Boardseeker Windsurfing Magazine » Freestyle | Boardseeker Windsurfing Magazine

A Look Back at the Jump Ramp

boardseeker — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:37:37 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve seen any indoor windsurfing competition. The indoor discipline was certainly full of thrills and spills, and with the action close enough to touch it was a true spectacle for all.Do you miss the indoor action? What was your favourite move you saw landed in, or out of, the pool?Boardseeker revisits one of the staple windsurfing moves, adapted for the pool: the forward loop.The Indoor Jump Ramp.

You may never get to do this, but we bet you want to know how!

Some of the world’s best sailors can’t even sail up the ramp, whilst others are landing double forwards, so what’s the technique?!

KIT CHOICE

Firstly, you will trash the tail of your board on the start ramp so get sponsored or borrow someone else’s kit!

Secondly, success on the jump ramp is all about speed, so take a big sail, a fast board and get ready to hang on, as it’s blowing a very gusty 35 knots on the run up!

“Take a fast board, a big fin and a cambered sail.”

- Josh Angulo, 2005 Indoor Jump Champion.

“You need speed but also control. I use a 5.2 indoor sail which has a shorter mast and longer boom than normal and a 100 litre JP Freestyle board.”

- Ricardo Campello, 2006 Indoor Jump Champion..

“I use my 5.0m Hookipa sail (Neil Pryde Zone) and 91 litre Freestyle board”

- Alex Mousilini, Aloha Classic winner.

“You must have a wide board to be as stable as possible, especially as there is a strange gust before you hit the jump ramp and you don’t want a change of direction just before you hit the ramp! Your sail needs to be stiff. I use a Naish Boxer which is shorter up top. I have been using a 5.4m sail, it is blowing 35 knots but you want power as the wind changes so much and has so many holes.”

– Kauli Seadi, 2005 World Wave Champion.

So….to give you an idea of what it’s really like to do the jump, we gave French indoor hotshot Yannick Anton the Boardseeker headcam.

From here you get the best view in the stadium. Your heart is racing and you watch the sailor in front of you prepare for his jump. Secretly you hope he doesn’t make a good one otherwise the pressure is really on you!

You are feeling very nervous, in less than a minute you could be champion of the show, in front of several thousand spectators, or getting dragged from the pool by the medics on your way to hospital – it’s a fine line that separates the two! There is not a breath of wind up here which is strange when its blowing 35 knots just 5 meters in front of you. Its also incredibly noisy and just to the right of you is a table with 3 judges sitting with clip boards waiting to rate your efforts

The marshal helps you fit your fin behind the locking bar that holds your board in place on the ramp until you are ready to go.

Get in the footstraps, rotate your sail and get ready. There is still no wind except for the occasional gust that blows from the wrong side of your sail and keeps popping it around the wrong way. Its very noisy!“I decide what move to do on the start ramp.” – Alex Mousilini

Give the Marshal the thumbs up when you are ready and prepare for the drop. Within a fraction of a second, you feel the board drop away from underneath you. There is still no wind in the sail, so stay low and keep your weight over the board.

As the nose hits the water, you feel the wind surge in your sail and at last you can lean back against it! Try not to let the nose dig in too much – maintaining speed is essential!

The wind is now at full force in your sail. You will feel very overpowered. Try not to bear off as you will distance yourself from the fans and the wind will drop very quickly. Hook in and try to head up towards the fans.

Its all about speed. The faster you go, the better your jump will be. Its not easy though as you feel every single gap between the fans. The wind is on, off all the way! You have to keep the board smooth and aim just above the red guide bouy.“Go as fast as you can and relax but its important to hold the board steady before hitting the ramp.” – Josh Angulo

The red bouy is there to help you line up with the slot on the jump ramp. Stay just above it and you should be roughly ok.“Your approach to the ramp should be slightly upwind so if you are going to not get perfectly into the slot, you have more chance of being pushed into the right position once your board is halfway up the ramp. Go too far downwind and you will just go over the side of the ramp.” – John Hibbard

This is the scariest moment! You have to get the fin in the centre of the V slot. Get it wrong and you will crash. The trick here is not to bottle it.“The main thing is you have to try not to lift the board before you hit the ramp. Go for it but try to be controlled before the ramp.” – Ricardo Campello

Sit back and hope the fin goes into the slot. The ramp is actually quite slidey and you don’t feel much friction. There is still power in your sail to propel your way up the ramp. It is a strange sensation, not like hitting a wave – more like being on an escalator until you reach the rollers at the top which give you the kick you need to initiate your move.

