teaching absolute newbie

[Eduardo]

Has anyone taught someone to hydrofoil that does not already know how to kitesurf?

When we learn hydrofoil we all say 'everything you used to know is wrong...' so maybe if someone learns this from the very beginning they can skip the usual TT learning phase. Anyone tried?

[Jyoder]

That saying may refer to riding the board, but not flying the kite. Good kite skills are a pre-req in my opinion.

[RadDrDuke]

I wanted to teach my wife but I think it would be way too hard for a non kiter.

[geir]

hmm...interesting. Bringing a non-kite friend on an overseas kitetrip. Might give it a go as I'll be maybe bringing a gear...

[gbrungra]

I just taught my brother to foil behind a boat. He's a more natural athlete, so he was doing as well on his first session as I was, even though I'd foiled w a kite five times.

There's no way I would let him loose w a kite and foil.

Maybe if someone were already a snow kiter, and you taught them to foil behind a boat, then they could skip the TT/surfboard phase...

[ronnie]

There are videos of the stages of Kailani learning - with foiling being the intent from the start. Aged 8 to 9 years old while learning.

[ronnie]

[revhed]

Thank you SO very much for posting these latest BRM vids, has made my day!
How cool to have a dad, uncle, other ? and an environment like that!
Interesting to note that it looks like the "funny" foil STRUT with stringy wings is not flown in the later vids, MHL lift?
See at 54 sec 4th vid.
I am not a jealous person, but sure am jealous of not being able to learn to KBHF in such a place at SUCH a young age.
R H

[Jzh_perth]

Pretty sure kailani could kite before she could foil. I think anyone could learn to ride a hydrofoil behind a boat but it would be impossible to learn to kitesurfing and kitefoil from scratch at the same time.

[dylan*]

The student would have to be seriously dedicated since a hydrofoil is so much harder to ride than a twintip. You can make a lot of mistakes on a twintip that would just not be possible on a foil, you would get thrown off. Additionally, they don't have the kite reflexes built up, so I think a chance for injury (falling on the wing, etc) would be much higher.

I do think it would be possible, especially if you have access to a boat and can get some muscle memory built up with how the foil behaves and reacts independently of the kite, but for the average person trying to learn how to kite, I think the increased difficulty would put them off entirely. We already have a significant amount of people that try to learn and give up because it's too hard.

The best course is probably still to learn a twintip or surfboard first and ride for a while so you build up muscle memory, reflexes, and just fully understand how all the gear generally works and behaves.

It's not like twintip skills are meaningless when you start foiling, you're still riding on a board, after all. Your weight placement is just different and you have to learn the different balance points.