Wing foiling how to articles are in abundance. There’s a lot of foil wing coaching info already available. It’s worth searching online to see what comes up in your results. Whether starting off on your wing foiling journey or progressing you’ll find a whole load of knowledge and info out there. 

A case in point is the Flymount website you’re looking at now. You’ll find wing foiling tips and tricks posts such as this one here. While all this is great there’s not much available when it comes to self coaching. Or rather, articles showing you how to achieve this with some simple and affordable tools. Such as a Flymount Aero 130 wing foiling wing action camera mount.

A bit about beginner wing foiling kit.

Before we get into the foil wing self coaching parts of this article we’ll talk a little about equipment and your general approach. The choices you make when learning to wing foil (and improve) can make or break the experience for you.

Kit and location, plus conditions, directly impact the learning process. It’s a common misconception that wingsurfing is easy. Compared to say windsurfing, which is arguably harder to get to grips with, winging is easier. But… Windsurfers will generally have a good base set of skills (wind awareness being one) that makes it so. And yet, just as with everything, wing foiling is its own thing that takes time, perseverance and commitment. This article gives more insight into time frames when learning how to wing foil.

Giving yourself the best chance possible.

Whether learning to windsurf or progressing there are a couple of tips to take onboard (from our experience) that make learning and improving more efficient. These are as follows – 

• Use the right equipment. Don’t follow the hyper and go too small or performance-orientated. Get the basics dialled in before upgrading your gear. No need to rush!

• Ride at the right time in the right location. Images and videos of dream wave sessions are all well and good. But putting yourself in a surf environment will do you no favours when learning. Flat water, with minimal chop, tide and current with a steady wind of around 18+ knots should see you right.

• Research all you can about wing foiling techniques. As we said above there’s plenty of info available online to tap into. Just make sure the source is reputible.

• Get a wingsurf lesson with a qualified professional. If you’re a beginner this’ll set you off on the right foot. As an improver, having some refresher coaching will give you more pointers on where you should be heading with your technique.

• When riding solo use a Flymount Aero 130 wing action cam mount for post-session ride analysis.

Self coaching and the right info.

If you’re going to self coach yourself you need to make sure you have the right info before you start. Everything from wing handling to board steering and foil technique is to be found somewhere online if you search. 

Just make sure that what you soak up is from a reputable source. There’s nothing worse than taking tips from those not qualified or experienced to give such advice. And in the world of wing foiling there’s as much lack of knowledge and understanding as there is proper advice. This isn’t a criticism. It’s an observation born out of the fact that foil winging is so new. The KIte and Wing Foil college series of video tutorials is a good place to start.

How to self coach with Flymount.

Flymount action cam mounts are designed with riding in mind. They’re versatile, tough and durable and innovative. The Flymount Aero 130 is especially so. Attaching to your wing’s tip, this unique action camera mount gives an efficient point of view depth of field that’ll allow riders to assess their performance.

Paying particular attention to weight – to not overload the wing – and durability Flymount’s Aero 130 is a one of a kind wing foiling action camera mount that you can’t be without. Whether you’re looking to self coach, or just nail that awesome foil wing action it’s an essential accessory for all foilers. 

What you’ll be able to assess with a Flymount.

Attaching to your foil wing Flymount’s Aero 130 unique mount gives a view of many different aspects of your riding. When played back post-session riders will be able to identify areas of their foiling which may need work. These could be some (or all) of the following – 

Follow your head.

Your head is the heaviest part of your body. And generally where you look is where your body follows. This in turn drives your wingsurf kit in the direction of travel. ‘Shoegazing’ is a faux pas as old as the sport of windsurfing. So many riders tend to look down – especially through turns. 

Where wing foiling’s concerned this means your body will subtly drive the foil back down into the water and ultimately touch down. Sometimes resulting in a splash. Action cams mounted to the Aero 130 will show riders just what’s going on with their head during various scenarios.

Hand position.

Hand position plays a big part when wing foiling. It can often be subtle but how you hold your wing can determine things like power and how riders transition this to their foil board and ultimately the foil.

If you’re working on gybes or tacks point of view self coaching can also show how your hand position may need refining. In a gybe, for instance, sliding your leading hand right the front of the wing’s handle or boom gives a fulcrum point for the to pivot as you glide through the turn. Same with a tack (pictured below).

Foot placement.

Where you place your feet and how riders move about their board when feeling can often be quite telling in terms of success or failure. Having the action camera pointed directly toward you, foilers will be able to pinpoint any tweaks they may need to adopt with their foot placement.

A big one is foot changes after a transition. Often wingers step too heavily on the board’s tail – resulting in unwanted air time – or too far forward ending up with a dunking. Spotting this via your Flymount and camera setup will allow you to correct things.

Advanced moves.

If you’re an advanced wing foiler you may be working on more technical manoeuvres like jumps, wave rides, spins and/or loops. With your Flymount Aero 130 attached to your wing you’ll get all the info needed to work on the technique in mind. 

Having your body position correct – plus all the points mentioned above – will often be how you stomp the trick in question. Or dial in surfing waves your wing foil kit. Playback after your session will deliver a wealth of knowledge that’ll help you progress further.

Feedback and comments.

As well as being able to self coach, capturing personal wing foiling footage gives an opportunity to get feedback from more experienced riders in a remote fashion. Rather than having to travel to venues for lessons online coaching can be achieved by using the Flymount 130 and your chosen action camera.

Online coaching is practised across multiple disciplines. We know plenty of bike athletes who use video footage for coaching purposes. Sometimes the coach is in a different country. From a wing foiling point of view, a trained instructor or experienced rider may be able to spot the subtleties of your technique that need working on.

Editing your footage.

In other Flymount wing foiling how to articles we talk about editing your footage – even just a little. This can sometimes deliver those golden results better than just leaving photos and video as is. When it comes to self coaching there’s still a reason to do this. Just remember, however, you’re trying to spot the elements of your riding that need work. So there needs to be a warts-and-all approach if you’re to gain insight.

Of course, whilst out riding and looking to improve you’ll no doubt capture awesome wing foiling shots and vids. For sure, upload these to your favourite social media channel to share your experience. And if you’re happy to @ Flymount on either our Facebook page or Instagram feed. If you use both, tag us on each platform. We’re always stoked to see riders using Flymount products and sharing their passion.

Other wing foiling capture tips.

Point of view action camera photography is a great tool for self coaching, as we’ve said. But there are a couple of other general tips for nailing awesome footage. Whether you’re looking at technique or just out riding for fun.

• If possible try to shoot on a brighter or sunny day. Grey and overcast sessions aren’t the best for action cam footage, unfortunately.

• This should go without saying but choose conditions that are good and applicable to what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re a beginner then avoid super light wind technical wing foiling weather until you’ve dialled your skills in for instance.

• Make sure your action camera is fully charged and you have enough memory. 

• Do use the included Aero 130 Flymount safety leash in the event of it coming loose. It shouldn’t but nothing is 100% guaranteed. This article shows how.

Summing up.

Wing foil self coaching is definitely a worthwhile exercise. Whether in tandem with getting some lessons or without. You can learn a lot about the way you ride by shooting yourself POV style. Just make sure you have the right technique understanding and your foiling should improve.

For more foil wing articles head over to the Flymount knowledge section here. Additional Flymount product info can be found in our online shop here. Should you have any questions please get in touch here.