Focus areas when learning to downwind sup foil

Author: Jon Mann

So the growth of the DW scene in The Netherlands is starting to pick up and as more and more beginners join the fold we tend to see the same questions crop up and repeat themselves. I’ve already alluded to most of the things in this blog in my personal progress reflections (here and here) but there’s a few key things on the skill front I wanted to summarise in a clearer way (I won’t address gear in this blog, as I think skill acquisition is much more important than gear optimisation) . So here goes:

Sup foil downwinding is the sum of a number of parts. Buying the gear and just going out for a downwind is the LEAST effective way (in my opinion) to learn, nothing wrong with it. But you can work smarter not harder to make the learning curve more enjoyable. So how can we break down the parts:

  1. Paddling competency:  Being able to paddle / sprint comfortably paddling on one side in a straight line. Also being able to paddle in bumpy water and stay standing comfortably.
  2. Paddle up competency & Bump selection: Being able to understand how to pick a bump and get the timing right for paddling up in bumps
  3. Foiling Competency: Being able to foil freely without external support or means. 

It’s important to do some honest self reflection to identify what your weak points are and what your focus areas should be. It’s worth working on the components before launching into a DW run and just having a suffer fest. It’s also something you can do during your journey, as your focus areas might change. Maybe at first you focus on your paddling as you are a solid foiler, then your paddle up gets solid and you find you’re always falling at the 1k mark. Then maybe you need to maybe spend more time on the foiling part again. Another thing to highlight is gear. Ges, some gear changes might make it easier and possibly even mask or eliminate elements of skill development. But at the end of the day you will have to learn those skills at some point. So to be honest it’s sometimes better in the long run to struggle more at the start of your journey and expose your weaknesses than to sprinkle the struggle along the entire learning curve. But that is entirely personal. Just remember, each “fail” is a learning experience and a data point. 

Paddle competency

As linked in my flatwater paddle up article, Dave’s video explains the technique for paddling in a straight line far better than I can in words. Next to that Niek’s blog (yes in Dutch, but google translate works well) also has some reflections on developing paddle technique.

Essentially you need to be able to comfortably stand on your board and paddle with power, definitely on flat and then consequently in bumpy water. If you can’t do this, you either have a bit or work to do on balance and paddling, or you maybe bought a too small (low volume)/ narrow board for your capabilities (it happens, and for those who don’t have boards, bigger is easier). One way to improve this in bumpy water, is to do the same as when you practiced on flat, but in choppy conditions without trying to get on foil. Paddle around, try to sprint and see how long you can stay on your board going upwind, side wind and downwind. The more you do this, the better for your muscle memory and the little stabilising muscles and before you know it its second nature. 

Paddle up competency and bump selection

Once you can paddle competently it’s wise to start trying to get on foil. Don’t fixate on getting on foil on flat water. You don’t need it. Instead, here’s a good progression to work with:

  1. Start with SUP foiling in small breaking waves. These will give you plenty of push and get you used to the sensation of being lifted onto foil (plus its fun!).
  2. Once you are comfortable with that, move away from the peak, or further behind the sandbank / reef and try get waves prior to breaking, or just unbroken waves in general. These waves are fatter and have less push. This will teach you how to time your paddling and pumping to try and get on foil with less push, more akin to the bumps. 
  3. Once that’s comfortable, then its worth trying to paddle up in bumps. Do this by going for a short run or (my favourite) doing ‘in and outs’.  Try to find a spot with onshore-ish wind, paddle out on your belly (20min paddling is about 1km) and then turn around and try to paddle up in the bumps on your way back. Rest and repeat as you wish. 

Bumpy water paddle up tips

  • You get sets (2-4 bumps together often on the dutch lakes), wait for them
  • Patience: don’t go for every bump you think you can catch
  • Go for the 2nd or 3rd bump. You can then use the 1st one as your ‘guide’ to see how the bumps change / move. 
  • Here’s one of many examples of a (bumpy water) paddle up

Foiling Competency

Whilst 1 and 2 are sequential. 3 is something you can work on in parallel to 1 and 2. A nice target is to be able to foil freely for 1-2km. This just means that when you do go to downwind you get more ‘bang for your buck’ for each paddle up. To practice this, use any means of getting on foil except for paddling up (wing, anchorman can be a fun way to practice with a buddy, foil drive, jetski, boat) to then practice reading bumps. Not paddling up will help you maximise your session without losing time and energy. Note: when using the wing, it is essential to only use the wing to get up on foil. Do not use it to save yourself when you make a mistake. Just accept it and fall. 

Additionally it’s worth ensuring you can pump the foil competently (I need to write a blog on that too). Again, use any means of getting on foil and then practice pumping for as long as you can. Being able to pump well means you have more ‘buffer’ to recover from mistakes. Dockstarting can be a great way to practice this as well, but also isn’t the easiest to learn. 

Putting it all together

So I’m not saying make sure you’re amazing at everything before doing your first run. I’m just saying it’s worth being somewhat comfortable (especially with 1) with these elements and ensuring you have an understanding and some competency in them. There comes a point though where the best practice is to just sup foil DW. But I would say that is still when your paddle up is somewhat solid and you are foiling at least 1 km per stretch. Then you can commit to some longer runs, that then buys you more opportunities to foil.