I've now ( finally ) sorted my gybing so am spending half my time riding toeside. I'm finding it very uncomfortable and all the weight seems to be on my back leg . Riding heel side feels great and the weight evenly balanced (foil 1cm from front of box ) and I'm doing the recommended twisting the hips / looking upwind etc . Has anyone any knowledge of why the weight is on my rear leg and how to sort it ? Thanks

Nature of the beast i think...twisty and awkward. Necessary for carving in swells, but for longer reaches you are better off to switch feet and ride heelside then other way. Better upwinding and gives your body a rest. It's a time investment to get comfortable but less than you might think nonce you get down to it. You don't need tomlearn gybes wrong foot forward, just do foot switch before or after turn. I only point downwind left foot forward (dominant surf stance).

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juandesooka said..
Nature of the beast i think...twisty and awkward. Necessary for carving in swells, but for longer reaches you are better off to switch feet and ride heelside then other way. Better upwinding and gives your body a rest. It's a time investment to get comfortable but less than you might think nonce you get down to it. You don't need tomlearn gybes wrong foot forward, just do foot switch before or after turn. I only point downwind left foot forward (dominant surf stance).

Any recommendations on how to successfully do the foot switch before the gybe? I find it difficult and usually do it after completing the transition when powered up toe side making sure to place the rear foot correctly in the right spot before shifting the old front foot back. When I try to switch before the turn I struggle; perhaps it's because I am moving into the more awkward toe side stance? Maybe it helps to point more on a broad downwind reach before switching?

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dapara2004 said..

Any recommendations on how to successfully do the foot switch before the gybe? I find it difficult and usually do it after completing the transition when powered up toe side making sure to place the rear foot correctly in the right spot before shifting the old front foot back. When I try to switch before the turn I struggle; perhaps it's because I am moving into the more awkward toe side stance? Maybe it helps to point more on a broad downwind reach before switching?

First off, a caveat: I am an old (middle old) dinosaur who cares only about wave riding, I am not one for fancy footwork or tricks ... so when it comes to making turns and foot switches, it's 99% about functional utility. :-)

When I do a turn from my goofy stance (right foot forward heelside), I first switch my feet to toeside in dominant stance (left foot forward). I sometimes do it flying -- requires some speed and solid dependable wind. That is easiest to do with a little burst of power with the foil rising. And with pointing slightly downwind. But most of the time I do a 1 second touchdown at the time of the foot switch, very dependable, don't lose much or any speed. Early days this might have extended to a 5 second touchdown, with board on surface, switch feet, then power back up onto foil. You lose much of your speed, so if not enough power to get back up on foil toeside, then it's steer through the turn on surface, to then re-engage foil heelside going the other way. This requires a big enough board that you can stand on fairly comfortably (+10L for me). Once you do it enough times in a row, the touchdown time can be minimized and then eliminated altogether.

Turning the other way, I go from dominant surf stance heelside (left foot forward) to toeside. If I am in a surf situation and there's decent wind, where upwinding is not a major concern, I may just stay riding toeside to avoid the foot switch altogether. But if I need to get upwind or have a long reach, I'll switch to goofy stance to ride heelside right foot forward. Same as above, early days that needed a touchdown, which then become a 1 second touchdown, but now is nearly always flying switch...for some reason it comes easier than the foot switch from heelside to toeside. As you say, maybe easier going toeside to heelside.

I never turn right foot forward and don't ride toeside that way -- which is nice to be able to do, but not needed for surf-oriented winging. Same with tacks, I intend to learn them, but it's a nice to have not need to have.

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juandesooka said..

dapara2004 said..

Any recommendations on how to successfully do the foot switch before the gybe? I find it difficult and usually do it after completing the transition when powered up toe side making sure to place the rear foot correctly in the right spot before shifting the old front foot back. When I try to switch before the turn I struggle; perhaps it's because I am moving into the more awkward toe side stance? Maybe it helps to point more on a broad downwind reach before switching?

