Introduction
You have your beginner gear and have found a great location so you are ready to Go-Wingfoil.
As I will reiterate many times, time on the water is the only way you will master wingfoiling. I’m sure you are desperate to get out there and get started, I understand that. Nonetheless the drills described here, practised on dry land will help you to progress a lot more quickly when you do get on the water for your first few sessions. Looking back I didn’t spend enough time practising wing handling on the land and I am trying to help you avoid my mistakes.
In a nutshell (tl;dr)
Time spent getting a feel for the wing on land pays off once you’re on the water. The more instinctive your wing handling becomes the more you can focus on staying balanced on the board and getting to your feet. While nothing replaces time on the water, around 20 to 45 minutes spent on the drills below is a solid investment before your first few sessions.
The drills cover the most basic wing handling skills that you need to have:
- Using the wing’s power. How to hold the wing to drive the board, sheeting in and sheeting out.
- Walking with the wing flagged out in order to walk down to, enter and exit the water.
- How to flip a wing that has inverted itself.
- How to initially retrieve the wing and lift it up to start catching the wind. Key principle – Bring the wing to you don’t lean out for the wing.
- Using the power in the wing to help you stand, hold the wing to generate lift and use this force to help you get to your feet.
- Avoiding the wing “nose diving” – Key principle – Front hand high.
- Stopping a nose dive if it starts – Key principle – Punch the back hand out, twist the wing tip up.
All of the above should be practised in both directions – i.e. left hand front and right hand front.
Who should do these drills
Depending upon your level of experience the wing handling will be more or less intuitive. For experienced Windsurfers the wing will feel a lot like a wind surfer sail. There are key differences though, so it is still well worth the time spent playing around with your new power source. I suggest running through all of the drills at least once and then judging for yourself how comfortable and intuitive the wing handling feels. Maybe repeat the things that feel least familiar like flipping an inverted wing.
When to do them
To get the most out of dry land practise you should do them just before you go out on the water. That way the muscle memory is fresh when you begin your session on the water.
- Select a suitable space at your chosen location.
- Get ready to go on the water, so that you have minimum delay between practise and launch.
- Spend enough time to run through all the drills once in each direction. Allow at least 20 minutes.
- Repeat those exercise you find most awkward. You are looking to gain feel for the way the wing works in these drills, not trying for perfection. If you reach 45 minutes practise it is time to bite the bullet and get wet.
- If you have chosen your day wisely there will be sufficient wind to feel how the wing will react in real conditions i.e. minimum of 12 knots.
Drill 1: Using the wing’s power
The wing is your source of power much like the sail on a boat or windsurfer. The wing’s behaviour is similar to a sail with some key differences. Getting to the point where you are standing on the board using the wing to drive you along needs a number of other steps that are covered in later drills. But as a starting point it is important to get a feel for how the wing powers up when you are stood on the board. Think of this as undertanding what the end state feels like first, so you know what the target is.
Simulate riding in conventional stance (right foot back).
- With your back to the wind lift the wing using the leading edge handle with your right hand.
- Pull the wing towards you so you can grab the front handle of the wing with your left hand. Let go of the leading edge handle with the right hand.
- Raise the left hand above shoulder level bringing the wing more overhead. Grab the back handle of the wing with your right hand.
- Keep the left arm straight and higher than the right and pull the back-hand in towards you to feel the wing powering up.
- Try sheeting in (pull right hand further in) and twisting your body so your left shoulder is more angled into the wind. As if pointing upwind.
- Sheet out (push right hand out) and twist left shoulder away from the wind as if bearing away.
Repeat the exercise in the opposite goofy foot stance (left foot back) with right and left hands reversed.
Drill 2: Carrying the wing flagged out
If you hold the wing across the wind by the leading edge handle it will float the right way up (i.e. handles down). This allows you to carry the wing in one hand and the board in the other when entering and exiting the water.
Gusts, changes in wind direction and wings with especially tight canopies (e.g. Duotone Units) can all make the wing twist around and even invert (i.e. flip to be handle side up) when carried this way. So get some practise before you are carrying a board and foil in the other hand!
- With your back to the wind lift the wing with the leading edge handle. Allow the wing to float on the breeze.
- Raise and lower your hand to get a feel for flying the wing at different heights.
- Turn your body so that you are 90 degrees to the wind as if you were walking into the water with the wing flagged at your side in a cross-shore wind. Walk a few steps.
- Repeat exercise with other hand. I.e. right hand when wing flagged to your right, left hand when flagged to your left.
Top Tip: If the wing is twitchy and unstable try to steady it by twisting your hand and bracing your wrist and forearm against the leading edge. The tension between the handle and this braced position should stabilise the wing enough to keep it from any harm (you can see the lady in the illustration above doing this).
