Windsurfing Footstraps Explained - All that you ever wanted to know about footstraps

[@CristianBurr]

Id love to see a new version including some newer straps! Great work!

[@manuwindsurfing]

Thank you. I have newer MFC on a Goya and they are really good, Premium starboard straps are excellent. Fanatic are still about the same I think. Let me know if you want to check one in particular. Dakine primos always indentical.

[@CristianBurr]

@@manuwindsurfing Wondering, out of the box and between the ones you just mentioned (cause I happen to be in the dilema for Dakine, Fanatic or MFC), how would you rank them? Best to not best heheh This is for wave riding BTW

[@manuwindsurfing]

@@CristianBurr Easy! The Dakine primos inner strap doesn't have the bevel that MFC and Fanatic have. So it can feel sharper especially once the neoprene starts wearing out. The Fanatic is soft, it rotates easily and stretches, the MFC is a touch more firm with a similar design. Fanatic is lighter. The Primo is a touch wider (front to back) than the other two. Fanatic tend to fall apart quite quick, the MFC would be next and then Primo lasting the longerst. Also the MFC sits high, meaning that the bottom edges can expose the strap part where the screws go and create blisters. I put a piece of inner tube around the base where I lean my foot against. The taller the straps, the more flex the Fanatic will have, followed by MFC and then Primo I believe being the stiffest.

[@peterlang840]

That's great, with lots of usefull info!! Thanks

[@manuwindsurfing]

thank you much!

[@Surfer7901]

Really interesting and helpful. JP and Dakine take NOTE! You can do better still..

[@fredkroft]

Regarding foot strap tuning (@18:30). I am confused about strap orientation. Is the "part that goes under" positioned forward for all straps ?, or is each asymmetrical strap orientated to fit each foot's asymmetry ?. When you introduced the section that feet are asymmetrical and so are feet that made sense. but then you confused me when you discussed that lower part of each strap is orientated forward and the upper part of each strap orientated aft (for all straps). Because, these two configurations are not equal (the later will produce a nonconforming front foot strap for one of the tacks). Could you please clarify ?. Excellent/polished video by the way. Well done mate :)

[@manuwindsurfing]

Thanks mate! I set the covers with the writing facing me on the front ones, they should fold towards the outside of the board when closing them. If using a single rear strap then we need to decide on one side but still can flip the inner strap around, inside its cover, so that its lower part goes in the front. Although because of the more neutral angle of the rear strap, I feel like it's not as important as the front one. When sailing along my rear foot is usually at an angle inside the strap (maybe 45 degrees), so I'm not grabbing the strap in the same way that I am with the front. To clarify what I mean by lower part, it's the part where the inner strap folds under the other one. The left lower side (red circle) goes under the right higher side (green) on the picture. I like the lower part on the front side of the straps (towards the nose of the board). It also makes the rear of the strap more flexible instead of the front. When it's reversed I feel like the strap is more grabby, distorts more, and not as precise. So depending on how they come from the factory, they may or may not need to be flipped. Also sometimes the cover and inner strap are stitched together! I have recently used Dakine Primos and added extra padding with my usual pieces of inner tube and quite like them (they hurt my foot without though). The extra width and thickness do not bother me at all. They feel quite firm and direct. Ultimately I look to get good drive from the strap when rolling my foot to the side leaning it towards the front of the strap. Then when I lay my foot flat on the board the strap doesn't feel grabby and I can quickly get out if I need to jump towards the inside of a turn for instance because I buried my rail or bailing out of a jump. You can look at my pictures on the facebook page (facebook.com/Manus-Windsurfing-Blog-204083476593704/) and see examples of where my feet are in the straps during a turn or a jump. I hope this helps, please do not hesitate to ask any further questions! Happy sailing :)

[@fredkroft]

Thank Manu. That clears up my confusion. Thanks and keep up the good work :)

[@zytigon]

Have you ever thought that footstraps should have a safety binding thing like on skis ? Steven Van Broeckhoven recently fractured his ankle doing a stunt. I suppose it would be really difficult to find a setting where the strap didn't give way too easily. If the velcro was only overlapped by a couple of centimetres it might give under too much strain. The footstraps I've seen have velcro overlap by 10cm which would never break = too strong

[@manuwindsurfing]

+zytigon I agree that there should definitely be some kind of safety release, one, when pulling up on the strap with too much force and two, when twisting with too much force. It's a challenge to find the balance with release force and engineering design. Footstraps are used in many water sports not just windsurfing. I have recently hurt my knee when landing a jump (can see in one of my videos) because one left the strap but not the other, I believe most injuries are similar as it's less likely to get hurt with both feet in. I find that grippy pads also help not getting too far in. I try to be firmly in my straps but never jammed in to leap out when I need. I did get to see Steven live at Carro (France), he was super impressive, definitely stood out among the other freestylers there at the time. I hope he recovers fast.

