Select to expand quoteMartinF2 said..
Wonder what Vince used: gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2017-03-19&team=77 
I used jp speed 54 neilpryde evo 9 7.0 and zfins 29slm s-
The other major difference is that in Step gybe the mast and rig drops towards the tail of the board as it is flipped and must be physically dragged back forward. I think this is a major reason the sailor must step well forward in this gybe to counter the tail sinking as the weight of the rig is pulled forward. Done well, it can be pulled forward as it flips. Done poorly, it can be quite an effort, and an upset to the balance of the board's glide.
In the STS or pivot gybe, the mast/sail should stay very close to the centre line of the board and centre of balance though the flip. This can make for a smooth gybe when done well.
Select to expand quoteIan K said..
Used to do strap to strap gybes but when it got choppy I was hopeless. The step gybe is more reliable, has you in a position to compensate if things don't go as planned. The strap to strap then became uncomfortable as I realised that my front foot was still in the strap with the knee almost locked straight. A locked knee is more prone to injury. Any anecdotal evidence to back up my perceived risk of doing strap to strap gybes?
I only learned to carve gybe last August - only on port tack and STS. I often over-rotate and come to a jarring halt after flipping the rig. My left knee now feels "loose". A much as I like the new sensation of staying dry (I just come back in and beach start on the other tack, haha), I think I'm going to have to learn step gybes if only to save my knees. Ironically where I gybe the water is very rough and I can't fathom changing feet first - I just want to make it around. In fact I used to even stay in both straps. Now that's really bad for the knees if you don't plane out, which I almost never do. So I stopped that madness.
FWIW, on a recent clinic with Guy, he told me STS is old school crap and that virtually everyone in the PWA step gybes. I'm sure he meant slalom guys.
All good points and have had all those experiences.
For me it was the board width and big rigs. Having been a STS for 20+ yrs, I found it really hard on large boards and big rigs doing a STS gybe. The cross over size for me is about 66cm wide board and 7.0m cammed rig. At 66cm/7.0 I can go either way, above this I have to go to a step gybe, as the board is too wide and you can't keep enough weight on the rail to keep the board carving (or you try to jam on the tail and pivot the board, however it and the rig are too slow to spin and you end up in the drink) through the turn.
I also find the big cammed rigs in a STS can pull you off balance easily. When they come round you have not switched your feet yet and the power can hit hard and pull you off balance, where as a step gybe you have your feet in a stable position before the rig comes round.
I find it the opposite with my speed board, really hard to step gybe, as there is not much room for your feet
Select to expand quotevincebel62 said..MartinF2 said..
Wonder what Vince used: gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2017-03-19&team=77
I used jp speed 54 neilpryde evo 9 7.0 and zfins 29slm s-
Welcome to the forum Vince. What was your technique for the 29+ knot alpha last weekend? 3rd highest ever on GPSTC so you might provide some input for us mortals. Any video's welcome too.
I've been talking to Jacques and think you all need to come visit for a windsurfing holiday.
Cheers
Marty
Hi,
very interesting discussion here. For me I have been doing STS jibe for years. 3 Years ago I learned the Step jibe for my 85 cm slalomboard and that improved my jibing a lot, once You get the footwork and the timing right. No Problem any longer to sail with switch stance after the rig flip, where You sometimes loose balance and fall in.
Nowadays I use the step jibe for almost any conditions even with my waveboard. For me ist the most secure way to plan through jibes and also not to fall in. Only in very choppy and overpowerded conditions I would sometimes do a STS jibe.
When You look at the PWA Slalom racers they always will do a step jibe. Also in heavy sea and stormy wind like Fuerteventura Slalom last Year (40 kts wind) with their 90 l slalomboards. Also the PWA wave sailors do step jibes (when they do not tack ...).
If the STS jibe would be more safe or faster, I am sure all the PWA racers would do it. For me it is obvious that the step jibe ist the way to go. Nice when You are able to do both jibing styles, to adapt to different conditions or just for fun.
Best regards
Alex
At the risk of repeating myself, and the obvious: (From the 5th post of this thread)
"So to sum up, IMHO, the reason it is somewhat favoured for fast Alphas, is that these Gybes tend to be done at very high speed on flat water.
The reason why the vast majority of Slalom racers use a Step Gybe is that they are usually in bouncy rough water and using large heavy rigs, somewhat overpowered. The emphasis is more towards 'Safe' than 'Fast', because it is very slow if you blow it."
The 'old school' statement is pure crap! THIS ^ is the reason all the PWA slalom racers do the step gybe. You should do them too if you are a PWA racer sailing in rough water, overpowered, with a heavy, powerful rig!
If you are not a PWA slalom racer, and sail on flattish water on gear that is suited to your size and purpose, don't just blindly follow what the super humans do, because what they are doing is not what you are trying to do (unless you are, of course 
). Have an open mind and experiment to find out what works for you in your situation.
Also, the article linked by MrCranky (above) on lightweight sailors has a lot of very useful and true analysis in it. If you are a lightweight (like me 
), read it carefully.
