Introduction
You have your beginner gear and have found a great location and you have practiced wing handling on land. You are ready to Go-Wingfoil for the first time.
Nobody takes up wingfoiling with the goal of riding on their knees. If wingfoiling was restricted to taxiing, (riding the board without being on foil) nobody would do it for very long. You will soon come to refer to taxiing as “slogging”. It is something that happens when you can’t get on foil because the wind dropped and you will moan about it when you get home.
Nonetheless understanding how to ride on your knees is an enabler for getting to your feet. Taxiing efficiently is an enabler of building the speed you need to take off. These are foundation skills so you need to put in the time to learn them. I would also argue that being able to ride efficiently on your knees is a key safety skill as you might need it to get to shore if either the wind drops a lot or, at the other extreme, you get caught in a squall.
In a nutshell (tl;dr)
Getting on the board, getting hold of the wing whilst kneeling and getting the board moving while still on your knees is the basic foundation of getting started. Once standing you need to build speed whilst taxiing in order to lift off on foil.
- When you kneel on the board initially you keep your centre of gravity low. This allows you to balance whilst you retrieve the wing.Trying to stand on the board when it is not moving is virtually impossible for most people. The board is too unstable.
- Getting some power into the wing provides initial stability, the pull of the wing gives you something to hold onto and balance against.
- Being able to move through the water whilst on your knees allows you to navigate away from shore to deeper water before you try to stand.
- Building speed whilst on your knees increases stability of the board because of the board moving through the water and the foil providing some positive lift. The faster you can get it moving the more stable it will be when you stand.
- The wing helps you stand by providing lift for you to pull against as you get up.
- Once standing you will gain more power in the wing as you present more of the surface area to the wind.
- As you taxi the board you can steer through a combination of wing position and by leaning the board from side to side.
- To build speed you must concentrate on keeping the board flat.
- Look at where you are headed not down at your feet or the board.
What follows breaks the process down into smaller parts with top tips for each stage.
Getting on the board, retrieving the wing, getting going on your knees.
When either getting on the board at launch or when you remount after falling-in, the process is basically the same. You should try and orient the board across the wind (at 90 degrees). You should be upwind of the board and the wing should be downwind of the board.
Pre-boarding check
Before getting on do the following checks:
- The wing harness is not wrapped round anything and is not underneath the board.
- The board harness is not wrapped around anything (especially the foil) and will be behind you when you climb on the board. If the board harness is round the front of you twist around to make it behind you.
- The wing is not inverted. If it is use the technique learned on-land to right it.
Top Tip: Getting the leashes sorted out before mounting the board saves time in the long-run, because initially balancing on a wingfoil board feels challenging enough without solving other issues like tangled leashes.
Climbing aboard
- Place yourself towards the middle of the board.
- Place your hands on the far side rail – the downwind rail.
- Pull yourself onto the board over the nearside rail.
- Rise to your knees keeping them more over the nearside rail so that your weight is fairly evenly distributed between hands and knees.
- Keep as low as you can with thighs and calves close together to keep the centre of gravity low.
- Check how stable you are on the board. You should feel like the board is floating flat along the length and across the the width of the board.
- If you do not feel that you are centred try adjusting your position on the board slightly, note where the centre of gravity on the board is and try to make it habitual to get on the board there.
Top Tip: Your wing resting in the water can provide a solid platform to help stabilise you as you climb on the board and get to your knees. Try to hold the wing close in as you climb on either by holding the leading edge handle of the wing or by holding the wing leash right by the wing.
Retrieving the wing.
- Remain kneeling keeeping your weight as low as you can manage.
- If needed pull the wing towards you with the leash and grab the leading edge handle of the wing with your back hand (e.g. right hand if travelling to the left).
- If necessary stabilise yourself and check you are balanced. Don’t rush!
- Lift the wing up over head height and bring it towards you to grab the front handle of the wing with your front (direction of travel) hand.
- Let go of the leading edge handle with your back hand.
- Bring the wing towards you until you can grab the back handle with your back hand without leaning out.
- Hold the wing across the wind and sheet in to get drive and lift. You should now feel more stable due to the movement of the board in the water and the lift from the wing.
Top Tip 1: Bring the wing to you do not reach out for the wing and over balance.
