114 JULY 2019
RRD boards, wetsuits & softwear, Ezzy sails & Black Project fins sponsor Jem Hall. Get him live and direct on one of his highly acclaimed coaching
holidays but be quick as they are selling out – check out his website http://www.jemhall.com for details. You can also follow him on twitter / Facebook / Instagram.TECHNIQUE
GYBES
This is a highly complex move and one which can be improved by following
all the guidelines I have mentioned in my more detailed articles over the last
year or more. There can be a whole host of errors, but these are the main ones
in the planing carve gybe.
- Back hand not far enough back.
- Unhooking badly.
- Not getting enough speed before starting to carve.
- Not going forward with the rig into the turn.
- Knees and mainly ankles need bending and softening.
- Looking at the rig.
- Oversheeting the sail whilst carving, which leads to not opening the sail
mid carve. - Imprecise footwork.
- Rushing the exit.
- Being too close to the rig throughout (bad stance hangover).
- Hooking in too early after coming out of the move.
- Board too small, or too big and fin way too big.
- Not being upwind enough so arc is too tight and not being able to tack will
limit gybe growth! Full tack tips coming soon!
JUMPS
This is a fun move and has many areas to be improved upon, but I have seen
time and again this move not reaching its potential. Here is why.
- Unhooking badly and learning to jump hooked in.
- Not getting over the board pre jump.
- Not sheeting out before popping.
- Upwind line into the jump and in the air.
- ‘Starfishing’ in the air, arms and legs extending.
- Tail down and rail low or down.
- Oversheeting in the air causing nose dives.
- Trying weird donkey kick things before being good at a regular high or long
‘floaty’ fun jump. - Only jumping off waves so the ocean does a lot of the work.
- Trying to loop before actually being able to jump with control and land and
keep some speed.
This carving tack has lots of
positives yet I am oversheeted
and my bum needs to be
forward and out more.
PHOTO Nicolas Jones.“ GYBE AND STANCE HANGOVERS LEAD TO WAVE RIDING MISTAKES.”
This flat water forward can
be improved by my back
hand moving back and
tucking up my back leg.
PHOTO Nicolas Jones.LOOPS
If stance can give you a hangover in starts, then your jumping majorly affects
your (forward) loops. Here are the main actions that people exhibit when
limiting their looping skills:- Poor preparation, back hand not back and not getting over the board.
- Not committed to the move 100%.
- Not going downwind to take off when learning the move.
- Trying the harder back loop off of waves and over rotating these when the
forward is more available to you. - Oversheeting in the pop and throughout the move.
- Not getting the rig forwards and across.
- Not tucking up the back leg all the way through the move.
- Not extending their front leg and arm enough.
- When going higher people often do not flatten the board at the apex and
steer enough. - Not trying MORE forwards when over or underpowered, and only looping
on ‘perfect’ sized kit.
RIDES
This is a huge area to cover, so I will present just a few areas that limit your
wave riding improvement and enjoyment.- Poor wave selection and positioning, not being able to tack worsens this and
the tack will be covered in my articles over the next year. - Not getting enough speed on the wave before making turns, mainly by not
starting a wave ride dropping down from the top. - Not coming far enough away from the wave to be able to turn to get back
up it. - Doing too many turns and in effect just wiggling around too much.
- Not working with the wave and seeing how and where to get energy from
whilst on the wave. - Not moving the back hand. Front hand too far forward.
- Once people have got better they often do not mix up their wave riding, i.e.
do cutbacks, lip slides, aerials etc. - Gybe and stance hangovers lead to wave riding mistakes, like not getting the
rig away and looking out of your top turn (gear gazing) or moving our back
hands enough. - Standing up in, through and out of the turn.