So you’ve gotten yourself started out, and you want to learn how to take your wing foiling to the next level. You want to have longer flights, higher speeds and tighter turns. Let’s take a look at what you can do to improve yourself as a wing foiler and approach an intermediate skill level.
Get Your Fundamentals Right
Before you begin to invest money into more advanced wing foiling gear, you need to be able to consistently perform all of your basic skills. You should be able to fly downwind, upwind, back to the launch point and recover from minor errors without continuously falling off. That means plenty of practise on the water to ensure that these skills are natural and easy to perform for you. This fundamental base gives you a solid platform for when you add new wing foiler skills.
Increase Your Pump Technique
Pumping efficiently is probably the most significant difference between an inexperienced wing foiler and an intermediate one. Instead of waiting for stronger winds to lift you off the water, try to focus on generating speed using smooth wing motion coupled with controlled leg motion. Do not forget that you need to gain forward momentum before taking off on the foil. In addition to allowing you to start flying in lighter winds, good pumping allows you to rapidly accelerate again after manoeuvring, opening up tonnes of options for a more exciting wing foiling session.
Develop Smooth Transitions
Smooth transitions are a strong indicator of an experienced wing foiler, so getting familiar with these is an important step towards intermediate level. First work on Heel-To-Toe turns and Touchdown Gybes. After those are mastered, you can attempt Full-Foiled Gybes, Tacks and Switch-Stance Riding. It doesn’t matter if the board contacts the water during a transition - what matters most is maintaining speed and getting through the transition smoothly. With increasing confidence as a wing foiler, smooth transitions will develop naturally.
Upgrade Your Equipment Gradually
At some point, your beginner setup isn’t going to be able to support your growth. But despite the fact that there are likely many other areas you could upgrade, do not do massive changes all at once. The benefit of a beginner setup is that it’s easy to familiarise yourself with and lets you develop basic skills as a wing foiler. Changing all of this out at once will set you back several steps in your development. It’s far better to change them out one at a time using a modular UCS setup. We recommend exploring options for your front and tail wings as a first step for upgrading your setup.
Ride In A Variety Of Conditions
Everyone likes having perfect wing-foiling conditions, but limiting yourself to that will hold you back. If you want to grow into an intermediate wing foiler, you need experience in different conditions. As your confidence increases, introduce yourself to lighter winds, gustier winds and choppy waters. Developing your knowledge about how your equipment works under varying conditions will improve your decision-making and allow you to experience various types of wing-foiling disciplines.
As always, the expert team at Starboard Foils is more than happy to help with your questions about any of our wing foiling products. If you’re a developing wing foiler and find yourself in need of assistance with your setup, feel free to reach out to us for assistance.
