Advanced Wing Foiling

Now you are at the stage where you fully understand all the Wing Foiling equipment and how to set it up.

You have bought your own learner level second hand gear.

You can get up on the foil in both directions and return to the same place you started or even go up wind.

To turn around you either stop then turn the board and sail or all in and start again heading in the other direction.

Advance techniques in order of priority

• Making a turn whilst keeping on foil, turning sail and changing feet

• Surfing waves

• Tacking

• Freestyle tricks – Jumping, spinning etc

The most important next stage is learning how to turn the board, the sail and switch your feet.

Turning the sail is easy. Turning the board takes a little while to get, switching the feet takes longer.

• You are going along on the foil

• You decide now is the time to turn.

• If you are in the sea it helps to turn just as a little wave or swell line approaches as turning onto this helps keep speed through the turn, this is not essential though.

• You will either switch feet before the turn or after. Always make the turn in your preferred stance. So if you are a goofy foot (prefer to have you right foot forward) you make the turn before changing feet when the wind is coming from the right side.

Keep eyes looking ahead, not just in front of the board. Focusing just a few feet in front of your board will disturb your balance. Look in the direction you want to go through out the turn.

• First practice making the turn on the side where you are in your preferred stance. Goofy footers when wind is from right before turn. Natural footers when wind is from the left before the turn.

• Half way through the turn rotate the sail upward. Put the rear hand on the front handle. Let go with what was the front hand. Move the sail above your head and forwards. As the turn completes  take the rear handle and gently pull on the power. Your body will now be twisted and you will be riding toe side

• ok, great, you have made the turn and moved the sail. Some people carry on riding toe side then make the next turn without having to change feet again.

• Better practice is changing the feet after the turn so you are riding in a better position to pull on power and maintain balance.

• To change the feet you move the rear foot forward just a little before moving the front foot back. Before moving your feet lean forward and down a little. Slacken off the sail. Push the board up, just before it reaches the upper zenith of the pump and you are becoming weightless change your feet.

This technique is well worth practicing on land with the sail in hand. Go through the whole turn walking in the direction the board will travel.

The foot change also needs a lot of practice on the land. Practice moving your feet quickly and lightly. Get your feet into exactly the right position.

When practicing on water you will fall a lot. Bit by bit your muscle memory will start to work. Try and remember the cause of falls and what went wrong. Keep practicing and be patient. You will get it in the end. Talk to other foilers about their technique, this can help.

• Turning the other way. All the rest is the same except you change your feet before the turn. Make the turn. During the turn move the sail and change hands.

For many this is a challenging stage but slowly it does come together.

Now that you have the main basics covered you can really start to have fun. Surfing the waves is one of the best parts of wing foiling. The super efficient hydro foil can surf on the smallest waves and even deep water swell and wind created ripples.

All you have to do is position yourself on the wave and feel the energy of the wave start to carry you. At this point you can take all the power out of the sail.

The best way to stop the sail pulling you is to hold it by the front handle on the leading edge and let it trail behind you. You may have to move the sail around a little depending on where the wind is coming from.

If the wave is a little weak in certain sections try pumping the board up and down to generate some speed until the wave steepens up again.

Once surfing the wave you can do all kinds of manoeuvres like cut backs, off the lips, jumps, flips and even spins if you want.

Where are normal board turn is in a downwind direction a tack turn is a turn into wind. The advantage is that after the turn you are more upwind.

These turns can also be useful in racing or surfing. The disadvantage is that they are hard to go. They are similar to a normal turn but the sail comes more over your head after the turn.

These are for the most advanced riders. There are too many technical aspects to explain these manoeuvres here.

Best bet is to watch others and talk to those riders that can do them.

Your board will need straps and your equipment will need to be strong and high quality. Wear protective clothing.