Grubby

Grubbies Quick Launch:

Grubby is a nickname for Greg Allaway of Australia -- the inventor. This move is a relative of the Spock without any of the boom-to-boom sail work and extends the new school of freestyle by using the scoop on the front of the board for sliding and rotating. In fact, a great deal of the new moves are based on this theme: the sliding of the board by leaning your weight over the nose, causing the fin and the back rails to release from the water. So, we have learned how to turn the rig into a controllable water sled.

Rider: Royn Bartholdi

Steps
Tips
Ideas

1) Unhook and head dead downwind with as much speed as you can. Look for a smooth spot in the water.

2) Jump the board out of the water (releasing the fin) while simultaneously sheeting in with the back hand. Look back upwind. This feels like your are initiating a mini Forward-Loop.

3) Kick the tail around as far back as you can and extend your body over the center of the board by leaning upwind. Extend the arms and push against the sail. Your weight will be over your front foot. Your power and control comes from your belly. This step is the most important step and the most difficult to learn. The whole move is based on getting to this position.

4) Keep pushing with the arms as the board slides backwards. Also keep your body upright and leaning into the sail.

5) The board will rotate around. Begin to sheet in the sail while still keeping your body upright and weighting the front foot. Pull up with your back foot.

6) Recover the move as the board stalls. Hold your weight forward and sheet in with the back hand to power up the sail again. Keep you body upright.

tips

Some sailors like to pull down with the booms right after they hop the board out of the water. This forces the nose down on the water and initiates the board slide.
There is a tendency to go into a really bad forward loop. Correct this by focusing on getting the back foot around and pointing the tail downwind.
You do not need to jump the board really high out of the water but you do have to jump the tail all the way around. The move will not work unless the tail lands pointing downwind.
Try jumping and then looking back thru the sail panel upwind. This technique helps with the body positioning.
There is a tendency to bend your knees while jumping the board and then keeping them bent. Remember to extend the back foot back after the jump and to keep your body somewhat erect.

ideas

Duck the sail at the end of the rotation.
Duck the sail during the hop.
Do it on some swell.
Rotate the sail at the end for a grubby 540.
Clew First Grubby. Grubby 720