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I've been winging for 2 full seasons now and think I am slowly passing the intermediate level, as I am consistently landing nearly all my gybes & tacks even in very choppy conditions. Lately I've been really enjoying flagging out as long as possible and trying to connect bumps without engaging the wing, carving a bit up and down if the steeper bumps line up. I've noticed that staying high on the mast for as long as possible is important, and I'm trying to pump pushing off with both feet equally and making myself as light as possible for as long as possible after each hop, which seems to work to some extent: in the last few sessions, I have been able to pump myself back up higher onto the mast quite a few times. If I'm lucky, a bump lines up, and I get to ride down the face again and rebuild speed. However, more often than not, I manage to gain mast height by pumping 2 or 3 times, but then just gradually loose speed and eventually stall, regardless if I add extra pumps for more (new) height. At this moment, the only thing that can save me is to re-engage the wing.
Does anyone have any tips or good "how to" videos on what to do differently to not only gain height, but also forward speed? Prone foilers swing their arms around and pump back out to the next waves, so I was wondering what the trick is to pump up AND gain forward momentum (while holding a wing). And apart from technique, does mast position make a big difference? I'm trying to line it up with my backfoot at the moment. I'm on a Sk8 950 - 141w combo and a midlength board btw, 77kg.
Reading the bumps you're on will be the most importantl bit. Sounds like you keep running into bumps and getting stuck on the uphill.
Instead of pumping I would suggest making lots of turns between the bumps and constantly position yourself so you would stay on a slope most of the time.
Not all proners pump their arms. Mines very subtle and the arms just follow the bodies momentum only. It's no different with a wing. As crew said above (and it becomes very necessary when DW sup foiling - turn more and stay high on the swell line. Extract as much as you can out of each swell. If you do run down the face , then be turning as hard as you can to get back up and into the swell lines power.
If you do out run the swells energy in front then tap with both feet and get as high as you can - then let the foil do the work - head at an angle (as sharp as possible and turn into the next swell line (generally you will see it pass you by and you turn / hook in behind it - then turn hard - get up high and keep turning as you ride behind the passed swell line.
Always be turning even if subtle. This creates it's own speed.
Only add to the great advice above is to park your wing on your hip as a starting point. The less you move your upper body and wing while pumping, the better. On my favorite wings, I get a little apparent wind lift that can help push up. Even when pumping back to the launch in no wind, I can push down on the handle for some resistance that allows easier pumping than when prone!
Wow great thread and thank you for starting this! And some great insights already!
@Taavi, great video and some clear long runs there! I'm keen to understand:
- while making these long runs what do you look for/look at (in front of you, next to you, left, right)? It appears like you look more to the front and at the shape of the back of the wave in front you know where to be/where to go (rather than looking sideways or behind you)?
- how much of the mast do you aim to have out of the water? 3/4? More? Are you riding the foil super close to the surface?
Or this matters less as by turning you anyway stay on the higher part of the wave?
Thanks!
Great thread, aligns with my goals of maximising my local wind swell 
Couple of things I have been working on over this winter that seem to be working for staying flagged and ripping hard!
- Use carves to generate speed - I think the quote I remember was "always be turning" - which is what I repeat in my head.
- When connecting swell - look for where the water is about to drop/fall and aim for that. This was from an older progression podcast and always stuck with me. You change your pov to anticipate where the new bump is going to kick up.
- For pumping technique I've been moving my feet back and closer together based on this thread (forum.progressionproject.com/t/foil-trim-how-to-get-the-balance-right/5406/36) - been getting better feedback and distance. The other thing I'd say is that pumping is hard, if you got some flat water to cover you need to commit to getting the heartrate up (or just defer to the wing).
Is it feasible to learn how to pump on an inflatable board? I just got a narrow inflatable board for a lighter days and was thinking of using those light wind sessions with larger foil to learn how to pump.
That guy should try a Starboard, I'm convinced they are a massive improvement compared to plate on the bottom construction.
Lots of good advice above. I try to not pump too much. Pumping can be counter productive. I agree with turning more to stay on the slope of the chop. Pump while turning. Subtle pumps. I avoid long strings of big pumping. If you think about the radius around you of bumps(energy), you don't have to go far to tap into one.
