Issue 325 - MAY 2013
Size isn’t Everything!
Guy Cribb intuition
74 MAY 2013
Technique
Size isn’t
Everything! TUNING
Words GUY CRIBB Photos - Opening shot Heidi Swift
We’re not quite sure who invented the windsurfing footstrap, certainly Jurgen Honschied fixed carpet to his board so stop himself from slipping about in the deck. But now the footstrap is taken for granted and in the same way that you don’t see sprinters racing in flip-flops, or footballers scoring goals in cowboy boots, this footwear derivative, for that is what it really is, is essential to intermediate and beyond windsurfing. This INtuition Tuning feature leads on from last months feature, In & Out (about inboard vs outboard footstraps) to help you decide and tune your straps to the correct width, size and spread, allowing you to jump better, open doors to forward looping and freestyle, radically improve wave riding and gain more control and speed if you’re just blasting. It is primarily a tuning feature so to learn actually how to use the footstraps please download other technique features from guycribb.com
WINDSURF MAGAZINE
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Guy Cribb intuition Size Isn’t Everything – Size, Width and Spread Having chosen to position our footstraps either inboard or outboard we now have three further choices to make – size, width and spread. Size – footstrap size is not only related to your feet size, it’s related to what you’re trying to achieve and how rough the water is. If you’re wave sailing or freestyle sailing they should be massive. If you’re a beginner they should also be large. An expert benefits from inboard footstraps when he’s wave sailing as it allows him to control both sides of the board, trimming it on the toe or heel side. In wave riding he needs to get the toe pressure on in the bottom turn and massive straps allow this, then the heel pressure on in the cutback, and in flight he need loads of toe pressure to trim the board safely keeping the wind blowing under it, not on the deck. One of the most significant tuning changes a freeride sailor needs to make to become a wave sailor is making his footstraps much bigger. The combination of massive straps and the inboard position make sailing on at 90 degrees to the wind in a straight line is very clumsy, however in wave sailing, you never really sail at 90 degrees, you’re either going upwind, downwind, riding or jumping, so we get away with big straps. But if you were freeriding/blasting, big straps would be horrible.
The wave sailors giant footstrap allows a three point connection with board- toes, footstrap and heel. When you lean into a turn, the footstrap levers the board over.
A freeride footstrap is set tighter and only has a two point connectiontoes and strap, so when you lean into the turn your heel lifts off which doesn’t work in the bottom turn and is dangerous in the air.
One of the key points to any forward rotating trick, like forward loops, table tops, vulcans (and spocks) is having a very large back footstrap, so large you can pick the board up from the downwind side with your toes, actually applying immense toe pressure even before lift off. So as a general observation, if you’ve got inboard footstraps they should be massive because you are either a beginner, or an expert wave or freestyler, all of whom are riding more directly above their boards than freeriders who should aspire to using outboard straps.
Wavesailors – footstraps should be large enough to wedge your foot in almost up to your ankle.
Freeriders – should wear their straps rather like their flip flops, able to see all your toes clearly.
Slalom sailors – should get their straps as tight as possible so the toes only just peak through the other side. In rougher water they should be slightly larger as the body is a fraction more above the board. But your feet need to be rock solid in them to be as efficient as possible, a loose connection is like running in flip flops...
Footstrap size relative to your feet size is mostly covered by Width, see next page.
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Guy Cribb intuition Width – refers to the internal width of the strap. In terms of Small foot Big foot shoe size the industry standard is about a size 12- 13/ Euro 46. My feet are a size UK 13/ Euro 48 wide (clearly it is these that are the foundations of my windsurfing successes) so they fit very snugly into footstraps. But what size are your feet? And could you ever consider jogging in size 13 shoes? This is a failing for the majority of the board brands and something likely to evolve significantly in the next years. So far only JP have addressed the issue with their adjustment system that allows you to range from a size to 12 to 9 (approximately) in footstrap width simply by adjusting a washer. Twist the washer 180 degrees to narrow your footstraps so they snuggly fit your foot size. If you are unable to use JPs system, then you can narrow the width in 1cm increments by using different screw hole positions, logical on the back straps but to narrow your front straps you’ll change he angle too, unfortunately facing them more forwards. This is worth doing to a maximum of one hole to help fit your shoe size. Spread – is the distance between front and back straps. This is determined partially by how tall you are but also by what level you’re at and what you’re trying to do, for example if you’re wave riding you’d have the front straps right forwards, if you’re sailing a slalom board you’d probably have them right back. Here’s a rough guide on which holes to use - most boards have 3-5 hole options. If you’re very tall or short you will need to adjust these settings to better suit you – if you are taller making them wider, and shorter making them narrower.
Beginner – Both straps forwards. Intermediate in both footstraps/still struggling with back footstrap – Both straps one hole from front. Advanced freerider making some gybes – Front strap one from front, back strap one from back. Advanced to expert freerider – Front strap two back, back strap back. Slalom sailor – Both straps at back. Entry level wave sailor – Front strap forwards, back strap middle. Wave rider/ advanced wave sailor – Front straps front hole, back straps back hole (widest stance) Freestyler going for first aerial tricks – Front straps one back, back strap forwards.
Further notes - All footstraps have Velcro adjustments – find your way in! - All footstraps need to be screwed in very tightly so they can not twist. A twisted footstrap is dangerous as it can jam your foot in, and of less use because you cannot use it to lever the board into turns as effectively. - Wetsuit boots are dangerous! They get stuck in footstraps and can cause injury, as such it is very rare to see wave sailors in boots. If you must wear them, perhaps due to sharp rocks where you windsurf, then choose carefully and look for a boot/shoe with minimal rubber protection around the sides of the foot as this is what can get stuck. Your boot should be able to freely slide in and out of the strap. - Also if you’re learning to use footstraps or gybe, the extra sensitivity of sailing barefoot gives you much more information and makes these moves smoother, so best to sail naked, at least as far was your feet are concerned!
Summary Size – smaller vs bigger Width – narrower vs wider Spread – narrower vs wider As with all tuning tips nothing is more important than that you start trying these adjustments! Many of my guests think they wouldn’t necessarily feel the small differences as there’s too much else going on, however when they try them even the tiniest details help the overall picture. Check out the ‘Cribb Sheet’ at guycribb.com for tuning tips reminders.
Guy Cribb INtuition
Guy is the world’s leading windsurfing coach hosting the legendary INtuition courses in Australia, Hawaii, Brazil, UK, Morocco, Egypt, Greece and Ireland, all year round. If you are serious about 78
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windsurfing and want to have a great time improving, these are the very best windsurfing courses and holidays. Guy’s credentials are 14 British Champion titles, 5 times vice World Champ, former National Racing Coach, twenty
five years of professional windsurfing and coaching and recently awarded the accolade of being in the UK Windsurfing Associations Hall Of Fame.
INtuition.
Riding the world by storm. Copyright Guy Cribb 2013 www.guycribb.com