[@alexanderhamburg4653]

Hi. I have the Primo and i want to Cover the Sharp edges. Is it possible to do it with the tube you showed in this video? And where could i get this tube or Material? Shaka, Alex

[@manuwindsurfing]

Any bike tube, bicycle tubes are the lightest and should be sufficient to soften the edges. You could also set the straps slightly inwards (like the skiing snowplough) this will set the top of the strap at a slight incline and release some pressure from the edge on top of the foot.

[@brianl8752]

Very helpfu thanks

[@treborhi]

is there a way to adjust the DaKine contour strap?

[@manuwindsurfing]

Need to use different holes, the adjustment may be in-between though, like too little to too much...

[@treborhi]

@@manuwindsurfing Thanks.

[@tantricsurfer]

very nice video, thanks. Which trim do you suggest to help putting the back foot into the strap in switch stance? It's somehow difficult for me

[@manuwindsurfing]

+tantricsurfer Thank you. On a freestyle board correct? The back foot is the most open for me. I use wave boards and go into switch stance in side-on conditions at the bottom turn where my body is in the twisted position. However, my foot is already in there. I'd say bear away quite a bit (you'll have a tendency to sink the tail with awkward footing at first) then try getting in the straps. Straps' opening is a very subjective thing, I have mine set so that I can easily release but have enough control in chop, I often times twist my foot in them to increase surface and have more control over the board.

[@tantricsurfer]

+frenchsalsa Thanks for reply. Correct, I mean on fs board. Yeah, apart going into switch stance jibing without changing feet position, I'm trying to find the right back strap to get in while sailing: so far, using DK contour, I find useful to narrow the distance between pins and increase the hight (so you have a sort of "Omega profile"). That's good to go into switch: the flip of the coin is that in rotating manouvres (like the vulcan) you easily loose the back strap.

[@manuwindsurfing]

+tantricsurfer That's how most freestylers have them. I try to twist my foot in the strap to "grab" it (can be sideways, rotating or toe curling depending on the move). I prefer conventional velcro straps because they allow finer adjustment. And finally some freestylers prefer booties because they stick and resolve these issues. It helps to have sticky pads too.

[@dionysiossarris5628]

Hi, has anyone managed to find JP Australia spare footstraps (without the board) in Europe?

[@Apoz]

It'd have been nice if you included the tricktionary straps!

[@manuwindsurfing]

I have never seen one but I can venture a quick review! My take is that they are very comfortable but heavier and possibly difficult to use when out of the straps to point when sailing side-onshore venues. I personally use various foot positions depending on what I do on the water and a wide footstrap doesn't let the toes curl up when the foot is farther out towards the rail. So I'd say great for freestyle and side, side-off conditions. This is from experience with the Contours and using extra padding over the Primos inner strap which became too wide for my taste. I have a feeling that the Trickionary straps are close to the Prolimit straps that come on Witchcraft boards, and possibly Dakine X-Lace Wave straps too.

[@lauriuxd7251]

It may seem akward but i bought neopren shoes and they dont suite my footstraps so has anyone an idea how to fix that ? I already made it as wide as it goes. Or do you have tips how to widen it further?

[@manuwindsurfing]

Some inserts (plastic piece on the board with screw holes) are spaced out differently. It may be that your inserts and straps are quite narrow. You can look at your washers to see if you can widen the strap or skip a hole altogether. Some straps are wider than others. What are your board and straps? Is it true for both the front and back?

[@drsinvila8488]

Good comparative analysis! b^^d

[@thomelings]

I need dakine.. the blue with neon color please who got some?

[@manuwindsurfing]

Check the bottom of my shop page, I got some: windsurfing.lepicture.com/shop/

[@trenchtown69]

Preach!