Number 1 tip for wing foilers | Wing Foil Progression

Today we are sharing the number one tip to help you take your wing foiling to the next level. The wing foil progression can be a slow and frustrating process at times, so our goal is to share our experience so you can live your best life on the water!
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[@DaveSails7]

Narrow stance definitely helps for pumping (applies to most riders). For racing and going fast though, wide stance is better because you need the extra control/leverage at high speed. If you watch the top racers, they have a stance wider than their shoulders.

[@travismcgarry]

That’s funny as I got that from your earlier videos with Harry, first thing I noticed was how narrow his stance was, soon as I adopted that game changer

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Yes Harry is the perfect example for that, glad it helped you too! 🙏

[@macmckee8975]

Same... Huge difference

[@avinashbikha]

Same here..when I saw Harry so chilled easy footed.. I knew I wanted to ride like that!

[@wingfoilrentals]

Flat water

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

@@wingfoilrentals Great tip!

[@ArthurKite]

i'm experimenting narrow stance lately and i agree 100%. the only exception is racing.

[@klrrafman]

100% on both. The way I think about it with the stance is: It's in the hips. To keep your hips forward and have your knees bent your stance has to be narrow. As soon as you widen your stance and try to stay low your butt goes out and the rest gets out of balance. People who struggle with foot switches ride wide and can't keep the hips forward during the switch when everything has to be perfect.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for sharing friend!

[@blooskyy7]

Awesome tips, thanks for sharing

[@camdogska]

Thank you for these great pointers guys and sharing the stoke and helping everyone progress. You guys are the best!!

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Glad we can help! Thank you! 🙏

[@NQshawn]

great tips, great content guys. i'm gybing tacking; reasonably. but now that I can get going much better on light days I'm pumping more and intuitively it has made me narrow my stance. complete ah ha moment as so much more comfortable and now seeking out sweet spot constantly. my stance has always been wider as like straight line speed. but even when cranking and leaning out i'm finding it comfortable with narrow stance. and riding switch upright with narrow stance feels so much more stable. I also think had i started with board i'm on now I would have given up. Thanks

[@oceanlance]

Absolutely agree. I love narrow stance. I could go on and on and barely feel any strain in my hips and shins. I would widen a bit when I jibe.

[@thierrywing]

Merci à Damien et Gwen pour vos tuto vidéo conseils... Il y a des frenchies qui vous suivent et mon conseil est de continuer à vous suivre, de regarder vos vidéos, de comprendre les manœuvres, de les tester dans l'eau et hors de l'eau sur la plage, chuter, recommencer et ne jamais abandonner (bon faire une pause si ça passe pas...). Réduire la stance est un précieux conseil qui va continuer à nous faire évoluer en surf.... Thanks ...

[@raghuram2815]

It was worth the hype, guys. Good job. I was wondering what more advice could you guys give other than what you already have through your earlier videos. But these are very critical tips. And well-explained.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you! We have a lot more coming, so stay tuned!

[@joeumana]

You guys are the best. Thank you 🙏

[@Florida_Foil_Frothers]

Re-Stance, I like to analogizes it to hand position on the kite bar-you don’t need the leverage and it will amplify your inputs. Foiling is all finesse, more hip movement than fore-aft foot pressure.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Totally! Thanks Matt! 🙏🙌

[@theblockchainguru9245]

You are great guys. Thanks for great tips. I’m brand new on any board sport and started with a too small board. What a challenge. After 8 sessions I still could not stand on the board. Got a bigger board and was taxing, standing up on my first go.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ptcapc]

Y’all have amazing videos! I signed up for a lesson in Port St. Lucie but weather hasn’t been ideal or I’ve been out of town so I’ve had to postpone the past 2 weeks. In the mean time have been binge watching hours of your videos. Probably don’t even need a lesson now😂

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you! Glad the videos are helping! Feel free to check out our website for lessons: www.wingfoilprocenter.com

[@dma2067Red-O3]

Thanks you two, love the content. I tried the reduced stance distance today winging in surf and it really helped. I think it helps keep my movements a little less sensitive. Much gratitude to you two, hope to see you on the water in Ft. Pierce next month. Tip wise another one I would share as it was really helpful to me today in surf. When the board is a little small, or narrow, it can kind of dump you really fast when you are trying to get on your knees and get up. With the wing in hand you can hook your back foot on the leeward rail to prevent the tipping. Also get up on your feet as fast as possible because you have more joints to help balance that way. I can’t find the KZbin video where I got those two tips, when I find, I will post it here. It was super helpful for me today on a 85L board at Pine Point with big ground swell and tons of chop and current.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

We appreciate you, thank you for sharing.

