The Secret Weapon (Toe-side Water-Start)

Grabs

MOVE: The Secret Weapon (Toe-side start)

RIDER: Neal Gent

PHOTOS: Christian Black

Once in the waves you don't always have time to get the board on the right way round and escape a rinsing. It's therefore wise to learn a toe-side water-start so you can spend more time riding and less time in the water

Set up for the water-start with the board facing the opposite direction to the way you want to be heading. As the kite starts to lift you out of the water switch the board from backwards heel-side to to regular toe-side and point in the right direction sharply.

Keep your weight on the back foot, pulling that leg underneath you while lifting the front of the board round almost 180 degrees to a position where you can ride off in toe-side.

Swivel your hips in the direction you want to go until they are facing away from the kite.

As the board comes through and beyond pointing downwind, start getting your weight onto the front foot to engage the toe-side rail.

Keep your knees bent, your weight low and you should be riding out of trouble.

Toe-side or heel-side, riding upwind on a surfboard is much easier with the back foot out of the straps and planted in front of the back strap. Toe-side it allows you to position the back foot more towards the toe-side rail you want to engage (the toe-side rail) giving you more leverage and stabilises the board as soon as you are up.

Toe-side riding in the straps is about as unstable as you can get on a surfboard and you really have to work on getting the trim of the board right so it actually keeps momentum.
Too much back foot pressure and you'll luff up into wind and sink the tail. Too much front foot and you'll be hacking off downwind if you haven't already been pulled over the nose!

Here's an example of bad technique, which leads to mistakes that will be punished! Tail sink and luffing up into wind with the back foot in the strap...tut tut!