If you get this far and the fin is in the slot, you are safe! As you reach the top of the ramp, you will feel the rollers give your board an extra ‘kick’. It is important that you don’t try to start rotating on the way up. The ramp is straight and if you try to turn, you will come a cropper! There is still a good amount of wind in your sail as you leave the ramp.

At the apex of your jump the wind is a lot lighter. The higher you go, the lighter it is! From up here, you are conscious that the pool is very shallow (less than waist deep), it also looks very small!

You have to put a lot of effort into your jump as the wind is so light. Over-emphasise your movements. The higher you go, the worse it is!“The only thing different is that you can not stall too much. If you go too high, you get to a spot where there is no wind, no speed and you’ve got to do much more body rotation. The easiest move is the forward loop. The push loop needs a lot of speed and you don’t seem to get a lot off the ramp.” – Kauli Seadi

The lights are dazzling. It is strange to look back and see roof where there is normally sky! Its also very noisy!

Try to land flat so you don’t hit the bottom of the pool – it is very shallow!

Bang, you get a fresh shot of ice cold fresh water in your face!! You are so far downwind when you land that there is hardly any wind at all. Your landing technique has to be slightly different to outdoors. Instead of bracing yourself for the sail to power up again, you actually have to land over your kit so that you don’t fall backwards.

Once the water clears, you have to come to a fast halt before you reach the end of the pool. You hear the crowd cheer over the noise of the fans and you wait to see your jump score on the large screen!! You have made it and you are still alive!

Even if you know it is going wrong when you get close to the ramp, stay sheeted in and you will be catapulted clear over the ramp. Sheet out or try to avoid the ramp and you are likely to make a head sized dent in it!

Do you want to see an indoor competition back on the PWA calendar? What made these events so special? Do you think we will get to see any monster moves inside in the near future? Let us know your opinion in the comments below!

The Upwind 360 with Colin Dixon

boardseeker — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

One of the great moves to have in your trick book is the upwind 360. It may not impress the tourists on the beach, but all your buddies on the beach will be quietly impressed by this unassuming technical trick. The UW360 feels great when you perfect it and opens the door to Flakas on flat water and the Takas in the waves, it really is a must have move when you start your freestyle journey.

Upwind 360:

Sail across the wind and lean the sail to the back of the board. LOOK in the direction you want to go. As the sail goes back transfer your weight onto your heels, driving the board into the wind.
When you are dropping the sail back remember to move your hands down the boom. Moving your hands along the boom is important - YOUR HANDS ARE NOT SUPER GLUED TO THE BOOM the boom is how you control the power.
The board will then start to carve into the wind. Try to get as far round as possible. As the board speed reduces start to transfer all your body weight from your heels onto your toes. Now the board speed has reduced lean forward bringing the rig with you. Slide your hands down the boom. Remember we are always counter balancing our weight against the rig, so rig forward weight back.
As the rig slices forward you are aiming to push the mast through the eye of the wind. Do not push with your back hand we are trying to keep the sail neutral. The boom should end up tucked under your arm.
Now the sail is neutral, so here comes the tricky part. Your front hand controls the turn your backhand the power.
Front hand – as you slice the sail forward, if you want the board to turn push the front hand in the you want to go, but remember to be gentle.
If it’s windy, to control the power extend your front hand down lower to the water pull in with your back hand, this will depower the sail (the dry humping effect)
As the nose of the board starts to turn in the direction you want to go, you will end up in the back winded position, so remember your power control that dry hump, slowly feel the board in the direction you want to go with your front hand when the board is sat on a bored reach or a run your ready to pop the clue through!
To pop the clue through, you do this wait for the nose of the board to point down wind. As soon as this happens we move our weight from your toes to our heels. As the clue goes through we must be prepared to handle the power in the sail. So, get back onto your heels. When the clue goes through keep your back hand down this will also help to handle the power.
Now sail away.

