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How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

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How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:37 am

I have no problems tacking waveboards and raceboards, when jumping around "back" against the wind.

Landing feet either in front of the straps, or in the straps right away also :thumb:

But I simply can not make the tack where you turn face first into the wind, thus changing feet almost like you do in a jibe :o

Has anyone else found the "trick" ? And anyone had similar difficulties with this move ?

Have tried it both on my waveboards and raceboards as said - with no luck - I tend to fall "away" and behind the board, no matter what I do.

Feels very contra intuitive (for me) because you have the kite overhead pulling you "back" even when depowered, while the board moves into the wind...
But looks so relatively easy when you see it done.

Mitu does it on his strapped waveboards, and most race kiters can do it easily I think.

Anyone got any hints on how to pass face first into the wind (rotating the same way as your board in a tack that is) without falling backwards ?

An old move now - but those times I've tried, I havent found the key :x

One example here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHkxcgQakM8

:D Peter

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby Saami » Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:01 am

Peter, the phrase you should search for is "duck tack". Apparently the move is called a duck tack because when you do this type of tack while windsurfing, you have to lift the sail above your head and "duck" underneath it.

Josh Nehf has made a nice tutorial for how to do this while kiting:



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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby ronnie » Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:05 am

Maybe take the board further round the tack? Just saw the Caution one - its better.


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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:13 am

Yes - it reminds about the windsurf duck tack, true :thumb:

I know the first video, as it was one of the "first" ones, 3 years old now.

But I still can not do it, eventhough it should be quite simple :(


Can any of you do it ?

As then you must have encountered some initial diffiuclties too, and might share ?

It seems that you have to lean forward against your depowerline somewhat (again, not intuitive)

Or maybe it is very easy - when you CAN do it, but you gotta try over and over till it's there, like with everything else.

Its just that I dont seem to get anywhere close to making it :wink:

:D Peter

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby tautologies » Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:54 am

Thats the next thing I'll learn on my raceboard. :-)

:thumb: :thumb:

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby SteveF » Tue Oct 04, 2011 2:33 pm

The key to this tack is how much and when you slow down. It also has a lot to do with how powered you are. I have not tried a race board, just do it with surfboards, it is a very useful move.

If you are well powered, you want to bring the kite above you just slightly before you bring the board upwind. This is because you want the kite to stop your forward momentum (you can also go slower into the tack than you think). That forward momentum is what throws you off the board. After you have put the kite at 12 and you follow it with your board make sure you look over your back shoulder (your body will follow your head) and turn the board most of the way through the wind before you switch your body. This is easier the more power you have as the kite will lift you straight up and give you time to rotate your body and feet. As with the regular tack, you can bring the board most of the way through the wind before you change your body. When you first start doing this try to keep your front foot (new back foot) on the board, as you get better you can switch both at once if you have enough power to lift you up (the reason why you should bring the board most of the way through the tack before you change your body).

If you are underpowered, it will be very important to turn the board and the kite at the same time so you swing under the kite and prevent yourself from going into the water. In this process because you are swinging more, keep one foot on the board through the tack to drag it with you through the rotation and to prevent your self from swinging away from the board.

Hope it helps, I cant stress enough (at least on a surfboard), that you can bring the board almost all the way through the tack before you switch your body.

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby alexrider » Tue Oct 04, 2011 3:38 pm

tautologies wrote:Thats the next thing I'll learn on my raceboard. :-)
:thumb: :thumb:
It's my program too for the season: to achieve 50% success with tacks.
Combined with more solid gibes (meaning 90% + success).
Geared with Sector v 2, easier than true race, but harder than V1.

I think I like this thread! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby GregK » Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:53 am

Peter - just keep trying and it will come - when I first started trying duck tacks on my surfboard at the start of this season, it felt strange, like a zero-pop back roll, and often ended in a kite crash and body drag. I kept trying and then started to make the body rotation and maintain kite control, but lost the board. Now board control is coming and I make 3 or 4 per side clean in a session. It's a sweet transition, gets you upwind fast.

Maybe also have a look at the duck tack tutorial in the latest issue of Ikitesurfmag - http://www.iksurfmag.com/issue28 where Christian takes his old front hand off the bar before initiating the carve upwind and body rotation. I found this helped me dial in getting the bar up, back and in the right position, and do the kite dive after the rotation. Now that I`ve got the bar movement, having the old front hand on or off doesn`t seem to matter much.

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby tautologies » Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:35 am

alexrider wrote:
tautologies wrote:Thats the next thing I'll learn on my raceboard. :-)
:thumb: :thumb:
It's my program too for the season: to achieve 50% success with tacks.
Combined with more solid gibes (meaning 90% + success).
Geared with Sector v 2, easier than true race, but harder than V1.

I think I like this thread! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Ok so lets us do it. I have very little time the next month or so, but should work on duck tacks after that.

My regular tacks are decent now. I still have to come out with more speed than I currently do, but last two times I was out, I had a 90+% success on the tacks. Gybes are easy as pie. ;-)

I actually think the tacks are as easy on the big board, because it is easier to keep flat.

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Re: How do you tack a directional face into the wind ?

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:15 pm

Thanks Greg and Steve :thumb:

Went out today solely for trying the tack on my small raceboard.

Super gusty wind, but so what...

I actually made it on the very first attempt :D

BUT, pure luck, as the next maybe 25 I did not succed with much.

Then I managed to do it around in the strap and to a waterstart - that is partly a success in fact.

10-12 times I managed that - but LOTS of faulty attempts in between - where you just got "tossed around and away" ha haa :rollgrin:

At the end I made 3 successfull ones without getting "wet" (but still with lots of wipeouts in between) :lol:

So now I KNOW it is possible, and I have an idea what works and what does not work - but most of it is simply a delicate timing that has to be practiced over and over till it is in muscle memory :wink:

Especially for old folks like me - that learns slowly :naughty:
Youngsters might just do it regular on their early attempts - I envy that :-?

Important things:
Not too much speed - a gentle glide, but nor too slow so you sink and the tail sinks.
Kite positioning has to be very neutral on top, and dont redirect the kite too early.
And the board has to be turned quite far through.

Apart from that - I can not say WHAT I do wrong and what I do right, when I succeed - eventhough I tried having the back foot very leeward opposed to windward, and having the rear foot far forward opposed to back at the strap, and leaning a lot back in the turn opposed to standing upright and leaning forward against the nose :o
But there was nothing that seemed to work better by a huge amount - only to get the timing perfect worked - which was not easy, and not "explainable" :wink:


It seemed just as impossible as 25 years ago when we learned windsurf 360'ies.
Tried over and over, and seemed impossible - suddenly you managed, but did not fully know why.
And later when learned - it is really easy.
A piece of cake, especially in waves one can make a planing 360 quite easy - WHEN LEARNED in muscle memory and timed right.

Anyway - now I have tried the kite duck tack myself and know how it feels when it works, eventhough my body can not remember a thing yet... 8)

It seems a bit more risky than doing a "regular" tack, in terms of kiteracing - but maybe the good guys can nail them 100% even in rough conditions ? I dont know - but respect to those who can :naughty:

Havent tried on my waveboard yet - but will try soon.

:D Peter


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