After focusing on wing control in the first lesson, we now move on to the second important component of wing foiling: the board.

Even though the ultimate goal is, of course, to get up on the foil, you shouldn’t try to get onto the foil as quickly as possible when you’re starting out.

Before focusing on the foil, it’s much more important to develop a good feeling for the board and the connection between the wing, your body and the board.

The Starting Position on Your Knees

In general, every session on the board starts in a kneeling position.

At first, the wing should be downwind of you, usually lying on its back, while you turn your body slightly and look in the direction you will eventually ride.

Your back should still be pointing roughly towards the wind.

Why do we start on our knees?

Because this is the most stable position on the board.

As soon as you stand up, the board becomes much more difficult to control. Even a small movement can be enough to completely lose your balance.

On your knees, however, you have a very stable starting position and can initially focus entirely on controlling the wing.

Using the Wing to Stand Up

When you want to stand up from your knees, you shouldn’t simply try to push yourself up on the board.

First, you need to bring the wing in front of your body and catch some wind with it.

To do this, first grab the grab handle of the wing with your back hand.

As you lift this hand, the wing will start to fly by itself.

Then grab the front part of the boom with your front hand.

Once you have a secure grip on the boom with your front hand, release your back hand from the grab handle and move it to the back part of the boom.

Now you can close the wing with your back hand and take the power (Basic Wing Handling).

You will immediately feel the wing generating power.

This power stabilizes your body and allows you to lift your hips and place your front foot forward onto the board.

First half standing

You don’t have to stand up completely straight away.

Especially when you’re just starting out, it’s much easier to first ride in a half-standing position.

For example, you can start by riding around 100 meters in this position.

This allows you to gradually get used to the movement of the board, the power of the wing and your balance.

Once you feel stable, you can then stand up fully.

The goal is not to stand up as quickly as possible.

The goal is to have control.

Riding on the Board

At this point, you are already riding.

However, you are not riding on the foil yet. Instead, you are riding directly on the bottom of the board.

This is called riding on the board.

And this is something you should practice as much as possible in the beginning.

During your first two, three or even four hours, you don’t need to focus on getting onto the foil.

Of course, you will need to learn it eventually – that’s what wingfoiling is all about. But before focusing on that, you should first learn how to control the board and the wing together.

The better your feeling for the board becomes while riding on the board, the easier it will be to transition onto the foil later.

Controlling Your Direction

Once you’ve learned how to stand on the board and ride in a straight line, the next important question is:

How do I change my direction?

This is controlled through the position of the wing and the distribution of pressure on the board.

If you want to ride more into the wind, move the wing backwards and push your back leg towards the wing. BILD This changes the pressure point and makes the board turn towards the wind.

If you maintain this position, you can continue riding upwind.

If you want to ride away from the wind, you do the exact opposite.

Move the wing forward and push your front foot towards the wing.

This makes the board turn away from the wind.

The basic principle is:

Wing back + back leg towards the wing → into the wind

Wing forward + front leg towards the wing → away from the wind

Riding downwind is usually much easier in the beginning.

Riding upwind requires a little more control and may feel unfamiliar at first.

Your First Direction Change: The Tack

Once you’ve ridden around 100 meters in one direction, you obviously don’t want to swim all the way back to the beach every time.

That’s why you need your first direction change.

For your first exercises, a wet tack is the easiest option.

During a wet tack, you turn the nose of the board through the wind while staying on the surface of the board throughout the entire maneuver.

Again, the same rule applies:

We’re not trying to foil yet.

How to Ride a Wet Tack

First, ride as strongly into the wind as possible.

Move the wing backwards and push your back leg towards the wing.

Continue riding until the wing boom is approximately parallel to the board.

Now comes a particularly important moment.

Release your back hand from the boom.

Then switch your hands on the front part of the boom while simultaneously turning your body into your new riding direction.

After that, grab the back part of the boom again with your new back hand.

You can now control the wing again and initially ride slightly downwind into your new direction.

What You Don’t Need to Learn Yet

One more important thing: you don’t need to learn every maneuver right away.

The jibe is another way of changing direction, but it doesn’t play a major role during your first sessions.

Later, once you’re riding on the foil, the jibe will become very important.

For now, however, you should focus on the basics:

• standing safely and confidently on the board

• riding on the board

• controlling your direction

• wet tacking

Once these movement patterns feel comfortable and controlled, you can take the next step and start focusing on the foil.