First off, a caveat: I am an old (middle old) dinosaur who cares only about wave riding, I am not one for fancy footwork or tricks ... so when it comes to making turns and foot switches, it's 99% about functional utility. :-)

When I do a turn from my goofy stance (right foot forward heelside), I first switch my feet to toeside in dominant stance (left foot forward). I sometimes do it flying -- requires some speed and solid dependable wind. That is easiest to do with a little burst of power with the foil rising. And with pointing slightly downwind. But most of the time I do a 1 second touchdown at the time of the foot switch, very dependable, don't lose much or any speed. Early days this might have extended to a 5 second touchdown, with board on surface, switch feet, then power back up onto foil. You lose much of your speed, so if not enough power to get back up on foil toeside, then it's steer through the turn on surface, to then re-engage foil heelside going the other way. This requires a big enough board that you can stand on fairly comfortably (+10L for me). Once you do it enough times in a row, the touchdown time can be minimized and then eliminated altogether.

Turning the other way, I go from dominant surf stance heelside (left foot forward) to toeside. If I am in a surf situation and there's decent wind, where upwinding is not a major concern, I may just stay riding toeside to avoid the foot switch altogether. But if I need to get upwind or have a long reach, I'll switch to goofy stance to ride heelside right foot forward. Same as above, early days that needed a touchdown, which then become a 1 second touchdown, but now is nearly always flying switch...for some reason it comes easier than the foot switch from heelside to toeside. As you say, maybe easier going toeside to heelside.

I never turn right foot forward and don't ride toeside that way -- which is nice to be able to do, but not needed for surf-oriented winging. Same with tacks, I intend to learn them, but it's a nice to have not need to have.

Great pedagogical post! I will definitely implement your technique next windy session. It's great. Thank you very much

i also do all of my turns w/ in regular stance right foot forward, so I do transitions from port to starboard then foot switch. On starboard to port transitions, I switch feet first then turn.

learning how to do flying foot switches is essential IMO and not that hard, but it does take reps, so you have to be willing to put in the time. good advice given in previous post above. one thing to add, is that you want to bring your old rear foot forward so you are pigeon toed with both feet in front for a brief second. if you go too slow when doing this, your foil is providing less feedback and stability, so while it is intuitive to slow down to foot switch, it oftentimes makes it harder. You can do a quick pump and rise and switch feet on the rise sucking up w/ your front foot and parachuting a bit from the wing overhead.

As John Wooden said, "Be quick but don't hurry."

You can also unwind/open your hips a bit before the foot switch so your body isn't doing such a drastic rotation during the switch.

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steview said..
I've now ( finally ) sorted my gybing so am spending half my time riding toeside. I'm finding it very uncomfortable and all the weight seems to be on my back leg . Riding heel side feels great and the weight evenly balanced (foil 1cm from front of box ) and I'm doing the recommended twisting the hips / looking upwind etc . Has anyone any knowledge of why the weight is on my rear leg and how to sort it ? Thanks

I always footswitch but when i don't (waves) i get the same feel of needing a lot of backfoot.

I aways thought it was because my feet are angled toes forward and i lean the board upwind...weight on toes (toeside switch tack) moves my CG forward and out of balance.

Shifting one or both feet back is what i do if i want to hold the switch position a bit longer.

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steview said..
Has anyone any knowledge of why the weight is on my rear leg and how to sort it ? Thanks

Just scoot your feet or back foot even further back until pressure evens out and make sure your speed is good. Easy.

for foot switches make sure the foil is going upward at the time of the switch, move the back foot to front first, be quick, sometimes fly the wing overhead to make yourself weigh less, before trying it helps to have your feet close together.

For toe side, you're going to get more comfortable the more you do this and you'll find you have a favorite tack (depending if you are goofy or regular) that you're naturally better at. You may find it actually more comfortable as you ride swell in some tacs, but either way, you should get comfortable with toe side AND foot swaps as toe side will be key if you want to ride swell/waves.

DC

First try to get comfortable and relax a bit. It feels weird at first. Try to relax a bit and straighten your back leg. That should help you move weight forward a bit.

I pretty much only ride left foot forward. First I had the same so shifted my back foot back when riding toeside. Since I have straps I just deal with it, it gets better in time. I can get almost the same angles toeside now as I get heelside, especially when properly powered. Bending the knees a little helps twisting the upper body more and balancing everything out. Also make sure you really hang on to the power when you want to go upwind and dont flag the wing or keep it too high overhead.

