Technique Battle: Switching Feet & Jibing - Wing Foiling Examples

[@wingfoilrentals]

Much appreciated Lachie. Enjoy chatting. Thank you for all the lightwind focus. Great insight. you have the best tutorials and true ambassador for our sport. cheers🎉

[@fluiditynz]

It took me a long time to get gibes because I started off designing slow wings and was getting my understanding of a lot of factors. Now I've zeroed in on preferring yaw initiated steering to roll initiated steering, with my feet on the centre line and fast efficient foils, the carve through is easy. But I'm overweight at 115kg for 6 foot and I moved too fast to small foils. I can ride anything from around 1150 upwards comfortably, my smallest but rarely used foil is 765 sqCM, but under 1150sqcm I won't like the handling in my local conditions for gibing. My latest is shaped a bit like the modern F-One SK8 and the modern Naish Jet and just like those foil's reviews, the ride is soft and smooth and I am finding that I'm starting to get occasional high foiling foot switches. The foil ride characteristics can make or break foot switches. I have another super fast foil of around 1030 sq cm, super fast but I find it way too bumpy in chop and have to keep my speed up to a level that agravates the unsteadiness. Maybe in another 6 months I'll be lighter, better at foot switches and it will change, but for now, 1240sqcm, swept, thin, sharp & 8 aspect ratio is my weapon of choice. I have an expectation of smoothness on it and that really raises my confidence switching feet.

[@LachieWhite]

@@fluiditynz tough when all the brands just design from feedback of team riders who probably range from 50-85kg. Sounds like you are pioneering the space and we align on a lot of attributes in a foil! Assuming you have played with some tail wing designs too? I’ve found it really dictates how narrow the window is for the foot switch. Small tail, super small margin for the foot switch

[@fluiditynz]

@@LachieWhite For sure most manufacturers seem to be pointed in a similar direction. Not sure why Axis are doing straight median line and I have my suspicions about GoFoil disguising tip twist as a fence but many foils starting to look the same in the fun option. AR around 8, sweep and thinning for performance despite the medium AR. Therre are other subtlties of fibre orientation in the composites layup that combine to effect the results of sweep which will take years for manufacturers to agree on with local coditions affecting user preferences. My favorite stabiliser is AR 6.55, 360mm span. I like it so much I've been reluctant to design an upgrade. I don't feel like it slows me? and it give me what feels like the perfect compromise between being loose when I want it to be and just enough to be stable as well.

[@LachieWhite]

@@fluiditynzI’ve been using the dw 190 tail for a while. It’s 190cm2, AR 8.8 and 410mm span. Going to be trying some smaller area ones soon but it has been great to make the smaller foils feel a bit more stable

[@fluiditynz]

@@LachieWhite So my foil works out at 198SQcm but I could be significantly heavier than you? Sometimes it's about making stuff I won't easily break 😆

[@LachieWhite]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@fluiditynzI’m 87kg so makes a bit of a difference

[@windaddict]

Good stuff! I see the pros in racing also switch feet before the jibe to exit with the highest possible speed

[@LachieWhite]

Yeah! Definitely the go to for racing!

[@DavidSpragg]

Great ideas, Lachie. Thanks. I'm have been trying switching before jibes on my strong side (regular foot for me) because I sail very well heel or toe side regular. In regular stance, without switching feet, I can often hit 15-25 jibes on foil without falling off foil. Conversely, I hit maybe 25% of my jibes from heel to toeside while riding goofy and 50% of my toeside to heel side after a successful jibe while riding goofy. What is weird to me is that I am most successful with my foot switches from toeside to heelside while riding goofy. Because I fall more often jibing while riding goofy, I don't geet as much practice riding toeside goofy, but I can still foot switch the most successfully, where as I am less successful switching from heel side goofy to toe side regular before a gybe. Holy heck the above is probably really hard to read. :)

[@LachieWhite]

I do get what you mean! I think the most intuitive for me is transitioning from feet twisted to untwisted. Best path forward is getting confident riding goofy too! Only way to do it is to crash a bit haha. Your future self will thank you!!

[@DavidSpragg]

@@LachieWhite Yep, way easier for me to foot switch from twisted to untwisted. I will try foot switching after regular footed heel-side to toe-side jibes, get that down, and then work on untwisted to twisted jibes. Did you do that or just start working on foot switches before jibes right away?

[@LachieWhite]

@@DavidSpraggyep, I did the same process and it worked well for me. If you watch my how to jibe video, skip to the example from when I was learning to jibe. Embarrassing for me but highlights my early process of switching feet. I would actually put the board down so it was planing instead of foiling and foot switch straight after the jibe. Then progressed to foiling foot switch after jibe. After that was foot switch before jibing

[@wingfoilrentals]

Lost me I’m twisted 😝 I get what you mean. Try aiming for a small bump on the goofy side, switch feet 👣 as you heel side fall with the wave. forces the timing

[@LachieWhite]

@@wingfoilrentals yep! I should’ve spent a little bit more time on that part. Infinite nuance to dive into haha

[@wingfoilrentals]

@@LachieWhitesorry my reply was for David spragg

[@LachieWhite]

@@wingfoilrentals haha all good. Think it applies to a part towards the end anyway 😅

[@wingfoilrentals]

@@LachieWhiteyep at the end of his description. I think 🤔 😝

[@wingfoilrentals]

@@LachieWhiteperhaps another way of understanding this, if you attempt to gybe (while in a heel side stance) onto any bigger shoulder high wave face, it’s going to be so much easier to switch feet just as you enter the gybe. And fall twisted with the wave. That what David means?

[@Nadiyajannat-td2sz]

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[@LachieWhite]

Give me your wisdom wise one 😅😅

[@Nadiyajannat-td2sz]

@@LachieWhite Ok, I'll give you some good advice on your channel. Can you give me your whatsapp number.