Video

Jibe

The normal jibe in wing foiling

This video shows the wing foil jibe in a normal foot position. The jibe is usually the first change of riding direction you make when wing foiling. And this is the easiest way to learn the jibe:

Practice turns
Don't try to jibe right away at the beginning, but rather foil downwind. This means riding in a zigzag pattern across the water. This will help you learn how to use your feet to initiate the downwind turn. This is done by applying pressure to your toes (the wing is also moved slightly further forward).

As soon as you move out of the wind (away from the wind to leeward), the prower in the wing decreases. Start with small turns and then return to sailing straight ahead (pressure on the heels, move the wing slightly backward).

Foiling downwind
Then try to steer this turn a little more sharply to leeward. To do this, lift the wing with both hands and bring it flat over your head so that the front tube is pointing into the wind. This means you lose the propulsion provided by the wing, but you have a clear view and can concentrate fully on foiling — and that's exactly what matters when jibing.

When traveling downwind, do not attempt to continue the turn, but rather remain in the foiling position for as long as possible with the wing held flat above your head until the board touches the water surface again.

After that, you have to start with a take-off again, but it's a great way to practice an important part of the jibe without falling into the water.

Switch Stance
The most difficult part of the jibe is the second section, the transition from downwind to the new direction of travel, because your feet are in a twisted position on the board. You can practice this position on land: simply stand on the beach with your feet twisted and hold the wing into the wind as you would when foiling.

On the water, you also have to use foot controls, which feels strange at first because your feet are in a different position. But here too, it helps to keep the wing neutral and focus all your attention on foiling.

Planing
The most important thing is to foil cleanly through the jibe: start with a high flying position and not too slowly, then complete the entire jibe at a constant flying height. The radius of the turn should also remain the same so that there is no instability in the foot control.

And if you don't manage to plane through immediately, continue the jibe until the board touches the water again. Try to control this moment — in other words, master it without falling. Then work your way forward slowly: 70°, 90°, 110°... a little further each time you try, and it won't be long before you've completed your first wing foil jibe.

Wing position
In the video, you can see that you can hold the wing flat above your head throughout the entire jibe. The advantage of this is that it largely eliminates the influence of the wind. This works because the foil ride gives you enough speed to glide through the jibe.

The wing can be rotated flat above your head like a plate, making it easy to grab arround. You can practice this on land beforehand as well.

The flat wing position also prevents the trailing edge of the wing from folding down, obstructing the view in the direction of travel, or the wing from being pushed against the body by the wind.

Spot selection for practice
It is best to practice jibing on very flat water, as this makes learning much easier. Even wind waves as high as 30 cm on a lake can be a significant hindrance.

So don't go out on the water where the wind is blowing onshore, but rather where the wind is blowing from the side, near a pier, a flat headland, or a sandbank—where the water surface is as flat as possible.

Good luck!

Basics Jibe Level ★★☆☆ Rider: Jürgen Schall Text: Jürgen Schall Photos/Videos: Jürgen Schall DE

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