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OK -- this is Lame but here goes :

I am learning to ride the surfboard ; i can do a back-roll on it, and can get
turned around to tow-side. When i am heal-side and on a broad-reach, i look
at my heading by lining up a distant object. If i Try to go Tow-side on that same line ---
I CAN'T !!
SO i drop in the water and reverse the board on my feet, then Hull-Ass across the lake
heal-side again, in an attempt to stay away from Tow-side.

I don't want to keep doing this ; i really need to figure out WHY i can't get as efficient
with my line when i'm on my Tow-side ?

Things are different riding with prosthetic ; i must get analytical about each detail. If you guys
could look at how Ya bend your knees and turn your feet while riding tow-side, it would
be greatly appreciated !!
Also look at how the water is cavitated off your fins while riding tow-side Vs Heal-side, is there
a difference ? Since i can't feel my feet, i look at my fin's cavitation to see if the board is
properly aligned with the direction of travel. I do this about as much as i use my rear-view
mirrors in traffic, every 5-8 seconds !!

My Only option to ride a surfboard is : "Strapped" , because of the fake legs ; and i'm
seriously Glad i can even do That !!

Thanks : Bille

Ps : I'm getting Seriously addicted to the surfboard ; last Sunday the TT got quite
lonely sitting on the beach while i rode the surfboard for almost three hours !!

First off it is called toe side, tow is another surfing discipline in big waves. In the beginning it is natural to go more down wind than heel side. Over time you should progress to better upwind. I find that strap less is more efficient than with straps, but may be because my joints are not as flexible as they used to. I find putting both feet closer to the center of the board helps, other wise I will really need to really bend my rear leg. If you have straps with mounting point closer to the center of the board, that should help.

Heelside you can bend at the waist and lower your bum. You probably also have more of your weight thought the heel than toe of your prosthesis. End result is its easier to dig the rail heel side. Your going to have to ride toe side with your body angle much closer to the water to compensate. Even then, it might not work depending on how much leverage you can get through the ankle to primarily weight the ball of the foot. The strap is on the midline, but the centre of effort through the foot is offset to the rail (usually your heel) Toe side in straps there is a lot of effort at the ankle to weight primarily the toes and lift the heel. Strapless you just take a small step across the midline. But locked in it's an effort to maintain upwind angles toe side. Eventually it's hard on the front ankle to keep that floaty foam rail burried. Can you carve a strong toe side carve in your prosthetics? If so you should be able to go upwind toe side, but it might take a ton of effort.

Surfboards are often ridden upwind flat and off the fins a bit more than the rail, but that is a whole different thing and not really pertinent to the mechanics of toe side riding in straps.

Brent4336 wrote:Heelside you can bend at the waist and lower your bum. You probably also have more of your weight thought the heel than toe of your prosthesis. End result is its easier to dig the rail heel side.

Your going to have to ride toe side with your body angle much closer to the water to compensate.
....
Can you carve a strong toe side carve in your prosthetics? ...

.

YES the Heel of the prosthetic holds More weight ; also when i lean-back heel-side i
can press real hard against the straps , because the ankle is carbon and SS !!
This is the Main reason i want to go in the ocean on a nice 4ft shoulder-high day
with 15-18mph wind ; i can't wait to blow the "Back" off a wave while doing a kite-loop.
I do this a Lot on the 2 - 2.5 waves at Mohave. I got other issues that need working
out before i go in the ocean though, (( like how to get Rid of the board if i fall )). Once the
foot crosses up in a strap while i'm in submarine mode, with the kite pulling, it's hopeless
to try & get out, because there's too much pressure. All You guys do is flex your ankle and your Gone from that thing !!


I'm practicing the carve to Toe-side in my down-winders ; i can do nice S-turns
straight down-wind with the surfboard, but the ones to Heel-side produce a Lot more spray .

I think the tip to get Way lower on the Toe-side carve, is gonna help a Bunch !! Thanks !!!

Bille

Try taking the straps off... you can position yourself over the board better... ie more centered.. better for lighter winds too in my limited experience.

That said I think a person can never be as efficient on toeside as they are on heel side. It just makes sense.. the heel side is more "solid" and can hold the edge better. Toe side is more bouncy... kinda like cheap shocks on a car... you lose speed and control.

Mostly guesses on my part as I'm really not proficient on the surf board yet.
However I did find that taking the straps off was a big help for me. The straps were to close to the end of the board and needed lots of wind to keep up wind... and even more to go toe side Without straps I can manage way easier in lighter winds and toe side is easier as well. Still a work in progress though.

Kinda Blows my mind that you can even carve without controlled ankle movement!

Just look at the picture in your avatar and imagine the legs at exactly the same angle but your body flipped 180 degrees so your toe side. Your upper body would be almost parallel with the water and way low to hold the same edge.

some good advice above

besides getting more weight onto the toe side of the board if you can with your "ankles"
you also can try first using your back leg to point the board upwind, then get more weight forward onto your front leg to lock the angle in ( just as you do on the tt)
so you end up leaning far out over your front "toes" even to the extent of dragging the front arm in the water as far in front as you can with your knees as bent as you can to learn the feeling

How wide is your board?

Your impressive that you can toe side at all with your condition.
I dont know how to help you other than it takes practice, and eventually you will be able to toe side 90% of normal.... I can go upwind but not like I can normal stance.
Keep at it and I figure next year it will be a piece of cake for you...it does take a while.

J

The board is 19" wide and now it's 6ft long.
I diced 6" off the back to loosen it up a Tad ; it's a bit looser now.
Also got rid of the flat side front fins and glued in some symmetrical ones
on a 0-deg line with the board and canted out some for better traction
when the rail is dug in. It seams faster than before, but i'm bias.
I wish it would get kissed by a frog and wake up as a Jimmy Louis
something bitchen.

I will probably attach the unknown hydrofoil to this one because
it's made like a Tank. I want a box so it can be removed and
not affect the board when the foil isn't there. The foil is the main
reason i decided to learn the surfboard ; i need to be doing that by
next spring.

Bille