Beginner Land and Taxi Drills

The board cannot swing across you and the wing stays clear.

Same four moves after every fall:

1. Swim to the upwind side of the board.
2. Climb on.
3. Pull the wing in by the leash.
4. Find the handles.

Robby Naish · MACkite

Paddling is how you get home. Treat it as a real skill.

Lie on the board and paddle it like a surfboard. In shallow water it floats with the foil above the surface — use that to cross weed, then flip the foil under once it is deep enough.

The wing tugs on its leash while you paddle. Fix: stuff it under your feet, upside down, trapping the leading edge.

Practise paddling upwind before you need it. You lose ground constantly while learning; being able to paddle back makes that safe.

Shallow water alternative: put the wing on the board and walk it down the beach. Easier than dragging the board or carrying both.

Kitesurf College · Sam Light · Robby Naish

This position carries every drill that follows.

1. Climb on and lie down.
2. Push up onto your knees, toes tucked under.
3. Spread your knees wide — that is where the stability comes from.
4. Stay centred.

Toes together behind you or feet spread wide both work. Use whichever is steadier for you.

While you set up you can put a hand on the board, or rest the wing on the water and lift it once you have the front handle.

Elite Watersports · Sam Light · Damien LeRoy

A moving board is a stable board. Nobody expects this at first.

Both hands on the boom. Pull in only enough to start moving. Once there is speed, the wobble stops: the foil and fins only bite when water is flowing over them.

Stay upright on your knees. Do not hunch forward — upright gives the wing room to fly above you and keeps it off the water.

Kitesurf College · Damien LeRoy · MACkite · Sam Light

Every instructor teaches this. You use it constantly.

Rotate your torso to move the wing along the board. Toward the nose → the board turns downwind. Toward the tail → the board turns upwind.

Position steers too: kneel forward to bear away, kneel back to head up more easily.

Leaning works as well. A small lean carves the board. If the board feels stuck to the water, lean back to lift the nose free.

What is actually happening, because the shorthand hides it: you keep the wing driving forward and pull the back hand in. That loads your back foot, and the back foot turns the board upwind. A wing angled back but pointed wrong still drags you downwind.

Kitesurf College · Elite Watersports · MACkite · Sam Light · SUPboarder · WingWorld

Every second sitting still costs you ground you have to win back.

As soon as the wing is under control, point the board across the wind — about 90°, or a touch above it — and go. That line is crosswind.

Kitesurf College · Damien LeRoy

Makes steering automatic.

Taxiing on your knees:

1. Shift toward the nose, wing forward → watch the board bear away.
2. Shift back to the tail, wing back → watch it head up.
3. Shift forward again, drop the back hand, hold the front handle → wing and board stop.
4. Let go, sit down, repeat the other way round.

Do not bother keeping the wing out of the water. This is practice. Stay here as long as you need.

MACkite

Two directions kill your speed and neither feels wrong at the time.

• Too far upwind: you stall. Point at the wind and you go nowhere.
• Too far downwind: in light wind the wind seems to vanish — your own speed cancels most of what you had.

Hit both limits deliberately. Then you recognise the feeling instantly and steer out.

Watch out: in light wind, drifting downwind is a trap. Your own speed cancels what little wind there is and you cannot sail back. Stay crosswind or slightly above it.

Kitesurf College · Damien LeRoy · WingWorld

The easier turn. Learn it kneeling, where falling costs nothing.

1. Wing toward the nose → the board bears away.
2. Lift the wing high overhead.
3. Release the back hand, move the front hand across.
4. Take the new back hand — the pull swings you through the rest.

Same hand swap you drilled on the beach. The board just rotates under you now.

Watch out: on a big inflatable SUP this turn is slow and awkward. If it will not come round, sit down and paddle it around.

Kitesurf College · Elite Watersports · Sam Light

This one position makes the stand-up work. Almost nobody mentions it.

While kneeling and moving, angle your knees instead of keeping them square:

1. Point your knees slightly downwind.
2. Leave your feet slightly upwind.
3. Slide your back knee toward the centreline.

Two payoffs: you can hold the wing without twisting, and your back leg is out of the way of the foot you are about to bring forward.

Knee angle also trims the board — one direction lifts or drops the tail, the other rolls it side to side. Staggered keeps both small.