More hints and more tip can be found on the windsurfcoaching.com blog and websites.
Message our facebook page and we will reply with solutions to your problems, or by the DVD Go Pro with Colin and Marco.

Where To Go To Progress Your Freestyle

So, whatever your freestyle level there is a lot to be learning towards the end of summer and even more places to venture to as this the season continues.

Check out the full Boardseeker Summer Special for all the places to travel and info on how to arrange your perfect windsurfing holiday.

Another destination we recommend, especially as a year round location, is Club Dahab which is located on the stunning windy shores of the Red Sea. It offers over 300 days of force 4+ a year and is proud to be the only British centre in Dahab, and the only one offering inclusive rental and tuition with Club Vass top instructors. Just a short haul flight away, it’s ideal for a quick ‘fix’ any time of the year, with many flight options.

The centre commands a prime beach position, with easy access to all sailing spots and it’s the only place rocking the unique Club Vass vibe!

Club Vass Hot Shot Pip Pardoe has moved on to Club Dahab for the windy season to join Luke and the team. Pip has proved to be a huge star at Club Vassiliki, pulling off some of the biggest moves, he is Mr Motivator!

And there are some great deals for Autumn 2012. W/C 15th September through to W/C 13th October only £349 for 1 week!
(Price includes: Airport transfer, accommodation at the Ganet Sinai, half-board meal plan, tuition with top instructors, unlimited use of windsurfing kit).

www.clubvass.com info@clubvass.com 0844 463 0191

The Vulcan with Jem Hall

boardseeker — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:37:34 +0000

Now you’ve mastered popping, its time to flick that rig and slide backwards with style!

Downwind 360 with Jem Hall

boardseeker — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:37:17 +0000

An old school classic that shows who really has true rig control!

The Skopu with Chambers and van Broeckhoven

Amy Carter - Editor — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:59:23 +0000

If you’re already comfortable with the basic freestyle moves and looking to learn the top moves like the pros, there’s a number of moves you can look at learning next. Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers joins Boardseeker to talk you through the Skopu, as performed by Steven van Broeckhoven.

Skopu

Go switch stance with loads of speed by bearing off slightly
Head slightly upwind as you duck the sail
Once on the new side push hard with the back hand and get low
Throw arms up above head and take off
Once in the air sheet in hard and pull legs in and underneath you
Land sliding and turn head to look over front shoulder
You should spin round 540 on landing to be heading the other direction

Check out more from the JP freestyle team on the JP website http://jp-australia.com/2013/

The Kono with Chambers and van Broeckhoven

Amy Carter - Editor — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:43:56 +0000

Kono

Bear off slightly to get loads of speed
Head back upwind and bring the sail slightly back
Pull the sail in to depower it like a small pump and shift it into the wind
Pull the clew back and behind you and get low
Start pushing on the sail to load the power up and head upwind
Push hard on the back hand and lift arms up above head
Turn head to to spot landing, pull hard on the back hand and tuck legs up
Land a flip the sail.

The Toad with Chambers and van Broeckhoven

Amy Carter - Editor — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:12:03 +0000

Toad:

Bear off and duck the sail and sail along clew first
Make sure you get loads of power in the sail and loads of board speed
Carve upwind and open the clew right out as you pop the board
Slide the back hand up the boom
As the board rotates over the sail try not to move the sail
You want to land with the back arm pulled in otherwise you will land with too much power.

Board Popping with Jem Hall

boardseeker — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 14:37:35 +0000

Sounds daft, looks daft but master this and the vulcan, spock and flat water loop are yours!

Gecko with Hurrey and Chambers

boardseeker — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:37:36 +0000

The gecko is a non planing flaka or upwind 360 where the nose of the board is sunk. The end of the rotation is finished by ‘popping’ the board back out.

Most people will associate this move with Kiri Thode from Bonaire who has brought the move to the limelight by performing it at numerous PWA events over the past 12 months.

Surprisingly, however this move is not just for sub 50kg wonder kids. It is a feasible trick to learn. If you can control a back winded sail eg. in a helli tack on your short board, it’s time to Gecko. It will take time to learn how to sink the board, but the rest is fairly straight forward.

