What is foil pumping? With good cardio and training, this technique involves propelling yourself out of the water using your body movements to move your board and foil forward. When you first start practicing foil pumping, it can seem intimidating and complex. However, it will help you perform better in your board sport, a technique that requires good coordination to generate speed and maintain balance.
Don’t worry, here are a few tips and tricks in this guide to make your first dockstarts a success and progress in pumpfoiling, which can be practised in wingfoil, SUP foil or surf foil.
Understanding how pumping works
Before you start pumping foil, it’s important to understand how a hydrofoil works. It operates in a similar way to an airplane. It is essential to generate speed in order to obtain sufficient lift to then move and glide above the surface of the water. To maintain flight, the goal is to optimize momentum by exploiting the inertia and vertical thrust of the foil.
Pumping allows you to generate this energy through your own movements, using your body’s own strength. The key is to maintain a constant speed, optimum stability and master a certain pumping technique. This way, you can save energy during each session, to maximize the sensations and this unique gliding experience.
In this YouTube video below, we explain in detail how a foil works.
Learn to pump foil
To be totally transparent, mastering the technique and practice of pumping may take a little time. And it all depends on your foil (preferably carbon), your board and the conditions on the water. But pumping is accessible to all.
A simple rule to remember before you start: be in tune with your equipment, lighten up when you go up and get heavier when you go down. The aim is to optimize glide by focusing on a well-executed movement, even at low speed, rather than trying to go too fast with a bad pumping move.
The start
You may need to pump in several situations:
- starting from a pontoon (or slipway, boat, beach) during a dock start,
- to catch a surf foil wave,
- to take on the swell and make a downwind bump to link the offshore waves,
- or a wingfoil for free-flying if you have a touchdown.
The case of dockstart is a good example of how to learn to pump from a platform.
Whether wingfoil, surf foil or sup foil, the technique remains the same. Pumping will always be triggered once you’re already airborne.
The first step to pumping is to get out of the wave or bump at the right time. In surf foil, try to get out where the wave isn’t breaking to avoid turbulence. In downwind and wing foil, it’s generally easier, because you’re moving out of the area where the waves are breaking.
Trajectory
The higher the speed, the smoother the movement. At the start, avoid too tight or fast turns when coming out of a bump or wave, so as not to lose speed. Conversely, take the time to lengthen your curve once you’re stable on your board. This will help you maintain a good initial speed and launch your pumping in the best possible conditions.
Technical
Foil pumping is a combination of two movements, based on alternating lightening and pressing of the body. The key to pumping lies in coordinating the movement of your legs and the transfer of your weight.
The board rises under the effect of lift, while pushing down on the front allows you to accelerate. So, when your back leg straightens, your front leg will bend slightly to allow your foil, which is located under the rear of your board, to rise. This is the push phase.
Then press down on your front leg, accentuating your weight to generate more speed and direct your foil downwards.
Check out this pumping video clip captured during an AFS team trip.
Let the foil rise, pressing down on your back leg as you lighten up. Once at the top, reverse the movement: press down on your front foot and release the pressure on the back.
On the other hand, use your arms to help you during the lift-off phase. By swinging them in sync with your movement, you can improve your balance and make it easier to lift the foil.
What’s the right pace for successful pumping?
It is obvious that a wide movement consumes less energy than rapid pumping.
By giving more amplitude to your movement, you’ll be able to take advantage of rest phases thanks to the good lift of your foil as it approaches the surface.
The pumping rhythm also depends on the equipment you use. With a wide front wing and a long fuselage, the movement relies more on inertia, requiring a lower frequency. Conversely, with a smaller front wing and a short fuselage, you will need to adopt a more sustained and rhythmic pace… But this is ideal for turning. This is why the type of foil influences the rhythm: a large front wing allows for a more fluid movement and requires less effort than a small one.
Pumping foil can be learned; it just takes a little patience and a lot of practice, but anyone can do it. To progress more quickly, take the time to watch several videos and tutorials to analyze the movement properly. This will help you better understand and mentally integrate the technique, making it easier to reproduce once you’re on the water. Action!