If I do switch its always left foot forward tacks and jibes, so I switch toe to heel after the tack/jibe and switch back before the next one.

It is beneficial to switch feet before/after a jibe, but many get by without doing it. I found it easiest by using a larger board (~100 L), than my 75 L board. Another trick was when riding toeside, scooting feet closer together just before the switch.
Back to the question about toeside riding, you want to lean forward right after the jibe. As someone said, slight forward back bend and bending front knee. Sheet in with back hand and bare off wind slightly until sufficient pressure in the wing, before heading upwind. After doing this a few times with the proper posture, it will feel more balanced and not like the foil is about to stall.

If your weight is all on your back leg, chances are you're standing a bit far forwards?
I'm no expert. This technique works for me though.
Choose some good flattish conditions. Enough wind to get flying easily. Preferably not overpowered.
Use a long fuse. I use a windfoiling fuse to increase pitch stability. So when you swap your feet, the foil doesn't pitch up or down as quickly.
While riding heelside, shuffle your feet closer together so that they're maybe 10-20cm apart. Then press with the back foot a bit to get the nose to lift up, and move your back foot forwards next to your front foot. Very quickly move your old front foot back to where your rear foot was. You should be balalnced when you do this, meaning you SHOULDN"T feel more weight on your back foot. I find if your feet are both close to the balance point of the foil, then shifting your feet around when makin the switch means the foil doesn't react as much as if your feet are further apart. Once your riding toeside, then shuffle your feet apart to a wider stance.
I still switch my stance this way. I'm aiming to get my feet wider apart when I do the stance change (20-30cm) as I get more comfortable.
I struggled with toeside for a very long time. Practice is the big one. When you get in a toeside stance, try and hold it for as long as you can. When you get more confident, manouver the board around a bit to get you used to controlling it better when in toeside stance.
Good luck and keep with it.

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sunsetsailboards said..
i also do all of my turns w/ in regular stance right foot forward, so I do transitions from port to starboard then foot switch. On starboard to port transitions, I switch feet first then turn.

learning how to do flying foot switches is essential IMO and not that hard, but it does take reps, so you have to be willing to put in the time. good advice given in previous post above. one thing to add, is that you want to bring your old rear foot forward so you are pigeon toed with both feet in front for a brief second. if you go too slow when doing this, your foil is providing less feedback and stability, so while it is intuitive to slow down to foot switch, it oftentimes makes it harder. You can do a quick pump and rise and switch feet on the rise sucking up w/ your front foot and parachuting a bit from the wing overhead.

As John Wooden said, "Be quick but don't hurry."

You can also unwind/open your hips a bit before the foot switch so your body isn't doing such a drastic rotation during the switch.

Having years of surfing, snowboarding and wakeboarding in my past, I was more comfortable riding toeside than I was riding with my right foot forward. I have recently started to focus on riding goofy and switching my feet.

Sunsetsailboard's suggestion to spend a brief second pigeon toed has really helped me with my foot switches. I ride with front and back straps and here's my current progression:

1. Pull back foot out of the strap and stand just in front of the strap
2. Inch front foot back a little bit
3. Look for a smooth spot on the water
4. Bring the wing a bit overhead to ease forward momentum and give you something to ease the vertical pressure on the board
5. Bring the nose of the board up a bit and as you're getting higher on your mast, quickly step into that pigeon toed stance by bringing your back foot forward (I actually look down and aim for the strap)
- In this step, I've found that if you actually strive to get your knees to touch for a split second, this will help get you into the proper stance and your feet should roughly be in the right spot (not too far forward/backwards OR too far to the rail). I practiced this on a piece of wood at home.
5. As soon as my front foot lands, I'm quickly moving my new back foot to just in front of the back strap
6. Sheet in and go!

Overall, I haven't stated what hasn't been said already except for the "try to get your knees to touch" as that really helped me ensure that my feet are in the right spot.

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sunsetsailboards said..
i also do all of my turns w/ in regular stance right foot forward, so I do transitions from port to starboard then foot switch. On starboard to port transitions, I switch feet first then turn.

learning how to do flying foot switches is essential IMO and not that hard, but it does take reps, so you have to be willing to put in the time. good advice given in previous post above. one thing to add, is that you want to bring your old rear foot forward so you are pigeon toed with both feet in front for a brief second. if you go too slow when doing this, your foil is providing less feedback and stability, so while it is intuitive to slow down to foot switch, it oftentimes makes it harder. You can do a quick pump and rise and switch feet on the rise sucking up w/ your front foot and parachuting a bit from the wing overhead.