WHAT YOU NEED

Equipment – A freestyle/freeride board, appx. 20 – 40 litres more than your weight (eg. I am 75kgs and I use a 100L board) with a fairly short nose.

Conditions – Fairly flat water. Non planing winds, but enough to sail around on a short board eg. force 2 – 3.

THE MOVE

SWITCH STANCE

Firstly you have to master sailing non – planing in the footstraps. Use loads of mast foot pressure to ensure the board does not just sink at the back. Bend your elbows in and down to apply it.

Sailing ACROSS the wind, pull down very hard on the boom while rolling your heels into the water. The windward rail should fully sink.

Throw your sail and body (hips and all) towards the nose of the board, standing up very straight and bending the back leg up. The nose should now sink. N.B do not push with the back hand, the sail should be ‘sliced’ into the wind.

All your weight must now be on the boom, esp. through the front hand, pulling up extremely hard with the back foot.

You now need to release the pressure on the boom as the board turns through the wind where the board will rise out of the water (this stage done aggressively enough will make the board ‘pop’ out). Also using your vision in the direction of spin will help the rest of the rotation.

Download Video of Gecko:

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As the clew goes through the wind, get your weight back over the board by once again pulling down on the boom.

Elbows in and down, especially the front one.
The whole rail must be sunk to get the nose to go down!
Get close to the mast to get the tail to lift.
Then use your vision to turn the last section and put the clew
through.

SUMMARY
There are many variations within this move, here’s the switch stance version (come on this is freestyle after all, you didn’t think it would stop there did you??)!!

Download Video of Switch Stance Gecko:

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Grubby – Andre Paskowski

boardseeker — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:37:37 +0000

The Grubby

The grubby is one of the
more simple sliding freestyle moves and has been
around for a couple of years now. As with most of
the moves there are lots of variations now. It is
akin to a Spock without a sail change. It
is made up of the FREESTYLE FUNDAMENTALS of staying over
the board, popping, look where you want to go, space away
from the rig.

This
move is very ably demonstrated by European freestyle sensation
Andre Paskowski G-2 (F2, North, Camaro)…

Taking good
speed from a beam reach start bearing away.

Coming onto a broad reach KEEP OVER
THE BOARD and get ready to POP by sinking down through
a bent back leg.

POP the board and you are aiming to throw the
tail as far downwind as possible. TIP: look at mastfoot
to KEEP YOU OVER THE BOARD.

Stay over the board and keep pulling back leg up
under you and this drops nose to offer a sliding surface
you can pivot around.

Still focused on the mastfoot, and OVER THE BOARD,
you are landing and keeping the weight over your
front foot and your toeside.

After the initial sheeting in you now have to
extend the back arm and sheet the sail right out
whilst keeping your weight over your front foot and
your toeside. The tail is now as far downwind as
possible and you should be sliding backwards. WEIGHT
FORWARD AND BACK ARM EXTENDED.

Continue extending and sliding and your weight will
slowly be transferring over your heelside. The nose
is now starting to come through the eye of the wind.
Looking through the sail may help orientate you, whilst
it also maintains WEIGHT FORWARD.

Nose is now through wind so you will be exiting
by sheeting in and continued weight transference to
heelside. TIP: Look behind you to assist sheeting in
and to bring weight outboards.

Board is now almost across wind and sail is sheeting
in as body moves outboard. Weight is fully over heels
as you as sinking down to resist sail power.

Claim it, you are now a happy bunny. Or go into
a gybe to do 540, duck the rig or drop a hand.

Let’s break the move down into achievable
goals:

Go downwind and pop the board aiming to
get the tail as far downwind as possible.
With weight forward and back arm extended
aim to slide backwards.
Recover the move and sheet in getting weight
onto heels
Dry and fast sliding grubbies.

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John Skye K-57 “My top tip for the grubby is to pull yourself really close to the rig as you enter the move, then really throw the rig away from the body as you jump the board around.”

Ben Proffitt K-800 “Make sure your not absolutely stacked (over powered) It’s best to be slightly under powered if anything! Also when you start getting the slide backward you want to sheet out as far as you can until the board has gone all the way round.”

Phil Horrocks K-303 “Don’t try it overpowered or you’ll end up doing a forward. To depower head more downwind.”

