Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

A forum dedicated to Hydrofoil riders
Wazza KiteFoil
Rare Poster
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 2:28 am
Local Beach: Hams Beach NSW Australia
Style: Foil
Gear: Moses, Naish and KFA foils and various boards.
Cloud, Griffin and Gong kites
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby Wazza KiteFoil » Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:18 am

I just fitted a half hook strap to front position, big difference of freedom.
Now I have the best of both worlds ie freedom of strapless plus a handle, a means to see my board if separated in chop etc

alowishus
Medium Poster
Posts: 148
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:38 pm
Gear: ozone airush slingshot moses
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby alowishus » Sun Apr 21, 2019 4:26 pm

So Macster are you switching feet now all of a sudden on the foil with the Impulse?
I am currently struggling on my ‘normal’, that is, only, mid aspect wing. I can jibe both sides almost equally whether natural or unnatural stance heel toe heel etc. ie no foot switch. I pulled off a flying foot switch once when overpowered but generally I am barely successful even with surface foot switches (rapidly losing speed, hitting chop, falling off).
My own journey in kiting has been one of persistence and not shortcuts. What I want to know though is if this big wing thing is a “hack” that will quickly translate back to my other wing.
With my current setup I often feel I am not too far away and I just need bigger cojones to do it at higher speed on the foil. I also think / believe it will come .... eventually.... Been thinking that for a while now... But if the big wing helps like training wheels, then it may be worth it. Otherwise I guess I’ll just persist...?
Any experiences of riders going back to their ‘old faster /smaller wing’ and wondering why it seemed so challenging before?

windmaker
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1880
Joined: Sun Jun 15, 2003 8:48 am
Local Beach: .
Style: Strapless surf and foil
Gear: F-One & Aeros kites/ HB surf/ Taaroa foil/ Manera
Has thanked: 58 times
Been thanked: 91 times
Contact:

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby windmaker » Sun Apr 21, 2019 4:57 pm

My point of view might be a shock to some of the posters on this thread. I have been doing foiling jibes and tacks for years so my point of view is different now. First of all I do not think that more wing area is of any help when learning transitions, wing span yes as it will give better roll balance.
Also many here seem to think that a larger wing will help them fly slower (true) and therefore make jibes easier. The opposite is true, with more speed comes better balance (just like on a bike). You don't have to be going full blast but good speed makes foot switch so much easier you just need to get over the fear of it.
These users thanked the author windmaker for the post:
alowishus (Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:19 am)
Rating: 3.03%

User avatar
cglazier
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2640
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2002 1:00 am
Gear: Naish, Flysurfer, Alpine, Moses
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Has thanked: 65 times
Been thanked: 119 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby cglazier » Sun Apr 21, 2019 5:53 pm

windmaker has a good point. Larger wings just allow you to do tricks at a slower speed which some people find less intimidating. But it is no more difficult with speed in fact more speed makes things more stable.
You should first learn to ride toeside and then you are ready to proceed...

Here are some tips:
- the difficult part is the flying foot switch so work on it and don't even think about gybing until you have switched your feet
- put your kite quite high but still pulling you forward
- if you use straps move your back foot to just in front of the back strap
- rotate your shoulders so your upper body is ready for riding toeside
- maintain speed, look at the horizon (not down), and don't move your kite
- now move your back foot forward (into the empty front strap if you have straps) while not moving your upper body or the kite or your eyes at all
- you will naturally need to move your old front foot back to the middle of the board to keep your balance because you didn't move your upper body at all.

That's it, you have done a flying footswitch. You can gybe now from toeside to heelside which is the easy part. I always downloop my kite during a gybe to help pull me around.

Most of us learn by first doing all this while touching down on the water. Keep trying to make your touchdowns shorter duration. When you can maintain board speed through all this you will no longer touch down at all.

:wink: CG
[woops, I just noticed that I already said much of this earlier in this thread.. oh well, worth repeating.. I hope it helps someone]
These users thanked the author cglazier for the post (total 2):
alowishus (Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:53 am) • direnc (Mon Apr 22, 2019 12:50 pm)
Rating: 6.06%

User avatar
tegirinenashi
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 815
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 3:29 am
Local Beach: 3rd Ave
Gear: Bates 4000, Dominator MX-10
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 33 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby tegirinenashi » Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:42 am

Gybes, footswitch and everything else is easier to learn with small increments. That's right, learning 2 skills at once is 10 times more difficult than 1; learning 3 is 100 times more difficult!

First, let's isolate gybe from foot switch: those can and IMO should be learned separately. Consider gybe, which is easier to master. Start with board-on-surface gybe. It is easier to learn compared to flying gybe, because there is little more room for error. Yes, the drag with board on the surface is higher, of course, but this is insignificant problem, compared to all other variables which are easier. After making first surface gybe one gets critical confidence, and the following gybes start coming out with less effort. Then, after 10, or maybe 100 repetitions, when all gybe mechanics is gradually nailed, lifting the board comes out naturally.

The flying foot switch maneuver is similar. If one masters it on the surface, I can't possibly see how after repeating it 100 times, anyone won't be able to progress to gradually increasing the speed, and lifting the board.