I was reminiscing about Burrum on previous years and didn't realise i had one of each in my video. sorry about the cheesy tune
I'm finding with my new 80 iSonic it's around the corner and off again before I've got back in my straps after I've step gybed. It's super speedy & I'm a bit slow. Any suggestions how I can speed up on getting in the footstraps process? Especially the back one, sometimes it's really hard to get in to and I'm sure my alpha's will really speed up if only I could keep up with the board. I found the Naish 2004 waveboard the same, it gybed before me
IMHO, that is exactly where the 'flip first' gybe works best. Assuming flattish water.
Your feet stay in the working area of the board between the straps. Remove your old front foot just as the rig comes back into your hands.
Put your back foot in first as you drive away. Otherwise you have to stand the rig up and sheet out to get it in if you have the new front foot already in. The faster you are planing when you come out, the more important this is. If you come out slower, the centre of resistance is further forward so you can get away with driving off the front foot. When you come out fast, the C of R is too far back so you have to have your new front foot between the straps to drive, and put the back foot in first.
There is some great feedback in this thread, a lot of the subtleties of gybing are coming out. Gybes are always different and that is what makes them so challenging. You have to keep adapting them to the speed and the wind and water state. It is not like practicing a piece of music which is always the same. Keep the feedback coming!
Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped, and the rig gets ripped out of my hands because I was too late flipping, and swings wildly away because I have not kept it to the inside of the turn because I was going to do a step gybe. Also my back foot is too far back for a STS and because of that my body is not facing forward enough for me to twist sufficiently to catch the rig....
I might have to learn the STS gybe, although it has taken me so long to get the step gybe sorted, the thought of starting again is very daunting.
I do not have a fast twitch muscle fibre in my body, so anything which requires speedy accurate movements is very difficult and comes only after much practice.
Select to expand quotesailquik said..
Also, the article linked by MrCranky (above) on lightweight sailors has a lot of very useful and true analysis in it. If you are a lightweight (like me ), read it carefully.
Andrew , if you are a light weight, then what am I At 56 kg?
Select to expand quoteWindxtasy said..sailquik said..
Also, the article linked by MrCranky (above) on lightweight sailors has a lot of very useful and true analysis in it. If you are a lightweight (like me ), read it carefully.
Andrew , if you are a light weight, then what am I At 56 kg?
You are a featherweight!
Select to expand quoteWindxtasy said..
There is some great feedback in this thread, a lot of the subtleties of gybing are coming out. Gybes are always different and that is what makes them so challenging. You have to keep adapting them to the speed and the wind and water state. It is not like practicing a piece of music which is always the same. Keep the feedback coming!
Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped, and the rig gets ripped out of my hands because I was too late flipping, and swings wildly away because I have not kept it to the inside of the turn because I was going to do a step gybe. Also my back foot is too far back for a STS and because of that my body is not facing forward enough for me to twist sufficiently to catch the rig....
I might have to learn the STS gybe, although it has taken me so long to get the step gybe sorted, the thought of starting again is very daunting.
I do not have a fast twitch muscle fibre in my body, so anything which requires speedy accurate movements is very difficult and comes only after much practice.
Check out the videos I posted again and see how the rig, leaning into the turn, just floats around with no weight on the sailors arms.
Also, Jimbob reminded me the other day of one of the best Gybe tips ever: You are not trying to turn 180. You should only aim at 90 degrees! Broad in and broad out. Plane away and round back up after the gybe.
Happy step gyber here. Use it in rough water, ocean swells, and flat water. Strap to Strap looks like an awkward ankle snapper to me.
Select to expand quoteShifu said..
Happy step gyber here. Use it in rough water, ocean swells, and flat water. Strap to Strap looks like an awkward ankle snapper to me.
In your rough water, open sea environment, it (step) would most likely be the best technique. 
The ankle snapper look is because some people think they must leave the foot in the opposite strap when they sheet in like in the first video in this thread. Not the best way to do it. Done well, it is light footed, like a delicate dance. 
Select to expand quotesailquik said..
... Done well, it is light footed, like a delicate dance.
That's always a good thing in jibes, STS or step. Being heavy-footed disturbs the board balance and kills speed. Any (additional) tips for how to stay light footed in STS jibes?
Select to expand quotesailquik said..
IMHO, that is exactly where the 'flip first' gybe works best. Assuming flattish water.
Your feet stay in the working area of the board between the straps. Remove your old front foot just as the rig comes back into your hands.
Put your back foot in first as you drive away. Otherwise you have to stand the rig up and sheet out to get it in if you have the new front foot already in. The faster you are planing when you come out, the more important this is. If you come out slower, the centre of resistance is further forward so you can get away with driving off the front foot. When you come out fast, the C of R is too far back so you have to have your new front foot between the straps to drive, and put the back foot in first.
That sounds like a variation of the usual STS jibe. Maybe it's the BFF jibe (in "fond" memory of many near-religious discussions of how to get into the straps in the US forum). Or maybe BSF jibe - Barely Sail First .
