Gybes while up on the Foil

[borist]

Still amazed how so many of you can do fluid jibes without kite support ?
And hoping to see some video one day, as I have never seen any....

I'm surprised as well. I see the practical benefit of this kind of foot switch, but only seen it once on a video and it look rather awkward. I'm not even sure if it was indeed slack line switch, it just looked so heavy footed and quick that I assumed it was.

[stevez]

For me it's about not having to rely on directing the kite in a certain way to enable the foot change. Even a steady kite still provides quite a bit of support, and sheeting in can help. Being underpowered definitely makes it more challenging.

Here's another pointer/drill fwiw - another thing that helped me to get over that initial leaden-foot feeling:

Try doing some Kai Lenny style pumping action as you go along. It's quite fun in it's own right to get into rhythm with it and it helps to develop good board control. Get used to alternating more and more weight between front and back foot.

At a certain point you may have all your weight on the front foot and be able to temporarily lift your back foot off the board completely without losing balance or rhythm. At this very moment you have a very solid platform to switch feet on, and you can simply bring the back foot forward and plant it next to the front foot without the board diving, and then pull your other for back.

I don't suggest this as a regular technique, just something that might help with the feeling.

[Flag53]

Great tips guys, can't wait to get back on the water now

[salvino]

Stevez,
I think ur on to a very good point. I have done the Kai Lenny on swell and waves and for sure it's a groove thing that leads to better foot balance. I agree that it should transfer nicely th switching feet. Thx

[cglazier]

One more reminder:
It is way easier when you are going reasonably fast. (Just like a surfboard jibe it becomes more difficult if you go too slow).

[Flag53]

Great tips , Thanks guys !

[tahoedirk]

For me ,

Once I identified the action of completely deweighting myself with my kite, like a mini jump, switching my feet while foiling became simple ,Either before, followed by a downturn/loop, or after the turn. With your kite lifting you overhead you have plenty of time. However, this was not a matter of 2 or 3 hours, I find that laughable. More like a year or two .

I love huge high speed turns more than ever , oh yeah and little fast turns too, and medium ones, and 360s and toeside tacks oh yeah warm water and cold beer too.

[Starsky]

Playing in swell, like learning to pump the foil does a lot toward learning where to fit a foot switch. In a previous thread about foiling out through waves I mentioned traversing along the crest to keep the foil deep and a bit more stable. I do the same for foot switches and time it to the moment the crest comes up and meets the board. Not quite a touchdown jibe as the wave might not even touch the bottom of the board, but that moment is unweighted, the kite is high the strut is vertical and deep in the wave and you can sheet in and fit a foot switch in nicely before turning back perpendicular to the swell so it recedes leaving you foiling off the backside. Again, its a pattern first learned in shore break on a surfboard. A lot of the sequences, timing and kite mechanics are the same, it's just the balance point and margin of error that is totally different.

[plummet]

I feel comforted that others with more experience find the jybing hard. I'm just looking forward to a day the I jybe fluidly and ride backwards and forwards without falling off the a newbie all the time!!.

Side note. It feels natural for me to attempt aswitch the feet before or during the carve going from week to strong side. Then when going from strong to week it feels more natural gybing first then switching feet once finished.

[Mossy 757]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=NR2MHBbSWDg[/youtube]