Vulcan

Cribby

7/12/04

3:32 pm

Page 1

VULCAN
The Vulcan. INtuition going boldly where no one has gone before!
You could say the Vulcan is the fourth challenge on route to windsurfing’s Holy Grail (non-existent perfection in windsurfing). Your first challenge was learning to windsurf, the second and arguably hardest challenge – the waterstart, then as if getting into the footstraps wasn’ttough enough, once you could use them you had to get out of them and turn around, scrambling from one side of your board to the other learning to carve gybe. And now if you’re already that incredibly accomplished windsurfer able to carve gybe, maybe chop hop or forward loop, to get respect in the modern freestyle world, you’ve got to turn around in mid air, perhaps the hardest challenge yet – theVulcan. Who, why or when someone called it the Vulcan I don’t claim to know, but learning the Vulcan, this is something I know about, having become one of those windsurfers to drag myself over that frustrating hurdle. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few years to pull off. I cracked it in around 2000, but some years later when I was learning to spock, I realised I hadn’t really ever totallysussed vulcans and my spocks were hindered as a result. Not to mention I could only do them in one direction. The Vulcan is the key move that enables you to enter modern freestyle as every aerial trick from the new school begins with something similar to a Vulcan - Spocks, Grubbys, Flakas and even Willy-Skippers etc are all far easier than you think once you’ve sussed the Vulcan. My INtuitionStylemaster series will take you into those realms over the next months, but for now, here’s the absolute gospel on the Vulcan.

by Guy Cribb INtuition Godfather.

Using the photos over the next pages you’ll see what goes on, but the basic event is this: Whilst fully planing, spin the board 180 degrees in mid-air and land with the board sliding in reverse, still in your footstraps. Flip the righalfway round, grind to a halt, switch your feet to the new side and sail back the way you came from, completing a ludicrous but very credible alternative to the tack or gybe. The combination of strength, fast reactions and agility with thorough basic freestyle skills enables only the most dedicated windsurfers to master the Vulcan, which is why the whole world of freestyle windsurfing has beenrevolutionised and now dominated by fearless radical kids who sail literally every day in perfect conditions and why probably less than 1% of windsurfers can Vulcan. However, using your INtuition, this feature will let you step into that 1% Earthlings, as this is your very real chance to learn to Vulcan. If you’re familiar with INtuition you’ll know windsurfing coaching should be broken down intoachievable bite sized chunks, and there are distinct mouthfuls to this move, all explained in this feature. Chomp by chomp I’m going to prepare you better than ever for lift off, and make Vulcans a very realistic goal for you this year.

INTUITIO
Windsurf January|February 2005

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STATISTICS
VULCAN VITAL STATISTICS
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT VULCANS IS POPPING, NOT CHOP HOPPINGPop/bounce/cork/spring/bunny hop the board off the water. Do not do a traditional chop hop because this sends the nose of the board skyward, when in order to Vulcan you need to dig the nose downwards into the water. Popping the tail out of the water and lifting it high under your butt helps push the nose downwards into the water. With the nose dug in, the tail catapults around to land smoothly inreverse. This, Earthlings, is the trickiest part of the move to get used to, as it’s so different from the traditional chop hop that you’re probably currently initiating your Vulcan attempts from. Furthermore ‘popping’ keeps you directly above the board whilst it spins underneath you, whereas a ‘chop hop’ lifts the board out in front of you and gives you no chance of digging the nose in. And, if...