Steps to unpacking your wing:

1. Start by finding a spot on the sand or grass away from sharp objects
2. Unroll the wing so the bladders inside don’t crease
3. There are two valves, make sure the centre strut valved is closed
4. Open the leading edge valve
5. Attach the nozzle to the valve
6. Note: each wing has a different PSI – this is indicated on the valve collar
7. You will hear a hissing noise – this is air entering the centre strut from the leading edge chamber
8. Be patient as the air flows in and fills the centre strut9. Screw the valve cap back on securely without overtightening

Steps to packing your wing:

1. Lay the FreeWing with canopy down
2. Don’t hang the wing up when deflating, or move it around that could cause the bladder to crease
3. Open the main leading edge valve
4. Then open smaller the centre strut valve
5. Slowly push the air out with your bodyweight
6. Roll the wing up from the outside in – start with one wingtip and roll to the centre, then repeat on the other wingtip
7. Be careful not to crease the windows with a fold – it’s ok to roll them
8. Don’t roll too tight – which can cause the bladder to twist. The bag is oversized and will fit the wing easily
9. Fold the wing together, again, be careful not to fold on the windows

The post How to Unpack Your FreeWing appeared first on Wingfoil South Africa.

This step-by-step wing foiling for beginners guide will help you begin your journey. A key step in getting started in Wing Foil is starting to enjoy Wing Foil. Take-off is not very complicated but requires the right approach and right equipment to get in the water with your gear in the easiest way without damaging it.

After you’ve got your wing foil setup, it’s time to start using it.

Tip: If you’re not sure about wing surfing alone, we’d recommend some going for some Wing Foil Lessons.

Step 1: Getting Used to the Wing

When starting wing foiling, the first step consists in getting on your knees on the board. Then you need to get used to having the wing in your hands (not upside-down) with the handles made for that.

Then you try to position the wing above your head so the sides don’t touch the water, and a little further close the nose of the board by putting it in an upwind axis almost neutral.

The aim of this step is to learn to control the lift of the wing, its reaction to the gusts, and to find a stable position on the board.

Once you are stable and able to control the wing as you want, you can orientate it more on the side to get more lift and make your board go faster.

Step 2: Standing Up On The Wingsurf Board

To go to the second step you need to have accumulated enough speed with the wind. Once the speed reached, you can position your front foot on the center of the board. This allows you to stand up in two steps which is a lot easier when you learn to wingfoil.

Step 3: Position Your Body

Once you’ve completed step 2, you can then move on to the third step of ​​learning to wing foil. This time you’ll place your back foot flat on the foil board allowing you to stand.

It is essential to have a good foot placement for a successful wing foil launch.The back foot should be centered on the board and ideally located just above the mast of the foil. The front foot should be centered on the board in front of your back foot with a spacing between the feet equivalent to the width of your shoulders. These gaps may differ depending on the size and volume of your wing foil board.

We advise you to keep the wing relatively above your head in a position close to lift neutrality (first photo on the left) in order not to be unbalanced by the gusts. Then in a second step, bring it down to orient the central boom (or wishbone depending on the model) so that it is almost parallel to the water. You get more lift and the board accelerates.

Step 4: Take-Off

The fourth stage is the take-off stage. You now have enough speed with your board for the lift of the foil to kick in.

To facilitate this, you can perform a light pumping motion by successively lightening your weight on the front leg and then on the back leg to play with the angle of the front wing of the foil and make it more buoyant.

When the foil takes off, shift the weight back onto the front leg and hold the wing firmly, staying upright to maximise the wind lift. Repeat this sequence as many times as necessary (sometimes once, sometimes ten…) until you take off.

You are now in flight and the duration of this flight depends on your ability to distribute your weight efficiently between the front and back legs, but above all on the direction / axis of lift you give to your wing so that the wind allows you to keep moving.

Transferring the weight to the back leg raises the foil and transferring it back to the front leg lowers the wing foil. It is important to stay upright and keep your centre of gravity above the foil to avoid falling.

For more indepth tutorials on wing foil for beginners, head over to our Beginners Tutorials.

The post Learn to Wingfoil: Beginners Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Wingfoil South Africa.