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and rig movement, throwing yourself into Warrior
upwind and downwind. This teaches you to carve from
‘rail to rail’ using the rig and body and helps you
understand the basics of bottom turning (like going
through a gybe) and top turning (like heading upwind for
a tack).
Carving downwind:
look downwind, wide hands (clew hand pulled in and down towards your head. TP = chin near or on shoulder,
Lever the rig out of the turn as the body leans, in Warrior over that flexed knee ridiculously far forward and into the
turn. If the tail sinks, lean body (and rig) forward even more.
Initially the downwind ‘bottom turn’ is similar to a gybe (Or setting up for a 360, duck gybe, etc) but you’re in the
straps, then, as you pass the dead downwind stage, you’re incredibly ‘twisted’ and relying on counter balance to
stay on the board rather than the rigs power. Look how the body looks and leans over a flexed knee. The body and
rig then switch sides to transition from downwind Warrior to upwind Warrior. Vision is vital to help turn the body first
and push the rig the opposite way to make the board turn. Keep practicing until you can keep your speed up and
make multiple turns.
Front side wave riding
Turning downwind on a wave is called ‘front-side’ wave riding and it’s very similar to the beginning of a gybe. If you can
keep the rig forward, look and lean into the turn (towards the wave), like going into a non-planing carve gybe on flat
water, you too can turn on a wave! At higher speeds, carving downwind and making a tight ‘bottom turn’, is just like
the beginning of a carve gybe. The mantra is the same as gybing too. Look (towards the wave), lean towards the wave
in Warrior and keep the mast forward and away from you, often out of the turn to oppose the body’s position.
Turning downwind:
look downwind, chin on shoulder, wide hands (clew hand into head), rig out of the turn body in warrior into the turn
massively. Lean forward if the tail sinks.
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