Tacking Help

[foilonfoil]

Been trying to tack for ages and I'm really close... issue I am stuck with is falling onto my back/butt into the water as I am about to power the kite up in the new direction. Any feedback would be great.

[cglazier]

Things are easier when you have:
- steady wind
- flat water
- well powered
- foil kite

Carve upwind hard. Then when still carving bring your back foot into the front footstrap while staying on top of the board (don't swing your body around outside of your turn). You are still carving and turning so your board and body will also be tilted inward in the turn. And be sure you pull hard on your back hand continuously to lift you and bring your kite forward. Do not let your kite stop overhead.

Don't be frustrated.. for most of us it takes hundreds of attempts to begin getting this move.


CG

[foilonfoil]

Thanks! I'm committed to nailing it and every single transition is a tack attempt. Just seem to be a point I cant get past.

[cglazier]

.

[gmb13]

If you are falling onto your back, you are not bringing your body forward enough in the tack. Once the nose of the board progresses passt 90 deg to the wind, you need to step forward with your whole body. You should be standing straight up. The picture sequences show slightly sloppy technique as the body is not straight when going forward into the straps. Even I am guilty of this in my old tacking tutorial videos. Sure you can compensate when you are good, but it gives someone learning the wrong idea.

Have a look at this pic. This is where you should be standing mid tack.

Here is the video showing the difference. Click on it to start it.

https://www.facebook.com/foilingbasics/ ... 885908882/

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Gunnar

[foilonfoil]

I very much resemble the second video! Thanks all - I will work on these tips this week.

[foilonfoil]

Just a follow up to say I have had a break through I'm now tacking... Obviously pretty happy and the four points that helped be were...

1. Entry - Not too vertical over the board... A nice 30 degree angle at entry.
2. Carve upwind hanging from the kite and make sure I am pushing out so I am not lofted while switching feet.
3. Strong pull on the bar to dive the kite and make sure the rear foot is planted/in place to control board.
4. Make sure to point the board downwind to let it pick up speed.

Entry angle is critical as is hanging from the kite but lots of work ahead of me to clean my tacks up.

[paulOz]

I have heard many times, sheet out and hang off the kite.
When I sheet out, I'm pretty unlikely to be able to hang my corpulence from it.
(tube kites).

Comments?

[gmb13]

Sheeting out is only half of it. As you step forward you need to get power back in the kite. So you need to power it up a bit (on tube kites as lot) to hold you up, pull you into the straps and get the board around. Have another look at my Video in the above post. Note that I am pulling the bar almost all the way in again after my Board passes though the wind. Basically I pull in as I am stepping forward into the straps.

Also have a look here:
https://www.facebook.com/foilingbasics/ ... 102987097/

and from far away:

https://www.facebook.com/foilingbasics/ ... 649285873/


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Gunnar

[Mossy 757]

I have heard many times, sheet out and hang off the kite.
When I sheet out, I'm pretty unlikely to be able to hang my corpulence from it.
(tube kites).

Comments?

Paul, when you sheet out a foil kite as it crosses over your head you actually get power out of it, so when people say "sheet out" that's really their way of saying "accelerate the kite in a low Angle of Attack mode as it passes over your head so that the apparent wind creates more lift."

Sheeting out actually isn't great advice with a tube kite, like Gunnar said, you basically only sheet out enough to prevent yourself from getting chucked off the board with too much power while turning into the tack at the beginning, but as soon as you stand up from that "sitting back" position to switch feet I'm pulling hard on the bar to get the kite to lift my ass up and power me up out of the tack.

So again, the advice to "sheet out" really means "put the kite in a low AoA mode to prepare it to power up when you go weightless in the harness to switch your feet on the exit as you dive it and ride away."

With a tube kite, it's less of a sheet out thing and more of a "get ready to power up just enough to do a low-to-the-water backroll transition" which is all a foiling tack really is.