It depends on you, The more you try the better you will get. I still don't plain out of all my gybes and I've been windsurfing for 5 years. It's just a personal thing for me as I would rather tack then gybe as I'm way better at tacking.

Get yourself the Guy Cribb Gybe dvd and that will sort you ouy, I don't think there is any other instructional dvd that does it better. They key is speed, You must go in at full tilt and keep a constant carve with a wide arc to keep speed.

....But that said I know of a kid from the ACT that carve gybed fully plaining on his second attempt, I think he was 7 at the time.

Check out Guy Cribb....

jh2703 said...

It depends on you, The more you try the better you will get. I still don't plain out of all my gybes and I've been windsurfing for 5 years. It's just a personal thing for me as I would rather tack then gybe as I'm way better at tacking.

Get yourself the Guy Cribb Gybe dvd and that will sort you ouy, I don't think there is any other instructional dvd that does it better. They key is speed, You must go in at full tilt and keep a constant carve with a wide arc to keep speed.

....But that said I know of a kid from the ACT that carve gybed fully plaining on his second attempt, I think he was 7 at the time.

Check out Guy Cribb....

Great clip! Realised a few vital errors I'm making in the first 20 seconds- like not switching stance before the sail spins around and not sliding my hand to the front off the boom before the sail flip. Hanging to practic them on Sunday. Cheers for that.

PS- Can tack fine, pull off 90 plus percent, but just love seeing people plan with the water spraying out and full speed exits, looks sick when it's done like Guys does in the clip.

PSS- I hate that 7 year old that pulled off a planing gybe second attempt.

I've been working really hard on gybes since before Christmas and haven't managed a planing one yet, but I think I'm close. Like you I've been able to tack for ages but gybing is another thing altogether, so don't feel too bad. A planing gybe takes a lot of coordination and timing, which takes a lot of practice unless you're a natural athlete, which I certainly am not.
The thing which has helped me the most is dry land practice - sail on board minus fin - you can repeat all the moves at a speed you can handle until they become automatic. Watch instructional videos so you know what you should be doing, then practice. Really good for getting the footwork and hand change right.
After the dry land practice sail between 2 points which are shallow enough to beach start if you fall off the gybe, far enough apart to get up some speed but not too far apart that you spend most of your time reaching.
Some regular wind would help too...

Guy Cribb video +1
I used to be able to do planing gybes in the 90's although I don't think I got every gybe but I think the boards back then were heavier and didn't bounce as much. I used to just fly into the gybe , let the sail go and grab it as I came out. With the modern boards they seem to bounce on the chop and you need to get more technical & keep mastfoot pressure etc..
I started to relearn gybing using the guy cribb vidoe about 2 seasons ago when I got back into the sport & got a modern board. I had a lot of bad habits like not doing the step until after ( possible on little boards though) + overhand reach for the boom and not moving hand forward etc etc..
After 2 seasons I might get a few decent ones each session but generally in nice flat water and generally on my smaller board as I have kept some of my old habits & provided Im powered up enough I can switch feet on the exit.
I had one session where I got 10 in a row but haven't been able to repeat it.. Things change all the time , a different board + sail , different chop etc..I still feel like a beginner some days..
I think if you can get out regularly , are fit and can get the same type of wind a few regularly it makes it a lot easier. Going several weeks with no wind or months without using a particular board makes it hard..
Look at the exit , bendz zee knees , pull down into the boom..Do as I say not what I do..
I think Cribby says you lose about 5kts going through the gybe ( thats him) so you have to be going warpspeed to enter..That's where oversheeting on the entry helps ( that's what I need to work on but its a bit difficult to practise in gusty winter winds where you rarely get going for long..

PhilSWR said...

Windxtasy said...

I've been working really hard on gybes since before Christmas and haven't managed a planing one yet, but I think I'm close. Like you I've been able to tack for ages but gybing is another thing altogether, so don't feel too bad. A planing gybe takes a lot of coordination and timing, which takes a lot of practice unless you're a natural athlete, which I certainly am not.
The thing which has helped me the most is dry land practice - sail on board minus fin - you can repeat all the moves at a speed you can handle until they become automatic. Watch instructional videos so you know what you should be doing, then practice. Really good for getting the footwork and hand change right.
After the dry land practice sail between 2 points which are shallow enough to beach start if you fall off the gybe, far enough apart to get up some speed but not too far apart that you spend most of your time reaching.
Some regular wind would help too...

Thanx WindXtasy. I've seen a few dry land practice clips, thought about doing that but was too lazy to take the fin out, but you've inspired me- dry land run on Sunday. It's soo much harder trying to remember foot, hand and body work doing 25 knots on a bumpy ocean! Flat shallow lake, steady wind and short runs for me coming up. Will be able to work on my shakey water starts too. Now blow wind!!

Cheers.

Now that's the hard bit..getting enough regular wind to get practise!
Grr doesn't Guy cribb make it look SO easy!

PhilSWR said...

Windxtasy said...

I've been working really hard on gybes since before Christmas and haven't managed a planing one yet, but I think I'm close. Like you I've been able to tack for ages but gybing is another thing altogether, so don't feel too bad. A planing gybe takes a lot of coordination and timing, which takes a lot of practice unless you're a natural athlete, which I certainly am not.
The thing which has helped me the most is dry land practice - sail on board minus fin - you can repeat all the moves at a speed you can handle until they become automatic. Watch instructional videos so you know what you should be doing, then practice. Really good for getting the footwork and hand change right.
After the dry land practice sail between 2 points which are shallow enough to beach start if you fall off the gybe, far enough apart to get up some speed but not too far apart that you spend most of your time reaching.
Some regular wind would help too...

Thanx WindXtasy. I've seen a few dry land practice clips, thought about doing that but was too lazy to take the fin out, but you've inspired me- dry land run on Sunday. It's soo much harder trying to remember foot, hand and body work doing 25 knots on a bumpy ocean! Flat shallow lake, steady wind and short runs for me coming up. Will be able to work on my shakey water starts too. Now blow wind!!

Cheers.

Glad you're feeling inspired! Make sure you put a board bag or towels under your board to protect the bottom, and if you have enough room to swing a sail in your yard at home don't limit your dry land practice to when you're at the beach. It's best for keeping the practice and muscle memory up between windy days. You'll be surprised how much energy 50 sail flips take too, so don't leave it all until your sailing day. My recommendation - do enough at home until it all becomes automatic, then when you get to the beach do 10 or so to get comfortable with it again, then go for it on the water.

sboardcrazy said...

Guy Cribb video +1
I used to be able to do planing gybes in the 90's although I don't think I got every gybe but I think the boards back then were heavier and didn't bounce as much. I used to just fly into the gybe , let the sail go and grab it as I came out. With the modern boards they seem to bounce on the chop and you need to get more technical & keep mastfoot pressure etc..
I started to relearn gybing using the guy cribb vidoe about 2 seasons ago when I got back into the sport & got a modern board. I had a lot of bad habits like not doing the step until after ( possible on little boards though) + overhand reach for the boom and not moving hand forward etc etc..
After 2 seasons I might get a few decent ones each session but generally in nice flat water and generally on my smaller board as I have kept some of my old habits & provided Im powered up enough I can switch feet on the exit.
I had one session where I got 10 in a row but haven't been able to repeat it.. Things change all the time , a different board + sail , different chop etc..I still feel like a beginner some days..
I think if you can get out regularly , are fit and can get the same type of wind a few regularly it makes it a lot easier. Going several weeks with no wind or months without using a particular board makes it hard..
Look at the exit , bendz zee knees , pull down into the boom..Do as I say not what I do..
I think Cribby says you lose about 5kts going through the gybe ( thats him) so you have to be going warpspeed to enter..That's where oversheeting on the entry helps ( that's what I need to work on but its a bit difficult to practise in gusty winter winds where you rarely get going for long..

Im noticing a common theme to planing gybes- they're bloody hard and many seem to have trouble doing them consistently. So, I'm glad it's not just me finding planing gybes hard- verging on impossible. I've been trying to remember foot steps and hand positions etc, but all goes out the window at speed. Will do some dry land practice on the day like Winxtasy mentioned.

I think my board, whilst a modern design, is fine for them, as it doesn't seem to bounce around much in even choppy water- it's really the pilot with problems. I'm sure it would be easier with a big, wide style of board. But I don't know, I only have the one board- it's an 116 lt F2 Stoke.

PhilSWR said...
I only have the one board- it's an 116 lt F2 Stoke.

Having only one board helps because different boards require a different magnitude of movement. With our inconsistent winds this summer I've been using my 85L one session then 111L the next. No problem adjusting for sailing, but the change takes a bit of adjustment for gybing.

PhilSWR said...

Realised a few vital errors I'm making in the first 20 seconds- like not switching stance before the sail spins around ...

You don't really have to switch stance at this point - I think it looks much more elegant to exit the gybe with reverse foot positions, and then switch around at your leisure. Some other tips: have enough speed, commit fully and keep even pressure on the rail, don't hang onto the boom too long - expect to have to balance on your own during the gybe (this is different to sailing in a straight line when you can use the sail and wind to maintain your upright body balance). Also, try to visualize the process before going asleep - this helps develop the motor memory.

Hey Phil, heaps of good advice here.

