In windsurfing there exist many different moves. Apart from the very basic techniques (like uphauling the sail), which moves are considered essential for windsurfing? Which order is good for learning them?
1 Answer
Once you are past uphauling, it is not a move you are likely to use again. It is a high effort move that in high winds is next to impossible. The moves you will need to learn are:
- beach start
- tacking (where the nose of the board goes towards the wind - simple, but slow)
- correct foot and sail position
- gybing/jibing (where the nose of the board goes downwind - fast, but much more difficult)
- water start (where the wind lifts you onto the board)
- harness use
Beyond that you can start looking at jumps, or getting out into big surf.
A lot of the fun comes once you are comfortable with speed, understanding where the energy is in the plane, and knowing how to use the sail to your advantage - then you have a wide range of gybes you can use. Jumps also become fun at that point, as landing a big one requires fine balance between aerodynamic effects, kinetic energy, rotational energy and hydrodynamic effects on take-off.