Drill 3: Carrying the wing further
If you have to carry the wing a longer distance or are somewhere with some sheltered spots or places that are tricky to pass, you should plan to carry it on its own. At Grafham for example rather than struggle with the board and wing together all the way from the car park area I will carry my board to the water’s edge then go and get my wing.
- Pick the wing up by the leading edge handle.
- Raise the wing up to above shoulder level. Brace the wing against wrist and forearm for added stability.
- Walk a short distance feeling how the wind helps you carry the wing safely aloft.
- Repeat the exercise, holding the wing in the other hand.
- Top Tip: In very gusty winds you may need to place a second hand on the strut or handle in order to keep the wing stable.
Drill 4: Righting an Inverted Wing
Sometimes when you fall in, the wing will end up inverted i.e. the canopy will be in the water and the handles facing up. It is best to have practised how to right the wing before you face this situation afloat!
- Whilst standing flip the wing wrong way up by using your free hand to push on the leading edge.
- Place the wing on the ground canopy side down.
- Kneel down as if you were kneeling on the board .
- Grab the leading edge of the wing at the front corner. Front being based on direction of travel.
- With your front hand press down on the leading edge and with your back hand press up from the canopy side of the leading edge.
- This lifts the opposite corner of the wing and as the wind blows into the raised canopy it will flip the wing for you. If you are doing it right there is little effort, the wind flips the wing for you.
- Grab the leading edge handle of your now correctly oriented wing
Top Tip: You can also flip the wing from the centre by lifting the handle and pushing down on one side of the leading edge. This technique is easier to learn but far less useful on the water especially in chop. Master the technique described in the drill (and illustrated in the video) as it works without having to kneel on the board i.e. you can be lying in the water and still flip the wing.,
Drill 5: Retrieving the Wing and powering it up
When you climb on the board initially (or after a fall) you will be getting on from the windward side (i.e. the board is downwind of you). The wing will be downwind of the board tethered to you by the leash. Practise retrieving the wing on dry land so that on the water you can focus more on balancing on the board.
- Place either your board or a board bag to simulate the board at 90 degrees to the wind.
- Pull the wing close with the leash and grab the leading edge handle with your back hand (i.e. left hand if travelling to the right). Leave the wing on the ground at this stage. The wing resting on the water helps stabilise you as you climb on when afloat.
- Kneel on the board with the wing on the ground downwind of the board. Keep your bottom down at this stage rather than kneeling up.
- Try to concentrate on keeping your weight over the centre of the board. This will pay off on the water.
- Lift the wing with the leading edge handle and pull it towards you so that you can grab the front handle with your front hand.
- Let go of the leading edge handle whilst lifting the wing higher and bringing it further towards you. When it is easily in reach grab the back handle with the back hand.
- Twist your shoulders to look forward at the theoretical direction of travel. Twist your feet back so that you are kneeling at an angle to the board.
- Try sheeting in (pull the back hand in) and out (Push it away) whilst kneeling to get a feel for the power. Note how much less power you feel on the knees compared to drill 1.
Repeat the exercise in the opposite direction.
- Top Tip 1. Although you are kneeling on a board or bag on dry land try to keep your weight centered. It will become clear why this important as soon as you are kneeling on your board on the water. Bring the wing to you do not lean out to the wing. Keeping your weight centered and bringing the wing to you will save you from overbalancing forward when on the water.
- Top Tip 2. Holding the wing close with the leading edge handle helps when you climb on the board on the water as it provides a buoyant source of stability that you can lean against.
Drill 6: Using the wing to help you to stand
When getting to your feet from your knees, power in the wing is your friend as it helps you steady yourself as you get to your feet. Learning to hold the wing so it helps “pull you” to your feet on land is extremely useful.
- Kneeling on the board or board bag on both knees sheet in as described in Drill 5.
- Lift your bottom higher so that you are kneeling more upright with the wing held high. The increased power in the wing helps stabilise you in this less compact position.
- Rock back slightly to lift your front leg with the foot down in front of you and your knee at 90 degrees, like a deep lunge.
- Twist the wing to face somewhat up, whilst sheeting in to try and get it to give a feeling of lift (pulling you upward). It is worth spending some time experimenting with how to generate the feel of lift.
- Note how a gust can increase the power and lift.
- When you feel like the wind is helping most, stand in one smooth motion using a combination of the wing’s lift and pressure on front and back leg.
- Flatten the wing, sheet in and adopt the stance you practised in Drill 1.
