Alternative name: Jibe - out of switch, Jibe - switch stance, Jibe - toe to heel, Switch to Jibe, Toe to Heel Jibe
Category: Basics
Level of difficulty: Level 2 (from 4)
Special characteristics
In wing foiling, the switch stance jibe is also known as toe to heel jibe. Basically, a jibe is a change of direction - simply said, a turn to ride in the other direction again. Unlike a tack, where you steer into the wind (to windward), a jibe means you head away from the wind (to leeward).
The jibe can be ridden in two different stance positions: normal and switch. In the switch stance jibe, which is the subject of this article, the toes point towards the wind before the jibe is initiated. As you do not change the position of your feet during the jibe (a jibe is a 180-degree turn), your toes point away from the wind and your heels point into the wind. The switch stance jibe is therefore also known as a toeside to heelside jibe, or more simply as a toe to heel jibe.
When wingfoiling, you can completely foil a switch stance jibe (fly through). As described above, you stand on the board in switch stance, i.e. with your feet twisted. The jibe starts with steering to leeward. The pressure in the wing decreases as you move away from the wind. Exactly in the middle of the jibe, the wing is turned 180 degrees (direction: leading edge upwards). This also involves changing the grip. The leading edge then points in the new direction of travel. The pressure in the wing increases again in the second half of the jibe.
The tutorials and videos below illustrate how this works when you are foiling on the water:
