I always switch to overhand just before I move my back hand back. More control I think, shoulders can rotate further. I than grab under my previous front arm when flipping and sail out underhand grip.

The turning point for me was committing to the carving arc. Also spent a lot of time practicing the foot work, so I could than rely on muscle memory for my foot work and concentrate all my effort on the flipping action and timing. Once you get the foot work and committment sorted, thd rest isn't that hard

Find 30.
If you can keep a sail rigged up at home it's not hard. Use a small one, and even a windless day is fine.
Be aware though, even dry land practice is tiring. 30 minutes of sail flipping will tire you out!

I need to do some too.

My main problem is timing the rig flip. I tend to leave it too late, carve too far and round up into the wind.
Any hints for timing the rig flip welcome.

Tomasz80 said...

as above learn lay-down gybes!!! Coming out of a laydown if you leave getting the sail back off the water too late you simply won't be able to lift it back up. At a point in the carve arc the sail is still weightless and pulling it back up and flipping is easy. Too early it won't be a laydown. Too late and it will stay a laydown. Get it right, you can let go of you front hand altogeather = one handed lay-down gybe. Satisfaction guarenteed!! Normal gybes than become easy to time.
Make sure your sheeting in hard all the way. The aim of this is to allow the rig to be inline with you board when you are facing down wind.

Pepe and windxtasy, I'm planing a big improve my gybing summer. Video camera and gybe in front of it. Easy to spot your mistakes that way. I'm sure a few beers and a bbq we can get some of the more experienced alpha people from the mm around for some pointers on the footage also!! Crasher and Stroppo will surely have some secrets to share

Sounds good. I can use all the help I can get!

Here,s my 2 bobs worth there are some other factors aswell sailing fully powered ,or just enough wind ,lovely smooth water,choppy water ,in a rolling seaway ,and big swells ,sharp tight radius,long drawn out ones,lay down ones ,going up wind before standing on the tail making the board do a power slide ,boom 2 boom ones, over finned and under finned,wave gear or slalom gear. And my point im coming 2 is all these require different entry speeds , timing of the sail flick ,weight placement ,foot pressures , getting the right combos 4 the right gybe is a big key trying the wrong technique 4 your gybe will give might give you the wrong sense of what trying and ive all-ways said when you get 2 the end of your run every time you take the easy way out and just get of and turn around you have wasted a gybe practice and you will need 2 do 2 two catch up and your progression is halved it dosnt come easy 4 anyone lots of practice and a i can do it attitude will get you were you want 2 be good luck you can do it!!!!

We had a camera on a pole out in the water yesterday & gybed in front of it..I did one reasonable planing exit out of 15 +. Very tiring and I thought I was going to run down the camera at times...unfortunately I don't think the camera was angled right to get the exits.. grr I went Yahoo! the one I did get but the camera probably missed it. Buggered if I can do them for a camera..
Once yesterday in chop I let myself get pulled forward in the turn & it felt like I was on rails! I don't think the rest of the gybe went as well but I did get around..Just got to get over the fear of letting myself go forward..
I must be oversheeting a bit as once I didn't and I got splattered..

sboardcrazy said...

We had a camera on a pole out in the water yesterday & gybed in front of it..I did one reasonable planing exit out of 15 +. Very tiring and I thought I was going to run down the camera at times...unfortunately I don't think the camera was angled right to get the exits.. grr I went 'Yahoo!!!' the one I did get but the camera probably missed it. Buggered if I can do them for a camera..
Once yesterday in chop I let myself get pulled forward in the turn & it felt like I was on rails! I don't think the rest of the gybe went as well but I did get around..Just got to get over the fear of letting myself go forward..
I must be oversheeting a bit as once I didn't and I got splattered..

Very true, but at this time of year it is so tempting to stay dry!
Gybe practicing season is approaching!
Windxtasy you need somewhere like Canton where its only knee to waist deep if you go in..Much better for taking risks!

There are a few places around here which are like that but the wind direction needs to be right.

Other advantages of dry land practice:
Had a nice time gybing on my back lawn this arvo.
Discovered my mast extension is broken and will need some fixing.
Glad I discovered it at home and not at the beach on a windy day! How lucky was that?

I can tell even on the lawn that my gybing is way better than it was this time last year!