Pirouette Gybe – Ben Proffitt

boardseeker — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 14:37:38 +0000

The Pirouette Gybe by Ben Proffitt

The pirouette gybe is well within the reach of anybody who can carve gybe consistently. It is a really cool ‘old school’ trick which is not actually as hard as it looks. Break it down, practice on the beach and give them a go! Guaranteed no-one else at your beach will be doing them!!

Location:	El Tur, Egypt
Board:	Fanatic Skate
Sail:	Simmer Crossover 5.3m
Wind:	15-20 knots
Water:	Flatter than flat!

HOT TIPS!!

Take your front foot out of the strap early
Slide your front hand right to the front of the boom
Keep your weight on your toes
Look over your shoulder and your body will follow!

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One Handed Spock

boardseeker — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:37:38 +0000

The One Handed Spock

This month we are looking at moving on from the Vulcan and doing a one handed variation of the spock. Trying one-handed spocks actually taught me to spock properly so even if you’ve not done a two-handed spock, this article may well help you achieve that elusive 360 jump and slide!

[158K Video Stream - Audio OFF]

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PRACTICE

Long slidey vulcans – both ways
Heli tack competence in light and strong winds will really help your spocking!!! So heli tacks – both ways. For example, if you can only vulcan on starboard tack then make sure your port tack helicopter skills rule.
Also learn one-handed heli tacks.

FUNDAMENTALS

Look where you want to go – Look behind you as soon as you take off to make the board rotate and continue to look over your shoulder all the way round. Keep looking forwards as you collect the rig. The head is very important!!!!!
Stay over the board – Keep centered to get the nose down which initiates a good slide.
Keep the mast away – Having distance from the rig will enable you to lean into it and enjoy the slide thereby preventing you from getting dumped by it.

KEY STAGES

Popping the board and getting it round
Getting the hands in position and sliding through
Rotating the sail and collecting it

As in all moves your aim is to conquer each stage in succession and then progress onto the next stage. As each stage becomes proficient you can then concentrate on the key points of the next phase.

POPPING THE BOARD AND GETTING IT AROUND

Come over the board ready to pop with the front hand moved forward.

Pop the board from a downwind course and on flat water. Push down throught the toes and the back foot and pull up on the front hand and front leg. Aim to rotate further round so their is alot more gusto than in the vulcan, this will decrease the amount you have to slide through.

Look behind you. Drop the back hand off the boom and pull the front arm across the body, keeping the mast tight to the chest. Think fast hands. The new front reaches to the new side as the boom is drawn tight across your body. Keep your weight forward over the front foot and toeside with the back leg tucked up.

GETTING THE HANDS IN POSITION AND SLIDING THROUGH

On a full broad reach now with
a light rig. Front hand releases and crosses
over to THE BACK OF THE BOOM, whilst back
hand tilts rig towards nose of the board. Keep
looking forward as back of boom comes
to you

That free hand can now transfer and go on to the boom. Keep the mast away by extending your new front hand. Keep looking over your shoulder to assist in taking you where you want to go. Try to straighten the back leg to bring your weight forward over the bent front leg.

The heels are beginning to be weighted at this point, so the board can slide without the rail catching. You can point at the camera and look as silly as me or nonchalantly drop your hand to keep the leading shoulder down, de rigueur for many sporting moves. The front arm is extending to keep the mast away and take the rig forwards.

Lean into the sail now as your front arm directs the rig towards the nose in readiness for the sail rotation. With your front hand down the boom you have the maximum distance from the mast and therefore the most power over the rig.

ROTATING THE SAIL AND COLLECTING IT

The rig continues forward as you start to bring in those heli tack skills. A bit of work with the hips leaning into the sail assists in getting the sail forward and round as the body turns and follows through.

Aim for a big sweep with the rig around the nose, really extending the front arm.

Let the rig swing back over the tail and keep the board flat with your weight over the front foot. Aim to slide your front hand up to the mast to ease the last bit of the rig rotation.

Finish the rotation off by pulling the mast forward and to windward, whilst keeping the body position low. Looking forwards will ensure a smooth rotation and a flat board.

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Get the board flat and power the rig up and off you go.

Try to crouch down as low as possible on the new tack and let the sail flip off your back.

