm nearly over rotating but am actually sticking the nose just past dead down wind and the board spins around the last bit of the rotation as the sail powers back up. Took me what must be hundreds of tries before getting a sense of the timing but they are the most satisfying loops to land IMHO.

To beat over rotation, open the sail before the apex, close after. To induce more rotation open the sail looking down and stop when the desired angle is reached. Then proceed down as usual :) You may pump to turn as well.

So move back hand back and dial rotation with the back hand only.

It's good habit to keep back leg tucked under bum and extend front leg. Look at videos from E41 Eleazar Alonso.

In onshore it's almost always super quick and on the verge of being over rotated because of going overly upwind on the ramp.

Select to expand quote

Icelake said..
Yes, going up vertical, looking over the shoulder, coming around and seeing the water down there.

Board goes almost vertical down, nose of the board hits the water first and I go over the front.


Don't know if i 'under' or 'over' rotate...

As soon as I did that - looked over my shoulder, I rotated so much quicker. My first push loop was an accident - an over-rotated back loop.

Thanks everyone!

Feels like I'm very close. Only the back of the board a bit lower...

But I'm stuck here for quite a while : (

One more thing, dropping down, sheet in and aim at the water with your front hand, front leg extended, tuck back leg. If your body and sail are too much forward it won't properly turn as you hit the water.

Look at sailors position when they land high backies right before hitting the water.