Learn to Kite Foil

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The feeling of flying in silence and floating above the water with little impact on your body is amazing.

Do get the best advice on a board & foil combo.

Do go and learn in 15 knots or more.

Do go out in flat water with smoother wind. 

Ensure there is a space for long runs as this will really help you progress.

Do give yourself time.

Some people take 15 mins and others 10 hours to ride along without crashing.

Do wear a helmet and impact vest. 

Be prepared to crash a lot when learning.

STAGE 1:

The aim for your 1st session is to deal with getting into the water. Body dragging out, water starts and getting up on the board without foiling. To ride along both ways with a foil in the water is very important.

STAGE 2:

You are now going to get the board out of the water and have the hydrofoil kick in. You’ll start to get the “dolphin ” feeling. This is where you ride along with the board rising out of the water and then falling back down repeatedly. You will learn to deal with the new way in which you must balance and drive the board. Don’t be surprised if you crash frequently at this stage! Learn to use the kite to fall away from the foil. Many people prefer to have their back foot out of the strap. Keep yourself upright and over the foil. Do not push on the back foot like on a twin tip. Your weight distribution should be far more neutral like when snowboarding. Make sure you keep the kite high and be sure to ride with a decent amount of power. This stage can take anything up to 10 or more hours to get the feel of pushing down on the front foot to control the height of the foil when you get lift. By the end of stage 2 you should be going along for small runs. Often this will end in the foil rising out of the water and a crash. Concentration is 110%!

STAGE 3:

Progress from shorter runs to riding for a longer length of time. This is normally foiling so you are travelling upwind on a "close reach". This is somewhere between a "beam reach" and a "close haul". This, for most kiters, is sailing as close to the wind as they have ever experienced on other boards. For this reason you will have an issue to get back downwind again. So, if you have a buddy or instructor, they can foil the board downwind again for you. Body dragging downwind with it is another option. Riding downwind is far more tricky on foil and hence this is learnt later on. By the end of stage 3 you should be comfortable riding and maintaining control in both directions.

 
STAGE 4:

Up until now you will have changed direction either by wiping out and turning the board around, or simply by slowing down and falling in backwards.Now you’ll try your first heel to toe side turns. At each end of your run, drop down into the water and “touch down” before rising up again as you accelerate in the new direction on toe side. Progress onto a touch down with a down loop of the kite. By the end of stage 4 you should be comfortable riding heel and toe side whilst constantly up on the foil.

STAGE 5:

Now it’s time to start riding downwind. The basics for this are your weight forward and over the foil with your front knee bent. The faster you go the more the apparent wind. A kite that drifts well will help make your downwind legs far easier. Experiment by using S turns or by pumping the foil up and down with your legs.

 
NEXT PROGRESSIONS:

There is so much to learn and explore, you definitely won’t get bored. First up is simply improving your stance and riding closer to the wind than you ever thought possible. Then you have learning to switch your feet with the gybe and tack at full speed. Then there is jumping or just sailing faster and faster with more power. Learn to harness the power of open ocean swell and the new techniques of kite foil wave riding. 

• Ride the board first before you get up and foil. Shift your weight forward on to the nose of the board or your front foot. Try to ride the board with the foil under water first keeping your weight forward. Trust me, it will be foiling underwater as well and will take you upwind. If you do this you will learn the feeling of it, then you can slowly shift your weight back and it will start to fly. You then can shift your weight forward again and put the board back down. It’s a good way to slowly learn this wonderful feeling. 
• Keep your body in line with the mast, that’s very important. Never bend forward or back! If you feel you are going to fall please fall. Don’t fight it. You won’t win.
• Try "opening the door" by taking your leading hand off the bar as you initially stand up and after throwing the kite. Taking your leading hand off the bar helps maintain balance in the beginning.
• When learning to control pitch don't focus on the board , but rather look a few metres ahead at the water. This will help in foiling level and allow you to anticipate chop or swell.
• Use whatever kite you have to start with. A kite with good depower and driftability is useful. If you add line extensions onto your bar, say, three or five meter extensions, it will give your kite a little more power as well as making the pull a little more gradual when you cycle it up and down. It slows everything down. This is a good thing when learning to kite foil.
• The foil takes very little power to get up and go, so less is more. You don’t want to be powered. You want to be good just enough to fly the kite without thinking. Think of the kite size you would use in the same conditions to easily ride a twintip upwind and be properly boosting ..... then subtract 4m and go for that kite size.
• Don't neglect to learn to foil heelside in both directions. Toeside riding will always feel more natural in one direction. Riding heelside then toeside will initially allow one to stay "on foil" for longer and skip the foot switch. However it is far more tiring , requires more kite power and your upwind angle decreases considerably. Launching through the wavezone is always far easier and safer when heelside.
• When tackling a shorebreak on launch or exit or in the waves , always hold the board and foil perpendicular to the breaking wave , keep it tightly secured under your upwind arm. Keep the kite flying and on the seaward side of the breaking wave. Never end up with the foilboard between you and the wave.
• Currents !! Always be aware of tidal rips and swell action as you foil , the small wings supporting you will be affected in the same manner as an aircraft that flies through turbulence. This may necessitate a surprisingly large balance change.
• When learning to downloop to toeside on foil , follow the depower lines that run through the centre of your bar, keeping them centred with your torso. Bank into the turn and balance with some rear foot pressure. Keep tension on the lines by always moving the kite first before you turn.
• When initiating an S turn or turning on the swell apex , bank away and out of the turn as you move the kite , then once again follow the lines around. Keep tension on the lines by always moving the kite first before you turn.
• Once you have the basics sorted , get someone to take a few pictures of your stance when riding. You want to be riding high out of the water at a slow speed , upright with your body weight equally balanced between front and rear foot ( in a V ) , and the board level to the surface of the water. Try riding the board strapless to find your "sweet spot". Moving strap position backwards or the pedestal forwards will take back foot pressure away and vv.