Geezer Foiling

[Tom]

Maybe us older  guys that are stiff and don't  move fast and fluid  have an advantage  since "very small body  shifts  " are key.

[Zooport]

Maybe us older  guys that are stiff and don't  move fast and fluid  have an advantage  since "very small body  shifts  " are key.

LOL

[PonoBill]

Maui biathalon today--foiling at S-turns in the morning. not great, I was the only person out, but it was fun and I learned some more. And then a really good downwinder this afternoon. We went in at Andaz, which was kind of too bad. Looked like it was rocking all the way to Makena, though as we were showering and lo9ading up the boards it went flat pretty fast.

[PonoBill]

Day six was pretty disappointing. I made mistakes I thought I'd left behind on day four. Poor position, leaning back when the board porpoises a little, and just generally struggling more. The longest ride I got was probably 50 feet and that culminated in a Polaris missile shot.

I went home frustrated and took a nap while the rest of the western hemispher watched the superbowl, and then did a second session in the late afternoon. The waves were puny and I didn't catch much, but I think I got my computer reset. Unfortunately, today looks like crapola surf for anything other than just SUP on the outer reef, and I'm determined to master the foil before I start screwing up my reflexes again. Anyway, my surfing has regressed as predicted--I'm falling and getting in the wrong position. Remarkable how that works. I'm told that once I get foiling well that I can switch back and forth, but I notice that few people seem to be doing that.

I think the problem is that I've been surfing our swap-out board while Boyum is taking his turn. I don't think that's great for adjusting the muscle memory machine. I'm either going to just sit down and watch when we swap or get a second board with foil going. The L41 should feel better now, and if I add a front foot strap it should be more like the Jimmy board.

I think we also need to get dragged around by a jet ski to get the foiling bit down. Or maybe take GP's advice and add a mast track to a foil board and sail it. He maintains you can get control of a foil very quickly that way, with less chance of injury. I'll add a track to my much-abused L41 since it's a better candidate for sailing and the Jimmy Lewis is still virgin.

[supuk]

rather than thinking about pressing on your front and back foot try and stand tall and then think about the control coming from your hips and moving them back and forth to give the weight shift that way you get a lot finer adjustments. Once again its key that the foil is set up so you weight is distributed evenly between your feet first or you will be fighting it the hole way it wasn't till I figured this that it instantly clicked. 

[PonoBill]

That's actually exactly what I'm talking about. I was making rapid progress when I squared my shoulders to the board and started pushing my hips forward and keeping my head high. Yesterday I was back to bending forward and putting my head down, which is something I got away from on day three and really clicked on day four.  Three steps forward, two back. I'm sorely tempted to surf today, ho'okipa is head high and glassy but all the spots that I think work well for learning to foil are flat. That's OK, I think I need a day to get some stuff done at the house and put a track in the L41. Shoulder and arm recovery day. I feel like someone whacked me with a hockey stick a few times.

[Dwight (DW)]

Have you memorized this Bill?



Fly like Laird, spread like an eagle. Assume the Kai body position shown right here

Don’t allow yourself to hold the paddle with both hands or catch yourself bending over, reaching for the water.

[PonoBill]

I hadn't seen that, but I get the same basic set of tips from everyone. My stance right now feels a little too wide, like I'm stinkbugging, but I think that just surf stuff. I have been paying more attention to front foot than back, but when I do I get the wobbles on takeoff. Complicated sport, but it's slowly coming together.

[Subber]

Great Thread!

Kai makes it sound (and look) like a piece of cake.
 

[goodfornothin]

Go get a slack line, its a fantastic dryland training tool. You cant slack line unless you presume the flying crane with the monkey arm dance.  Also teaches you even weight distribution. 

[SlatchJim]

Can I play the part of the skeptic for a second?  I see a lot of folks out there attempting to foil. I see very very few actually catching stuff and getting much of a ride out of it.  Oh sure, Chuck Patterson makes it look easy, but the rest make it look like a huge chore.   Knowing I'm not in Chuck's league, I think I'm going to pass on foiling.  However, I do wish you all an abundance of success.   

[PonoBill]

Come to Maui, you'll see a hundred people at every stage. There are guys near my age that totally rip, and people a month or two ahead of me that are doing just fine. Not that many at my stage, but there are probably ten people I've seen or met that are a few weeks ahead of me. Hard, yes, but not that hard. After the second day, I realized that I'm going to be able to do this. If I can do it, almost anyone can do it.

[surfcowboy]

Jim, remember that right now on the mainland most people you are seeing are fairly new as well.

Follow West Coast Foil Club in Instagram. You'll see tons of folks who are doing pretty well. Small sport, new sport = lots of folks flailing. Remember all those proners who laughed at SUP surfers? Yeah, we're now those guys lol.

[Subber]

We'll know if we see a whole lot of used foil stuff for sale.
 

[Beasho]

Here is my exact learning curve.  I had 9 sessions in June, then took the summer off in the East Coast.  Have been foiling almost exclusively from Sept - Jan 2018.  Roughly 5 1/2 months of experience.

Foil 41 - Kai Foil
Maliko Foil 41 - Maliko 160
Most recently the IWA and the Maliko 200.

The learning curve on the Maliko 200 took 5 waves. 

The learning curve on the IWA and the Maliko 200 was nothing.  Got up and flew right away.  I overflew the IWA maybe 5 times and then had some of my best waves ever on 7 to 8.5 foot surf.  This past weekend I took out the Maliko 200 and thought I had seen god. 

I was catching otherwise IMPOSSIBLE to catch waves and surfing sections of wave that were formerly unridable. 

The Maliko 200 Catches waves like a 20 foot waveski, but then once you are up you can turn like a long-board.  I was weaving through the rocks.  Really, really cool. 

See the increase in Distance of Average Ride from 74 yards the first couple weeks to a consistent 120 yards on the KAI foil.  The Maliko and IWA were regularly up to 150 yards per wave.  The Maliko 200 was only shorter because the waves were so small.