HANDS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON

This article may see die hard freestylers strongly contest the hand movements required for this move. So its basically up to you, there are options;

1) Boom to boom to boom, as seen here, pretty cool.

2) Boom to mast to boom, can be easier and widely exhibited by many great stylers.

3) Boom to boom via hands free, very cool in a Josh Stone and Chris Audsley styley.

I suppose thats why it’s called freestyle, and it will at least prompt some good beach and bar discusions / arguments / abuse.

FAULT ANALYSIS

Take a downwind course
Go for an over cooked vulcan
Move those hands fast whilst keeping your weight forward
Old back hand to new front hand leaving old front hand spare
Keep your weight forward and looking over your leading shoulder
Spare hand goes down the boom towards the lines
Point / drop your spare arm as you slide
Extend your arm forwards and towards the nose as the heel weighting increases
Rotate the rig around the nose and then back to the tail
Look forward as you collect the rig

Have it and good luck!

Help is at hand for this and many more moves from simple to sublime. Get yourself on to an overseas clinic with Jem and let him unlock your potential. www.jemhall.com


John Skye K-57 “I try to keep my mast upright throughout the whole manouver. If your mast starts to lean to the side, you are likely to loose balance and end up wet!”

Ben Proffitt K-800 “Get your weight back – leaning back as you flip the sail. This stops you being pushed forward as the sail flips off your back.”

Shaka – Simon Hurrey

boardseeker — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:37:39 +0000

The Shaka with Simon Hurrey

Invented by Ricardo Campello, the shaka was a move people deemed impossible. Now, a couple of years on, the shaka can be done by many of the world’s windsurfers.

Shaka’s differ in their technique whether taking off from flat water (or small chop) to taking off from a wave. Below is the technique for waves.

Location:	Big Bay, SA
Board:	RRD Freestyle Wave 77
Sail:	Simmer Vision 4.7
Wind:	20 Knots

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Push Tack

boardseeker — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:37:39 +0000

The Push Tack

This is the next step up in freestyle tacking. The Push Tack builds upon many of the principles of the Heli-Tack. It is also similar in that the move can be learned in light winds and then progressed into planing conditions.

Once proficient, you can enter the Push Tack full planing, going downwind to de-power the sail and giving you the necessary distance through which the board has to pivot in stronger winds. This month we are examining the non-planing entrance – lets get into it!!

KEY PARTS

Sailing Switch – Getting the feet in a switched position, planing or non-planing, and maintaining speed and stability.
Clew First Front to Sail – Controlling the sails power in this position and directing it towards steering into the wind.
Clew First Bear Away and Sail Rotation – The exit where the rig moves from being back and down to coming up and forward. Then moving onto rotating the sail. Many people think they have it at this stage and then drop the sail in the water!

PRACTICE

With the move being broken down into its key parts, we can see that proficiency in the entrance and exit phases will give you the best chance of pulling off the whole move:

Sailing switch – This can be practiced many times, sailing along on a beam reach in both directions. Being stable at this will mean you enter the move from a solid base, and it leads you on to duck tacks!
Clew first sailing – Very important as this is often where the rig is dropped or the move flamed. So close, yet so far! Therefore you need to be practiced at steering clew first, so you can bear away at the end of the move. Then it’s the all important rig rotation that needs to be smooth and consistent.

FUNDAMENTALS

Front to sail sailing – The sail can be very powerful here and being clew first adds another dimension to the power control. You must apply the same principles of keeping the rig away with the clew hand well down the boom.

Scissoring the board – The back foot is weighted heavily with the toes pulling the tail around whilst the front foot pushes the nose towards the wind. At the transition point, the front foot is then weighted as you gradually fall back into that familiar dropping and pushing position like the end of any tack.

Clew first sailing – The hands are well spread and the rig needs to be kept upright when the wind fills in from the new side. You need to be off the wind to rotate the rig!!!! Finish the move!

KIT

A floater with a medium sized sail and a relatively small fin for fast steering. I am using a big freestyle board, 25cm fin and a 5.7 in approx 10 knots. The shorter and wider style board pivots fast and gives me plenty of stability.
Top tuning tip – when learning any front to sail action trim your sail quite flat for more control.

