Part 5: Boards, foot placement and other variables | 30 Knots in WingFoiling Series.

[@markdowson]

Another great video K93! Thank you for more great tips - I tried the back foot wrapping toe and immediately got so much more control. I'm probably never going to get near 30 knots but your videos have helped me enjoy my free ride foiling so much more. Thanks again.

[@SPEEDWINGFOILING]

@@markdowson lol the Hobson Method! I went out yesterday and tried doing it the normal way, just couldn’t do it, the foot wrapping over the edge for me just works , glad you like it

[@Gilloup]

Yep, very interesting ! So your backfoot is on the other side to counter the canting over excess that leads to go upwind and crash, am I correct ? And don't you fear that you back foot slips at full speed ? Besides, why keeping the rear strap if you don't use it ?

[@joelrouviere6527]

Hello Richard, Thanks for these videos, they're incredible! I just have a question about foot pressure that I can't find an answer to. When you do a full speed run, do you have balanced pressure on the front foot and the back foot or do you put more pressure on one of them?

[@SPEEDWINGFOILING]

@@joelrouviere6527 Hiya Joel, there isn’t a particular pressure one way or the other during high speeds, the trick is to keep it as stable as possible in flight , obviously the faster you go the more front pressure needs to be applied . The trick is to build your speeds up and try to keep in the high speed zone as much as possible so it feels natural. Best of luck with your speeds

[@FoilWays]

That's interesting to see... the back foot placement. Nobody every told me that I have to put my back foot all the way to the leeward edge... I just got there by necessity as I realized I get more control that way. That said. I don't actually wrap my toes over the rail, and I actually put my foot a little bit further back. It's just that I use a strap that lays flat, so sometimes my heel is right on top of the strap.

[@Gilloup]

Why keeping the rear strap if you don't put your back foot inside ? As an outside wedge since you write you press your heel on its top ?

[@FoilWays]

@@Gilloup At least for me I keep the rear strap there because I do jump a lot. For speed runs I don't use it, when jumping I just quickly put my foot in. I use a strap that lays flat, like the FFB straps, and I'm super used having it there.

[@Gilloup]

@@FoilWays I see ! Do you tighten the rear strap or let it loose ?

[@FoilWays]

@@Gilloup That one's REALLY personal preference. I like TIGHT straps. Some guys do just fine with looser straps. The only time I used a looser back strap was wavesailing on a windsurf board, so I would get over the inside rail a bit more. But that's because windsurfing you're always in the straps. Kiting, I would use bike inner tubes for my heels, so my feet wouldn't come out.

[@Gilloup]

@@FoilWays Just an idea: if you open wide the rear strap maybe you wouldn't need to walk on it when speed running ?

[@foilride9115]

And I've telling myself off every time my foot ended up outboard... I shall ride my off-set stance proudly now! Have you experimented with board length with a view on reducing swing weight? I notice I'm faster on a short 45 litre as opposed to my 70l daily driver. It feels like the reduced swing weight of the nose isn't constantly interfering with the pitch of the foils. Chatting to a few people they feel that their mid-lengths are slower (though speed was not the reason to buy I should point out). Is acres of 'dance floor' in front of the straps slower?

[@SPEEDWINGFOILING]

@@foilride9115 I pay for my boards so I basically ride what I have, if I had a super small Duotone Skybrid I would live that , but I have to ride the board for all winds. On the subject of super small boards , I do find them twitchy as they are so light so for me the mid range for me works well. I am glad you not feel affirmed to use your leeward side of the board for your back leg. I have tonnes more tips and help to Post , and we haven’t even done any water shots yet. Loads more content . It’s the small stuff that generally gets missed that I’m posting. Hope your speeds creep up to 30 knots soon

[@constantinosdrakakis897]

hi and congrats for the superb video series that you informed us about this Very specific part of wing foiling that we love. I have a question about the placement of the rear foot: I sure understand the reason you stated about the rear foot placement, however is it possible to position rear foot inside the rear strap or this will not get us to 30 knots? In addition should we aim for wide foot stance (not possible if you put the rear foot in front of the rear strap). Thank you 🤙

[@SPEEDWINGFOILING]

@@constantinosdrakakis897 yes it’s probably better to place it in the rear strap, my foot over the trailing edge is just my technique, it’s not a given for all riders , it just works from me. It’s all about loading uk the front of the board , the faster you go the more lift you will get. Basically anything to keep the nose down. Rear straps if you can do it would be a preferred option

[@dengordo]

I always put my foot in the rear foot strap because it helps to trim the board faster and get locked in to push harder. No idea how guys did it at the Prince of Speed without foot straps at all but maybe because I used to ride quite pitch unstable foils but with Dlab it's more stable even on 500 with 43 tail for my size.

[@kingsleysmith8885]

My question is if the rear foot-strap had a position available further forward wouldn’t that be better control?

[@SPEEDWINGFOILING]

@@kingsleysmith8885 for me no not really, there is a lot is rear foot movement to trim as you go fast , but this is only my technique, not a rule of thumb

[@metjaf]

What size are both boards?

[@SPEEDWINGFOILING]

@@metjaf the Sky Style is 4’11” which is 75 Litres and the Skybrid is 5’6” ans is 70 Litres.

[@Levisgil47]

30 knots ? Must be with the smallest board size of the skybrid model to keep a steady stance.

[@dengordo]

With the smallest board you have less chances to get on foil if you ride on inland water like me where the wind gusts are over 10-15 knots on a windy day and then it can die off completely for minutes. Also smaller boards are more twitchy so I think it should a balance between size and control.