Beginner stance - why not stand in front of the foil?

[artificialname]

I’m a beginner on a 5"6 Slingshot Simulator.

I’m struggling to control the “bucking bronco”.

Would it be so bad if my back foot was in front of my front wing?

[glfmkg]

I'm new as well, so just commenting on my learning process - I can now ride anywhere I want and gybe to toe side on my weak and strong stance 100% of the time - about 32 sessions so far - so others may give you better advise, this is what worked for me:

- Not sure what wing you have? but I have a 633 wing which is low aspect and very easy wing that requires very little power from the kite to fly
- I started with the mast all the way towards the back of the board track - I would highly recommend you do this if you haven't done so - massive difference!
- I also started with straps only in the front and no back strap - so to you point, I was, at the beginning, placing my back foot closer together to avoid the "bucking bronco" as you describe it.
- After two sessions I was able to fly consistently, so my instructor ( I took 3 classes) made me move my back foot further back until it was right over the mast.

I know place my back foot right were the back strap would be (I still don't have a back strap) mostly on top of the mast or a bit behind. My mast is now all the way forward which makes going on foil a lot easier! I got there by moving the mast one inch at a time.

Keep practicing, after you got it it will feel so easy to avoid the "bucking bronco" - and wear a helmet! I started using a full face helmet and it made a huge difference in confidence!

Cheers,
G.

[Allarounder]

I’m a beginner on a 5"6 Slingshot Simulator.

I’m struggling to control the “bucking bronco”.

Would it be so bad if my back foot was in front of my front wing?

You need to apply more pressure on the front foot when it's happening.

But basically stand wherever you feel the most balance .

[jakemoore]

No problem at all. It depends on the foil where your weight is compared to the mast. I would suggest no rear strap. Put your rear foot in front of the mast as you water start and get up to speed keeping the board flat and on the water. Use the kite power to lift the board from the water and then depower to put the board back down on the water. Move your rear foot back only as you want to trim the board to have more lift.

[Flyboy]

You need to apply more pressure on the front foot when it's happening.

But basically stand wherever you feel the most balance .

This. The bucking bronco effect comes from having your weight too far back causing the board to rise abruptly up. The board dives back down generally not because you have your weight too far forward, but because the front wing breeches - comes too near the surface of the water - or because the angle of the foil is too steep and it stalls, either of which causes the board to dive down. Although it's strongly counter-intuitive you need to learn to keep your weight further forward ...more than you would think. You also need to learn to minimize your movement - adopting a narrower stance may help with that, as it reduces the effect of you (unknowingly) shifting your weight around. It will come with practice. Hard as it may be to believe at this point, with enough time on the water, balancing the foil will become as easy as riding on a TT or SB.

[IWantToFly]

Did you mean to write “in front of my front wing?” That’s likely going to be way too far forward and if you do that you will never get up on foil, you will just taxi on the surface of the water (which is a good skill to have).

Agree with the others that you can start with your back foot in front of the mast and then move it back as you start figuring out where you balance.

[Kamikuza]

Go to a park with a seesaw. Stand over the top of it and try to balance the arm by standing with both feet in front of the pivot point... yeah it's simplistic but you get the idea.

Sounds like you're trying to force it up onto the foil with insufficient speed, and you're fighting low speed stall condition without the finesse and experience to handle it. Probably waving your hips forwards and backwards like a belly dancer too... You'll find with more speed the foil will be easier to ride.

Let the board stay on the surface, don't try to pop it up, ride faster until it rises under your balanced self due to your forward speed. Keep your torso upright, bend your knees and use side lunges to shift your weight. Wider base IMHO you'll find more stable too.

[Nelis]

If you are on a Slingshot Hoverglide setup, then yes, probably you need to move the mast back in the tracks as far as it will go. Rear foot above the front wing, which is slightly in front of the mast.

Build more speed before starting to fly. In fact, it's best to try and keep the board down all the way, and once you are comfortable with that do a smal shift of weight back to initiate flight, and move back in front to try to land it again.

[rnelias]

I'm new as well, so just commenting on my learning process - I can now ride anywhere I want and gybe to toe side on my weak and strong stance 100% of the time - about 32 sessions so far - so others may give you better advise, this is what worked for me:

- Not sure what wing you have? but I have a 633 wing which is low aspect and very easy wing that requires very little power from the kite to fly
- I started with the mast all the way towards the back of the board track - I would highly recommend you do this if you haven't done so - massive difference!
- I also started with straps only in the front and no back strap - so to you point, I was, at the beginning, placing my back foot closer together to avoid the "bucking bronco" as you describe it.
- After two sessions I was able to fly consistently, so my instructor ( I took 3 classes) made me move my back foot further back until it was right over the mast.

I know place my back foot right were the back strap would be (I still don't have a back strap) mostly on top of the mast or a bit behind. My mast is now all the way forward which makes going on foil a lot easier! I got there by moving the mast one inch at a time.

Keep practicing, after you got it it will feel so easy to avoid the "bucking bronco" - and wear a helmet! I started using a full face helmet and it made a huge difference in confidence!

Cheers,
G.

Follow @glfmkg recipe and you'll learn soon

Be patient. Don't try to fly the board in the first attempts. In fact, you must do exactly the opposite and your weight placement will help for sure (mast all the way back and back foot in front of it). Keep the board touching the water and taxing until your brain get used to the feeling of the board trying to fly as you develop speed. I remember that in the learning stages I usually tried to start in 2-stages: a small kite deep to roll over the board followed by another small kite deep to start going forward. For me, it was easier to tune the power/speed to control the board and start taxing.