Had a Eureka moment this week with gybes....gone from 10% to increasingly getting them on my strong stance toe side (was about 90% today)

And today i had a mega succuesful session and realised -> when i stay switched after the gybe, if i dont do a massive run and then gybe back it was just so absolutely incredibly easy - just lean on heals, straigten up and around she goes...100% success every time.

So did about 30 mins without a fall (when until this week i was falling in almost every turn).

(and when i gybe on my weak tack on normal stance for some reason i still have zero success)

So now i guess i need to improve my foot swaps* -
Swapping from switched to back to normal (after a gybe) is getting better every sesh (thanks to some tips on this forum!)
But swapping the other way ie from normal to switched (ie to then enter my weak gybe) is still bloody awkward with v low success rate.

*Or do i? I mean - i could simply keep my feet forever in the same position...ditch the 3 straps and go with two (as the other gybe is then super easy).

Q. Do you see many people who do this...keep switched on half their runs?
I guess all the people with a 2 strap set up do this, right? (i havent seen this in person - but do see pics of boards set up like this on the web). is it common??

Cheers for the insights
Northy

Do it whenever you want, whatever feels good, whatever works for what you're doing.

If I'm playing with waves I stay left foot forward and carve heel and toeside. If I'm riding upwind or cruising about I change before/after the gybe.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/How-to-swap-your-feet

As a surfer and freeride snowboarder (not freestyle), but never windsurfed or kitesurfed, riding switch sounds SO far off and unnatural to me and the idea of having to learn to ride a foil switch sounds...very difficult!!

I know that if I'd put in the time eventually I'd learn it, but I'd rather "invest" my time in learning to tack, nailing my jibes (95% success rate now) and riding waves with the wing. I have also put a fair amount of time learning to properly ride upwind toeside, wearing a GPS watch and analyzing my upwind angles, looking at video to get better body posture, to the point where I'm happy with it. I know I could perhaps gain 10-15deg more if I switched my feet and ride heelside, but I'm still going better upwind toeside than twintip kitesurfers are going heelside.

I know people will say: just learn it and you'll be better off, and I agree, but you don't HAVE to It all depends what you want to do..!

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Gorgo said..
Do it whenever you want, whatever feels good, whatever works for what you're doing.

If I'm playing with waves I stay left foot forward and carve heel and toeside. If I'm riding upwind or cruising about I change before/after the gybe.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/How-to-swap-your-feet

Yes gorgo, thats your post thats helped me with tackling swaping my feet about...thank you for that!
But (my stupid) revelation was just how easy it is to stay in one position..and then how easy the heal side jibe is . And i was wondering how common that was ie people with 2 vs 3 x strap setups. I guess no straps allow the freedom to do either approach!

On my spot most people ride strapless (90% on F-One gear without strap inserts), but also pretty much never switch feet. I only switch feet if I want to aim higher upwind, or want to have some extra power pumping through lulls. I can jibe both feet forward and switch without touching the water, but can only tack toe and heelside with left foot forward.

I might invest into riding right foot forward more once I get my board with strap inserts and start exploring freestyle, would be mid august. My buddy got his strapped board a week ago and is jumping flakas already, he's doing them both tacks, but always left foot forward. Would want to learn those both feet forward once I start on them.

I am finding that riding on the side that my upper body is a bit more flexible tends to be easier, regardless of which foot is forward (due to an old injury).

I'm coming from surf foiling- learned to foil on a SUP switched to 99% prone foil. Switch stance is completely foreign. I'm now 6 sessions in on the wing with gaps in days in between as we have inconsistent wind here- although I can drive an hour to a decent more consistent spot. I'm getting in on used equipment from guys who've upgraded- I have a beater 6-2 Kalama 120L Sup, V1 Wasp 6.0 and Axis 1150/390 tail/ultra short fuse.