Elite Watersports · Kitesurf College · Sam Light · WingWorld

The standard method. Nearly every instructor teaches this one.

Get moving across the wind first so the board is already stable. Then:

1. Slide the front foot forward. Ball of the foot on the centreline, near the front strap inserts — further forward if you are new to foiling and want the foil to stay down.
2. Stand up mostly on that front leg.
3. Place the back foot, arch on the centreline, near the rear inserts.
4. Keep both feet on the centreline. Not on the rails.

Go slow. If it feels wrong, drop back to your knee and redo it. Twenty times is fine. Standing up in one fast movement is why people shoot off the other side.

Use the wing to lift you. Do not haul it down toward you and do not lean forward as you rise.

If the board is too floaty to get your weight over it: rest the trailing edge of the wing on the water, lean down onto your own forearm against the front of the wing, set your feet while it holds you, then raise the wing slowly and take the back handle.

Watch out: there is a window. Stand up after the board is moving and settled but before there is enough speed for the foil to lift. Do not build maximum speed and then try to stand.

Robby Naish · Elite Watersports · Kitesurf College · Sam Light · Damien LeRoy · WingWorld

Try this on a smaller board, or if you already ride sideways on anything.

The knee start is the default and it suits SUP riders on a 140–160 L board. Smaller board, or a surf/wake/snowboard background? This one may be faster — it drops you straight into the sideways stance your body already knows.

Set up as usual: wind behind you, wing downwind, board across the wind or slightly above. Then:

1. Get on both knees and both hands, body already sideways. Your hands carry weight and control the upwind rail.
2. Slide the front foot forward, arch on the centreline.
3. Get low. Backside almost on your ankles. The low centre of gravity is the whole trick.
4. Bring the back foot forward, still low. Balance from your ankles and feet. Do not stand.
5. Grab the front handle and swing yourself back across the wind — you drifted downwind while setting up.
6. Once you are moving crosswind with power, stand up slowly, using the pull to help.

You can also just stay low and ride. That is a legitimate way to sail, and it lets you choose when to stand.

Every step slow. Rushing puts you back in the water and costs more time than doing it slowly.

Easier on the knees. You are only on them briefly, then the soles of your feet take the load and the friction instead of knees, shins and insteps. Use it if your knees hurt. Your wetsuit knee pads last longer too.

Different balance too: down low you correct with your toes and ankles, not by throwing your upper body around.

It also reads the wind for you. Low and nearly planing = the gust is enough; stand and you are usually foiling within seconds. Sluggish down there = wait for a better gust.

Watch out: one method, not the method. It needs hip and ankle flexibility to get properly low. Its instructor rides a usually-flat lake and does not claim it works in chop. Riders report it is hardest in very light wind, when there is not enough pull to swing you round or lift you. If the knee start works for you, keep it. If chop is the problem, use the next two drills.

AWKWA (Ben), two videos — single-source method; the "get low", "swing across the wind before standing" and "front foot first" parts agree with the other instructors

For a smaller board, or chop, where being upright is what makes you fall.

On a big stable board you can kneel or stand and then bring the wing up. On a smaller board or in chop, that upright moment — especially while the wing comes up — is exactly when you go in.

This removes it. You start low and stable under the wing, hands already on the handles, so you can power up and go immediately. Once moving, the foil acts as a big stabiliser.

1. Lie on the board, weight set so the nose stays slightly up.
2. Pull the wing in if you are not holding it.
3. Point the nose slightly downwind, pushing off the water or the wing.
4. Bring the wing overhead. Front hand on the front handle, back hand can hold the rail.
5. Both elbows in beside your waist. Prop on them. Knees tucked in near the centreline where the volume is.
6. In one move: grab the back handle and lift the front hand to fly the wing.

The wing has to pull immediately. Once you have speed, stand and go.

Why the nose points downwind: the first lift of the wing is a sudden hit of power aimed downwind. Nose crosswind or upwind at that moment and it rolls you over the side. Slightly downwind absorbs it.

Watch out: fore-and-aft weight decides this drill. Too far forward and the nose submarines; too far back and the nose rides high, which is less stable and much slower to get going. Keep the nose slightly up throughout. Smaller boards need it more precise.

Kitesurf College

The version that works in real chop.