[@mathias2410]

Finding the sweet spot on your set up is an absolut must. I had to take a step backwards recently cause me progression stalled. I narrowed my stance, as you say, and I really focus on where my feet are in relation to the center line of the bord. As a more advance rider you can probably dance around the sweet spot but as a beginner I feel I have to focus on the center line for balance in the turns.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for sharing.

[@remyruff]

Good point and Keahi got it dialed. Your best video so far.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thanks Arnim! Glad you enjoyed this video!

[@ilyasemenov8838]

Thanks a bunch, guys. At my current level, the game changer for me was using harness with lines, my free ride capabilities just exploded. One love.❤

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thanks for sharing! Great tip!

[@leapnlarry]

So narrow your stance on a board with more float. I learned a lot from this video. Larry

[@MrDuncanBooth]

Great tips thanks

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you!

[@DarrylReiter]

I'm a beginner and the #1 tip I've had told to me is to move my hips forward as soon as I'm on foil. It was a game-changer. Keep up the great work, guys.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for the kind words glad we can help!

[@Nilz4FR]

Damn brothers, you guys spilled my secret sauce

[@deepsea757]

I don´t have flat sea all the time wind with waves i start with inflatble board by Gong Galaxy very hard to learn and very hard to go upwind ,then i change for a fiber board and was rocket learning curve , my advice (choppy sea and waves dont buy inflatble board) and Never give up because the reward is very good , thank you Damien for all the tips and teaching

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you!

[@cacawachi]

Funny energetic video. Good tips. Saludos from Costa Rica. Growing sport here

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank YOU! :)

[@knightclan4]

The sweet spot on the board

[@whenitswindy7034]

great tips guys, completely agree :)

[@whenitswindy7034]

my tip is. Before you go out, decide what you're going to work on and practice the wing movements on the beach for a few minutes. get that muscle memory down.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thanks for sharing! That's a great tip!

[@jimheaven]

Really interesting. When I first bought my Fone sinker (I ride with straps) I felt the stance was far too wide. But there is no adjustment. I now ride most of the time with my back foot out in front of the back strap and put my back foot in for the jumping. But I’d rather have both feet strapped all the time with my back footstraps further forward. Interesting!

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

The Code board from Cabrinha has lot of inserts and accommodates a narrower stance, maybe give it a try if you get a chance. Gwen has been riding the 4’8 Code and is loving it.

[@uriols.l1676]

Hi Damien! I'm starting with Wingfoiling and I just got my wing. Also I got a windsurf Formula board from my father. Should I start sailing with it? Or is better a SUP? (I have both)

[@A-Kiwi]

Great tips! Thank you. I am loving your series as I start this new sport. One request for all your videos, can you please include Metric measurements when you talk about size or weight. When editing just add a sub title and it will help a HUGE number of viewers.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Great point thank you!

[@mauryjacob5363]

I’m just learning, trying to get my setup right. I get the narrow stance concept. I get the back foot slightly toe side front foot heel side concept. I feel pretty comfortable except when I go to adjust the front foot. I can’t lift it off the board. It sticks. (No straps) I feel like front to back pressure is about even but maybe I’m still riding more on the rear leg? Next session gonna set my mast another cm back to see if that helps. I’m trying to get my feet over the foot strap locations. Still a bit forward. I think once there I will be able to narrow my stance more.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Maury, Its always hard to line up the perfect position with the straps as everyone has a different feel. Not to mention every board usually has different placements of the inserts making it even harder. Keep adjusting and trying and you will end up with the perfect place and set up for you!

[@frankbingel5504]

My best advice for learning the basic jibe: when steering through the jibe in a wide angle, keep your pressure steady on the back foot to prevent the board from lifting. This will hold the foil on a constant horizontal level and it won‘t raise.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for sharing Frank!

[@ArthurKite]

My tip is: decide what you want to and what do you need to achieve that based on the conditions avaliable and the gear you have before get your feet wet. To try to surf in a big high aspect foil in big waves and don't try to downwind in ocean bumps with a small low aspect wing. The success of session is complete related to the gear choice that you made on land. Exception for the ones that have just one rig.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you brother for sharing!

[@bF93712]

hi! great tips! thank you! It seems that in the video it's using the same board for winging and surf foiling, what board is it?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

The board Keahi was using in this video was the Cabrinha Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIHCXpiunZZkg9E

[@apriliarsvfour2029]

thank you for all the helpful advice...I found that in choppy 15-20kts conditions, using a sinker board (approx 1/3 of body weight kg) is much easier to water-start since the board remains stable under water instead of bouncing on the surface (example: 63kg rider with a 21-L board)

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for sharing!

