Author Topic: Wing foiling tips - I made a video...  (Read 4738 times)

Dwight (DW)

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Re: Wing foiling tips - I made a video...
« Reply #15 on: May 13, 2020, 02:12:15 PM »
I saw a beginner doing the strangest thing today. Because he surfs goofy foot, he apparently thinks he should do everything right foot forward. I mean EVERYTHING. Knee starting toe side. Trying to pump onto foil toe side. Failing miserably. No chance in hell!

Please don’t make that mistake. Leave that to the professionals.

You ABSOLUTELY need to learn knee starts, pumping, and riding, either foot forward from day one, so get started now.


obxDave

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Re: Wing foiling tips - I made a video...
« Reply #16 on: May 14, 2020, 10:41:37 PM »
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of anyone doing a flying foot switch with forward foot going back first and then other foot going forward. Always the opposite. Unless I misunderstood the description (?)

I saw a beginner doing the strangest thing today. Because he surfs goofy foot, he apparently thinks he should do everything right foot forward. I mean EVERYTHING. Knee starting toe side. Trying to pump onto foil toe side. Failing miserably. No chance in hell!

Please don’t make that mistake. Leave that to the professionals.

You ABSOLUTELY need to learn knee starts, pumping, and riding, either foot forward from day one, so get started now.

I think in one of Robert Stehlik’s fairly recent videos he said he still was not doing any foot switching while winging. Must be a “long time surfer” mental block......

Solent Foiler

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Re: Wing foiling tips - I made a video...
« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2020, 11:48:39 PM »
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of anyone doing a flying foot switch with forward foot going back first and then other foot going forward. Always the opposite. Unless I misunderstood the description (?)......

Interesting! The 'current front foot back first' is classic windsurf gybe technique. I figured it works foiling because:

1) you can put that foot close to the foiling balance point and not upset your ride height so much as you weight it to then step new front foot forward
2) by the time I do my foot switch I'm going more slowly so have less lift coming from the foil so unweighting the front foot to balance out the lower lift seemed to make sense, rather than temporarily loading up the area in front of the foil with both feet, especially if you need a moment to balance before making the second foot movement.
3) the action of bringing that front foot back means that you naturally push down on it lowering ride height ready to meet your new front foot landing in the right place as the board pops back up again.

Either way, I've found foiling exposes weak technique pretty brutally so it either works or doesn't! If the dominant technique is 'back foot forward first' then perhaps I'll switch technique if it ends up working better!
I'm 5'10", 66kg riding:
Swift Foil Boards custom 4'10 x 19.5" 35L
Gong Lethal 4'6 65L
Axis ART 799, 899, 1099, HPS 880 US & CS Adv fuse, 85cm mast
Gong Fluid L-S, XXL-S on 85cm and 65cm mast
Takuma RS 5.1, 4.3, 3.5

VB_Foil

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Re: Wing foiling tips - I made a video...
« Reply #18 on: May 18, 2020, 09:03:24 AM »
I'm still only riding in a regular foot stance and can start just fine going both directions.  I would say I can get up with my back to the wind in 10 mph and 12 mph 'facing' the wind in flat offshore conditions (5M Fone and 2400 Armstrong). 

I do want to learn to switch stance, but I have a major 'surfers/skateboarders block and whenever I switch stances, I loose the nose of the board downwind immediately when on foil.  I've only tried riding switch for maybe 10 minutes out of the hours and hours of regular riding, but now that I'm finally nailing tacks both directions from a regular stance, I guess I should practice switch. 

I have a tip for starting in light winds.  Rather than just pulling the wing up/down towards the back hip, it also helps to get an elliptical motion going (think the cabbage patch dance move).  With the wing at a 45 degree angle, start with an elliptical motion in a clockwise motion (if riding regular with back to wind).  The peak of the ellipse would be left arm extending up away and then ending the ellipse by accelerating the right elbow towards the rear hip, then repeat.  This motion is most effective for the first 3-4 pumps as it helps the wing catch the wind and increase apparent wind and forward momentum.  Once you get close to taking off, I will just pump like mad up/down or smaller radius elliptical motion.  If you think about it, this motion is similar to the pumping flight path of the foil when when flat water pumping.  You can also do this motion to help stay on foil in between gusts. 

I’m a 5’9” 65kg rider:

Boards:
   4' 27L Armstrong FG Wing/Surf
   4’5” 34L Armstrong FG Wing/Surf
   4'11" 60L Armstrong Wing/Sup
  
  

Foils: Armstrong HA525, HS625, HA725, HA925, HS1050, HA1125, HS1250, HA1325
Wings: BRM 2M & 3M, FreeWing Nitro 4M, OR 5M & 7M Glide

Solent Foiler

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Re: Wing foiling tips - I made a video...
« Reply #19 on: May 19, 2020, 08:02:09 AM »
Thanks VB - nice explanation.

I'm already planning a follow up video to put a bit more flesh onto some of the points in the first. Given the amount of content I wanted to cover, I didn't want to get into too much detail, but just help people down the right path rather than being too prescriptive.

Only just getting back into it after UK lockdown has eased. 8 weeks off the water has not been kind - everything has regressed from fitness to hand strength technique and confidence.

Just glad to be back on the water and making up for lost time ASAP!
I'm 5'10", 66kg riding:
Swift Foil Boards custom 4'10 x 19.5" 35L
Gong Lethal 4'6 65L
Axis ART 799, 899, 1099, HPS 880 US & CS Adv fuse, 85cm mast
Gong Fluid L-S, XXL-S on 85cm and 65cm mast
Takuma RS 5.1, 4.3, 3.5

 


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