The Foil Tack- (Step by Step, Conditions & Kiteboarding Gear)

In this current climate of essentials and non-essentials, the OK kiteboarder definitely falls into the bottom rungs of the non-essential category. But with that being said, I still thought it could be beneficial to provide a tutorial on a maneuver that I have been working on but have not yet consistently conquered, and that is the hydrofoil tack. There are many variations to the foil tack, but this episode will focus on the back roll tack with a foot switch. Maybe you can start visualizing the steps of this transition until the world starts spinning again, and you can get out and start practicing it. For the video, I'm going to use Vadim, owner of Green Hat, and his skills to demonstrate it, along with some commentary of where I struggle with different phases of this transition, as well as proper conditions and proper gear to make the most of your time on the water. So here's the good news. Even though the tack, in my opinion, is more difficult than the foot switch jibe, it is much more forgiving on misses, which normally means you just fall backwards into the water with very little force or velocity. So what benefit is a tack outside of foil racing? Well, for foil freeride, the tack transition retains your upwind gain that often you lose with the jibe transition. Plus, it's always good to keep adding to your hydrofoil tool bag. To begin, you're going to want to enter this transition with significant speed. The smaller the front wing, the more velocity you will need. Raising your kite up to 12 o'clock slowly and sheet it out, remember that your back hand going into the maneuver is going to be the steering hand. If you steer the kite up too quickly, you may have a difficult time turning sharply upwind, and instead, you may begin to get lifted too early in the transition. Once you have completed the upwind angle with your board and the kite is overhead, sheet in on the bar to make yourself weightless through your harness in what may be the most difficult aspect of this transition. While feeling the pull of the kite overhead and completing your upwind carve, initiate your head to move under your lead armpit. This small rotation will begin the sequence for the trail foot coming to the front of the board so that for a brief moment, both feet are on the front. At this point, you need to get the pitch back over on the starboard side of the board, away from the port side. A simple diagram above shows that on a unidirectional vessel, when facing the bow, the right side is the starboard side and the left side is the port side. Start applying pressure through the outside of the ankle to redirect the pitch to the starboard side. Mistakes at this point for me were to have my center of gravity too far to the back of the board, resulting in a soft fall off the back. With the kite still sheeted in, bring the initial lead foot to the back of the board, while at the same time, resume with diving the kite by still pulling with the same hand you started the transition, which is now the forward hand. With the back foot now on the board, you will stay on foil if you can maintain consistent kite pull throughout the transition, which can be a tricky balance. Currently for me, this is where I end up bogging down in the water due to a lack of kite pull at this stage. Make sure to be aggressive enough with sending the kite, even becoming comfortable in lighter conditions with looping the kite out of the maneuver for additional power, as the tack does require more power than the jibe. So to recap, have significant speed into the transition, raise the kite slowly overhead, sheet it out. After completing your upwind carve, sheet in, move your head under your front armpit, move your trail foot to the front of the board, then move your initial front foot to the rear of the board. Start sending the kite, down loop if necessary, then repeat 10,000 times until you get it. Ideal conditions for training to foil tack are flat water with steady wind in the mid-teens. You want to be properly powered or maybe even slightly overpowered, which unlike jibes, tacks are difficult to learn in an underpowered environment. You can learn tacks on any setup, but having the proper gear will make it a lot easier and can significantly reduce your learning phase duration. Some considerations are using a foil kite, especially a high aspect ratio one that sits close to the edge of the wind window, which will provide more lift and making you weightless for a longer period of time to switch your feet. Shorter lines in 15 to 18 meter range will reduce the lag and will help you feel more connected to the kite. Timing is everything during your tack training. Also, a slightly larger board with big volume and some nose rocker will allow you to rebound from failed attempts when touching down. Consider using two big and loose front straps to help control the pitch of the board during the maneuver. Mass lengths somewhere in the 80 to 100 centimeter range are a good fit. Too short of a mass and you will breach. Too long and it becomes too sensitive. Wing size is also extremely important. A front wing in the range of 600 to 1000 square centimeters will allow enough speed to stay in the air, but not so large that it will be draggy into the turn. Also confirm that your foil is properly tuned. When you ride, you need to be able to have equal flex of your knees throughout the board. Additionally, our recommendation is to use a seat harness, which really allows you to hang off the kite and be weightless, and also consider using a slider, which can increase your agility on turns due to increased range of motion. These are just a list of recommendations. I'm sure many foilers will have their own preferences as well, but most of all, don't become frustrated with this transition. I'm trying to stay patient and conquering it as well. Reach out to let me know how your progression is with the foil tack, and any tips are always welcomed. Thanks to Vadim for the video examples, and reach out to Greenhat Kiteboarding for all of your kite gear needs. I would appreciate comments, likes, and subscribe if you get a chance. Stay safe, and I hope to see you out on the water soon.