Sit on the board with a leg either side, holding the wing. You can fly it and taxi along like this — good control in chop, because your legs grip the board.

To launch:

1. Elbows down, same as the basic stink bug.
2. Release the back hand and grab the rail with it.
3. All your weight on your arms. Whip both legs up off the sides in one move — now you are under the wing, as in the basic version.
4. Back hand on the wing, front hand up, power on.

Payoff: you can go from here to kneeling in about two seconds. Quick enough and you barely stop, and a moving board is far more stable than a parked one.

This position also lets you ride through chop and small broken waves instead of getting flattened. Sitting up you can see the water, wait for a gap, then launch and ride away.

Its instructor recommends learning to taxi along in this position.

Watch out: it needs more strength and flexibility to whip your legs up, and it gives you less time to fix your weight position. Learn the basic stink bug first and get the weight right before adding this.

Kitesurf College

Locked legs are the fastest route back into the water.

Keep your knees bent and your weight low. Lock your legs straight and every ripple throws you.

Keep your body over the board. Do not hang out to the side like a windsurfer — the board is narrow and your weight has to be on top of it.

Damien LeRoy · KT Surfing · Robby Naish · AWKWA

Your hands correct faster than your feet.

• Falling backward → pull the back hand in. The extra power holds you up.
• Falling forward → push the back hand out. Kill the power so it stops pulling you over.

Practise both deliberately. Then the wing is something you can hold on to.

Damien LeRoy · WingWorld

This is the main skill. It is worth the time.

Ride along on the surface, across the wind, both ways. Turn, come back, repeat.

To keep the foil down, keep enough weight on your front foot. Weight creeping back lets the foil lift. Board feels light? Push down through the front foot.

Kitesurf College · Elite Watersports

Downwind is free. Upwind is what makes it a round trip.

Eyes first. Look at where you want to end up. Shoulders, waist and hips follow your eyes, which aims the board and puts the wing load into your legs.

Feet: front foot pointing forward, slightly off centreline on the upwind side. Back foot across the centreline toward the tail. Drive the back leg toward the wind and load your back heel.

Wing: hands closer to the leading edge. Front hand in a little, back hand out a little. Hold it at about 45° across the board. Move it back slightly to head up, then always return it to the middle to keep your speed.

On a SUP: the fins are all at the back so it keeps bearing away. Wing high, power light. Load the upwind rail — lean on your heels to bite it in. With no centre fin, stand as far back over the fins as you can and shift your front foot toward the upwind rail so the board itself works as a fin. Keep your speed: fins only bite with water flowing over them.

Watch out: that heavy upwind-rail lean is a SUP technique. On a foil board, keep the board flat with the mast vertical — rail lean there is mostly drag. What carries over to both: weight back, back-foot pressure to head up.

SUPboarder · Robby Naish · Scott Miller · Damien LeRoy · WingWorld

The turn that gains ground upwind. The other one loses it.

1. Move the wing toward the tail and step back → the nose comes up into the wind.
2. As the nose passes through the wind, step forward to keep your balance.
3. Wing overhead, swap hands.
4. Move the wing forward to get going crosswind, then back to the middle.

Look through the turn, at where you are going. Not back at the wing. Stay low. Keep the board moving. Find the wing again once you are round.

Watch out: leaning back and looking at the wing mid-turn causes almost every failed tack. The board stalls and stops. Stay forward.

Slingshot · KT Surfing · Sam Light

Same turn as on your knees. Timing is what changes.

Wing toward the nose to bear away. Then, before the board points fully downwind: wing overhead, release the back hand, front hand across, take the new back hand, let the pull swing you round.

Leave it too late and you are running with the wind with no power left to finish the turn.

Kitesurf College · Elite Watersports

This single rule decides whether the turn works. Drill it on its own.

Once you can ride long stretches without falling, spend whole sessions turning and riding back. A turn is the only time the board is rotating instead of going forward. Stop the rotation halfway and you fall — a stationary board has nothing holding you up.

Learn it kneeling first, even if you already ride standing. Drop back to your knees for it: more balance, and you can pause mid-movement while you learn it.

To start the turn: release the back hand, put it on the leading edge, and push on it. You are now propped against the wing — that is what frees your feet to turn the board.

One continuous move at a constant speed, side to side, through the full 180°. Three ways to do the feet: lots of small steps, one big step at maximum twist, or switch your feet before the turn. Once round, grab the handles and go.