Speaking of small increments here is a video how to work on just one element
[video][/video]
Again, starting practicing it on the surface would be easier. Not with board this small, though :)
These users thanked the author tegirinenashi for the post:
alowishus (Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:12 am)
Rating: 3.03%

alowishus
Medium Poster
Posts: 148
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:38 pm
Gear: ozone airush slingshot moses
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby alowishus » Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:35 am

cglazier wrote:
Sun Apr 21, 2019 5:53 pm
windmaker has a good point. Larger wings just allow you to do tricks at a slower speed which some people find less intimidating. But it is no more difficult with speed in fact more speed makes things more stable.
You should first learn to ride toeside and then you are ready to proceed...

Here are some tips:
- the difficult part is the flying foot switch so work on it and don't even think about gybing until you have switched your feet
- put your kite quite high but still pulling you forward
- if you use straps move your back foot to just in front of the back strap
- rotate your shoulders so your upper body is ready for riding toeside
- maintain speed, look at the horizon (not down), and don't move your kite
- now move your back foot forward (into the empty front strap if you have straps) while not moving your upper body or the kite or your eyes at all
- you will naturally need to move your old front foot back to the middle of the board to keep your balance because you didn't move your upper body at all.

That's it, you have done a flying footswitch. You can gybe now from toeside to heelside which is the easy part. I always downloop my kite during a gybe to help pull me around.

Most of us learn by first doing all this while touching down on the water. Keep trying to make your touchdowns shorter duration. When you can maintain board speed through all this you will no longer touch down at all.

:wink: CG
[woops, I just noticed that I already said much of this earlier in this thread.. oh well, worth repeating.. I hope it helps someone]
I ride strapless and I've got foiling gybes pretty solid in varying wind conditions. Was awesome when this started to feel natural on my unnatural stance :D
Rotate shoulders. Tick, I think.
Maintain speed. Have to closely monitor this as I move the kite up especially when gusty which is normal as my spot.
Look at horizon instead of feet. Need to try this one out.
Not moving upper body as I move my back foot forward... This is where it mainly comes apart I think :(

I am starting to really feel the CoG thing on my gybes especially when I carve harder. I'll keep trying! Cheers :thumb:

alowishus
Medium Poster
Posts: 148
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:38 pm
Gear: ozone airush slingshot moses
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby alowishus » Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:46 am

tegirinenashi wrote:
Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:42 am

Speaking of small increments here is a video how to work on just one element
Nice video. I had found this quite a while back but he made it look too easy :angryfire:

He doesn't seem to use to kite hardly at all, at least it seems that way, and his slick execution seems to be all about CoG over the foil and the almost imperceptible back foot pump.
I want to do it like he does :P
I think I am on the right track, just need to add in a few things and persevere. I'll stick with my wing and I will learn to ride it eventually!

User avatar
robclaisse
Frequent Poster
Posts: 306
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2002 1:00 am
Local Beach: Currently living in Blouberg, Cape Town, ZA
Favorite Beaches: Shoreham-by-sea, UK
Waddell Creek - Santa Cruz, USA
Tableview, Cape Town, SA
Style: Waves / Foiling
Gear: F-one Breeze 15m, Bandits 11,8,6
Pocket 13cm with a Mirage 800, 85cm mast
Mitu 5'8"
Trax Carbon 137
Brand Affiliation: Progression Sports (Formally Fat Sand)
Location: Shoreham-by-Sea, UK. Owner of Progression Sports
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 97 times
Contact:

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby robclaisse » Mon Apr 22, 2019 11:29 am

Lots of good tips on here, no point repeating many of those that I agree with but here are two that I don't think have been mentioned and are really important:
  1. Kite power- if you are really powered up you'll struggle as its hard to keep weight on the board/foil consistently. If you are riding in marginal conditions, then it's hard to get the weight off the board consistently. So as with learning most things on a foil, try and be on the right kite, nicely powered up, if you want to give yourself the best opportunity.
  2. Bend your legs - this is so important, I watch so many people learning to foot change and at some point, they end up standing upright with straight legs and they have so little control over where their weight then sits over the foil. Even people who start with there weight lower, will straight there legs as their legs come together and then weight typical lunges forwards or backwards. Really think about activating your core muscles as this will help to keep you in a low more couched position throughout.
The image below shows how your legs should be bent mid foot change - whereas most people learning straighten there legs at this point. That slight bend makes all the difference.
Foot change - bent legs - PKF-LGB-FS700-20181230-00041.MTS.00_00_08_18.Still001.jpg
And I guess I should say that I am making a Foiling Gybes video at the moment - yesterday I had a fun day filming carves, toeside and foot change crashes (this time I was the one riding and being filmed) so I'm full re-living the pain of the foot change crashes! There is going to be a whole video on the foot change, both from toeside to heelside and heelside to toeside. I've made it a separate video because, as a few have already said, it's best to think of the foot change as something separate to learn from the carve and toeside riding.
These users thanked the author robclaisse for the post:
direnc (Mon Apr 22, 2019 12:51 pm)
Rating: 3.03%

oregonkiter
Frequent Poster
Posts: 256
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:26 pm
Style: foil
Gear: Foil stuff
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 53 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby oregonkiter » Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:32 pm

Her advice starts at about 3:10. Spot on:

xulpix
Rare Poster
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 6:45 am
Local Beach: Oka, Mont-tremblant, Quebec, Canada
Style: freeride
Gear: Flysurfer Soul 15-10-6m
Moses 101, 790 wing
Brand Affiliation: www.Kitexpress.ca
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: WtF man. Will I ever learn transitions...?

Postby xulpix » Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:38 pm

Did anyone fit a 590 wing on the surf fuselage? Problem would be solved no?


Return to “Hydrofoil”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: alekbelia, blu, galewarning and 168 guests