I have been having some success prone foiling on a slingshot simulator (5'6"). I have had some flights but am still struggling on the pop up. About the half the time when get to my feet I am too far back and the board breaches, 25% I get up and am riding but feet are too far forward to lift off. The remaining 25% is roughly split between foiling but veering off left or right cause my feet are off centre and a few seconds of consistent flight.

My finned shortboard popups are not the best but I can generally get up on my 6'0" if the waves are at least waist high. I normally pop up from the cobra position to my feet in a cobra-like jumping motion. I just go belly to both feet without any intermediate step and there is quite a bit of variation in where the feet land. Should I be using a different kind of pop-up for prone foiling?

Also I am currently using the slingshot infinity 76 wing in A position towards the front of the track. Starting to wonder if I should be moving the foil forward

PS: seems like the breaching during popup seems to happen more when I am taking off on an unbroken wave, and the getting stuck and not being able to fly the foil seems to occur more when I popup from whitewater. Would foil placement be different for different conditions?

Yeh I would try it a bit more forward. And it's just practise really and water time. Also when you get up
try having your hands push down on the deck of the board (rather than the rails) and replace those hands with your front foot. Even pays to delay getting up for a bit with those hands there. just to stabilise the whole thing. Other than that as I said above it's just time.

Don't make it too technical. Eventually it's just a natural action that takes no thinking.

You can try placing your back foot first instead of both feet up at once. This is obviously exaggerated for the "trick" but shows the method.

www.instagram.com/tv/CXV-kBpFZzY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Spent a heap of time on ol SS76 ....great allround foil to learn on.A position is the go on the fuse ,and slide the mast right to the back of the tracks ( towards the tail) to begin with.This allows you to get to your feet and adjust your foot position before getting on foil.Back foot over mast and front foot a bit more than shoulder width forward. When you are stable and centered with your feet , do a little Ollie hop like on a skateboard and it will jump up onto foil , be prepared to level out the flight with your front foot pressure and away you go. This sequence can obviously happen quickly but I found the beauty of the infinity 76 is you can also hold it down as long as you have weight on the front foot and pop up on foil when you are good and ready.It was a great foil for this reason especially in bigger whitewater waves. Don't slide the mast forward as it wants to come up earlier and it is snakey to control without experience. Good luck !

Yeh that's a good point by kobo. As I run an 85 mast even for proning - unless it's really big/steep I have to do exactly what he said above. Ollie up the board onto the foil. I don't mind that as it gives my kook ass some time to adjust - especially on the HA wings.

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thedoor said..


My finned shortboard popups are not the best but I can generally get up on my 6'0" if the waves are at least waist high. I normally pop up from the cobra position to my feet in a cobra-like jumping motion. I just go belly to both feet without any intermediate step and there is quite a bit of variation in where the feet land. Should I be using a different kind of pop-up for prone foiling?

PS: seems like the breaching during popup seems to happen more when I am taking off on an unbroken wave, and the getting stuck and not being able to fly the foil seems to occur more when I popup from whitewater. Would foil placement be different for different conditions?

Interesting... I breach on white water due to the uncontrolled speed, and have difficulty flying on unbroken waves! Best practice for me is to mark a spot on the floor where I want to land, and practise pop ups that have me placing my hands farther forward than typical surf balance point, pulling my body forward (cobra,) and then poping up with feet closer together than surf stance and near front hands. This also helps dropping into steep waves on a short board, so you don't have to have different pop up techniques as long as you foil when it's mushy and surf when it's firing!

One of the biggest revelations for me, was shimming the mast plate to change the angle of attack during paddling as opposed to forward or back in the track (once I've found the sweet spot.) kdfoils.myshopify.com/blogs/foil-info/hydrofoil-balance-tuning

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Hwy1North said..

thedoor said..


My finned shortboard popups are not the best but I can generally get up on my 6'0" if the waves are at least waist high. I normally pop up from the cobra position to my feet in a cobra-like jumping motion. I just go belly to both feet without any intermediate step and there is quite a bit of variation in where the feet land. Should I be using a different kind of pop-up for prone foiling?

PS: seems like the breaching during popup seems to happen more when I am taking off on an unbroken wave, and the getting stuck and not being able to fly the foil seems to occur more when I popup from whitewater. Would foil placement be different for different conditions?

Interesting... I breach on white water due to the uncontrolled speed, and have difficulty flying on unbroken waves! Best practice for me is to mark a spot on the floor where I want to land, and practise pop ups that have me placing my hands farther forward than typical surf balance point, pulling my body forward (cobra,) and then poping up with feet closer together than surf stance and near front hands. This also helps dropping into steep waves on a short board, so you don't have to have different pop up techniques as long as you foil when it's mushy and surf when it's firing!

One of the biggest revelations for me, was shimming the mast plate to change the angle of attack during paddling as opposed to forward or back in the track (once I've found the sweet spot.) kdfoils.myshopify.com/blogs/foil-info/hydrofoil-balance-tuning

by shimming the mast plate do you mean changing mast angle to the board?

