How to

Tutorials

Freestyle riding technique: How to get airborne – in switch and regular stance

- Ducking the sail is a key element of many power moves and involves ducking under the leech rather than switching sides of the mast.
- Equipment setup and technique are crucial; ducking can be practised even in light winds.
- The duck tack and switch heli tack serve as light-wind warm-up exercises for freestyle moves and help develop sail control in specific foot positions.

Freestyle Basics: Ducking the sail – the duck tack and switch heli tack as warm-up exercises

- Large, tightly spaced footstraps provide support along the side edges, reduce pressure from above and make switching and control in the air easier.  
- Freestyle sails are trimmed with little loose leech; wave sails can be ridden looser to allow for stable ducking and controlled thrust.  
- For modern power moves, fins measuring 19–21 cm with grip and a compact stance with the mast foot positioned far back are crucial for jump power and rotation.

Freestyle Basics: Straps, fin, trim – the right equipment settings for performing tricks

- Helitack is an inverted turn to the wind with four phases, where there is no need to go over the bow and the sail turns quickly.  
- Light winds of five to ten knots and large boards are suitable for practising; sails with cambers are unsuitable.  
- Frequent mistakes: dropping too early before the apex, too much pressure in the backstroke, incorrect mast position when shifting sails.

Riding technique: Helitack - all the key points of the windsurf manoeuvre

- Adjust mast base, boom height and harness ropes in centimetre increments to suit wind and control; longer ropes increase control, even for beginners.
- Increase batten tension from top to bottom: minimise the top, maximise the profile area, let the creases just disappear, do not tighten with force.
- For gusty winds, increase the luff for a loose leech, maintain the profile in the boom area, tension the clew only slightly, adjust the trim mainly via the luff.

Workshop premiere: Mast foot position and batten tension - tips from surf testers, editors and external professionals

- The table top is a once ubiquitous windsurfing jump, is considered a stylish classic and is making a comeback despite more radical tricks.
- It requires precise timing, controlled landings and the interplay of sails, hips, legs and gaze, and forgives few mistakes.
- Using the more accessible donkey kick as a preliminary stage, experienced jumpers can gradually increase the "tweak" and develop variations such as one-handed or forward combos.

Riding technique: How to learn table top and donkey kick

- Beachstart enables energy-saving starting without having to haul up the sail, ideal at 8-12 knots in knee- to waist-deep water with a stable board.  
- Decisive factors are a half-wind to light room wind course, correct positioning of the sail and the front foot close behind the mast foot for course stability.  
- The direction of the sail and board can be adjusted by turning the sail and board; the end of the boom controls whether the board is luffing or dropping.

Riding technique: How to get started on the beach

- Stepping into the rear loop often fails due to incorrect loop position; beginners should use the front, inner plug rows.  
- Incorrectly adjusted loop size makes it difficult to get in; foot should slide in far, toes visible on the inside, lateral hold secured.  
- The choice of course makes it easier to get on the board: in light winds, tack slightly upwind, in strong winds tack to windward for more control.

Riding technique: How to get safely into the foot straps

- The cowboy is a classic windsurfing trick that can be practised in small swells and at around 15 knots.
- The decisive factor is the difficult back-to-back side change with the back to the sail, where the sail must not be pulled tight.
- Sail pressure is controlled via course selection; to shift, the sail must be dropped significantly and the clew must be actively pushed through the wind.

Riding technique: The casual "cowboy" on the wave

- Required for bodydrag: safe planing, carving experience, manoeuvre-oriented sail, wide board and smooth water with stable wind.  
- Technique: jump out of the loops, drop slightly onto a room wind course, keep your arms bent, sail close but far back.  
- Common mistakes: outstretched arms with full body in the water or sail too upright, which leads to a skid or spinloop-like fall.

Riding technique: Bodydrag - just let it slide

- Chop hops are also successful in choppy conditions: high speed, the right approach to the chop and well-powered equipment are crucial.
- Smaller, lightweight boards with a single fin, sufficient sail pressure and a higher fork make the take-off, planing position and flight phase easier.
- For longer airtime: lift the upwind edge, pull your arms and legs towards the centre of your body, keep your upper body upright; typical mistakes are too little speed and a stretched stance.

Chop hop riding technique: how to make your first jumps in windsurfing

- Crossing against the wind: zigzagging on upwind courses to regain lost height to windward.  
- Large boards with centreboards or centre fins reduce lateral drift; orientation takes place via fixed points and correct planing.  
- On boards without a centreboard, pressure on the windward edge with the front foot helps to reduce drift and gain height.

Windsurfing basics: How to cruise and go upwind

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Windsurfing technique

Windsurfing: How to: Tutorials

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Windsurfing technique

Freestyle riding technique
How to get airborne – in switch and regular stance

Freestyle Basics
Ducking the sail – the duck tack and switch heli tack as warm-up exercises

Freestyle Basics
Straps, fin, trim – the right equipment settings for performing tricks

Riding technique
Helitack - all the key points of the windsurf manoeuvre

Workshop premiere
Mast foot position and batten tension - tips from surf testers, editors and external professionals

Riding technique
How to learn table top and donkey kick

Riding technique
How to get started on the beach

Riding technique
How to get safely into the foot straps

Riding technique
The casual "cowboy" on the wave

Riding technique
Bodydrag - just let it slide

Chop hop riding technique
How to make your first jumps in windsurfing

Windsurfing basics
How to cruise and go upwind

Windsurfing technique

Freestyle riding techniqueHow to get airborne – in switch and regular stance

Freestyle BasicsDucking the sail – the duck tack and switch heli tack as warm-up exercises

Freestyle BasicsStraps, fin, trim – the right equipment settings for performing tricks

Riding techniqueHelitack - all the key points of the windsurf manoeuvre

Workshop premiereMast foot position and batten tension - tips from surf testers, editors and external professionals

Riding techniqueHow to learn table top and donkey kick

Riding techniqueHow to get started on the beach

Riding techniqueHow to get safely into the foot straps

Riding techniqueThe casual "cowboy" on the wave

Riding techniqueBodydrag - just let it slide

Chop hop riding techniqueHow to make your first jumps in windsurfing

Windsurfing basicsHow to cruise and go upwind

Freestyle riding technique
How to get airborne – in switch and regular stance

Freestyle Basics
Ducking the sail – the duck tack and switch heli tack as warm-up exercises

Freestyle Basics
Straps, fin, trim – the right equipment settings for performing tricks

Riding technique
Helitack - all the key points of the windsurf manoeuvre

Workshop premiere
Mast foot position and batten tension - tips from surf testers, editors and external professionals

Riding technique
How to learn table top and donkey kick

Riding technique
How to get started on the beach

Riding technique
How to get safely into the foot straps

Riding technique
The casual "cowboy" on the wave

Riding technique
Bodydrag - just let it slide

Chop hop riding technique
How to make your first jumps in windsurfing

Windsurfing basics
How to cruise and go upwind