[@rayglynn2589]

For achieving a narrower stance with foot straps should you move the back strap forward and the front strap back? I have a narrow stance now but mainly ride out of /in front of the back strap. I find I can jump when in the back strap but don't like surfing with it in there

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

It really depends on your board and where the inserts have been placed, but yes a lot of board’s inserts accommodate mostly wide stance unfortunately

[@jimheaven]

I totally agree with this. I’m the same. I ride with back foot out in front of the strap, but would prefer to have my back strap forward. But I can’t adjust my back strap forward. It always feels too wide on my Fone board when I slip into the back strap for jumping.

[@nikai7778]

Hi, do you have a video on how to start foiling from nothing. Only the board and the foil, from the beach? Thank you!

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Foiling off the beach is one of the most difficult ways to foil. We don't think it's possible to start foiling that way. We recommend learning e-foiling or wing foiling first. Then learning how to dock start is necessary before beach start: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIHcZmyeiM-nrNU Hope this helps!

[@mauryjacob5363]

Question: When you said a smaller wing is better as we progress did you mean hand wing or front wing?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

We meant hand held wing!

[@glimpseireland2005]

My tip is keep practicing, enjoy the journey and take the small victories as great progress. Oh, and maybe relocate to a warmer climate for 365 day sessions...🤣

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Yes! 😁☀️🌴

[@Yvesfrenchtouch]

C’est bien mais pouvez vous expliquer avec le corps ce que signifie wider stance

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Wide stance est une position des pieds similaire à un surfer sur un shortboard. Donc l’idée ici c’est qu’en foil, une position des pieds très écartée n’aide pas vraiment, alors qu’une position des pieds plus rapprochée comme Keahi DeAboitiz aide à trouver un flow dans les manœuvres.

[@georgedimakopoulos]

So, I’m 83kg and learning jibes. Do you suggest a board around 80-90lt?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

That would be a little more advanced, doable a little tippy to learn on more of a knee start. Standing with ease would be 100 -130lt

[@georgedimakopoulos]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin now I’m using demo board, 105L. And when the wind begins to rise I feel that the board is big. I don’t want to buy something that I will have to sell in 1 month. I windsurf 25 years. I also kite some times.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

@@georgedimakopoulos Makes more sense now you can ride a 80L from the sound of it, if you are getting up easy on the 105L. You can do it. If you have more light winds maybe 85L or 90L to help balance the whole package..... Hope that helps always hard to say with out seeing someone and their ability.

[@georgedimakopoulos]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin thank you !

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

@@georgedimakopoulos Thank you!

[@avinashbikha]

Harry! You forgot to mention him! Mr Narrow Stance himself!

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Ha! The Legend of course! 🙌

[@kountchev1]

I'd push in the other direction: I started on a 120L board with a huge front wing. Oh man, it was a horror!!!! I'm 67 kg and a competent kite foiler (3 L board). I could not steer the monster underneath me whatsoever!!! and the wing was pulling without the board getting faster. I was so tired after 30 minutes (ok, it was 25 knots). No chance to jibe because the board just stopped..... I came at a point when I started to think winging is shit. And then I took a medium aspect frontwing 1280 cm2 and a 75 L board....... this is it. Now I like the sport again..... So I think for someone with foil experience big boards and foils are a pure torture.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for sharing!

[@mawayne]

Damian I'm learning Harry is a kid to me. I'm 79 yr old.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

You got this only 79 years young!

[@wingfoilrentals]

Flat water (for progression in all transitions)

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you!

[@stuarthaggard6140]

Consistency

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

100%! 🙏🙌

[@murraybruce3802]

Here’s a board size question. I weigh about 83 kilos including my wetsuit. Should my next board be below or above 83 liters?? This will be my third season winging. I’ve got my jibes down and am working on my tacks. I’m still on my first 115 liter board which works very well but I’d like to downsize. Much thanks! You two are always super inspirational. And the narrow stance makes total sense.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

The board size is mostly related to skills, so it's always tricky to recommend a board size without knowing you. But we would recommend going from 115L down to 90-100L, anything below that would be a big jump. The other option would be to try smaller boards from friends, local demos, local shops, etc.. That way you can get a feel for what would be good for you. But 115L down to 90-100L seems to be a good progression. Hope this helps!

[@murraybruce3802]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin Super helpful. Thanks!!