On my Dart there are lots of foot straps, but actually I never use it. What would happen, if I stuff the bow? The boat will be stopped, I will loose balance. Even if my foot gets free, my body will be turned head to the bow, foots to the stern. In the best case I will be thrown head ahead into the water. Or I will fall with my head against the hull, sidestays or whatever. Without foot strap, I could "run" towards the bow, sort of a pitchpole "under control".
Sounds like theory, but I have seen my crew doing both cases. Without foot strap usage we could even prevent the pitchpole (the crew run all the way to the front beam, but didn`t struggle), while I could turn and recover the boat. The other case ended with a black eye and I considered this as a happy end.
So, I think it is dangerous, but what is the experience of these guys who use it? Is a retension line a good alternatice?

Cheers,

Klaus