WingFoiling foot change technique, swapping feet "decoded"

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While it's fresh - sharing some pointers to nail down foot change for wingfoiling.
Smaller board helps as it results in less inertia and it takes less force (gentle moves) to recover.
Ideally the swap has to be done unconsciously, it'll take hundreds of repetitions but it's doable.
The moment you start thinking about the foot change - the more likely you'll make a mistake. You can practice repeatedly "chanting" some "mantra" nonsense-like word to overload your brain so you stop thinking and just doing the swaps unconsciously.
Before you get in the water do 20+ times of leaning foot swaps (like shown in the video) on each side, it does help with building up muscle memory.
Video mentioned "KiteSOFAing Episode 3: The Foot Change": • KiteSOFAing Episode 3:...

[@davidwitt6198]

Just found this video today (6/2024) and it’s the best explanation of how to unlock / think about using the “foil dip down” to stabilize at the end of the swap ! Brilliant!!!

[@shawnli9258]

Brilliant, definitely try it this weekend 😊❤

[@IRWE905]

Great camera angles to demonstrate Wing transitions. Not only are you leaning forward to adjust Pitch control but you are also placing your 'new' Back Foot well past the center line of the board to control the Roll of the board. You are probably doing this subconsciously but is another Key feature when performing successful Wing Transitions. Thanks for posting!

[@blooskyy7]

This method looks very promising, I haven't had much luck so I will give this a go. Thanks for sharing!

[@michaellambert8606]

Nice video thanks! I’m getting better at it, but will try your forward lean idea. Some things I’ve learned: 1. when switching into toe side, bear away first is key since you can’t point as high toe side, so I won’t work if your close hauled. 2. At first I’d land with my new foot way too far back, eventually I figured out that my foot was expecting to land on a surface lower than where it ended up due to the board coming up, so that means match feet before new back foot moves. 3. Worming your feet closer together does more than making them closer, it also reduces the nose dive when matching feet since that forward foot is closer to the “center of balancing pressure”

[@simonvictorsmith8730]

Brilliant tutorial , thanks!

[@foilfanatic]

Great video! I stopped doing these because of foot straps. I need to practice once a session to keep the skill up. These pointers will help improve the technique. Thanks!!

[@jessejohnson4589]

Thank you for the video and tip. 👍

[@MatsBohlinsson]

Very Very good! Thanks you so much.

[@ricopo3522]

I'm 12 sessions in, pulling off maybe 25% jibes. Very awkward riding topside. My switch stance riding getting better. Have yet to switch feet on foil. Something about how you explained seemed to unlock a solid mental picture/feel for what I need to do. Can't wait to get on the water to try it out.

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Also, forgot to mention in the video, don't look at the board when switching feet, always look where you want to go.

[@flyingfootage]

Very good 👍

[@MultiAlxz]

Хорошо все объяснил. Спасибо.

[@berci1001]

nice video! now I dont have to explain the foot change on the beach any more. I can just share your vid. H ow do you like the cedrus mast - that you are using in the video (compared to the moses 82 (or 92)?

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Thanks mate! Cedrus mast is great, loving it, stiff, light, can mount pretty much any foil out there, can't compare to moses (never used moses masts, my previous mast was AL Naish 75cm)

[@katetalkatetal2232]

Many thanks for the videos. What type of foil are you using front wing, stabilizer & fuselage brand and size? Many thanks

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Thanks mate, I'm using SAB foil (formerly moses) 647 kite fuse, S399 stab, W1000 front wing. I'm also using the S376 stab for surfing, it's so loose that you'd have to re-learn gybes and tacks all over again ;).

[@martinomovies]

Just working on this. I am doing quick touch downs but I’ve done on foil swaps “by accident”. I notice that I have to be going downwind/broad reach to foot switch. If I’m on a reach, my weight is tilted over too much. Is this the case for you?

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

When I go downwind during foot swaps, I have to keep good speed during the turn and lean inside the radius you're turning into (this makes the turning radius smaller and results in increased speed), on the exit of the turn I normalize the stance and reach for the wing.

[@apricotscrub]

@@SilverFoilSurfer is the foot switch during gybe different than foot switch going crosswind

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

@@apricotscrub I don't know what you mean by crosswind, it's a bit different on your strong side vs weak side. On my strong stance (left foot forward) I do the gybe and then do the foot switch, on my weak side (right foot forward) I first switch feet and then do the gybe.

[@apricotscrub]

@@SilverFoilSurfer ok great, thanks, due to this video, I have been able to master the foot swap in around a week. this is the best video about foot swaps imo.

[@Gilloup]

Hi Silver ! Thanks so much for helping the beginners ! It seems (to me, but I can be wrong of course) that you start with one technique and end with another one. The first lightens the body with the wing set like a parachute whereas the second keeps the pull of the wind into the wing. The first witnesses a slight up-momentum of the body whereas the second tells to keep exactly the same sheeting and arm positions and only rotate the hips (and the feet follow up). I have already seen elsewhere those two different techniques, that's why I ask about. May you confirm my understanding ? Advise one technique or the other ?

