I have progressed to the point where I can consistently make wide arc turns 180 - 360 and keep my height consistent enough that I don’t touch down or broach. In other words my height above the water when I enter the turn is usually that when I exit.
I have started to make more aggressive turns (tighter arc) and seem to be able to pull those off heel side with reasonable consistency but toe side less so.
I’m looking for some tips on technique on how to improve.
One of the things that I have found that is essential (at least for me) is to look at the horizon and in the direction I want to turn.
EDIT 3 days later:
I have another thing that I’ve been doing without fully realizing it until today now that I’m more focused on the finer points.
During the turn the board slows slightly so its necessary to add more throttle to maintain the height above the water. The tighter the turn the more throttle needs to be added and then released at the exit of the turn.
EDIT 8 days later:
Another observation I have to share is how the knee on my back leg points in the direction of the turn. Tow side I seem to rotate my knee outwards in correlation to the tightness of the turn. Heel side I seem to rotate towards the centre line of the board again the intensity of that motion is in line with the tightness of the arc. This of course is initiated through the hips so my front leg/knee likely does something that I haven’t figured out yet😀
yes, like an aircraft, while turning the wing looses lift. the energy loss means you either slow down, or descend. that is why you need to add power during your turn.
I think the difference in toe heel/turns are caused by some basic differences that should be trained, it’s easier to lean back into the turn on heel side and your neutral body position is also inclined in this direction due to the spacing of your feet.
Therefore i’ve tried to do more toe turns than heel turns for a while. Also a change in the stance made a huge difference to me with feet slightly closer together and more centered on the board than i initially ran. I’m no surfer and really did need to train to find a (better) carving technique.
Now i try to let my body remain neutral and free up knees and hips to allow more flowy turns. Works sometimes
one thing that also has helped me get better is to pump a bit, so far with motor support but i’ll start foil pumping when the water gets warmer again. It makes you find the balanced position also when your legs are working. The pump stance is also a bit further back (which i think is correct also for manouvreability) but the nose lifting torque gets tiring for your front leg if you throttle a lot. Therefore I think that the stab on a properly balanced efoil might need to be lifting less than on other foils. Smaller stab or an adjusted angle of the stab should be good - but i have yet to try it.
Interesting approach. I don’t think I have stamina to pump much but I do need to work out a way to alter my stance during a ride. I tend to get in a position that’s working and stay there. At some point I start to cramp a bit but don’t want to alter as that would either result in a fall or end up in a position that doesn’t work as well. Non slip board and grippy water shoes don’t make for easy foot sliding but “unweighting” to do that would logically help.
The pump action videos I’ve watched imply that there is a moment of unweighting at the peak of the upstroke part. Gonna experiment with that next season. Thanks for the idea!
My board speed comfort zone on a 1300cm front wing is 25kmh. I sometimes creep up to 30kmh if I’m going in a fairly straight line - I guess straight should be defined as slowly weaving my way back and forth.
When I attempt an aggressive 180 turn I try not to alter my current speed BEFORE initiating the turn.
I’m wondering if an increase or decrease in speed lends any advantage to performing the turn??
As the projected surface of the wing gets smaller in a tight turn (because of the angle of the mast), you loose some lift. Therefore it is good to have some reserve to push the trigger
I think best progress comes from just having fun with it. I mean, ideally you can push every turn in every speed, but margin for errors get increasingly smaller at high speed, there’s just a balance what is worth training on - at the skill level you have at that time.
