Wingfoiling tutorial - Low volume waterstarts

Outlining the pain and frustrations I experienced while learning to waterstart a low volume foil board for winging in the hope that it's useful for anyone starting to learn this. Ultimately it's worth the effort as a low volume board is so much more responsive, easier to throw around and much easier to pump. Below I have outlined the technique I find easiest (others may find a different technique easier) - for reference I am goofy footed.
TECHNIQUE:
Always flip the wing over so it's ready to fly before climbing onto your board. Position the board so the downwind rail is next to the leading edge of your wing. Holding onto the leash as close to the leading edge as possible, pull yourself up onto the board onto your knees. Keep the leading edge as close to you as possible so you can lean on it for stability. With what will be your front hand grab the leading edge handle and pull the wing up and immediately grab the boom/handle with your back hand to steady yourself. Keep the wing high above your head or the wingtip will catch. Quickly transfer your front hand to the boom/front handle and start pumping gently to bring the board to the surface of the water. Keep pumping to get a little forward movement - if you don't have any movement before you stand up you will sink the board which makes it MUCH harder. Once the board is moving over the surface of the water you can stand up and IMMEDIATELY pump both the wing and the board until you're on foil. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

[@yankee38]

Really nice instruction. Great camera stills. You da man!

[@wingcoachdavid]

Your tip to hold the leash of the wing as you get up onto the board was key to my success with the technique that I've developed to do sinkers starts! Thank you so much. I'm working on a video too. The technique I use is unique, even though I got many points on how to do it from other techniques.

[@dominichoskyns9091]

Thanks so much for letting me know. Can you send me the link to your video when you post it, I'd love to see it

[@thefoildesigner]

Cool video! If the volume of the board is low enough (

[@dominichoskyns9091]

Awesome advice, thanks. I'll try that on my Sunova 4.0, 32ltrs👍

[@cefirmeza]

Ive tried both starts and the one you mentioned I found to be easier but it needs a few knots more to get the board up compared to a half sinker.

[@iandavidv]

Great video mate and thanks for the tips. I tried my first session on a 40L today and it was humbling 😂 I'm definitely going to give some of your tips a go. Thanks 👍🤙

[@solentfoiler5969]

Hi Dominic - thanks for sharing this. So much content makes it all look easy, so some reality is welcome. I'm riding a 5'3 34L board (which is -30 for me) but with footstraps, which I think helps a lot. My technique is get front foot in strap, with back knee down which allows me to control the board pretty well underwater, combined with holding on to leading edge of wing. I quickly get the wing above my head, and stand up as quickly as possible which gives room to pump the wing to bring the board to the surface, and then pump onto the foil. The strap really facilitates this so just thought I'd mention it as I too wing in really choppy water...

[@dominichoskyns9091]

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go 👍👍👍👍

[@joemiller8029]

Thanks for sharing this. This is verbatum exactly how I do it as well, so just to confirm your suggestions.

[@geoffnicholls8539]

Super interesting! Thanks Dominic 😊

[@jamescarter3883]

I had my first day on my Wing Foiling journey today. I've never been good at standing on a board in choppy water. the board is 99L and I'm 82Kg. and just starting, I had a great time being humbled, I so appreciate your humble attitude and sharing this with us, I know it will be worth the effort once I get my Foil legs. I think you are right, my board floats me (barely) and the chop causes massive fine motor skills to maintain balance once I attempt any kind of transition. (I'm stuck with this setup for now), and certainly with practice and developing the fine motor skills over many practice sessions will help as well as your viewers tips too. Thank You again Dominic Foil Well! Jimbo C. in San Diego

[@dominichoskyns9091]

When it's windy enough I'm now using a 4 ft prone foil board which is 32 ltrs (the board in the video is 5'3" and 43 ltrs). I don't find the small board any harder (you just need a bit more wind to get it up onto the surface of the water), but i've just put a front footstrap onto it and that helps a lot - kneel first then get my front foot intot he strap, then the same technique. It's soooo much easier as you can pull upwards and to each side to maintain your balance. I would do the same on the 5'3" but it doesn't have footstrap inserts

[@jamescarter3883]

@@dominichoskyns9091 I will apply a front foot strap. Thank you Sir for the tip!

