Problem getting to Toeside, help!

[Chillbay]

I just can't get to toeside, as soon as I get the board round everything goes wrong, I am actualy jumping better which should come after learning to ride toeside, what am I doing wrong?

[Fragger]

wot you mean by everthing goes wrong? make sure to put your weight on you toes as you lean forward face down to the water, stretch your front leg.

http://www.thekiteboarder.com/2010/08/i ... g-toeside/

[Larse]

Press on your heels and slide over to toeside. When you get there, lean forward and press with your toes.

Practice it a bit and it will become very easy

[edt]

everything goes wrong,

you need to be more specific. when "everything goes wrong" do you mean that the kite pulls you over your heels? If so you have not transferred your weight to edge from your heels to your toes. If you snowboard it helps to remember how when you carve on a snowboard, the feeling of transferring from heelside carve to toeside carve. Or does the end of the board dig into the water? If that's the case you are not switching stretching out the other leg, since you are flipping the board around, a different leg needs to be stretched out. Or are you just losing steam and sinking down into the water? It's hard to edge upwind toeside because you are twisted around and the harness keeps working to untwist you. If this is the case, then you want to either go out in more powered conditions so you can ride toeside downwind a bit, or loosen your waist harness so that it will slip around and pull you from the side instead of the front, so you can edge harder.

jumping is easier than riding toeside

[Kamikuza]

You can't ride upwind so well (initially) toe-side - try bearing off downwind on a flat board, then lean upwind. Also, seat harness is very tough to ride toe-side

[smurphd]

just practice..it´s really easy after some attempt´s

[robertovillate]

1. Are you goofy or regular? Once you know this I would suggest trying your transitions starting from your weak side and finsihing on your strong side. i.e. if you are goofy foot end your transition so that you are riding toe side with your right foot forward/left foot back. I am goofy foot and have been riding toeside for years and I still feel really unnatural riding toeside to the right (left foot forward)

2. Before you execute your transition establish the optimum point of sail you want to end up on - you can use dead reckoning on an object on shore or on the horizon. Typically people do not get enough rotation and are bearing off too much when the tuirn is completed which results in losing power and planing speed. And you need the extra power on toe side because it's not as efficient when you first start doing it. Once youget the hang of it you can easily figure out how to go downwind by flattening the board a little. But make sure you still have a kite with enough power. Riding toeside while underpowered is "work"

3. Make sure you finsih your turn smoothly and completely (which goes with 2 above)

4. Sometimes it helps to power the kite up so that the kite is still trimmed properly when you extend your arms (bar eased out) while on toe side. e.g. I usually ride toeside one handed and my bar is out almost all the way when my body is rotated. At this stage my body is almost facing down at the water and I am looking up over my right shoulder riding to the left.

5. If you lean back on your back foot too much it will cause too much drag. You needd to work on board trim and stance to balance planing and edge control...this just takes time as others suggest.

6. Make sure that the timing of your board turn and kite turn are synched well. Initiate the kite turn first so that the kite powers you thru the turn. If you turn the kite too late it will slow your board speed down too much and pull your body back. You want the kite to pull you forward thru the turn nice and smooth.

7. Once you complete the turn you can try to "point" your head upwind a little, etend your upper body upwind to get optimium upwind performance. DON'T push doen on yourback foot too hard or it will bog you down.

Riding one handed on toe side is very similar to riding on normal stance with one hand. When you drop your forward hand (regular stance) it changes your body position and your stance is more efficientgoing upwind.

(I use a Dynabar and I think it helps toeside riding enormously. It allows better rotation of the hips and upper body - even with a seat harness - and lets the bar ride more comfortably to the side, and so much more comfortable/less strain on hips and knees)

It's actually pretty simple once you've worked on it a little so I hope i haven't over complicated this for you.

keep trying. It's lots of fun to carve fast powerful turns confidently from heelside to toeside and back to heelside...especially with a directional board and strapless on waves.

[Kamikuza]

We're all talking about RIDING toeside, but the thread title is GETTING TO toeside ...

Options to transition are, in order of easiness ...?
Convert a plain ol' change of direction (turning the board upwind to stop forward motion then dive the kite the other direction) into a heel-to-toeside transition by ... not sending the kite back the other way and allowing the board to continue on the same tack, but now you're on your toes.
Load'n'pop with a 180 twist to toeside
Waterstart to toeside.
Land a jump toeside ...

All of those are on the Progression Beginner DVD and there's probably miniclips on their YouTube channel ... it's easier to get around to toeside than it is to ride it

[plummet]

i've been kiting for 6 years and I hate toeside! Ok i cabn ride toeside but i avoid it like the plague. infact the only time i enjoy toeside is riding down the line in waves doing a sweet cutback or bottom turn....

So don't feel you have to ride toeside if you don't want it.

Do a downwinder and practice your toeside transitions. its all about practice.

[Chillbay]

Thank you all, as usual great advice. I think what’s not helping me is my local spot, there is nothing but chop so I am finding it difficult to get in the practice that I need. I see a flat spot, go for it, and then any numbers of things tend to go wrong.

First off the chop will unsettle me, if I find a flat spot I go for it, sometimes I get pulled over, so as I rotate the board it catches the water, over I go. If I get it round sometimes the board will leave the water with me on my back. Other times the now front will dig in and over i go!

I know I need lots more time on the water, flat water will help, will try the bearing away downwind thing. Not got a problem committing to a turn, used to carve and duck gybe in my windsurfing days. I don’t want it to beat me so I will keep failing until I succeed, it’s the only way, thanks again guys