Windsurfing Technique
Free Willy / Willy Skipper 540

Text and Pics: Christian Goebel/FYM Productions
Rider: Lars Petersen D-99

One of the cool things about freestyle is the endless combinations you can play with, once you have learnt a fundamental movement. Here the basic move is the Willy Skipper, which with a few alterations can be turned into the fun and stylish Free Willy. Other similar variants are the Willy Skipper 360 and Lollipop. If you are ready to challenge yourself with some high levels of board and sail control, then read on below!

Best conditions for learning: Fairly flat water with small chops and not too windy. Equipment: Preferably a dedicated wide and short Freestyle board with a no-cam manoeuvre-friendly sail. Tricks that are useful or needed to master before going for the Free Willy are: the basic Willy Skipper, Heli Tack, the Body and Sail 360 and Backwinded 360. If you're not quite ready for this or the prerequisite tricks above then check out tips on how to master the basic motion of popping your board.

Let's have a look at it step-by-step. Swipe or click/hold the image on the next page for a sequence slideshow...