We just posted the first in a series of videos on "How to SUP Foil": #1 how to paddle straight on a shorter board
The next videos in this series will be: #2 catching a wave and lift off, #3 controlling height and speed, #4 pumping the foil, #5 turning the foil

I will post the other videos here once they are completed, I hope they will be helpful for those new to foiling:

Thanks looking forward to the rest as I am starting out now

Very nice work, Robert! These kind of videos are very useful... and are not so easy to make.

Awesome BPS..thanks
chur

Another great vid Robert , thanks so much for sharing the foil stoke

Fantastic - looking forward to the rest. Any tips on how to paddle upwind in 20 knots? - I know I am a glutton for punishment but you gotta work with what you have. I really want to be fit and ready for opportunities to ride proper waves when they come.

Hi Robert, awesome content and as usual very professional. I see you have a new graphic on the Easy Foiler board, is this a new model? Also, I see you are using a foot strap in the front and EVA wedge in the rear. Pro's and con's to front strap versus nothing or a wedge? You seemed like you were holding out to making the move to the foot strap, I'm foiling strapless but would appreciate your feedback since I'm considering doing the same.

Thanks for the comments!
@Icharus, use the same strokes to paddle upwind in 20 knots. I can't say I enjoy foiling in strong onshore winds due to the paddle out but foiling works surprisingly well in onshore conditions, as the wind helps you get up on the foil and stay up and the bumpy/ lumpy/ crappy surf is still fun on a foil.

@DaHammer, I used the foot hooks for a long time and it's much easier to transition to foot hooks at first. Using the foot hooks, I got used to placing my feet before catching the wave, which we will cover in the next video, this made the transition to straps easy.
I recently started using a longer mast (32") which has some advantages but is also harder to control, so I first used a front foot strap and now also use a back strap, which really helps control the foil, especially in turns. I do find my ankles get sore from foiling with straps, I'm hoping they will get stronger from using footstraps.
For starting out, I don't recommend foot straps due to the higher risk of injury but you should have visual/ tactile foot placements on your board - an arch bar under the back foot and at least a visual marker for your front foot.

Robert is focusing on the Paddle's Angle to the Board. However he is also extending his left hand well over his body in front of his right shoulder. Robert is Regular footed. Those of us who were trained to paddle properly may be taking this for granted.

I am goofy footed and extend my Right hand over my left Shoulder. This technique is also critical when attempting to catch the wave with your front foot in the straps.

In this video I highlight the importance of:

PUTTING YOUR HAND IN FRONT OF THE OPPOSITE SHOULDER:

Awesome Vid, Rob! Please keep them coming! When I first jumped on your 6'6 Easy Foiler I dropped down a foot in length and 10 litres in Vol.
I was really surprised at how stable it was and how easily it paddled for its size. This is great info for anyone starting out on a much smaller board.

Thanks for all the great feedback.
We just posted part 2 of this How to SUP Foil series: Catching the wave:

These are really helpful Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Awesome as usual guys..appreciate it
Chur

Great stuff - I have a question. When paddling out with feet side by side, to trim the board ( around 7'6") , both feet are further forward than my front foot is in foiling position. So - if I follow this advice I basically get 1 shot at catching the wave then I fall in. I can only power paddle in this position - as soon as I stop paddling like crazy the tail sinks and I am in. Then usually a clean up set rolls in and I am toast. I am desperate to see more footage like this - particularioly where is goes wrong and why. As a result i tend not to change my feet until I am pretty sure of catching the wave . Does this mean the board is just not up to it or the foil is too far back?

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icharus said..
Great stuff - I have a question. When paddling out with feet side by side, to trim the board ( around 7'6") , both feet are further forward than my front foot is in foiling position. So - if I follow this advice I basically get 1 shot at catching the wave then I fall in. I can only power paddle in this position - as soon as I stop paddling like crazy the tail sinks and I am in. Then usually a clean up set rolls in and I am toast. I am desperate to see more footage like this - particularioly where is goes wrong and why. As a result i tend not to change my feet until I am pretty sure of catching the wave . Does this mean the board is just not up to it or the foil is too far back?

It sounds like your foil may be mounted too far back and/or the board does not have a wide and thick enough tail for foiling. You could try a wider surf stance with your front foot further forward. When catching the wave, try to keep your back foot a bit forward until you catch the wave as you can see Sam doing in the videos, and really lean forward with your weight on the front foot to keep the tail from sinking.

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icharus said..
Does this mean the board is just not up to it or the foil is too far back?

Yes, you need to have the foil forward enough so you can paddle already in the foiling position.
As Robert said, a specific foiling board with huge volume in the tail will allow for mast positions further back, but just moving your mast to a balanced position is sufficient.

Beasho's "25" rule " is a good guide: www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,33427.msg376852.html Paddle on the flat in surfing stance to see where your front foot is, then use the 25" rule to see where the mast should be.

Good foilers can get away with moving their feet on takeoff, but it will be very hard to manage when learning and definitely slow a lot your progression.

This is part 3 of the "How to Foil" video series- how to maintain speed once up on the foil:

This video should have really been the first one in the series:
The best way to learn how to to fly a hydrofoil is to get a lesson towing behind a boat. Join Blue Planet staff members Luca and Tyler as they get their first foil lesson from Robert Stehlik and share their takeaways:

This fourth video in our series about pumping the foil is a bit more advanced. Foil surfer Daniel Kaahanui explains how he pumps his prone foil board back out and Zane Saenz talks about starting and pumping a SUP foil board in flat water:

Great video, thanks for your work!

A 57 kg rider on a 1750 cm2 wing... (bigger than my current wing that is already OK for foil surfing)... for my 100kg it would be like a 3070 cm2 wing!

This is the final video in our How To Foil series- #5- turning and carving on a foil.
This one is also a bit more advanced, we talk about how carving is a way to generate speed much like pumping and allows you to stay on the steeper part of the wave.
Also covered are equipment- shorter, smaller, lighter boards make carving easier to initiate and control, while smaller wings will allow more control at higher speeds and in steeper waves. A longer mast will allow steeper banking without overfoiling (breaching the hydrofoil and losing lift) or touching the rails, while a shorter mast is easier to control and feels less tippy. Foot straps allow for more board control and a solid connection to the board but are tricky to get into on takeoff and can be dangerous if you can't eject when falling backwards, the front strap can also get in the way of paddling on a prone foil surf board.

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blueplanetsurf said..
This is the final video in our How To Foil series- #5- turning and carving on a foil.

Also "Turning on a foil is more like snowboarding than surfing" (put the weight on the front foot for turning) is a very good remark!