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Not having much fun Learning to Foil

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Big Wally
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Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby Big Wally » Sun Apr 30, 2017 5:40 pm

Probably have 8 seshs in Ocean learning to foil. 20 inch short Mast. Can Foil a long way even on Toes. Have not had much success on a Long Mast. Seem to have lost the excitement. Any suggestions to get re stoked about continuing to learn?

Always some shore break and current. I have no where close to try flatwater.

B W

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby TomW » Sun Apr 30, 2017 5:54 pm

I think you have to go to a longer strut ( mast)

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby Pedro Marcos » Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:45 pm

I dont understand the short mast thing, on my second session of foiling i tried the slingshot short mast and it has nothing to do with being on a long mast.

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby BWD » Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:58 pm

If you're getting slammed every time you try to go through shorebreak with your long mast, maybe you need to learn different techniques for that part?
If you get out in the ocean and can't make the long mast work, maybe you need to make the effort to get to a flat water spot for a weekend or so?
That is the best I can think of to suggest from the information given.
But if you can ride with the shorter mast in the ocean and enjoy that, keep doing it for a little while. Wait for a flat, side-off day for the long mast?
Out of ideas, good luck...

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby PullStrings » Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:30 pm

I did 6 sesh in a row last year in ocean on a borrowed short mast then long mast and the excitement was 10% and all the hassles 90%. Stopping and returning it made me feel myself and happy again. Sport definitely not for everyone. Your are not a nobody if you don't become proficient at it and give up because it feels like a nonsense contraption to you.

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby Mossy 757 » Mon May 01, 2017 3:10 pm

Big Wally wrote:
Sun Apr 30, 2017 5:40 pm
Any suggestions to get re stoked about continuing to learn?
I suggest you continue to learn until such a point as you have sufficient competence to judge if you enjoy the discipline or not.

There are a lot of really bad kiteboarders that have successfully learned to foil, don't let them be better and more dedicated than you.

Also, if you quit before you learn then for the rest of your life you have to live with telling people that you didn't learn to hydrofoil because you weren't good enough or you weren't able to. You can't use the excuse, "oh I tried it and it's not for me." You'll have to say that you quite before you really got the hang of it because you thought it was too hard.

That's a shitty excuse to have to live with. If you learn how to do it proficiently and still think it sucks, then at least you can quit knowing that it didn't beat you; the dark secret is that by the time you get to that level, you won't want to :thumb:

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby Starsky » Mon May 01, 2017 3:22 pm

Frustration is normal. Repeated short sessions work better than going too long in any one session early on. The stages are fast and furious, there are plenty of awkward, and even scary moments, but once you get used to this whole new set up, it begins to click and the balance shifts from 10% excitement, 90% hassle to 95% excitement, 5% hassle.

There is a learning curve to absolutely every aspect of dealing with a foil. Even transport and maintenance get easy to the point they no longer register as hassle.

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby matth » Mon May 01, 2017 3:34 pm

I finally break down and buy a foil, and now I am reading more negative stuff in the last month than the last two years...WTF :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby BWD » Mon May 01, 2017 3:56 pm

i'm in the same situation. ha ha.
the short mast I tried was easy, but now I will have to learn the long one.
nobody says that is really "Easy"
but if too frustrated, I can modify, buy or build a shorter mast.
looking forward to it, either way.
If needed, another excuse to try is "it's too shallow for a 90cm mast where I ride" :naughty:

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Re: Not having much fun Learning to Foil

Postby Mossy 757 » Mon May 01, 2017 7:19 pm

matth wrote:
Mon May 01, 2017 3:34 pm
I finally break down and buy a foil, and now I am reading more negative stuff in the last month than the last two years...WTF :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
2 years ago people were learning on full carbon Spotz and Swords and nobody had a problem learning. Now there's all these cheap/easy foils to learn on it seems like everyone and their brother is struggling to foil... :roll:


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