The Evolution of your Wingfoiling Practice

Wingfoiling is a sport where the basics can be acquired fairly quickly for kitesurfers, and especially for experienced windsurfers. Novices in the world of watersports will need more time, as knowledge of the wind and balance on the board are very important steps, and not always so easy to understand. Once these initial phases have been assimilated, the learning curve will be much faster than windsurfing, but probably less than kiteboarding for many people.

Learning to manoeuvre the wing, hold on to the board, and to steer on the water with all of the equipment is not the longest part of the wingfoiling learning process. Flying over the water for a certain distance without falling is a completely different program, but quite doable after a few hours of practice. Once you have learned where to place your feet and how to hold the wing, you will be able to control the trim of the board (for stability). Then you can move on to pumping, carving and free-flying (surfing the swell without the need for the wing), followed by jibing (turning away from the wind) and tacking (turning into the wind), all whilst continuing to fly.

How to perform your first jumps and aerial moves

The first wingfoiling tip to give you if you want to jump is to install the three footstraps on your board, which seems obvious.

The faster you go, the easier it will be to get up in the air! Also, catching a small head-on wave or swell will help. Look around you to make sure that there is nobody around and no obstacles. Next, make sure that your feet are firmly planted in the footstraps (but not too tightly), pump the wing if you need more speed while heading closer to the wind (upwind), legs bent, and off you go for the big take-off! Then, as you begin your jump, press your back leg down to help the foil rise completely out of the water.

Once in the air, relax your legs by pushing on the board to go even higher and using the wing as a parachute to manage your flight above the water’s surface. Keep your legs and body hunched for better control of all of your equipment. If you think that your jump is going to go wrong, pull your feet out of the foot straps as if you were trying to throw your board with your feet, while keeping your hands on the handles of your wing.

On landing, gradually relax your legs, still with the wing above your head, before your foil touches the surface of the water again. It is at this point, however, that you will need to flex your legs again to cushion the landing in order to avoid landing completely flat. It is better to land on the tail.

For the more adventurous, and especially once you have mastered the simple jump, you can try your hand at tricks such as the air jibe (180° rotation while jumping), the railey (or scorpion: simple jump while bringing the board back behind you), the donkey kick (twisting jump), the frontside 360 (jump with a complete 360 turn facing the wind), the backside 360 (like the frontside but downwind), or the front loop (360 while throwing yourself forward, head down).

Pumping and carving techniques for greater efficiency

Wingfoil pumping can be used both to facilitate take-off, to get the top of the foil out of the water, and to gain speed or maintain stability once flying and the wind dies down. To do this, you first need to use your arms for the wing, and then your legs for the board, in that order.

Before you start pumping, pull down (slightly away from the wind direction) and make small circles with your wing, bringing it back towards you more sharply at the end of the circle. Your legs relax, and then you bend them by simply pressing down with the heel of your back foot. Make sure that your arms and legs are in sync with each other, and let the equipment feel that you are getting lighter and lighter as you move – it would be such a shame to tire yourself out for nothing!

When it comes to carving, once you have started, you need to be very flexible, your whole body in tune with your wing, your board, and of course, your foil! Carving in wingfoiling is all about manoeuvring and going where you want whilst riding. It is all about steering, making half-circles in the swell, starting a jibe … in a way it is the basis of wingfoiling that will make you independent, when you and your equipment become one. Lower your center of gravity slightly, bend your legs, look beyond your board, aim straight ahead, put your pelvis into action … you are dancing on the water!

How to perfect your board position and balance

Never be too far back (especially on take-off) or too far forwards on the board in order to control trim and to maintain stability and speed in the air. Ideally, place your feet just in front of each footstrap insert (or in front of each footstrap if they are already installed), as this will help you to balance on your board. On the other hand, get the feeling that you are tucking your heels into the board, a position that is not quite upright, and above all it is your head and shoulders that will steer you first and foremost. The rest of your body will follow.

 Overcoming common challenges and mistakes in advanced wingfoiling

Improving your wingfoiling skills can sometimes take a little longer than you thought. Just because you know how to fly, it does not mean that you know how to jibe or to free-fly! Above all, do not overestimate yourself when you start out, because once you are out in the open sea, you will need to get back to where you started. Master the upwind and the downwind! Choose the right wing size, a foil adapted to your level, and a board that floats if the wind starts to drop – that is one of the priorities in order not to put yourself in danger. Do not go out if the wind is blowing offshore (from the land) or too strongly for your current level!