SAILING SWITCH

With the board flat and settled, turn off the wind a touch. Open the sail slightly and start to bring it forwards and across you in preparation for the switch.

Continue to bring the sail forwards and across you. The front foot comes back and switches with the old back foot. The foot change is akin to the step gybe foot switch. There are a few variations, find what works for you, just make it smooth.

Sailing switch now with the new front foot in front of the mast foot for stability and easy scissoring of the board. Keep your course off the wind, which will enable you to sail off the front foot with the sail open. You should be good at this, as you have practiced it a lot!!!

CLEW FIRST FRONT TO SAIL

Here we go, spread your clew hand right down the boom, ready for the exit! Begin to sweep the sail down to the back of the board. Keep the rig away and the head is already starting to look where you want to go.

Continue sweeping the rig down and back. Aim to get the head looking at the tail.

More into the wind and you can see the head is really looking back now – very easy to spot, look at that shine! The back foot is pulling the tail round through the toes. As the rig is moving back the body is moving forward.

The board is continuing to scissor, back foot pulling and front foot pushing. Get the rig back and down, much more so in stronger winds! In order to counterbalance this, the body is forward. Coming towards head to wind.

CLEW FIRST BEAR AWAY AND ROTATION

The big change. Get the weight onto the front foot to push you through head to wind. Bring the rig upright and forward, as you would for a regular tack. The head starts to look forward, to where you want to go.

Look forwards and in readiness for the sail filling with wind. Clew first, the body needs to move back, down and out. Continue to bring the sail upright. The feet are still scissoring, front foot pushing and back foot pulling.

The rig is now upright with the body down and back. The power coming into the clew at this stage pulls the board round so be ready for that power. Get low and you are good to go!

Keep steering the board off the wind where it’s much happier clew first. In more wind you would be much lower than this, so baldy get a bit lower!

From a stable clew first stance, slide the mast hand towards the wind in order to rotate the sail smoothly. Release the backhand and rotate the rig. KEEP LOOKING FORWARDS AS FOR ALL SAIL ROTATIONS!!!

View video of this move:

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Bring the rig forward and then pat yourself on the back, smile, maybe even a small “yeah baby”! Now do it the other way!!

Make sure you practice on both tacks. There’s no glory in being one sided!!

SUMMARY

Get into switch
Spread the clew hand down the boom
Sweep the rig down and back
Look at the tail
Pull hard through the toes of the back foot
Look forward when coming to head to wind
Transfer weight to front foot
Bring the rig forwards and upright
Get low and scissor the board aggressively downwind
Sail clew first off the wind
Rotate the rig

LEARNING TIP

As you are going front-to-sail, clew first and trying to steer the board aggressively towards head to wind, say to yourself “Rig back and down”. Sometimes a little mantra like this can trigger parts of the brain to speed up learning new moves. For me the move is completed if I am comfy switch – so my mantra is “sail off the front foot” when I am in switch stance.

Ponch – Phil Horrocks

boardseeker — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:37:39 +0000

The Ponch by Phil Horrocks K-303

The Ponch is a fast move that looks best when performed powered up. It can be done as a freestyle trick off flat water, as a jump using a ramp on the way out, or progressed into a Goita by performing the move as an aerial, off the lip of a breaking wave.

Equipment:	Smaller sails are much easier. In the sequence, I am using a 3.7 Neil Pryde Zone.
Conditions:	Powered up with slight chop to get good pop!

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You can learn to ponch on the way out off waves if its side or side off. You will find that you don’t need to be as powered up for that.

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Spock 540 – Oisin Van Gelderen

boardseeker — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:37:40 +0000

Spock 540 by Oisin van Gelderen

The spock 540 is a great way of changing tacks, giving the ultimate feeling of that spinney slidey freestyle. Some people actually find it easier to learn the 540 than the regular spock, as it does not involve the need to change the hands or flip the rig as much as a spock. Ultimately, deciding on which spock to do will all depend on how fast the board is spinning, or how far off the wind you start the move.

Equipment:	JP Freestyle 100 and Neil Pryde Zone 5.3
Venue:	La Granilla, Sotavento

*See Jem’s article on the one-handed spock.

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PHOTOS: Cormac De Roiste

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