Top Tip 2: Steps 4 to 6 are the moments of least stability, try to do them quickly and smoothly but don’t rush.
Riding on your knees.
- Shift your feet more behind you.
- Twist your shoulders more forward so that you are looking in the direction of intended travel.
- Raise your bottom up so that you are kneeling with vertical thighs.
- Simultaneously raise the wing higher and sheet in to generate more power.
- Experiment with steering the board by pushing the wing more forward to bear away, and further back to head up more into wind.
Top Tip: Keeping your feet tucked slightly over the rail allows you to put pressure on the rail and turn the board up wind more easily. Some people find this position hard to maintain and prefer to have their feet directly behind them in the middle of the board. Either can work, see what works best for you, and especially if you are a foiler over fifty, which is more comfortable.
Spend some time riding on your knees and becoming proficient in this position. Whilst this is not an end itself, having the ability to ride confidently on your knees back to shore provides a comfort factor. You may be forced to ride on your knees if the wind dies or picks up too much for your skill level. One word of warning though, for foilers over 50 in particular, too much knee riding can lead to soreness and stiffness in the knee, don’t overdo it and end up having to miss a few sessions like I did.
Getting from knees to feet
The key to getting to your feet is that the motion through the water helps stabilise the board and the power and lift in the wing helps you to stand.
- Whilst kneeling sheet in to power the wing and get the board moving as quickly as you can manage.
- Lift the wing high and angle it upwards to create the feeling of lift.
- Rock back slightly to free your front leg and then place your front foot down with your knee at 90 degrees.
- Adjust the front foot to ensure it stradles the centre line of the board.
- Power the wing more and take a moment to stabilise the board and to ensure the board is fairly flat and your weight centered.
- Twist the wing slightly in your hands to create maximum upward lift and use this lift to help pull you to your feet. Waiting for a gust that increases the lift will help you.
- Once standing keep knees soft, keep your hips over your knees and lean slightly back against the power of the wing.
Top Tip 1: When you stand try to press down on the board with both back and front feet so that the pressure on the board is evened out. This stops the board from tilting up or nose down as you stand.
Taxiing efficiently
Riding the board pre to take off onto the foil is referred to as taxiing. Taxiing efficiently so that you build enough speed to take off is a prerequisite to foiling.
Lets break down a few key elements of the skill.
Foot Placement
You need to stand with your feet in a position that allows you to keep your weight centered so that the board is balanced front and back and from either side. If your board has inserts for footstraps these can help you understand where the feet should go. Note that for most people putting feet in both the rear and front strap would result in a wider stance than they would use. Most riders that use straps will use the front strap only with the rear foot just forward of the back strap unless they are powering upwind or jumping. Note, at this stage do not use footstraps you will be falling a lot and they add to the risk of injury.
- Using the front footstrap positioning as a guide for the front foot stand with your feet centered over the center line of the board.
- The feet should be at least shoulder width apart, a slightly wider stance may help in your early sessions.
- Some people find it easier at first to ride with both feet straight across the board straddling the center line. This is the simplest way to stand.
- Most people, especially those who are wind surfers will prefer the offset stance. The front foot is rotated around 45 degrees to the board and is slightly to the heel side of centre. The back foot is straight across the board but slightly to toe side of centre. This helps you turn the hips and shoulders to face forward.
In your early sessions try both stances to see which you prefer. You can move your feet around by shuffling them to keep them in contact with the board while you adjust. In the offset stance make sure that both feet remain touching the centre line of the board.
Stance
- Keep your knees softly bent to maintain balance. Don’t lock them out as rigid legs will make you less stable.
- Stand upright with your bottom centered over your legs.
- Lean slightly back from the waist so that you are braced against the power of the wing.
- Do not bend forward from the waist, this is a very unstable position. When a gust hits the wing, remain upright and manage the power by sheeting out slightly to stay upright.
- Keep your weight centered with equal pressure on both front and back foot. You want the board to remain flat on the water to gather speed, not to be ploughing through the water with the nose high and the tail digging in.
- Look at where you are headed not down at the board or your feet.
Steering the board
When you get on foil the primary method of steering is by leaning the foil. When taxiing you need to use the wing more in combination with the board.
