Riding technique: How to learn the table top and donkey kick
There are these manoeuvres that quietly disappear from the magazines, from the contests and ultimately from our memories. Not because they are bad, but because they became too normal at some point. The table top is just such a move. For a while, it was everywhere - it felt like it was on almost every cover in every magazine. Then came more radical rotations, more turns, more risk, more "wow". And the table top was ridiculed a little. "Old school" was suddenly the word. But windsurfing is cyclical. Everything that was once good comes back at some point. And at some point you realise again that the table top is not just a jump. It's a statement. It says something about control, about style and about the understanding of air time.
I still remember my first table top very well. I was 17 years old and could jump safely, but rotations like backloops were still science fiction to me. I knew how it worked in theory, but in practice my head was always faster than my courage. But what I could do was jump and play. It was at this stage that I had a photo shoot for Gunsails, back then as a pure freestyler. We were supposed to shoot wave sails in Gran Canaria that day. You want to deliver. You know that the photographer is waiting for strong pictures. And my jumping skills in the waves could still be improved.
At some point, this one question came from photographer Reinhard Mueller: "What else can you do? Why don't you do a table top - it's quite simple and looks super stylish?" And that's when I realised something: I didn't always have to jump higher, faster or riskier, I just had to show something that I could reasonably control. So I went out, looked for a clean kicker, jumped and kicked the board forwards. It was a little donkey kick. I had more feeling on the second one. And then came a jump where everything suddenly fell into place. I had time in the air. I tilted the board further and further, turned the nose significantly downwards and realised how the table top was forming. The water below me, the sail in front of me. When I landed, I knew immediately that it was a real table top. The pictures suddenly showed everything: sail, board, good posture. And I was honestly just happy. Not because it was the most difficult trick, but because it brought moments of success so quickly - and because it ultimately looked good in the catalogue.
The best thing about it was that I really got the table top after a few attempts. Not perfect, but reproducible. With each jump, I was able to tilt the board a little further, take more time and control the angle. That's the strength of this manoeuvre. It grows with your skills. At the beginning it's just a little kick, later it becomes a jump that looks almost vertical, with the nose down and the board fully in view. Landing was a lot of learning. Sometimes I over-rotated and landed on my back, sometimes I landed flat on the board. But then at some point it clicked and I instinctively knew when I still had how much air under me to turn back and land safely and, above all, softly on my feet or the board.
Out of the norm
For many windsurfers, the table top is the first jump that really feels different to a simple rocket air. It is often the first step away from jumping straight ahead. It's not the power but the timing that makes a good table top. It looks almost unspectacular at first: A little (donkey) kick, a slightly open sail, but with a bit of practice you get a feel for the time in the air and can tilt the board further. At some point it no longer looks horizontal, but almost vertical. The nose is clearly pointing downwards. It is at this moment that a jump becomes a picture.
No risk, no fun - the table top is not forgiving
The table top is not very forgiving. A good landing is not easy and you rarely see it. The properly twisted table top is therefore not a beginner's move. But the great thing is that, unlike the front loop, for example, if you have mastered solid standard jumps, you can slowly approach the donkey kick and progressively increase the "tweak".
And once the table top is in, a huge playground opens up: one-handed table top, often affectionately called Jesus Christ, table top forward as a classic with extra spice or even table top double forward for the very ambitious. And yet the normal table top, without any variation, remains one of the most beautiful moves in windsurfing for me. It may not be the hottest trick at the moment and you probably won't win a contest with it, but windsurfing has never just been progression, it has always been style. The table top is a reminder that a jump can be more than a rotation or less - however you look at it. It is controlled, aesthetic and timeless. And sometimes that's exactly why a manoeuvre comes back.
The table top is easy to learn. In contrast to the front loop, you can approach it slowly using the donkey kick."
The table top explained step by step
The table top lives from the fact that the sail, hips, feet and gaze work together. The sail is only opened briefly. The hips stay close to the mast, the legs form the angle. The gaze helps to tilt the board and bring it back in time. Once you have understood this, you can slowly work your way up and turn a simple jump into one of the most stylish classics in windsurfing.
Dry run for the table top
A pull-up bar is ideal for getting a feel for the board control and especially the rotation in the hips. In principle, this can be practised in any children's playground - with or without a board under your feet.
Donkey Kick preamp - the table top's little brother
The donkey kick is the first step towards the table top. The great thing is that you can start with a kick, no matter how small, and then work your way up to a full-fledged table top. The transition is smooth. A not-so-steep wave is often enough for the first kicks. As you don't open the sail as wide and don't turn up as much, the donkey kick is less radical, but much more accessible. Remember to slide forwards with your pole hand before you jump and to grip a little tighter overall. Keep yourself compact in the air and turn your hips before giving the tail the desired kick with your back leg - you don't need to overdo it like with the table top, where your hips are close to the mast, the sail is wide open and the board turns over it. Look at the water to estimate when you need to bring the board back under you. Here, too, it is essential that you avoid the forward lean and land with the tail first (see landing).
The closer you bring your hips to the pole, the sooner a donkey kick becomes a table top.
The crux of the jump
The jump to the table top or donkey kick is similar to a normal high jump. Get down on your knees and push off the top of the wave in a compact body position. Tip: Slightly limbering up before the jump can provide more control and hang time.
The crux of landing
If you want to be stylish for too long, you'll land hard. A table top that is turned back too late often ends up flat as a board and is poison for your knees. But turning back too early high up in the air can also put you in an unpleasant situation, namely a free fall that is too upright. The aim is not to hold a position, but to perform the jump as a fluid movement. A sail that is too upright and tight gives you something to "hold on to", but also increases the risk of falling forward. By raising the sail and shifting your weight backwards, you can get the tail down before landing.
Frontloop tutorials with Florian Jung