[@benbhand]

Had serious issues my first time out this past week on my 85L at 70kg, so you’re not alone Jimbo! 🤦🏻‍♂️ -Ben from Phoenix

[@jorgeibanez5332]

Hi Dominic. Thank you for your comments. I have been wakefoiling on a 37L Amundson prone which I love and I can put footstraps on. However, I went out for the first time on my 42L without footstraps and was struggling to gain speed to remain standing. I will definitely try my 37L with the front strap, as it is my natural way of coming out of the water wakefoiling. 🤙🏼

[@robmayhew3633]

I chopped down an old windsurf board a friend gave me and the volume seems to have come out just below my weight. Appreciate your comment about the difference in an even lower volume board. I was thinking as much as i flail around on this one it will be another year before I'd try anything smaller. I may just give it a shot. Maybe the most frustrating fall is to do all the work to get to your feet and then go down before foiling to do it all again. At about 7 minutes of your video was what I was experiencing a lot. I've found that once I finally get up to my feet I have to move both my feet back slowly as I pump every time. Unless the wind is smashing and it just pulls me on foil right away, the foot position just to "taxi" the board with some balance is too far forward for flying.

[@dominichoskyns9091]

Yup I know exactly what you mean, in moderate wind I find I'm standing too far forward when I first stand up, so to take off I do a shuffle with each pump to move back into the correct position for flying. Its a pain but I'm getting used to it

[@lightbulbfish]

Hey Dominic great video! Having become a good dock starter with my 23L, 4’ foil KT wake foil board I am ready to try winging: Until I watched this video I was planning on buying a 5m wing, which my thinking was it would be large enough to lift my 165Lb (75 Kilo) carcass out of the water but not too large to be overpowering. I have the Axis 1150 and standard fuse. I will be winging in Corpus Christi Bay where the wind hovers around 10 to 13 knots. Do u think I remotely stand any chance under these conditions or do u think I should cave and buy a bigger board to learn winging?

[@dominichoskyns9091]

With a 23ltr board you'll be underwater up to your chest which will make it very difficult to learn. I hate to say it but you might also need a bigger wing. I'm 82kg and in 10-13 knots I airways use a 6.5m, maybe a 6m would be ok as you are a bit lighter than me, but being underpowered is the worst for learning to wing, residual of you are planning on using a negative volume board which needs lots of power to get started. I would definitely try a big floaty board to learn, and then go down in size when you're ready or chances are you'll just get frustrated. With a big board and the 1150 you may be ok with a 5m, but when you go down to a sinker you may find you need more power to get started. You won't be overpowered in 10-15 knots with a 6m

[@lightbulbfish]

@@dominichoskyns9091 I think you are right, and it is good to hear practical advice from someone with experience like yourself. . Let me know if you are aware of anyone selling used floaty boards or larger wings in the USA. I was really hoping to climb the steeper curve by getting equipment a little beyond my skill level and then powering through the frustration, but your way seems a little more relaxing.

[@dominichoskyns9091]

@@lightbulbfish I have a friend who is an excellent kite foiler, so he has great foiling skills, but has never used a wing. He tried to learn to wing on a 43 ltr board and spent many hours getting very frustrated. I lent him my 90ltr board and he was up on foil in his first session, going upwind both ways without any problems. Choosing the right gear to learn will save you a lot of time and effort. It's possible to learn on a smaller board but I would say for a 75kg rider maybe as little as 60ltrs could work depending on your skill level, but the bigger the board (10 or even 20 ltrs over your body weight in kg) the easier the learning process will be and the quicker you can go down in board size

[@joaocarlosvieira8244]

cool

[@alessandropeveri1782]

Hello!! Mounting the foot straps may help to speed up the process?? I'm entering the foil, I'm a surfer and I'm considering to use my foil prone board also with a wing. I'm 85 kg and the board is 5'4" by 55 liters, think it is feasible??

[@dominichoskyns9091]

Having both our even just your front foot in the straps will definitely give you more control of the board underwater but I don't like using footstraps as i prefer to move my feet around the board depending on what I'm doing. The only way to tell if they will help you is to give it a go. I don't fall off any way near as much any more, its all about practice 😂

[@alessandropeveri1782]

@@dominichoskyns9091 hello Dominic, thanks for the prompt answer, dimenfionwise what do you think?? Think with a 5 mt wing i can ride a 55 liters board?? Just to know whether I must purchase a dedicated board or not. The spots where I surf offer strong Mistral wind 15 kts and above or heavy Sirocco mostly all year round.

[@dominichoskyns9091]

@@alessandropeveri1782 55 Ltd will be no problem in strong wind. I can get on foil with my 43ltr board in 12 knots with a 7m wing , or 16 knots with a 5m wing

[@alessandropeveri1782]

@@dominichoskyns9091 Great!! Thanks!!

[@Nilz4FR]

whats your kite size?

[@dominichoskyns9091]

It's a wing not a kite. This one was a 7m Duotone echo

[@landkiterr]

💯💪🥵🤙