Hey guys..just sharing the stroke..complete newbie
a quick vid of my progress so far.. 5 sessions on the foil board in surf. Ive left in the faceplants and wipeouts too..lol..happy for any advice. I added my own DIY footpads made out of $5 yoga blocks lol....( thanks to Robert and the BP guys for the idea) and this really helped me with foot position but also stopped me wanting to use the rails to turn with my feet . They are soft on the feet but can still lean into them and put weight on the front and back foot. Still a long way to go but heading in the right direction.
Any feedback or advice more than welcome..need all the help I can get.

Well done! I hope I am that good after 5 sessions!

Grrr..sorry about the upside down photo..thanks CSU..wipeouts are getting less and rides and airtime more..starting to feel what to expect now ..but still putting things into action isn't second nature yet..but enjoying the challenge
Chur

Nice progression, and the conditions do not seem very foil-friendly!

I think you should have your shoulders facing more forward. Having them squarely facing forwards helps a lot controlling the foil. For this I found that letting go the paddle upper hand and holding the paddle only by the lower hand helps a lot, it frees the upper body. See the video below.

Also, it seems (hard to see) that you move the front foot: On loss of balance you seem to have the natural reflex to move your front foot back a bit, it reduces your stance and can lead to a fall. I dont know if it possible to consciously fight this urge. But anyways, practice will help.

Sam Pa'e explaining the shoulders-facing-forwards stance

Thanks Colas..I think that's right..the best rides are when my shoulders are more open ..perhaps it mite explain why going backside im able to control it better at this early stage, as when im surfing I tend to be/ or feel more open then on my front hand. The urge to move my feet to the rails to turn or counter balance is hard habit to break lol..but i hope in time my foot pads make that a little easier when I jam them in and lock it up...felt like it on the weekend anyway.
Thanks again for the advice
Chur

Hey Supmaori.
i recon you doing brilliantly. I've been getting advice from this Colas and Matt and others on this forum. Seems like the minion was a good choice to convert. Keep us posted with your progress.
tannaman

Thanks man..the minion seems to be doing the trick..I havent ridden any other foil boards to compare it with but it gets up in the air.
As Colas said..I'm not 100% sure on the best conditions to foil in apart from what I see on others video ...but I just charge out there anyway..figure you got to do it to get better at it.
Pretty addictive..not so much the wipeouts tho..happy to get any help and the guys on here have been great

Select to expand quote

Supmaori said..
perhaps it mite explain why going backside im able to control it better at this early stage

Ah, I had the same surprize. The first time I went backside on a foil I was a bit afraid, thinking it would be harder than frontside...
I didn't understand why, but you must be right, backside we automatically turn more our shoulders forwards.

Yeah Colas..I'm pretty sure its that.. I'm no expert obviously..but just my observation. I think front side I tend to want to charge and attack the wave/ wall more and have a more closed stance..so next session I'm going to open up..like Sam said on his video.. which was really helpful
Cheers again man

Awesome stuff SUP Maori! That Minion conversion you did was amazing and it looks like it flies beautifully!

Chur too much Stevo. Thanks for the shout out..yeah bro I'm stoked with it..now just got to keep on getting better...at find those foil waves
Kia ora