- Bear away from the wind by pushing the wing forward to move the center of effort in the wing towards the nose of the board. Simultaneously put more pressure into your toes to lean the downwind rail in the water more. As you bear away ease your back hand out to sheet out the wing to accomodate the wind being more behind you.
- Head up into the wind by moving the wing backwards to bring the centre of effort towards the tail of the board. Simultaneously increase the weight in your heels by leaning back slightly. The additional pressure in the upwind rail helps to turn the board more into the wind. As the board turns sheet in with your back hand to account for the fact that you are sailing closer to the wind.
Top Tip: In your early sessions, avoid sailing too far from shore on your first taxi before turning back. You want to confirm that you can make solid progress and return to your launch point without losing too much ground downwind. Even if one direction feels easy and comfortable, the opposite tack often feels very different. A quick reality check early in the session gives you confidence that you can get back to your safe landing zone. Set a clear mental boundary for how far you’re willing to go, this lets you focus fully on your technique for the rest of the session.
Turning around
To trurn the board around to face back in the way you have come.
- Bear away as described above until on a dead run.
- Switch the wing to the oppositeside of the board switching the front and back hands
- Head up into the wind as described above until you are sailing the desired course.
Top Tip: In my view, it’s not worth spending much time learning to turn around in taxi. Apart from the wing switch — which you can and should learn on land — nothing about a taxi gybe transfers to a foiling gybe. You’re effectively learning a skill that becomes redundant the moment you start flying. In addition, taxi gybes always cost you siginificant loss of position downwind, leading to the walk of shame.
As you learn to taxi and begin getting your first flights, you’ll fall plenty of times — and those falls naturally give you the chance to turn the board and restart in the opposite direction. That’s the most efficient way to change direction at this stage. Some excellent instruction channels disagree with me on this, so make up your own mind.
Post Session Reflection
Actively thinking about how a session has gone will help you focus on what to improve and make greater progress.
If you use a tracker look at your statistics to celebrate successes. For example:
- More distance travelled
- Highest speed to date
- Highest average speed to date
- Returned to launch point without losing ground downwind (no walk of shame!).
| Losing balance when I take my hand off the board to reach for the wing | Make sure to mount the board in the centre and find the centre of gravity before reaching out for the wing. Take your time, don’t rush. |
| Falling forward when I grab the wing | Bring the wing to you — do not reach out for it. Go back to the on‑land drill and practice wing retrieval whilst staying centred. |
| Board tips me off when I try to stand | Get your front foot over the centre line and bring the back foot as central as possible. Use the wing to generate lift to steady yourself and reduce pressure on the board as you stand. |
| As soon as I stand the wing pulls me off the board | Keep your knees slightly bent as you stand. Hold the wing high overhead and gradually sheet in, balancing your weight against the power. Stay upright — do not bend forward at the waist. Practice this on land. |
| The board turns head‑to‑wind as soon as I sheet in | Sheet in gradually and move the wing forward to balance the power and turning force. Avoid putting too much pressure into your heels. Look in the direction you want to go. |
| I am getting blown downwind as I taxi | Tilt the board slightly to heelside to generate lateral pressure. Sheet in to generate more power and keep the wing farther back so the centre of effort doesn’t simply turn you downwind. Look where you want to go. |
| The board is slow and seems to be ploughing through the water | Check your foot position — is the front foot far enough forward (where the straps would be)? Shift your weight forward by moving your hips forward. Avoid hanging back on the rear foot — windsurfers especially need to fight this muscle memory. |
| I get pulled forward over the side of the board in gusts. | Manage the power in the wing by sheeting out, remain upright, lean back against the power of the wing as you slowly sheet back in. Do not bend forward from the waist. Do look in the direction you want to go. |
Other Sources – Useful videos
There are a number of videos available. This one from Gwen Le Tutor covers initial launch through to first flights. This goes a bit beyond the scope of this lesson but there are still some useful tips.
There are plenty of other videos out there so you may well find one that works even better for you.
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. If you found this lesson useful and would like to buy me a coffee then thanks!
Of course nobody gets into wingfoiling to learn how to taxi. The joy is when you can taxi fast enough to take off and fly on the foil. That is what the next lesson will focus on. Warning you are about to become addicted, let’s hit the water let’s Go-Wingfoil.