Windsurfing techniques explained

Stance is vital. If your stance isn’t right everything will be harder than it needs to be and you’ll probably fall in a lot more.

To start, your feet should be positioned behind the mast foot, approximately shoulder width apart. Your hands should be shoulder width apart on the boom with your front arm extended and you back straight. Your back foot should be placed across the board while you front foot points to the front of the board – also known as the nose. In this position your feet will make an L shape. If the nose or tail (back) of the board is sinking, adjust your position backwards or forwards as necessary.

When starting out, turning upwind tends to be easier that turning downwind and is an essential skill to get you where you want to go.

To steer, tilt the rig towards the back of the board, keeping the clew over the water. Hold it there to steer the board. Once you’re heading on the desired course, bring the rig back up to the sailing position and continue on your new course. Now it’s time to sail downwind.

Downwind is the opposite of upwind, so instead of tilting the rig back, bring it forward and across the board, opening out the sail slightly. Hold the position until you’re on course then bring the rig back to the sailing position.

The best tip we can give you is where you look is where you go! So if you want to go upwind, keep your head up, look upwind and you’ll get there.

Tacking is an upwind turn in which the nose of the board turns into the wind. It’s often easier than turning downwind and therefore one of the first turns that people learn.

When doing a turn, the first thing to do is check the coast is clear! Start by steering upwind, then move your front hand from the boom to the mast, placing it under the boom clamp. Move your front foot so that it is in front of the mast foot and tucked in close so you don’t upset the trim of the board. Next bring your back hand onto the mast below your other hand, keeping the rig tilted to the back of the board. Step your back foot up to the mast foot. Both feet should now be either side of the mast foot and at 90 degrees to the board.

Now it’s time to get the board turning through the wind. Tilt the rig further to the back of the board – imagine that there is a coke can that you want to knock off. Start slowing bringing the rig across the back of the board and as it begins to turn take little steps around the mast foot. Eventually your board will have completed a 180 degree turn and you’re ready to sail off in your new direction.

Top Tip: Throughout the turn keep your knees bent, bottom in and your back straight.

Where tacking turns the nose of the board into the wind, gybing turns it away from the wind.

Before you gybe you will need to steer the board onto a board reach. First, move your back hand further down the boom and bring your back foot further toward the back of the board. Steer the board further downwind and keep the sail open.  

Now you need to switch your feet. First, bring your front foot back, placing it across the board in front of your back foot. Next, step your back foot forwards to become your new front foot. Ballerina skills can help in this move!

To complete the turn, Slide your front hand along the boom towards the mast, release your back hand from the boom and allow the sail to swing across the front of the board and the board will begin to turn. Place your free hand onto the opposite side of the boom, this is now your new front hand. Release your other hand and place it on the new side as your new back hand. Resume the sailing position and you’re ready to sail away.

Top tip! In stronger wind, keeping your body low will help counterbalance the increased power in the sail.

Once you have mastered the basics you’re probably going to need more to keep the adrenalin pumping. This usually equates to more speed, which means you’re going to want to get planing.

It’s a good idea to get to grips with the harness before you start looking at going faster, however, plenty of start windsurfers have unintentionally got plaining when the wind has picked up… although not always with the greatest of style!

One thing that often goes wrong when first heading out in stronger winds is getting pulled over the front of the board, commonly known as a catapult. To prevent this, we need to counteract the force of the wind in the rig by moving our weight further back up the board. Use your bodyweight to counterbalance the power in the rig by dropping lower through your back leg, keeping your front leg extended and push through those front toes to accelerate the board.

Although as your body moves back, the rig will naturally come back with you, don’t forget to keep your front arm extended, thus keeping the rig away from your body. If everything is working right, the board will accelerate onto the plane and will feel like you are gliding on ice.

Top tip – in marginal winds, head downwind for more power/ in stronger winds, head upwind for less power and more control.

To avoid having to uphaul your rig every time you leave the beach, learning to beach start will give you a quick and controlled way to get going, and also looks great.

The best time to learn to beach start is in a cross-shore wind, starting just over knee depth in the water. First position the board at around 90 degrees to the wind, then it’s time to bring the rig up. Avoid lifting the mast straight up, instead place your front hand on the mast and slide the rig horizontally, using your front arm to bring it from a downwind to upwind position. Place your back hand on the boom, then move your front hand from the mast to boom. Steer the board so it is pointing very slightly upwind. With the front arm, bring the rig as high as you can while using the back hand to ‘fan’ the clew in order to control the power. In stronger winds, keep the rig low. Once under control, place your back foot across the board. Keeping your back leg bent, use it to pull the tail of the board toward you. To create power, ‘twist’ the rig above your head by extending the front arm up and forwards at the same time as pulling in with the back hand. This will create the power to bring you up and out of the water.

At the same time as the rig twist, bend the back leg, duck your head under the boom and towards the mast foot. Bring your front foot up as late as possible, placing it close to the mast foot and keep a wide, low stance.

Once you start using smaller boards, learning to waterstart will become an essential skill to avoid the need to uphaul when you’re out of standing depth. This is much easier to learn if you have first mastered the beach start. From here you can take your beach start to deeper depths until you are doing a full waterstart.

Begin by positioning your kit so that the mast is across the wind and the board pointing into the wind. With your front hand on the mast, sweep the rig back, up and over your head into the wind, thus allowing the water to run off it and the wind to draw underneath. Once flying over your head, place your back hand on the boom.

Next place your front hand on the boom and push through an extended front arm to bear the board away. This will bring your body toward the back of the board. Keep the rig low and use your back hand to control power. Top tip – in light winds, keep the rig higher.

Once under control, place the back foot across the board between the straps. Using your bent back leg, pull the board in keeping your arms extended. If necessary, swim your front leg for more upwards propulsion. Keep the front arm extended and put on the power by pulling in with the back hand. The final stage as you are propelled out of the water is to place your front foot onto the board. As with the beach start, keep low on your bent back leg to prevent being catapulted.

Once you have learned to chop hop or pop, you are probably ready to move onto the Vulcan; a move often seen as the entry into aerial freestyle.

To prepare, slide the front hand up to the mast, unhook and crouch. When you pop the board, look behind you and release the back hand. Bring the rig close across your chest and keep your weight forward as you land. Next switch your hands by bringing the back hand over the front hand to become the new front hand. Hopefully now the board will be sliding backwards. As the slide begins to slow sheet in and get control while still in switch stance. Once under control, switch your feet and sail away!

A crowd pleaser to smash out as you sail off the beach, the forward loop is in many ways a technically simple move, it’s your brain that’s the biggest barrier. If you can chop hop you’ve probably got the technique to go for it. Spot your ramp, get low and slide your back hand right back down the boom. As you pop, head downwind, extend your front arm forwards and look back. Pull the rig in hard with your back hand, keep your body tucked and keep looking back. As you land, bring the rig to an upright position, open the rig with your back hand and sail away… simple!