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Hdip said..
You can try placing your back foot first instead of both feet up at once. This is obviously exaggerated for the "trick" but shows the method.

www.instagram.com/tv/CXV-kBpFZzY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I found this youtube video that promotes the back foot first. I tried it on the floor and it wasn't the easiest thing to do. In my pop ups it seems like there is period of time when neither the hands nor the feet are on the board. I guess I need to work on getting my feet under me without lifting my hands off. Just not that easy for a geezer.

Only difference with foiling is , if you hold the back arch while lifting your head for too long, or pause in that position trying to get stability it makes the foil want to lift as you are throwing your weight onto your hips which is toward the rear of the board. I've seen first prone foilers who are shortboard surfers , takeoff and hesitate getting up and get launched in that halfway position, so don't pop up slow.

There is an exceptional short board surfer Dow here who still hits 6-8 foot gnarloo like he's shelling peas. He uses same technique on the foil as I described. Super fluid all in one motion.

The guy on the yellow board around 2.50sec seems to go front knee then back foot.

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Hdip said..
You can try placing your back foot first instead of both feet up at once. This is obviously exaggerated for the "trick" but shows the method.

www.instagram.com/tv/CXV-kBpFZzY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Perhaps using this chickenwing or backfoot technique mentioned below?



I mostly longboard and have always popped up from my toes, but recently have been able to mostly get up on my short board using what she calls the shortboard pop up. But seems like this backfoot technique allows someone to maintain hand contact on the board until the front foot is in contact with the board. My current technique has a "flight" phase where no hands or feet are in contact with the board.

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thedoor said..

Hdip said..
You can try placing your back foot first instead of both feet up at once. This is obviously exaggerated for the "trick" but shows the method.

www.instagram.com/tv/CXV-kBpFZzY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Perhaps using this chickenwing or backfoot technique mentioned below?

I mostly longboard and have always popped up from my toes, but recently have been able to mostly get up on my short board using what she calls the shortboard pop up. But seems like this backfoot technique allows someone to maintain hand contact on the board until the front foot is in contact with the board. My current technique has a "flight" phase where no hands or feet are in contact with the board.

The shortboard is the one I use.
Check around 8:40 he talks about hand placement and sliding forward to pop up as opposed to a surf board where you leave your hands at the natural paddling balance point. As its very hard to pop up with your hands forward, you either have to put your back foot on the board like Steamroller's one footer, or pull yourself forward and then pop up. And yes, you don't want to be holding cobra as that puts weight back.

Shimming the mast changes the angle of attack while paddling. Some boards have tail rocker and will bennefit from a shim on the rear. Some are really flat and will bennefit from a shim on the front. If you find you always have to wait for the wave to break, then catch the whitewater so you don't get launched, it may be you need to shim the front so the foil is digging into the wave more. And if you just can't seem to get flying unless the wave is pitching, then try shimming the back. But do these adjustments after you've played around with mast position up and down the track first.

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thedoor said..

Hdip said..
You can try placing your back foot first instead of both feet up at once. This is obviously exaggerated for the "trick" but shows the method.

www.instagram.com/tv/CXV-kBpFZzY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I found this youtube video that promotes the back foot first. I tried it on the floor and it wasn't the easiest thing to do. In my pop ups it seems like there is period of time when neither the hands nor the feet are on the board. I guess I need to work on getting my feet under me without lifting my hands off. Just not that easy for a geezer.

Not that easy for a young geezer either roland(especially when you have never surfed).
About 5 sessions in i haven't got to my feet without falling to the side. I think the right wave conditions helps a lot. Was out in fast steep 5-6ft waves this week. Got up on on one and managed to get my back foot up hands and front leg still straddling the board felt like I was doing 17kts down the wave on one knee, so didn't muster the courage to stand up and then I out ran the wave and dropped off the foil as I just went straight down it without turning. The gofoil p180 is fast!
Really wish i had a chance you try the prone setup behind a boat first. Getting towed into waves on a jetski would definitely speed up progression. But paddling is such good exercise that's what I tell myself after paddling for 4hrs to half catch one wave in freezing temperatures

Will try those exercises. Have been using a wood plank balancing on a foam roller seems to help some.

I had good success the other day working on the three legged dog technique on my foamie. Yet to try it on the foil board, but i am hopeful I will be able to get to my feet with more control.

Success on the popups. Not sure exactly what I am doing but I am getting to my feet consistently without the the foil breaching. Key seems to be keeping hands on board until feet hit the board.

I will say though that paddling a 5'6" around with a foil under it is exhausting.

Yep

Wait till you are riding one a foot smaller! The ride is so worth it .

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SupMaui said..
Wait till you are riding one a foot smaller! The ride is so worth it .

I would have to start on roids. I am thinking of going longer, I couldn't even hold my position and had a long walk back to the car

Paddling is getting easier. Probably a little fitter but also I have moved the foil forwards and which puts me more forward for paddling so maybe the board and foil are flatter in the water and the drag is less. I think HWY1 proposed this idea up above. Also I have progressed from infinity 76 in A position to infinity 76 in B position at the back of the track and am now using moses 760 front half of the track.

www.instagram.com/p/CZ9hsLdl0ta/