Slogging off foil I can jibe with no problem, get upwind on both tacks- regular and switch. I know I'm in for serious humbling- but am determined to take my medicine- ride switch from the start and also learn toe side for downwind and for surf. My on foil jibes up to now are mostly the same... initiate turn- maybe right at or just before downwind I flag out, sometime before come around 180 degrees I grab rear handle- round up-come down off foil. No luck toe side as of yet as I can't get up on foil toes side and my on foil jibes are failing. How to fix my jibes... of course- time on water. I'm guessing now- but maybe weight more froward when I get to toe side- also thinking maybe switching the wing earlier- just before straight downwind to help bring me around and power up sooner before I stall. Seems to work really well off foil. Thoughts?

Switch. I'm now decent at getting on foil in light air/11mph with my natural left foot forward stance. Right foot forward is another story- need muuuuch more/steady wind and when I get up- it's a pretty terrifying, squirrely ride for sure. Last time in good wind I had a few longer runs after I made a concentrated effort to breath-relax-stare at the horizon rather than my feet. Proper weight distribution to forward foot/my trim is very challenging switch at this point. Again- I assume time/muscle memory is the only way out- but any suggestions sorting switch would be appreciated! I'm thinking maybe foot straps might help orient my stance as my foot placement switch tends to be much more squared up and logically trimming squared up is going to be harder. Suggestion?

Having heaps of fun learning something new- figuring this out-finding another way to get air time. Feading totally wing foil obsessed in a mostly light wind area.

i was content at first to ride left foot forward most of the time. I was a month or two into winging and having success staying on foil and making my jibes and not having to fall, reset, and get going again. I thought I was getting pretty good. then i saw a video of one of our local hotshots ripping it up and switching his feet... he of course has some of the best footwork in the business, but it kicked my ass into gear and made me aspire to be better. i had done a little bit of foot switching before but i was using the wrong technique, and moving to the two front feet technique was tricky but also made sense... sometimes it was really easy and sometimes very awkward.... timing and rhythm. Anyway, so glad I learned to switch my feet as it's so much easier on the back leg to change it up... also much easier to go upwind on your heels... and switching feet really isn't all that hard... you just have to learn to do it.

YMMV!

Anyway, this is the video that inspired me... perhaps you will be inspired too:

www.facebook.com/bob.smith.50309/videos/10219712565456968

And this is how I learned the technique:

I notice most of the racing fleet switch to toeside just before their jibes, carving heelside and riding 95% of the reach before switching to toeside again.
All carves with heel.

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sunsetsailboards said..
i was content at first to ride left foot forward most of the time. I was a month or two into winging and having success staying on foil and making my jibes and not having to fall, reset, and get going again. I thought I was getting pretty good. then i saw a video of one of our local hotshots ripping it up and switching his feet... he of course has some of the best footwork in the business, but it kicked my ass into gear and made me aspire to be better. i had done a little bit of foot switching before but i was using the wrong technique, and moving to the two front feet technique was tricky but also made sense... sometimes it was really easy and sometimes very awkward.... timing and rhythm. Anyway, so glad I learned to switch my feet as it's so much easier on the back leg to change it up... also much easier to go upwind on your heels... and switching feet really isn't all that hard... you just have to learn to do it.

YMMV!

Anyway, this is the video that inspired me... perhaps you will be inspired too:

www.facebook.com/bob.smith.50309/videos/10219712565456968

And this is how I learned the technique:

Nice. Thanks for this. Even though kite switch- still translates well. Most of the vids I see are one sequence. Have to keep rewinding. Seeing the repeated switches helps being able to see/feel the steps- visualize myself pulling the move. I'm still trying to develop the muscle memory of riding switch and gain control doing it on foil. Slowly improving, but still feels super sketchy. Can hardly do it in big chop or bumps. At this point, I'm starting that way off foil. When I get a little more squared away with that- I'll start working on switching on foil.

And.... session 8... pulled off my first planing on foil jibe. Followed by multiple fails- but even just one makes it feel more in reach. Sooooo obsessively addicted.