Kit used in video: 7m Naish Torch 2011 and 130cm Naish Momentum 2011
Riding toeside
Riding toeside is one of the first tricks you can learn after getting up and riding along. It simply means instead of riding on your heelside edge like normal you switch your feet so that your back foot becomes your new front foot and you ride along using the opposite edge of the board – the toeside edge.
If you are unsure about riding toeside then you can firstly practise when you are underpowered. You will find it difficult to ride a long once you have switched but you can learn to feel the switching motion and get used to that.
Technique
- Right a long at a comfortable speed
- Hold your kite relatively high – around 11 o clock or 1 o clock depending on which way you are riding.
- Lean back over the very edge of your heels forcing your board to edge harder. It helps to stick your bum out to do this and it minimalises the contact your fins have with the water.
- With your weight still far back over your heels shift it all onto your front foot. This time distributing your weight more over your whole foot as opposed to just the heel. At the same time push your back foot forwards through 180 degrees.
- While pushing your back foot forward your board will slowly pivot around the nose and your back foot will become your new front foot.
- Push the board far enough around to be heading across the wind of slightly downwind
- Keep 40% weight going through your front foot and 60% on your new back foot
- Use both hands on the bar to dive the kite and generate more power if you need it.
- With some power in your kite you will now be able to shift more weight on your toes and edge using the toeside rail.
- To keep some speed up you now need to relax
- Bend your new back foot and straighten your new front leg still leaning hard over your toes
- Release your front hand off the bar allowing you to lean harder over your toeside edge and thus help to prevent the kite pulling you off your edge and straight downwind.
Common Mistakes
Unable to force your back foot round to become your new front foot:
- Stick your butt out further over your heelside edge.
- Think about pulling in on the bar, but ensure you pull the whole bar in and not just one side of the bar. By pulling the whole bar in you will have something to lever against.
- Ensure that you don’t pull on oneside of the bar harder then the other by putting both hands close to the centre of the bar.
Losing speed when in toeside:
- Try to aim slightly more downwind.
- Ensure you are putting 40% of weight on your front foot, keeping your center of gravity fairly central over the board. It is a tendancy for people to sit on their back foot sinking the back of the board and therefore losing speed.
- Keep both hands on the bar so that you can steer the kite and generate more power.
Gathering speed which you struggle to control:
- Try to switch into toeside with less speed/power in your kite and practise leaning all your weight over your toes
- Relax your hands on the bar so that you don’t pull it in close to the chicken loop.
- Let go with your front arm to allow yourself to lean further over your toeside edge.
Pics: Paul Jackson
