I just wanted to point out something thats obvious to prone foilers who pump, but isnt obvious to observers. The deception is as follows, watch a video of someone who rides a prone foil wave for 5+ minutes, he links one wave one time. The thought process is, wow, I can stay on foil all day long with just some pumping. The deception is, that guy started at point A, and ended at point B, in order to get back to the starting point, the guy needs to paddle for one hour or walk the beach for 30 minutes, then paddle out for 15 minutes.
This video shows it perfectly clearly. Take off is 0:05, link completed at 0.35 (30 sec of pumping), rides back at the same takeoff spot at 0.50 (15 sec of riding). I’ll tell you what, that’s a sh*t-ton of effort to ride just 15 seconds. I wish it were reversed. Something like 10 seconds of pumping and you get to ride 30 seconds. It’s just so not fair. That’s why I prone foil almost exclusively the 1250 DW wing, or find a spot that has a strong offshore wind to push me while pumping. Those are the only times i can stay on foil for 3-4 minutes pumping around without the start and end point being 1km apart. Its not fair to not be able to pump around for 10 minutes easily like I was originally advertised by the videos of Oskar, etc…
Also – if I didn’t want to pump and only ride that one wave, it would be more efficient to ride a single wave without linking using a surfboard. You paddle more efficiently a surfboard, you can takeoff on a larger wave with less risk, you can turn harder and smash the whitewater. The whole point of foiling (besides riding swells that are unrideable with a surfboard) is to be more efficient then surfing. Which means, youre the one on foil for 5 minutes pumping around when 100 surfers are battling for a peak to score a single 10 second ride, or just sitting on their boards for 30 min waiting for a set.
Wahhhhh, my steak is too juicy! My world is too vibrant! My CFD software is too accessible and runs too well on any modern workstation! The designers of my highly niche recreational equipment paid too much attention in their fluid dynamics courses!
that’s why I’m foiling a downwind board in the waves. There is no need to chip in and pump out to ride greenwater swell, just paddle out there and catch it. I can still pump and connect waves but I don’t have to because its really low effort to get around with the paddle. Foildrive changed all this of course
Do you downwind? I found downwinding made my pump more efficient. Instead of a consistent pump-pump-pump, I mix it up, tap-tap-glide-pump-tap-tap-glide etc. I kind of change it all the time, which creates little rest stops.
In SoCal, there are multiple spots where a good prone foiler can start and end 5+ minute rides at the same spot. I can’t do it, but Brady Hurley can. I’m pretty sure he’s on a Lift 120HA in this clip.
As said above, fitness is key. Gear and conditions are important, but fitness can bulldoze thru error.
My perception of “work” changes..or is offset by the amount of fun Im having. Put in the work to have the fitness level (cardio + muscle endurance) that makes pumping easier/fun.
Im 40yrs, 185lb on dw170 (AR12) in Jax FL mini slop..connecting for 3-4min constantly (in place). I use same foil for prone, SUP, DW, PW. I imagine your 1250 is great.
Gyms help, but no better way to supe up your pumping efficiency and pumping fitness than by..u guessed it..pumping. Wakefoiling is perfect controlled environment to train. Drop the rope behind a ski and get back a couple wakes. Tiny bump energy will force efficiency and technique, while assisting to extend reps n sets.
Dude in vid had quick ride back in bc he was haulin azz. The speed of foiling vs Traditional surfing says everything abt efficiency. Surfing is a draggg…
Pumping is a privilege.
As a fit person I can confirm that fitness is really useful in pumping, but skill is NECESSARY. My fitness hasn’t changed much in the last year but my pumping skills have greatly improved just because of a better understanding of the feeling of the foil, on what is being too high and being too low on the mast and such. Still can’t connect for more than a minute, yet..
That’s short period shallow water energy vs deep long period energy. On the rare instances I travel I HATE riding “good” waves because it’s just so much work. Shallow and short period is slow and playful and you kick out and it’s no big deal and you just kind of glide into the next one. Fast deep water energy is a nightmare - super lit on the wave bleeding speed then it’s like the shoulder has negative energy that kills your pump when you kick out and you grave dig out and the wave was so fast you covered so much ground you have an eternity to pump back.
I have the opposite experience. Coming off the top of a powerful wave, I’m finding I can get real energy going down the backside of the wave. There is a moment at the very top of the wave I’m hovering at the stall speed, then put the front foot down and accelerate down the backside. Hard to describe but its super fun when you get it right
Yeah, I’m starting to think this is key. Kane de wilde has a lot of these stair treadmill workouts on strava. I think it works out the pump muscles better than any other sort of cardio.
my workout for prone - and this dials in alot of the muscle groups i find - Switch Lunges(switching in the air), squats, burpees. The switch lunges tune balance, burpees tune popup, squats for endurance. Try unweighted squats to failure - something north of 100…you’ll be dead the next day. Also i find its a sure fire way to gurantee theres waves is to overbake a workout and be super cooked!
