From your knees to your first ride: wing basics on the water

Learn how to come back just as much as how to go forward

Have you practiced on land holding the wing in neutral, lifting it above your head and controlling the power with your back hand? The next scene in WingKids is on the board. On the water, the board under you moves as well as the wing, so you connect the hand moves you learned on land, starting from a low, steady position.

The lesson starts in this order: getting on the board, finding the neutral position, moving across the wind and turning the board. Standing up comes only after you've learned to move forward and turn around. Remember that the lesson is built so you first learn whether you can change direction and come back, before learning to stand up fast.

Below, you'll read the lesson in four parts. Seeing a position in a picture once doesn't mean you can do it alone on the water. Go through it with an instructor who checks your gear and the wind, and use the signals you learned ahead of time whenever you need help. As the wing's power grows, it matters more to remember how to reduce the power than to hold on tighter.

Let's try it together

1. Put your knees down and find neutral

   The picture starts with climbing onto the board from the side opposite the wing and putting your knees on the centre line. Bring the wing close, hold the neutral handle and find the position with the wind at your back. It also shows the board turning when you keep one hand on the handle and gently push the wing with the other. In a real lesson, get help from your instructor and start by feeling how the wing, the board and the wind work together.

2. Learn to move and reduce power while kneeling

   Look at the order: take the front power handle with your front hand, lift the wing above your head, then gently hold the back handle. In this step you look where you're going, shift your front knee a little and move across the wind. You also learn to let go with your back hand to reduce the wing's power if you get too fast. Agree with your instructor on how far you'll go, and check how to stop moving too.

3. Turn around the other way before you stand up

   To turn, start from neutral and put your front hand on the leading edge and your other hand on the neutral handle. When you move the wing toward the back of the board, the board starts to turn. As it turns, change where your knees are so you keep facing the wing. When the front of the board points the other way, find your starting position on that side. Learn by watching your instructor show the steps and checking your hand positions for yourself.

4. Link standing, speed and steering in order

   After you've learned to move forward and turn, next comes standing up with the wing held up, front foot first and then back foot. Keep your knees bent and look where you're going. Tell the difference between lowering the wing to get power and letting it go up to lose power. Then you learn how steering works: tilt the wing back to head toward the wind, tilt it forward to head away from the wind, and bring the wing back to the middle once you're facing the way you want.