Standup Zone Forum
The Foil Zone => Foil SUP => Topic started by: SUPeter on November 14, 2018, 07:12:55 AM
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Dragged the old unicycle out of the shed since the gales of November have pretty much destroyed our surf opportunities. Not to mention having to kill some time one afternoon. I was absolutely amazed how similar riding a unicycle is relative to foiling. The whole upper body turning thing is practically identical though more pronounced on a unicycle, unless of course you are Austin Kalama. His upper body swinging motions are just about the same. I just hope it translates to better foiling technique while I wait for better conditions.
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I have a OneWheel that I cruise around on. It also feels a lot like foiling and allows an AZ boy to practice foiling on asphalt. (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2827/0102/products/oneWheelXRUrbanSurf.png?v=1529437128)
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Very cool! Yeah! Balance time is always good.
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Jeremy Riggs offered me two suggestions yesterday when I was bemoaning my lack of success at downwind foiling. I normally ignore Jeremy's suggestions since his skills are so far beyond anything I can even attempt. This time both suggestions were so important I nearly threw myself to the ground in a tantrum.
The first suggestion was to start pumping with my front foot close to the front position and the back foot closer than normal to the front foot. With every pump, you slide the back foot back a little and as soon as the foil lifts slide the front foot into the hook or strap, pump one more time, and slip the back foot into the hook or strap.
I tried it on the smallish waves in middles at the harbor during my second session and increased my wave count by at least double. The hooks are ideal for this technique. Imagine my anguish--I did at least 40 devastatingly horrible sessions, hiding from my friends in my embarrassment at how lousy I was doing, trying to downwind in the Columbia with NO worthwhile results. I feel certain this would have changed that substantially. I might still not be able to really pull off DW in the river, but I would have seen more progress and wouldn't have given it up as a bad joke on a geezer.
The second problem is that my pumping is weak and exhausts me. My bad left knee is weak from constantly favoring it. A lot of people can't even tell that I'm pumping. The main reason I quit trying to DW foil with my friends is all the advice "you need to pump, Bill" WTF did you think I was doing. Lesson learned. I offer no advice in the water to other surfers, even when the urge is strong. In yesterday's session with Bill Boyum I literally bit my tongue not telling him his foot position was wrong until he more or less asked about it. Well, okay, he didn't actually ask, but still...
The cure for my weak pumping might exist in a little video Jeremy showed me. He puts both feet on one pedal of an elliptical machine and pumps it. Holy shit. It looked perfect. He uses the handle to get going and as a balance aid when necessary, but the motion and effect are exactly the same as pumping a foil. I considered searching craigslist for an elliptical machine, but I'm going to just reinstate my gym membership.
Near tantrum aside, this was the most useful advice I've had since I started foil surfing last year and all the veteran foilers gave me a constant flow of useful advice. I was asking, they were helping. Very different from the unsolicited jabber I catch myself indulging in.
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Thanks Bill, I will try that technique next chance I get. But seeing as there is now ice floating in the water, I may have to wait some.
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the back foot closer than normal to the front foot.
How much closer? I tried this yesterday and it felt more effective once but I lost my balance and missed the wave many times.
I would love to be able to pump to catch a wave and also to pump back out, but both skills are eluding me. My downwind attempts, one in 28 mph winds, have not resulted in even one lift off. :(
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I tried it about ten inches from the mast. Didn't affect my balance. I haven't had much luck at downwinding either. I can get the 280 wing to come up, but I'm so exhausted by the time I do that I just kind of stand there.
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I'll try some flat water practice to see if I can improve my balance and paddle power with my feet closer together. Thanks.
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I've also learned that most of the pump power is in my back leg. Good thing since my front leg is my bad knee. I started pumping better by just pushing up and down with my back leg as I inch it back. Another bump in waves caught.
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I've also learned that most of the pump power is in my back leg. Good thing since my front leg is my bad knee. I started pumping better by just pushing up and down with my back leg as I inch it back. Another bump in waves caught.
I had a bit of a breakthrough in my ability to pump onto a wave when I realized that it isn't at all about "pushing down" with my feet. The trick I found is to think about sucking my feet up under me to completely unweight the board. Then when the board comes up to meet your feet, stand back up. Hope this helps.
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I find it's suck both feet up, push your back foot down. That might just be me. Here's Jeremy's little elliptical video. If that doesn't make you want to have one of these stupid machines you're probably not trying to downwind foil. Even on an elliptical, note how much more he's pushing on his back leg. Doing that on purpose helped me a lot.
https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.riggs.92/videos/2324276604281395/?t=11
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Dragged the old unicycle out of the shed since the gales of November have pretty much destroyed our surf opportunities. Not to mention having to kill some time one afternoon. I was absolutely amazed how similar riding a unicycle is relative to foiling. The whole upper body turning thing is practically identical though more pronounced on a unicycle, unless of course you are Austin Kalama. His upper body swinging motions are just about the same. I just hope it translates to better foiling technique while I wait for better conditions.
I'd love to be able to master Unicycle's and a slack line. Both seem to have serious skill and physical demand on your body, that could translate to better foiling skills.