Top Tip: Getting the wing to help you stand will make life far easier when standing on the board on water. The wing not only stabilises you, the lift reduces the pressure on the board as you stand hence making it rock less in the water.
Drill 7: Dealing with Dive
One major difference between a wing and a windsurfer sail is that you have full control over the wing’s pitch. You don’t just sheet in and out with the backhand; by raising or lowering your front arm, you change the angle of the leading edge to the wind. This gives you far more freedom than a windsurfer’s fixed mast, but it also introduces handling quirks that are unique to wingfoiling.
The biggest early challenge is wing dive — when the leading edge gets pulled downward and the front of the wing plunges into the water, with predictable results for the rider. It typically happens on a close reach with the wing sheeted in hard. If your front arm drops and the leading edge becomes too flat to the wind, the wing can start generating downward force instead of lift. Add a gust, and that downward force spikes, pulling the wing into the water before you can react.
The two exercises below are designed to help you recognise the early feel of wing dive and take the steps to stop it instinctively.
Drill 7a: Detecting Dive
This first exercise is about building recognition. Before you can prevent a dive on the water, you need to know exactly what it feels like in the second or two before it happens. Learn this on land, where you can deliberately provoke a dive in a controlled way and you may avoid having an unscheduled dip when on the water.
Choose a soft surface such as grass or sand so the wing won’t be damaged when the leading edge touches down. It needs to be windy around 15 knots with gusts, otherwise the downward pull won’t be obvious enough.
- Stand in a comfortable, balanced stance with the wing sheeted in (as in Drill 1).
- Turn so you’re pointing roughly 30–40 degrees off the wind — a close‑reach angle.
- Sheet in hard and lower your front arm so the leading edge becomes flatter to the wind, approaching horizontal.
- Slowly play with the height of your front arm. As you lower it, feel how the wing’s drive changes.
- Keep exploring that angle until you feel a sudden downward pull on the front of the wing — ideally letting the leading edge tap the ground.
What you’re learning
- The feeling of the exact moment the wing transitions from lift to downward force.
- How a gust amplifies that downward pull.
- The “uh‑oh” sensation you’ll later learn to correct instinctively.
This exercise is not about technique; it’s about building a mental note of the sensations to be alert for. Once you know what the start of a dive feels like, you’ll be far quicker at preventing it continuing on the water.
Drill 7b: Stopping the wing from diving
This exercise is to learn what to do when you feel the wing is about to dive into the water. The more instinctive you can make this, the less time you will spend in the water as a result of wing dip crashes.
- Following the steps in drill 7a get the wing to the point where you feel dip.
- As you feel like the wing is trying to touch the ground punch your back hand away from you. Punch slightly downwards.
- Simultaneously twist your back hand to raise the tip of the wing.
- Raise your front hand to ensure the wing is driving slightly up.
- Sheet back in and feel drive increase without the danger of dip.
Top Tip: When you punch the back hand out avoid the temptation to raise your back arm higher. You are aiming to reestablish the front hand as the higher hand so that the wing drives slightly up. Punching out and down reduces immediate drive in the wing and turns the front of the wing generating lift. This buys you time to raise the front hand higher before powering back up.
Post session reflection – revisit the drills
A common theme I will repeat many times in these articles is how useful it is to spend some time on post session reflection. Spending some time contemplating what has gone well and what has gone less well will help decide what to focus on next time.
For these exercises ask yourself:
- Which exercises am I fully comfortable with?
- Are any of the exercises still not very intuitive?
- Do I feel significantly more comfortable in one direction than the other?
Once you have thought about this you can decide where to focus your effort when you next practise wing handling on land.
In addition, once you have been out on the water for your early sessions think about what has worked less well on the water and decide whether some further wing handling practise on land would be useful before going out again. To reiterate, the less you need to think about the wing, the more you can focus on balance on the board.
Other Sources – Useful videos
There are a number of videos available. This one from Damien LeRoy and Gwen Le Tutor covers most of the wing handling basics we have discussed, with a lot of emphasis on feel. It is less structured than the way I have broken the exercises down, but well worth a watch.
There are plenty of other videos out there so you may well find one that works even better for you.
One thing I would caution against at this stage is spending too much time practising wing transitions from one side to the other. Some videos do suggest learning how you will gybe round even at this early stage. In my view this is a waste of time. On the water, in reality you are going to be falling in a lot. The opportunity to use one of these unscheduled dips to climb back on the board the opposite way and head back to shore is bound to present itself. I would recommend saving transition practise for when you are ready to start learning the foiling gybe. And that is a little way off.
If you have found other videos useful, or if you have other tips that can help others, or if you have a question on something I have missed please comment below. You have done the practise, let’s hit the water let’s Go-Wingfoil.