The wingfoil jibe

The jibe is the first maneuver you should learn. As a first step, it’s worth practicing dry on the beach or in the garden before you try it out on the water and on the foil. Once you have mastered the handling of the wing, go out on the water and try it out – preferably very slowly on the SUP or wing board (keep the foil under water).

If you can already foil, it helps at the beginning if you insert a short landing, then perform the maneuver and finally take off again.

The jibe is a classic “downwind” maneuver. This means that to initiate the maneuver, you first ride in the direction of the wind and turn with the back or tail of your board through the wind.

Depending on the footwork involved, different types of jibes can be distinguished:

  1. Without foot change
  2. With foot change – before or after jibing

Jibe without foot change

Here are the individual steps for the “without foot change” version:

  1. Pick up speed & let it drop
  2. Taking the bend
  3. Pick up the wing
  4. Re-gripping (back hand to the front, front hand to the back)
  5. Anluven
  6. Continue driving “switch-foot”
The jibe when wingfoiling without changing feet

Jibe with foot change

Especially at the beginning, it feels very strange for most drivers to drive “switch-foot”. Controlling the board and wing is suddenly completely different and – at least at the beginning – much more difficult. A change of foot then ensures that you stand correctly again and regain control.

In principle, the jibe with foot change works in the same way as the steps described above. The difference is that you don’t continue riding “switch-foot” at the end, but instead stand on the board facing the wing and wind as normal due to the change of foot.

There are two possibilities:

  1. Switching feet after jibing: Once you have jibed as described above and are standing “switch-foot”, first pick up speed again and stabilize the board. You can then change feet quickly. At the beginning, we recommend landing the board very briefly and continuing on the water. The foot change can then be carried out in a flash and the board can be pulled up again. Once you have mastered this, you can also perform the foot change “on the fly”. To do this, the board should be briefly loaded at the front or “nudged” slightly downwards before changing feet. This prevents the board from pulling upwards due to the reduced pressure during the foot change and the foil from shooting out of the water.
  2. Foot change before jibing: When changing feet before the jibing maneuver, the foot change takes place before the actual maneuver is initiated. You proceed in the same way as when changing feet before jibing, but are already standing “switch-foot” when you go into the jibe. The advantage of this maneuver is that you are back in the right position immediately after changing direction. This makes it easier to control the board and the wing. You can pick up speed again more quickly. This is particularly advantageous when there is little wind, as it is easier to build up more pressure. “Pumping” is much easier in the normal position.
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