In the video you posted earlier in this thread, your old front foot is moved twice. You first move it out of the strap and put it behind the new front foot; then the new front foot moves a little (more to the center of the board?); then the old front foot goes into the back strap. Finally, the new front foot goes into the front strap. Is that how you do it on small speed boards, too?
Just looking at the video, I'd guess that your footwork is optimized to always keep the board perfectly trimmed. That seems to be easier with the new front foot more towards the middle of the board.
Anyway, I find your approach very interesting. I've listened to tons of jibe lectures and read tons of jibe advice, but I have never heard about this particular approach. Maybe because it's "step 3: how to plane out wicked fast", after "step 1: how to jibe planing" and "step 2: how to plane out of jibes" 
.
Select to expand quotesailquik said..Windxtasy said..
There is some great feedback in this thread, a lot of the subtleties of gybing are coming out. Gybes are always different and that is what makes them so challenging. You have to keep adapting them to the speed and the wind and water state. It is not like practicing a piece of music which is always the same. Keep the feedback coming!
Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped, and the rig gets ripped out of my hands because I was too late flipping, and swings wildly away because I have not kept it to the inside of the turn because I was going to do a step gybe. Also my back foot is too far back for a STS and because of that my body is not facing forward enough for me to twist sufficiently to catch the rig....
I might have to learn the STS gybe, although it has taken me so long to get the step gybe sorted, the thought of starting again is very daunting.
I do not have a fast twitch muscle fibre in my body, so anything which requires speedy accurate movements is very difficult and comes only after much practice.
sailquik said..
Check out the videos I posted again and see how the rig, leaning into the turn, just floats around with no weight on the sailors arms.
Yes it looks beautiful, but that only works when you have planned to do a STS gybe. If I lean the rig in like that with a step gybe I fall in because both feet, plus the sail is on one side of the board, and it tips.
Select to expand quoteWindxtasy said..
Yes it looks beautiful, but that only works when you have planned to do a STS gybe. If I lean the rig in like that with a step gybe I fall in because both feet, plus the sail is on one side of the board, and it tips.
Yep! 
Select to expand quoteShifu said..
^^^ flip sooner. Flip at the same time as the foot change.
Yep
Select to expand quoteWindxtasy said..
Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped,
Try to take a bigger radius to give you more time.
If you watch Slowy he almost slam gybes and the radius is really tight and the gybe super fast, I know because he did one right in front of me yesterday
Come into the Gybe sheeting in with the back hand as you un-hook, step across the board and apply light rail pressure so as you don't turn too sharp, then at about 90 degrees start stepping & flipping as you come out of the turn.
If you come into the gybe on a downwind run then reduce the turn to 45 degrees like PB Col was doing yesterday
The wider arc slows it all down but go in as fast as possible to keep the momentum through the turn.
The step jibe is harder with small boards in strong wind. But I think that is only an issue of the right timing. A small board turns faster, so You have to do the step and the rig flip earlier, but that would be the same thing with a strap to strap jibe.
I do not use my smallest board (85 Liters) very often (95 kg bodyweight) but after some jibes when You get the timing right also the step jibe is a lot of fun on the board.
Strap to Strap could mabybe be faster in flat water but the risk of falling in is much higher, especially in choppy water.
BR
Alex
Interesting discussion with lots of input on gybing. Seems I should concentrate on proper step gybes when on big gear.
Coming from high wind bump & jump, it never occurred to me they were useful until I found that gybing on bigger gear never really felt natural to me.
In really strong winds, that is in Leucate with a 3.0 fully lit, I've even sometimes found myself standing in both front straps at the same time when flipping the sail, especially on slippery boards. Clearly not elegant, it seemed to me the safest way to get around the corner in these conditions. No, there is no footage and I'm not sure I would show anybody if there was.
Good gybing on a rather narrow speedboard can be seen here (Steve Thorp in West Kirby):
Now I'm practicing both gybes my brains getting muddled up when I'm gybing, I'm starting to forget both because I'm thinking about it too much
I agree Anita, this is a great thread, I'm learning soooo much
Select to expand quoteRolz said..
I was reminiscing about Burrum on previous years and didn't realise i had one of each in my video. sorry about the cheesy tune
What wrong with the music.. love it!
Select to expand quoteWindxtasy said..
There is some great feedback in this thread, a lot of the subtleties of gybing are coming out. Gybes are always different and that is what makes them so challenging. You have to keep adapting them to the speed and the wind and water state. It is not like practicing a piece of music which is always the same. Keep the feedback coming!
Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped, and the rig gets ripped out of my hands because I was too late flipping, and swings wildly away because I have not kept it to the inside of the turn because I was going to do a step gybe. Also my back foot is too far back for a STS and because of that my body is not facing forward enough for me to twist sufficiently to catch the rig....
I might have to learn the STS gybe, although it has taken me so long to get the step gybe sorted, the thought of starting again is very daunting.
I do not have a fast twitch muscle fibre in my body, so anything which requires speedy accurate movements is very difficult and comes only after much practice.
After reading that lightweight article I thought I have all the disadvantages of being a lightweight without the advantage of as he says being ' light / agile on my feet.."
