Pumping a wingfoil board - difficult for you or is it just me?

[Dontsink]

I am starting to get (very inconsistent) 2 for 1's on the prone.It has taken me two years,mostly of windfoiling.The beachbreaks here are not ideal for surffoiling.

I think you can shortcut the learning curve a lot by towing on a perfectly calm day, i have never done it but i think that "feeling" how the foil reacts without the interference of chop must lead to way quicker results.

I practice pumping on the wingfoil and it is hard to see what you are doing wrong as the foil cuts through the crests&throughs,plus the wing hand is busy making upper body movement limited.But i have no way to tow,and dock starting in the marinas around here is not allowed.

One thing that helped me is making the extension a lot faster than the compression, kind of "kick down fast&flex up soft".This may be different depending on your gear but it works on mine.

[Dontsink]

This vid shows what i mean in the previous post, or at least what i "think" i see .Watch how the back foot accelerates down ending in a pretty fast flick and then comes up at a more sedate pace.

[OzBungy]

Looks like it's pretty easy if you know how. Clearly they're not doing anything super human and they're on all the different brands of gear.

[Peter_Frank]

Please give us some hints Oz, if you find it easy.
How did you learn, how long did it take you?

Peter

[OzBungy]

I can't do it either.

But it's got to be a technique thing. Pumping started off with all the dying seagull arm flapping and only super athletes doing it. Now they're having races in waist deep water with a little bit of lower arm movement. It all looks pretty casual.

Admittedly the guy that wins the race looks a bit wrecked after he runs up onto the beach. Alex Aguera mentions the young guys coming through in the first places then the first older guy.

[Dontsink]

I its simple,but not easy at all IMO.
Super subtle timing and angle control.

Like popping a skateboard ollie,holding a wheelie on a bike or playing an ACDC groove on the guitar.
They look easy and are considered "basic" skills...but just give them a try

The efficiency of those guys on the Foil Races is incredible, they are very fit but you cannot pump that long unless you you have a perfect move without any wasted energy at all.

I have spent many runs on the wingfoil just feathering the sail and pumping away.Pretty much on every session.Exhausting and frustrating, with no apparent progress for weeks and weeks.
Two years of that and it is only now that i see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel

I guess some people get it quick but for most of us it is like beating your head against a wall.
Still a long way to go but i will keep trying, it is a key skill for Surfprone,DW and wingfoil maneuvers in inconsistent wind.

Give it time Peter, and if you get a chance to tow with a biggish HA foil and a small board in calm conditions grab it.

[juandesooka]

Like popping a skateboard ollie,holding a wheelie on a bike or playing an ACDC groove on the guitar.
They look easy and are considered "basic" skills...but just give them a try

Agreed. I did a poll of the members of Foil Surfers on fb, to see where they are at in pumping. Sadly only 20 replies out of 10k members. But of those, only 1 (5%) is at the level of being able to take part in that Florida pump foil race. The majority can get 2 for 1s and occasional 3 for 1s (that's me). And then a bunch just barely pump. That seems about right, from what I've observed locally.

Point being the pump monkey thing is somewhere between advanced and extreme, in the combination of skill, athleticism, and fitness. I am chasing it hard, but not sure if I'll actually get to where I hope to be. I've experienced the "advanced intermediate plateau" many times before, notably being a skateboarder when the ollie was "invented", and seeing this become the divider between hacking around and advancing to the next level. If you can't ollie like a champ, you don't get to the rad streetstyle, as it's the fundamental move. I think it's the same for pumping and foil surfing. And probably for most other sports too.

[irwe]

As juandesooka said the easiest route to learn Foil Pumping is behind a boat or Jet Ski. Just getting use to the feeling of no support from a Wing or Kite is a new sensation.
Progression:
Getting up behind boat (or Jet Ski)
Ride Wave (no rope)
Carve in and out of Wave
Swing out of Wave and Pump until you go down
Swing out of Wave and Pump and get back on to Wave
Etc,
You also need the right gear.
Hopefully, Peter you know someone with a boat (or Jet Ski)

[irwe]

The \wake Thief series is excellent for anyone wanting to improve their Pumping Technique

[juandesooka]

As juandesooka said the easiest route to learn Foil Pumping is behind a boat or Jet Ski. Just getting use to the feeling of no support from a Wing or Kite is a new sensation.
Progression:
Getting up behind boat (or Jet Ski)
Ride Wave (no rope)
Carve in and out of Wave
Swing out of Wave and Pump until you go down
Swing out of Wave and Pump and get back on to Wave
Etc,
You also need the right gear.
Hopefully, Peter you know someone with a boat (or Jet Ski)

X2! In boat practice sessions, I am at the stage of pumping off the wake, turn and re-engage. The full progression is to do a cutback out and then re-engage the wake behind, and then pump ahead to catch up to wake in front. With that and cross-wake transfers, you get the Pump Monkey Badge. A difficult thing is, using the boat / jetski as a training tool requires some effort ... it is so easy and fun to just stay in the wake and make little turns, you can ride forever. But to learn you have to challenge yourself and leave the comfort zone ... which substitutes the endless fun wave for repeated water starts over and over and over. Quite a bit less fun, but needed for progression.

Wake thief series is excellent ... though can be frustrating at times to see how easy it seems for them, the learning curve was long ago. He has a bungee system that makes it pretty easy to learn -- a lot less effort than boating missions. Costs about $200 in parts.
He has also built a launching platform for dock starts, which makes it doable even for middle aged mortals. An hour or two and $30 in parts. Screw it to a dock and you are limited only by your time and energy. Just rRepeat 100-500 times and you'll be doing it too.