Forward Loop Help

LUCARO · Joined: 07 Dec 1997 Posts: 661

In an attempt to refine my looping technique I put together this video from Rio this weekend.

https://vimeo.com/132896078

I am hoping for some feedback from people on this forum. Things that are obvious to me are:
1) Although I am thinking "Big, Small, Big". It seems that I am not getting very big at the take off. Some guys look like they are fully extended (legs, trunk and arms overhead) at the beginning of the loop. What I am doing is more like "Medium, small, small".
2) The rig does not seem to come very far forward or too windward, maybe this due to problem #1. Or perhaps it is because I am too "hiked-out" and backward on the board?
3) Obviously not rotating enough and landing pretty hard on my back.
4) Sometimes it seems like i am just flipping over the sail like a corkscrew, instead of the sail pulling me around.

Any suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.

kevinkan · Joined: 07 Jun 2001 Posts: 1661 Location: San Francisco

I thought your first attempt (the one on port) looked the best. The mast/sail stays upwind longer as the loop gets initiated. you have more of a horizontal rotation, and I think if you had taken off a few more degrees downwind, you would have water started out.

For the attempts on starboard it looks like you diving forward and across the board with your lead shoulder giving you the corkscrew rotation. You can sheet out a little bit as you take off and are raking the mast to windward.... it's a subtle movement. you generally do not want to be hiked out when you take off (the way you would in a chop hop). You want to be much more upright similar to a freestyle pop.

LUCARO · Joined: 07 Dec 1997 Posts: 661

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

Awesome commitment. Do you shove in your feet before going for it? They seem to come out often.

These look more like cheese forwards!

You need to send the mast forward as the nose goes up and scissor the board. The sail is launched forward then as it pulls you, tuck your rear foot under. Send the mast more into windward for a more sideways rotation.

When you are jumping the mast stays back then you throw your body forward and over the sail, that's why they are some cheese to them.

Congrats and you'll plane out of them in no time.

kevinkan · Joined: 07 Jun 2001 Posts: 1661 Location: San Francisco

LUCARO · Joined: 07 Dec 1997 Posts: 661

Towards the end of that session the front strap clip had moved 90 deg making the strap looser so the front foot was coming out more than usual. Last season my feet were coming out all the time. This season I started using booties and my feet seem to stay in much better, my technique is probably better too.

Seems like the loops I have attempted off the wind have been very painful mostly because the board stayed glued to the water, I have been going steeper downwind though than 30 deg. Normally, if i tried one at rio in the same place as the one in the other video I would have attempted to loop going at a near right angle to the the wave. Usually results in significant reverse whiplash. Looks like he/you are near parallel to the wave[/quote]

rigitrite · Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 520 Location: Kansas City

I noticed immediately that you're taking off upwind into the steepest part of the chop. This is tempting...but also extra-super difficult to complete. Kevin is 100% correct about taking off 30 deg. off the wind, which is the fastest point of sail. You should feel like you're completely wound out, ready to make the jump to hyper-space, and then find something....anything...to get the board out of the water and once you initiate it should whip around so crazy fast you'll be finished before you comprehend what actually just happened. The acme of skill is to be able to hunt down that elusive steep face that's just enough downwind that you can get some decent air and keep yourself pointing 30 deg off the wind.
There's some awesome video of Kevin on iwindsurf, showing precisely how this is done: his forwards are epic.

BTW, I was pretty impressed at how good your fowards are for taking off so far upwind: that's really hard to do!

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

Your skills are strong enough to be able to redirect the board downwind.
Look at the downwind angle of the board on this one, it's neat to watch.

https://vimeo.com/125113592

Tyson gets over the board, and right as he crossed a piece of chop, he points the nose up and downwind.

LUCARO · Joined: 07 Dec 1997 Posts: 661

That is a sweet looking video of Tyson. The nose really veers off just as he is taking off.

bonner · Joined: 17 May 2000 Posts: 18

Hi Lucaro,
I was the cameo guy, and I saw your loops out there. You were really going for it, and they looked good, awesome! It was a tough day for looping even though it was 4.2 conditions. For me the ramps were few and far between and seemed to be mostly coming in at an angle that forced me straight into the wind, making them cheezy. I had to really bare off at the last moment to get around, which didn't always work. It was cool to have someone else out there going for it. Don't know if you saw my big thumbs up to you on the water after one of your big ones, hope you did!
Cheers,
Marc