[quote
No no not at all,
I am concerned that I can see two different styles of footwork when actally there is one, what you want us to try is when we are about to gybe, move the rear foot forward part a bit earlier to see what the difference is.
Flip the rig earlier hopfully we are positioned well on the board nice and early, sheet in, bare off hang on.
If I make a gybe then have to slug off I will be sceaming sucess! The carve bit will work itself out after that.
Cheers GT
Ok I will give that ago
ok first things first. lets forget about the strap to strap and focus on the step gybe. what you wrote above is not quite what i was getting at but we are on track. because now the idea of stepping early is being experimented with. basically the step happens during the carve and before the rig flip. not before the carve. i am suggesting stepping earlier. ie. when your carve has reached the downwind part. this does a couple of things. it helps get you settled for the rig flip by positioning you nice and early and gets your weight forward to keep the board planing. the reason i am suggesting this is because most learners step late even though they think they are stepping early.
some common compliants are :-
dropping off the plane, stalling and or pivoting to windward. these thing are caused by not stepping early enough and not having bent knees.
another complaint is that the mast was in the wrong spot or i fell backwards etc. this can also be caused by stepping late which leaves you stepping while the sail is rotating. which leaves you rushed and unballanced.
the rig flip will sort itself out after that. but should occur as you are exiting the gybe on the broadreach. it all happens fairly quickly though.
by breaking it down into.
1. setup
2. carve
3. step while carving
4. flip while carving
5. exit
it allows you to focus on one thing at a time.
so to visualise.
1. setup....
sail across the wind on a beam reach. stand upright then place rear foot perpendicular to rail on leeward side of board in front of rear strap.
2. carve....
bend at the knees, sheet sail in and rock forward onto the balls of your feet. push your bottom towards leeward rail keep uper body over centreline of board and shoulder parralel to sail.
3. step while carving....
as the board is carving and gets to the downwind direction. "step". move your rear foot forward and place it on the centreline of the board behind the mast base. the board will continue to carve as you do this. (if the board looses it's carve then you placed your foot towards the rail) as you step let go of the boom with your rear sheet hand. keep knees bent and body position compact.
4. flip while carving....
your feet are in the new position and the sail has begun rotating. grab the new side of the boom with your old sheet hand about 30cm from the mast. move the rig forward towards the nos of the board and sheet in with your old back hand. pulling down or hanging off the boom at this point will assist in keeping you planing and also help in overpowered conditions or with big race sails.
5. exit....
as you exit on a broadreach move your body weight back down the board and flatten it out to increase speed. then hook in and you are away.
all sounds to easy. the thing that spoils it is the water and wind strength that constantly change. so adjusting the step timing can help overcome some of these problems.
but i still stack my gybes regularly. reading the conditions is a big part of it. although generally when i stack my gybes it's because i stepped too late. which i still do because sometimes the body ignores the mind.
to get this far. 