As John Wooden said, "Be quick but don't hurry."

You can also unwind/open your hips a bit before the foot switch so your body isn't doing such a drastic rotation during the switch.

Sunset, you note that you move your old rear foot forward first. Newbie here from windfoiling. This seems to be the big difference in jibing windfoil vs wingfoil, correct?

Thanks for tips/ideas in making transition.

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marc5 said..

sunsetsailboards said..
i also do all of my turns w/ in regular stance right foot forward, so I do transitions from port to starboard then foot switch. On starboard to port transitions, I switch feet first then turn.

learning how to do flying foot switches is essential IMO and not that hard, but it does take reps, so you have to be willing to put in the time. good advice given in previous post above. one thing to add, is that you want to bring your old rear foot forward so you are pigeon toed with both feet in front for a brief second. if you go too slow when doing this, your foil is providing less feedback and stability, so while it is intuitive to slow down to foot switch, it oftentimes makes it harder. You can do a quick pump and rise and switch feet on the rise sucking up w/ your front foot and parachuting a bit from the wing overhead.

As John Wooden said, "Be quick but don't hurry."

You can also unwind/open your hips a bit before the foot switch so your body isn't doing such a drastic rotation during the switch.

Sunset, you note that you move your old rear foot forward first. Newbie here from windfoiling. This seems to be the big difference in jibing windfoil vs wingfoil, correct?

Thanks for tips/ideas in making transition.

Same as Sunset for me, except I do all my turns left foot forward as my dominant surfing stance. Either switch toeside before the turn, or turn to toeside and switch after (or sometimes just stay toeside, depending on the situation).

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juandesooka said..

dapara2004 said..

Any recommendations on how to successfully do the foot switch before the gybe? I find it difficult and usually do it after completing the transition when powered up toe side making sure to place the rear foot correctly in the right spot before shifting the old front foot back. When I try to switch before the turn I struggle; perhaps it's because I am moving into the more awkward toe side stance? Maybe it helps to point more on a broad downwind reach before switching?

First off, a caveat: I am an old (middle old) dinosaur who cares only about wave riding, I am not one for fancy footwork or tricks ... so when it comes to making turns and foot switches, it's 99% about functional utility. :-)

When I do a turn from my goofy stance (right foot forward heelside), I first switch my feet to toeside in dominant stance (left foot forward). I sometimes do it flying -- requires some speed and solid dependable wind. That is easiest to do with a little burst of power with the foil rising. And with pointing slightly downwind. But most of the time I do a 1 second touchdown at the time of the foot switch, very dependable, don't lose much or any speed. Early days this might have extended to a 5 second touchdown, with board on surface, switch feet, then power back up onto foil. You lose much of your speed, so if not enough power to get back up on foil toeside, then it's steer through the turn on surface, to then re-engage foil heelside going the other way. This requires a big enough board that you can stand on fairly comfortably (+10L for me). Once you do it enough times in a row, the touchdown time can be minimized and then eliminated altogether.

Turning the other way, I go from dominant surf stance heelside (left foot forward) to toeside. If I am in a surf situation and there's decent wind, where upwinding is not a major concern, I may just stay riding toeside to avoid the foot switch altogether. But if I need to get upwind or have a long reach, I'll switch to goofy stance to ride heelside right foot forward. Same as above, early days that needed a touchdown, which then become a 1 second touchdown, but now is nearly always flying switch...for some reason it comes easier than the foot switch from heelside to toeside. As you say, maybe easier going toeside to heelside.

I never turn right foot forward and don't ride toeside that way -- which is nice to be able to do, but not needed for surf-oriented winging. Same with tacks, I intend to learn them, but it's a nice to have not need to have.

totally agree, that switching foot after/before a jibe thing - just get it done the most 'reliable' way - some people pop the nose up - some touch down a second (yrs truly here sometimes esp. in messy conditions), I think just get it done and do then do the 'fun' stuff ... swell riding, flagging .. jumps ...