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Thanks, you’re overthinking it, it’s one of those things that is easier done than said. Yes, there is initial ~45 degrees momentum up, foot swap when hitting the peak (kind of weightless), speed gain and a gentle board pump. Focus on your legs/feet and don’t think about the sail, your body will put it where it needs to be. Look where you want to go, don’t look at the board during the swap. Honestly I don’t even know how I do it at this point, will post another video soon about feet swapping while holding the wing on the depower handle, next level of control, tricky at first

[@Gilloup]

I don't think I am overthinking 🤣 I just try to understand. Once a gesture acquired, it becomes simple. Eg, it took me many trials with bad tutos to learn jibing, today I do it with less and less mental preparing, thanks to one tuto (and only one ... 1000 thanks to the lad who posted it) . Now I am on learning foot swap. Yesterday I tried on a suburban lake to swap using your tuto second method but it does not give me enough time to correct my stance, so I dive or rear. I had already tested your tuto first method on choppy sea but was losing too much speed so that the foil was oversensitive to any move. Next I will try a mix of the two methods, ie delphining a little the board then rushing the back foot and the body forward. The difficulty is that popping up the board is easier with the wing flat over the head but this sets the body and the wing in a posture very different from the one looked after by the second method. In a word, the two methods are hardly compatible. But I'll try next all the more as that's what advises the only tuto that made me jibe. A totally new gesture for me !

[@boardmaverick]

Hi Artem, I was experimenting with my mast further forward than I usually ride, and I discovered that it makes switching feet easier. I think the extra lift helps to prevent the nose from diving before my feet reach their new position. Then, since my weight is forward (by your advice) , I have an easier time tilting the board back downward myself n a controlled manner. Does this make sense? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Thanks, - Barely Standing Stu

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

In general, being balanced on the board is all you need (when you normally ride, the feet are located where the footstraps would go), Maybe in your case you were riding with your mast a bit too far back and you just got used to it? Every time I switch a tail wing, add/remove shim - I have to adjust the mast position +- ~1-2 cm, have to keep a paper trail with all the settings, takes a while to find a sweet spot, it really helps to write it down. Also keep in mind that moving mast forward loosens up the board, similar to fins on a surfboard.

[@boardmaverick]

Bookkeeping is super helpful , I agree, just haven’t had enough sessions to explore settings. Other difficulties in the search for a sweet spot are changing conditions and front wing sizes. Lachie White’s youtube tutorial on foil positioning got me thinking I should try further forward and getting used to riding with more front foot pressure … Thanks so much for the input! -S. Thanks for the input!

[@Skikahuna]

I've watched your video several times, and I think I understand what you are saying, and it clearly works for you. But the weight you put on your new front foot can't stay there indefinitely or you will nose dive the board. At what point do you return to center? Thanks.

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Over time you'll develop a feeling when to stop "nose diving" to gain speed, when just starting out practicing it, the nose can be pretty close to the water, even if it touches the water, there is enough speed and stability to correct it afterwards. After some time practicing it, all it takes is to have a forward momentum before the foot change, so to outside observer it looks like you're not doing anything special.

[@Skikahuna]

@@SilverFoilSurfer Thanks!

[@robertchliakhtine8872]

Hi Artem, great video. I'm mentally stuck trying to change my feet and feel I linger too much, and think too much and my brain just tells me not to do it. How did you overcome any such mental negative talks. I saw your reply to rico po about not looking at the board, and just looking forward. It is certainly a leap of faith. Interested to learn how you overcame early hesitation to changing feet, or did you simply repeat and repeat until the muscle memory kicked in. Keep up the fantastic videos.

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Thanks mate! I had similar situation, once you get too comfortable riding back and forth it becomes more difficult to force yourself to try new things. There is no shortcut it's just the matter of continues repetition, basically "keep failing until you no longer failing" ;). Best would be just commit and every turn do a foot change, at first session you'll be falling non stop, the more you practice the more it "clicks". Don't look at the board, the head should point in the direction you desire to go, do a board pump (and wing a bit), once swapped feet make sure your board is on downward trajectory like described in the video. When you fall hang on to the wing and let the board/foil go away from you, that way less chances to put a whole in the wing/yourself.

[@robertchliakhtine8872]

@@SilverFoilSurfer Thank you Artem for further sharing appreciate it. Yep, I'm on the learning curve like other foilers but certainly enjoying the journey. In the other answer, you mentioned that the location was South Australia. Are you living there or just a trip? I am from Melbourne and would love a trip to some of the best SA spots for Wing Foiling if you're kind enough to share your thoughts. Thanks again for your excellent videos.

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

Yeah, I live here in SA. It's a hit or miss here, winter is pretty random wind here and cold, wouldn't recommend it as a trip, often a bit offshore. In summer it's more or less predictable SW wind that follows the forecast but the seaweed can be a show stopper. Seacliff, Semaphore and anywhere in btw are good spots for SW winds. To get some proper swell you'd have to go to Middleton (not a very friendly place to get through the shore break with a foil) or Encounter Bay (all depends on how much Westerly the wind is). If we get 17+ knots here it's a big deal ;), in WA it's probably just another day.

[@robertchliakhtine8872]

@@SilverFoilSurfer Hey Artem...great. Thanks for the info - I'd like to head to SA sometime in the future. We get pretty good Onshore (S) winds during summer and typically offshore winds (N/NE) during winter. This winter has been a bit of a hit and miss. Experienced close to 40KN about a week ago - completely overpowered on my 2.5m wing! Feel free to contact me if you're heading to Melbourne - I am based in Port Melbourne - nice to extend the wing foiling network beyond state boundaries.

[@SilverFoilSurfer]

@@robertchliakhtine8872 Thanks mate! The same here, ping me when you're heading this way!

[@CarlosMenaMesa]

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