Hey guys, in this episode I'm going to explain how to Wing Foil
before attempting to wingfoil you should be able to do everything I've covered in my
previous videos in this series I've gone through absolutely everything from what gear you should buy
conditions safety whether or not you need lessons how to fly the wing how to Wing SUP it makes all
the difference being on the correct equipment in suitable conditions Wing foiling is really
fun but it's not easy I would say you're looking at anywhere from 5 to 10 hours before you get the
hang of it depending on your experience I'd also recommend having a go behind a 2.0 cable
park or behind a boat because getting some experience and developing some muscle memory
learning how to ride the foil without worrying about the wing really helps when you add the
wing to the mix it's much easier to foil with plenty of power I'm talking about at least 20
to 25 knots of wind for an 80 kilo bloke using a 5 meter wing and a big beginner board and foil
one of the most common problems when learning to wingfoil is not having enough power to create
the speed required to get the foil flying it's easy to kill the power winging it's not like
kiting when being overpowered is dangerous when entering the water with wing foiling equipment
the wing should be downwind and the board upwind it's best to walk in as far as you can until you
can't stand then let the wing flag out onto its leash and move into a prone position to paddle
the board further out into deeper water paddling the board like a surfboard is a really important
technique as it enables you to get back up wind or back to the beach hooking your legs round the
leading edge also really helps to stop the wing from flying around flipping a wing is awkward
and worth practicing on the beach before getting out onto the water shuffle your hands to the end
of the wing and lever the wing over with the leading edge first try to use the wind to your
advantage if you're doing it correctly and the wind is assisting you it should be fairly easy
now let's crack on with how to Wing Foil get yourself onto your knees and pull in the wing
into a neutral position using the leash you can lean on the wing and the water to help you balance
the board should be facing across the wind with the wing directly downwind kneel upright in the
center of the board and tucking your toes really helps you balance from the neutral position reach
for the handles from front to back moving into the powered position pulling your rear hand to
increase the power and get the board moving the board will be easier to balance on once moving as
the foil stabilizes the board now at this point if you're having trouble flying the wing and you're
always catching a wingtip then you've probably not practiced enough on the beach or watch my in-depth
video about how to fly a wing spend some time practicing on your knees especially if you're
not very confident standing on a sup to turn the board whilst kneeling twist your body against the
force of the wing use the traction you can create from the power of the wing to turn the board in
the direction you want to go now let's look at how to stand up the foil stabilizes the board
even at slow speeds so it will be much easier to balance when the board is moving through the
water it's also easier to balance with the wing in the powered position as you can lean on the power
of the wing to help you balance from a kneeling position with the board going across the wind
lift your front foot up and forwards place it near the center of the board lift yourself up
to standing using your front leg and place your back foot as you stand up try to have both feet
roughly staggered over the center line of the board top tip just before you stand up shuffle
your soon-to-be rear knee slightly towards the middle of the board this will help you balance
on one knee as you stand up always stand up using your front foot as it's much easier to balance
once you're up on your feet it's good practice riding the board slowly without trying to foil
get a feel for how to ride the board with the foil underneath even when you're not foiling it takes a
bit of getting used to if the foil starts popping up and foiling very easily take a step further
forward on the board Stir It by twisting the board rather than leaning side to side lean on the power
of the wing to help you twist the board the easiest way to turn around is just sitting down
and paddling the board around or doing a jibe to jibe steer the board downwind and when the board
is facing directly downwind move the wing into the neutral position swap hands into the powered
position facing the other direction pull in the wing and use the force to help you complete the
turn it's easiest to turn around with your strong foot forwards so change your feet either before
or after the turn depending on your stance a quick committed hop on a shuffle is what you
need for the foot switch top tip it's easier to move your back foot first now you're ready to fly
the easiest way to get up on the foil is by letting the speed do the work right across
the wind as this is the angle you can create the most speed increase your speed by pulling in your
backhand and increasing the angle of attack if you have enough power at a certain speed you'll
lift up out the water if you're coming straight up quickly and getting bucked off then move your
weight further forwards if you're not getting up on the foil but you have plenty of speed and
power then try moving your weight further back try to limit your movements forward and back at
the start as you can't react quick enough and you will end up doing a seesaw and face planting stay
centered with a slight bend in the knees to help you balance and react you may have to experiment
with having your feet in different positions but you will probably have your rear foot over the top
of the mast getting onto the foil and sustaining flight is the biggest hurdle to get over it took
my dad around two hours to get his first short glides and around 6 hours to master sustained flight
all I can say is just stick with it you will fall a lot but you will get further with each attempt
and it is so addictive when you do finely crack it you just can't beat the feeling of flying here's
my five top tips for getting up on the foil number one power generate speed which creates
lift you need need more power than you think to get up on the foil number two point the board
directly across the wind this is the fastest point of sail number three try not to fight the wing use
it to your advantage lean on the wing to help you balance in the water and maneuver the board four
use a minimal open grip to avoid tiring out your forearms number five use the correct equipment
a big foil 2000 surface area or bigger and a big board 120 liters or bigger is very important when
learning trying to learn on gear that is too small massively slows down your progression at the start
now let's look at pumping you will find yourself pumping instinctively it looks silly and it feels
silly but it does work it basically forces more airflow over the canopy creating more power this
helps a lot when trying to get the initial speed to get up on the foil it takes a while to learn to
do it effectively and it is bloody hard work but it's a very useful technique to practice
to pump pull the wing towards you quickly think about scooping up the wind doing full
extensions of your arms aggressively pulling on the wing and then pushing away slowly and
then pulling in vigorously the faster you can pull the wing towards you the more power you
will create before we finish here's a few tips on how to steer the foil once
flying the foil is really locked in and very sensitive so only make very small movements
turn the board by leaning on your toes or your heels to slow down and stop reduce the power
in the Wing by letting out your rear hand and decreasing the angle of attack move the wing
into the neutral position and bend down onto your knees persistence pays off most people are looking
at a few hours of falling before getting the hang of it but it's worth all the hard work when you
find yourself foiling down the face of a wave harnessing mother nature in one of the best most
funnest ways possible that is it for this episode thank you so much for watching let me know how you
get on uh smash the like button if you enjoyed the episode and I'll see you in the next one