Surf Style… Only One Foot Strap?

[onein5]

I saw a directional on eBay just now that only had one strap on it (front strap) and it reminded me that I meant to try that out myself… Does anyone on the forum have any experience of riding one front strap on a directional? I would guess it would make Gybing much easier and that there wouldn’t really be that many down sides. You plant your back foot on the tailpad and enjoy the freedom of stomping the tail for big turns and bringing your foot forwards for cruising and unwinding… Sounds ideal . But why do you not see it?

Is this the missing link between strapped and strapless for the less accomplished kiter (like me!)?

[mike dubs]

tried it for a day 2yrs ago. Got in the way, took it off, you don't need straps unless it's really big, or you want to boost.

IMHO

[Peter_Frank]

It works awesome like that

The reason you dont see it, is IMHO :

1. Those who enjoy straps are using the rear strap for aerial off the lips (or even jumps), and for pushing the cutback even harder and more radical - tailslides etc.

2. Those who dont like straps, go without ANY straps.

3. When riding with straps, you go upwind with your rear foot just in front of the rear strap, always.
You also ride waves this way very often, if lightly powered and you want to glide more.
This works excellent, and like most do it.
Your rear foot is kept really well in place, in front of the strap leaning against the strap, so you can really push hard in the cutback - whereas it would slide off the board much easier if there were no strap. Which leads to #4

4. The risk of getting injured by having only the front foot in the strap, is higher !


Apart from that - removing the rear strap dont help jibing one bit...
You never have your feet where the rear strap is, when jibing anyway - so it is not in the way.

On the contrary - the front strap is in the way if you are not skilled, both for jibing, but also for tacking (as we do most often strapless as very easy).
So tacking becomes much harder when there is a front strap, and jibing also a bit tougher.

Peter

[TheJoe]

Straps just suck. They hurt my knees when I use them. And you don't need them to get over huge waves just patience and board skills.

[doc]

Really helped me learn to ride a directional ,like the above posts say moving your back foot forward helps you go upwind . I ride in pretty choppy conditions with messy onshore waves most of the time , so as soon as I got the hang of using varying pressure on the front and back foot instead of moving my feet I put the back strap back on . I never gybe just go toe side , but I think it helped learn with no back strap , better with none at all though ! Try it .

[rascalmat]

Sounds like a good idea progressing to strapless but there is a risk of twisting your strapped knee
when you are out in the surf. I have not experienced this myself but certainly something to consider.
Hooks may be a safer way. Strapped or strapless are personal choices like kite styles or riding styles. Both have their merits.

[magic%20Ed]

It is not only about twisting. the last time I seriously used a strapped board, my last leg, which was in front of the strap, was swept away by a wave. But the front foot was in the strap and the board had speed...
A split was the next thing that happened, followed by a nasty thorn hamstring (took me more than 3 months to recover).

[Peter_Frank]

Sounds like a good idea progressing to strapless but there is a risk of twisting your strapped knee
when you are out in the surf. I have not experienced this myself but certainly something to consider.
Hooks may be a safer way. Strapped or strapless are personal choices like kite styles or riding styles. Both have their merits.

Good to see someone with a "sane" view, instead of all those "you have to lose the straps" - or "straps is the only way to go, instead of going backwards".

But I dont see it as a "progress" to strapless at all...

Strapless has huge disadvantages, that a front strap can solve

And then the rear strap is the thing we discuss here

Peter

[Anglian]

Straps just suck. They hurt my knees when I use them. And you don't need them to get over huge waves just patience and board skills.

Have to agree with this, I can't see the benefit at all to leaving one strap on

[crash&burn]

its all mental, some people can't get passed the idea of not having straps, the pull from the kite keeps the board on your feet and the rest is as stated above patience and board skills.