I reckon one of the most difficult things you have in front of you is a lack of other sailors. Watching people in real life and trying to apply that would help no end.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to try to get some video of yourself, then you can compare to other video posted on the net etc, or even post here for others to give some pointers.

And don't forget, meny experts will tell you that a full plaining gybe is still of the most difficult manouvers in windsurfing.

They are hard, but how long it takes depends on how often you practise them. The more gybes you do, the quicker you will get through the learning stage. You only need to sail 100-200m in one direction to get enough speed and gain a bit of distance upwind to do a gybe. I usually throw a few tacks in to keep upwind whenever required.

It's pretty easy to do 100's of gybes a session this way, and you will get good quick!

I got stuck in a bit of a learning rut not getting anywhere when I was starting, by cutting down the lengths of my runs, I found I was getting better a lot faster

swoosh said...

They are hard, but how long it takes depends on how often you practise them. The more gybes you do, the quicker you will get through the learning stage. You only need to sail 100-200m in one direction to get enough speed and gain a bit of distance upwind to do a gybe. I usually throw a few tacks in to keep upwind whenever required.

It's pretty easy to do 100's of gybes a session this way, and you will get good quick!

I got stuck in a bit of a learning rut not getting anywhere when I was starting, by cutting down the lengths of my runs, I found I was getting better a lot faster

Swoosh, been doing a few short runs like you said- will do more next outing
. Unwanted bonus was I got to practice waterstarts at each failed attempt. Near pulled one gybe off yesterday, just got over-powered right after I'd changed position, fliped the sail and was heading the other way. Gotta love being thrown over the front... I was so close to victory. Will try Icemans brace front foot stance.

d1 said...
You don't really have to switch stance at this point - I think it looks much more

Yes I agree with the above, personally, when you are planing, it is easier to switch stance after the rig flip, doing this avoids having the mast end up behing you and you rounding up into the wind and dropping the sail into the water or the clew catching. Flipping first will promote you to lean more forward and into the turn and allows you to really "carve" through it.

Learning it this way will lead you into duck gybes.

Big tip from Guy Cribb.
Calculate how long it takes you to attempt or try a gybe. About 3-5 seconds, maybe a bit longer.
Now how many you can try in a session, maybe 30-40
So that's less than three minutes training on gybes a session.
So the tip is do as much as you can on shore, do it til you drop, get somebody to watch you and correct as you go.
Then put into practice

PhilSWR said...

sboardcrazy said...

Guy Cribb video +1
I used to be able to do planing gybes in the 90's although I don't think I got every gybe but I think the boards back then were heavier and didn't bounce as much. I used to just fly into the gybe , let the sail go and grab it as I came out. With the modern boards they seem to bounce on the chop and you need to get more technical & keep mastfoot pressure etc..
I started to relearn gybing using the guy cribb vidoe about 2 seasons ago when I got back into the sport & got a modern board. I had a lot of bad habits like not doing the step until after ( possible on little boards though) + overhand reach for the boom and not moving hand forward etc etc..
After 2 seasons I might get a few decent ones each session but generally in nice flat water and generally on my smaller board as I have kept some of my old habits & provided Im powered up enough I can switch feet on the exit.
I had one session where I got 10 in a row but haven't been able to repeat it.. Things change all the time , a different board + sail , different chop etc..I still feel like a beginner some days..
I think if you can get out regularly , are fit and can get the same type of wind a few regularly it makes it a lot easier. Going several weeks with no wind or months without using a particular board makes it hard..
Look at the exit , bendz zee knees , pull down into the boom..Do as I say not what I do..
I think Cribby says you lose about 5kts going through the gybe ( thats him) so you have to be going warpspeed to enter..That's where oversheeting on the entry helps ( that's what I need to work on but its a bit difficult to practise in gusty winter winds where you rarely get going for long..

Im noticing a common theme to planing gybes- they're bloody hard and many seem to have trouble doing them consistently. So, I'm glad it's not just me finding planing gybes hard- verging on impossible. I've been trying to remember foot steps and hand positions etc, but all goes out the window at speed. Will do some dry land practice on the day like Winxtasy mentioned.

I think my board, whilst a modern design, is fine for them, as it doesn't seem to bounce around much in even choppy water- it's really the pilot with problems. I'm sure it would be easier with a big, wide style of board. But I don't know, I only have the one board- it's an 116 lt F2 Stoke.

Cribby has 3 stages.. dry land practise of footchange & rig flip until you can do them in your sleep (must admit I've done a bit but not as much as I should) Light wind practise on a floaty board.I go out in 5 -10kts & practise my gybes..I need to practise tacks too but that means getting wet..grr You cant practise the high speed entry & oversheeting etc in lightwind but the footchange & rig flip you can..
Then higher wind practise ..