The Secrets to FULLY PLANING JIBES (avoid these mistakes!)

The planing nJibe or Powerjibe is one of if not the most complicated maneuvres for up and coming windsurfers.

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00:00 - 01:30 Intro
01:30 - 02:26 Focus on one thing
02:26 - 02:49 The Gear
02:49 - 04:22 Pick up Speed
04:22 - 06:06 Initiating the Jibe
06:06 - 06:22 Foot placement
06:22 - 07:01 Bend the knees
07:01 - 07:36 Body positioning
07:36 - 09:12 Sail Flip
09:12 - 10:18 Exit the Jibe
10:18 - 11:32 Outro

[mjoosterhuis]

Hi Nils, Nice video again. What helped me was two things: just before flipping that sail, shift the (old) mast hand over the boom all the way to the mast. This helps when pivoting the sail. Number two: I used to pull the board with my outer foot (still in the footstrap) together with standing (too little) on the inner rail. This however did not load the rail enough, so I now focus on really standing on the rail side foot and pushing the board, and only using the outer foot for some balance. This engages the rail much more, making the board much more stable and it looses much less speed. Hope it helps someone on their next session. And if you fail, you can always return to the good old proven “German Gybe” technique ;-)

[bernhodgins]

I began windsurfing in the mid-80's, bought my first board in the late 80's, and began doing planing jibes shortly thereafter. I sailed short boards for years, but always made the mistake that you mentioned in that I thought the jibe had to be a 180 degree turn. I spent years not bearing off before jibing, and probably out of the jibe too close to the wind.

Thanks to guys like you posting tips online, I have slowly improved my jibes, despite being much older than I was during my windsurfing prime.

Keep up the content. Brands get more exposure from vids like yours that they do in a competition setting, and your general vibe reminds me about all of the cool people I've met through this wonderful sport. Fellow sailors are generally quite helpful and supportive, and we need more of this sort of person in the world today.

Thanks again.

Bern

[robertbrankin]

Hi Nils, I have watched almost all your videos, I really like your passion about windsurfing and your unpretentious way of sharing your knowledge, and I must say this video, to my opinion, is your BEST, THANK YOU 🏄‍♂🏄‍♂🏄‍♂
Robby

[fasullamail]

Hello Nils, thank you for this very informative video.
I know I'm pedantic, but I must point out that by bearing away before gybing you reduce the angle subtending the arc of your turn, NOT the radius.
Stay dry!
😉

[paulmills]

keep up the great effort on videos, always well thought through, and well produced. Youtube millions are around the corner!

[tompaesmans]

Hi Nils, thanks for this well-made tutorial! What I learnt is also very important, is to continue the curve of rotation of the board when switching the feet. What did the trick for me, is learning to foil jibe on a small lake, where while sailing 8-figures you make up to 200 jibes in one session... since I master this, the power jibe on slalom gear is a piece of cake.

[sharewavestv]

I do „german jibes“ all the time. And i never fail ✌🏼

[TeamTeam]

Hi Nils: Another great video, full of good advice above and over the excellent ones aready out there.
Not sure you know your audience very well. These videos are very appreciated. Thanks.

[alfordmick]

Great vid as usual Nils, yea 20 years ago we used to laugh at “German gybes” on the lakes at the Dutch coast. Prove them wrong now 😂😂🎉

[markoconnor]

👍 I learned how to Windsurf in 1979, and always found it easier to perform a Gybe than a Tack.
I opened my own Windsurfing school just 4•5× years later and I knew how important it was to give my customers a clear description and demonstration of the processes to go through during a gybe prior to permitting them to attempt to perform one themselves out at sea or in a lake.
Although a tack is more difficult to perform on a Windsurfer than a gybe it is beneficial to know what way to perform that turning technique also, especially before beginning to take part in races.

[dairyairman]

Great video! There are some really key points in this video. Coming out of the jibe on a broad reach is one of them and is something I didn't start doing until I'd been jibing for many years.

I'm not the world's greatest jiber, but I've learned a few things over time.


If you want to plane out of a jibe I think it's really important to be going as fast as possible coming into the jibe. That means jibing in a gust, or at least when you're really powered up. As you start going downwind to pick up speed, it's good to bend your knees (like you said) and keep your weight low to counterbalance the extra pull of the sail. You definitely don't want to bend forward at the waist at this stage. I usually try to do a kind of "banked turn" so that the inner rail is buried in the water. I believe that burying the rail helps prevent the board from bouncing out, or god forbid, spinning out.

A mistake I've made frequently in the past (and sometimes still make) is to keep going downwind in a straight line until the board slows down a lot or stops before switching my feet and flipping the sail. Of course, you will not plane through a jibe if you do that. Typically, the tail will sink, the board will round up into the wind on the new tack, and you'll be lucky not to fall in. You really need to keep the board on a smooth arc throughout the jibe, and make sure you switch your feet and flip the sail while the board is still planing. I think it helps to look ahead downwind to where you want to end up at the end of the jibe. It's not good to look at the rig or at the board while jibing.

[schobihh]

since there is windsurfing there are tutorials about jibing. It simply is one of the hardest maneuvers to learn.

[sandervang]

Great video again. Also super that you point out your own "mistake". Frankly, I noticed this already in a lot of the earlier tuturials you made so probably this way feels good for you. The loss of speed is rather low in my opinion. You showed some really good jibes in choppy conditions so I think your jibing is pretty good in general. Bending my knees is my most common flaw. I keep forgetting this. Hopefully the weather improves shortly so we can make longer sessions taking more risk and learn more. It's to cold know to fall every jibe.

[bohvasspedersen]

Moving the back hand further back - made a huge difference for me😊

[MartinEdmead-xl]

Great video, agree with everything you said and apologies for being another person chipping in with more advice but the difference for me between planing and not planing out of the gybe is keeping downward pressure on the boom through as much of the turn as possible

[streetsailor]

Thanks Nils, I've picked up some new nuggets of jibe knowledge.

[philipbrown]

Great video, and I have watched loads of videos trying to perfect my jibe.
The biggest problem I have is the exit, I always drop off the plane. Now I realise I am trying to head too far back up wind and should bear away. 120 degree jibe, not 180 !!
Best jibe video yet !! Thanks😊

[alanpods]

You only briefly covered foot placement for the foot change in a nanosecond. I think this is really critical for a good gybe? I keep messing this up, because other videos suggest you have to cross your feet over, which is a crazy impossible ballet move to attempt to do while on a bouncing, turning wobbly board at speed. Your placement at 9:37 is much simpler 👍 Interestingly, you also suggest switching the feet AFTER the rig flip 😮 Literally EVERY other guide I’ve seen suggests doing the foot change before the rig flip. Maybe this is where I’m going wrong 😭😭😭 ? I’m hopeless at gybing 😂

[FPV]

It definitely better tutorial than from Nico Prien. Very much really useful moments exposed. Thanks 🙏👍

[michelletran]

Thanks for the advice. I am learning the planing jibe. Goes perfectly into the jibe. Then I get slowly down in the turn 11:32 and loose the speed. The flip off the sail, and right feet position. At this moment I nearly stop and then go planning again. 😊