Straps VS Strapless | WING FOIL

Should I wing foil with or without foot straps? This is a common question we get and believe a lot of it comes down to personal preference but there are a few things to consider when deciding to go with foot straps or strapless. We hope this video helps you decide.
Watch full video: • Straps VS Strapless | ...
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[@solentfoiler5969]

"Enjoy the process..." How many times have I had to remind myself of that after a frustrating session! 👍

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Amen! Enjoy the ride.......

[@jimheaven]

Hi Damien, something to add to this that may be important. From my wakeboard days I remember only hurting my foot when one foot came out of it’s bindings, allowing the ‘trapped foot’ to twist and rotate in a dangerous manner. That’s why the half straps are almost essential if you ride with one strap. If you have full straps, I think it’s safer to ride with both straps. If both legs are locked in you are only going to flex your ankles forwards or backwards when you fall. Backwards is the most uncomfortable, I did it a couple of times yesterday behind the boat with my feet still in, but assuming I was going to fall on the foil (always wear an impact vest) it never came. My assumption was being strapped kept me more on top of the board and the foils away from my body. I did think if I had only one foot in a strap I would be looking a twisted or a broken ankle. Long story short, riding with one strap is higher risk than two in my humble opinion. It should only be considered with a half hook strap that isn’t full locked in? Hope that helps people and clarifies a potentially important safety/injury point. Peace and love dude.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you James for your input! Very kind of you!

[@lightbulbfish]

Thank you James. You convinced me to not do 1 strap.

[@erikalane2807]

I’m debating this question right now so thank you for the wise insights 👌😁

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you friend......

[@profusionlifetv7183]

Great advice! Love the channel.

[@bluejuice57]

I started with two front foot straps and set them how I like it now. My reason was leverage and stability on gusty takeoffs! I then push the nose down or pull it up with my toes when in flight. Also my foot is not fully in the strap just my toes line for bailout reasons. This seems to work for me at the moment coming from a surfing background. 🤙

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for your message to everyone.....

[@Ahjsport]

Awesome video, again 🤙🤙 Maybe you can make a video about Foil sizes vs board sizes. Is it nessary to buy new front wing - when you ride a smaller board ? 🤙🤙

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you friend... We will see what we can do.

[@MrNikko83]

Thanks for this video .. how frustrating can be the first sessions ,😉 but I keep going, thanks for your good advises and energy, Nico(almanarre, France)

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Ohhh man very frustrating! You will get there don't give up!

[@andrewhalter2691]

Footstraps also can assist in light winds pumping, can lift front board more aggressive to unstick

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

100% thank you for sharing!

[@dutchgirl2]

Awesome info as usual.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you we appreciate you!

[@hobodogjohnson9075]

Love this. Another great video. Also worth a mention that the foot positions may not be where your feet end up. I had my straps on my Naish sup foil and they “ seemed” too far back even in the most forward position. I struggled for a week with them on and then took them off. With my front foot forward of the strap holes I was able to control the board much much more. I’m absolutely flying without the straps on . And to me it feels a little safer without the straps “ for now anyway”. I’m learning your down wind jibe now ! That’s tricky !! Haha . Keep up the excellent videos.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for your insight friend.....

[@kieransammon666]

Super as always 🤙

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you!

[@mellocello]

Thank you!

[@poettree1031]

Armstrong memory foam straps are good if you want to step on them sometimes

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you

[@emilfoiler]

Hi Damien, thanks for all the good vibes and your awesome videos! Question on the equipment you're using: What's the weight of the Cabrinha Macro 5'0 78L board? I can't find it online.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thanks for the kind words... It is very light buddy around 12ish pounds! Yewww

[@emilfoiler]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin sounds good, thank you :-)

[@ctduncan1]

I started with two front foot straps and learned, then went to full straps to jump, recently I'm strapless and think it's best for safety and ability to adjust weighting on the board (but no jumping). 75L, 75kg

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you Duke!

[@thechadfords]

What about single vs double front straps? If only one then you get conditioned just goody or regular foot which seems like would be problematic longer term and riding switch half the time not optimal?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Again personal preference! Two straps in the front just makes jibing and tacking easier as you progress......

[@janausbayern512]

Love your videos! My reason for consciously starting without foot straps was that I wanted to have the freedom to place my feet wherever and get a feeling for the optimum placement. Really helped get a feeling for how the board reacts and the entire balance of it. It helped me to later make a more informed decision where to place the straps. With straps I initially struggled a bit with my jibes because my feet were now locked in place, especially coming toe side out of the jibe I had a harder time keeping balance than without straps where I could shift my feet slightly. But you get used to it quickly. And I get way more edge pressure going upwind with straps, quite fun. Plus it opens the third dimension, that's the game changer, those chop hops were a piece of cake with straps. Just some personal views. Peace all!

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Thank you for sharing all great info! We appreciate you!

[@lightbulbfish]

I really appreciate your content. I am going to be trying wing foiling for the first time this year after being an avid dock starter. My board is 22.5L and I am 170Lbs. I will be starting with a Matador LT 6M wing. I figure foot straps are going to be an absolute must in order to get up under this setup. What was it like for you to learn on the smaller board?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

I would recommend a 100L board to learn on to get the basics honestly, then go to the smaller board. It will be a longer learning process on the smaller board for sure. It was a struggle honestly to learn on the smaller board. You will also need a lot of wind!

[@lightbulbfish]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin thanks!!! What size air wing did you learn on and what type of front water wing did you have on your foil? How much wind did you need to get up on your 28L board?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

@@lightbulbfish At the time they only made 4m wings for the (air hand wings). I would use a 6m as it is a great and ideal size for lighter winds say 15 -20mph. Learning is easier with less chop! Foil wing I would go with the biggest you have. Then as you get better and can use the (hand wing) with ease to get up on foil, you can down size to something faster and more efficient. Learning on the small board was a nightmare and took months vs a few days on a larger board to get the hang of the wing.

[@lightbulbfish]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin wow, a 4M hand wing!!!! Indeed, you are a VERY determined person!!! Do you recall what front wing you had on your foil?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

@@lightbulbfish At the time we where using race foils for kiting! :) not ideal! All the wings then were too small.

[@martinomovies]

Are foots straps helpful for bouncing the board and getting up on foil?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

It does help because you can lift your front foot, pulling the noise up but the steps have to be in the right place.....

[@danieldick4433]

Is there a reason for never seeing a single centered front foot strap? So you could switch stance because of it being centered.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

Most companies make boards so you can have two front foot straps so it is comfortable in either direction! Yep!

[@Destination360]

Was hoping to see a photo how deep your foot is in strap. Anything?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

This may help more, towards the end of the video but my feet are nice a snug in the straps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6GVioZvgs-FaKs

[@Yanivkahana]

Hi Guys, When surfing waves and pumping with the backstarps I feel like my muscle is working too hard. compare to back foot outside the strap.. anyone experienced similar?

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

If you can adjust the straps on the placement, or you can adjust the foil mast and can better set it to a more even pumping for your stance or were the straps are set. Might help that pressure.

[@Yanivkahana]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin Thanks legend will try to play with it.

[@DamienLeroyYouTube]

@@Yanivkahana Likely you will be moving your mast forward and the straps back. The back foot is the tricky one with placement as pumping sometimes you are out of the strap and in the middle of the board with the back foot...... You will dial it in.... Enjoy!

[@Yanivkahana]

@@DamienLeroyKZbin Thanks! I know what you mean 😎💪