Watch out: moving your feet late is the usual failure. You stop leaning on the wing, so you stop turning the board — now you are just shifting weight on a stalled board, and it goes unstable instantly. You can hold the boom instead of the leading edge, but falling over the side gets more likely.

WingWorld

After a turn you are standing the wrong way round. This fixes it.

Wait until you are moving crosswind and settled. Then:

1. Bring your feet closer together.
2. Small hop to switch them.

The rule that makes it work: keep both feet centred on the same spot the whole time. Drift fore or aft off that spot and the trim changes under you and you lose it.

Kitesurf College

Only your good side improves on its own.

One direction feels natural — the same one you use on a skateboard or snowboard. The other feels wrong. Normal, and it does not fix itself while you ride your good side.

Ten minutes each way, then swap. Not 30 minutes on the easy one.

Robby Naish · Damien LeRoy

You will fall hundreds of times. Landing wrong wrecks expensive gear.

When you go in, do not drag the wing down with you and do not land on it. It is a stitched inflatable — the strut-to-leading-edge joint takes your whole body weight if you come down on it.

Backward falls are often recoverable: pull the back hand in and let the wing hold you up. Otherwise remount from the upwind side and restart.

Robby Naish · WingWorld

One control sets your height. Know it before you leave the water.

Weight toward the tail tilts the front wing up, the foil makes more lift, you rise. Weight toward the nose tilts it down, less lift, you come down.

That is the entire rule. Height is a fore-and-aft weight decision.

Kitesurf College

The goal of session one is a short flight you ended deliberately.

1. Build speed across the wind with weight on the front foot.
2. With speed up, press the back foot briefly — a small amount, so the board stays nearly level and rises slowly.
3. Still rising? Shift slightly forward to level off.
4. To come down: push the back hand out. Flying needs less power than taxiing.
5. Move weight onto the front foot and let it settle. Raising the wing sheds power too.

Lots of short flights, not one long one. The transition is the exercise.

Watch out: too much back foot tips the board and foil up together, you keep climbing, and the foil breaches. Be gentle and rise slowly.

Kitesurf College

A foil does not need a long fast run. It needs load.

1. Get moving across the wind.
2. Wait until you feel the power fill the wing.
3. Pump the board: press front foot to back foot, like popping an ollie. That loads the front wing.
4. As the nose lifts, push your hips forward over your front foot.
5. Hold steady front-foot pressure.

Close to flying speed but not quite there: point crosswind, get your best speed, wait for a gust, add a few wing pumps.

Watch out: really light wind means pumping the wing and the foil at the same time — a separate, much more advanced skill. That is why light-wind take-offs fail.

Robby Naish · Damien LeRoy · Kitesurf College

Three causes. Fix the right one instead of repeating the attempt.

• Not enough speed. Below flying speed, back-foot pressure does nothing or lifts you then stalls. Lifting the nose before you have speed makes the speed worse.
• Pointing too high upwind. You bleed speed and never reach the threshold.
• Pointing downwind. Running with the wind cuts the wind at the wing, so it stops pulling and stops holding you.

Fix, in order: build speed across the wind, weight on the front foot, board flat for minimum drag. Then press the back foot.

Kitesurf College

You get about a second to fix both. Neither is optional.

Power. On the surface you are pulling hard against the drag of the board. Airborne, almost all of that drag vanishes. Same power = you accelerate to a speed you are not ready for. Sheet out. Flying takes very little power. Keep some front-foot pressure or the foil climbs and breaches.

Steering. On the surface you steer by moving the wing fore and aft. Airborne, a tiny lean does it instead. Toes down turns you downwind fast. Heels down turns you upwind fast. Stand upright, stacked over the mast, wing overhead rather than out in front.

Kitesurf College · Robby Naish

The specific first-flight crash. Know it before it happens.

On the surface you lean back on your heels to balance the wing. Keep that lean once you are flying and the foil carves hard upwind, sometimes right around, and the wind catches the top of the wing and slams you in.

Fix: as you feel it rise, let the heel lean go almost completely. A small lean is enough to balance the wing and enough to ride upwind.

Overcorrect and you are on your toes heading downwind. Stay between the two, stacked over the mast.

Kitesurf College