simple jumping

[adamrod]

After getting comfortable planing in the straps, I really want to try jumping, but I have no idea what to do.

Presently, I just try to go fast and aim at the biggest piece of chop I can find. However, that really just leads to a little hop.

What should I be doing with my arms, sail, feet, board, body? Should I stay hooked in?

-adam

[morwind4me]

Harness lines just get in the way when jumping.....I unhook myself and was told to do it that way. After you find that piece of chop that will make you sail, when you get the face of the wave make sure you dont absorb the wave with your legs. Stiff leg that thing and pop off the top of it like a trampoline. Then, generally speaking, I try and point er down wind a bit and sheet in hard, seems to give me some more hang time. Make sure you dont land flat!! OUCH I SAY! I dont know if what I said was right but Im just trying to think of all the things Ive read, heard, and do myself. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, lots of speed on a good strong plane helps too.

[rickp]

Recent issue of Windsurfing Magazine has some good tips. rick p

[jse]

Adam,

Sounds like your problem is how you use that piece of chop. Typically, one tack is a jumping tack the other a slashing tack. This is because of the orientation of the waves with respect to the wind. Its easy to tell wich is which as you tend to pound the faces on the jumping tack and surf down the faces on the other.

On your jumping tack, get some speed, spot your ramp, then turn your board upwind into the ramp. As you hit it, lean back, i.e., astern, not outboard. Kind of like what you see when skateboarders to ollies. They weight the back foot and unweight the front foot. This should be one complete body and rig move, not independent picking up and weighting of feet. Sort of like rotating backwards a little on the same radius as the wave face. The first time you do this right, youll probably shoot straight up into the air and fall back on your tail and stop. Thats ok. Once you do this a few times, you want to add the second part which is leveling out your board in the air. Pick up your back foot and suck it under your butt. If you do only this youll level off, then make an upwind landing and spin out. Thirdly, after leveling off, tilt your board downwind to get air under it. This gets you more hang time and makes the board bear off the wind so you land on a downwind tack. Once this occurs you can easily nail your landings and sail away from them.

Note: I dont really think about my arms, and I start hooked in. Usually I come unhooked in the air.

Steve

[flaherty]

[adamrod]

well, the key hint for me was keeping my legs stiff on the ramp. I now can jump fine, now I just need to figure out how to land. Ill try pulling up my back legs.

thanks!

[nmiwindsurf]

to get started u should just pump the sail as u come up to a piece of chop then push down on the back foot and up on the front pushing off the chop. once ur in the air pull up on both straps. oh ya i find it easier to unhook from the harness