Hi Fall Off Boy,

When you're in the harness, the sail pull is what stops you falling off backwards. So if you're leaning into the harness, and you hit a lull, then the sail stops pulling so hard and if you're not careful you will fall off backwards.

The secret is to watch the water surface upwind of you, if you see a lull approaching then lean more inboard. The opposite applies for a gust -- if you see one approaching then hike out a bit more.

The other thing to remember is that you can sheet in to get more power from your sail. If done early enough this can pull your weight back over the board. If you sheet in too much then you'll oversheet the sail, which stops you very quickly and you might just fall in anyway.

Good luck, like most things in windsurfing it mostly just comes down to practice

Not to go of topic but a waist harness will give you a lot more room for error than a waist harness. When you are starting out I would highly suggest you go waist over seat you will notice the difference.

If you are in over 15 knots of wind you should be planing, leaning back in the harness. It should take all your weight and then some. If you are just learning you may be using too small a sail for the conditions. Fear not, as you get more used to it, you will be able to handle a bigger sail and you will find most of your problems will disappear as you take more weight onto your harness and off your board.