How long does it take to learn to eFoil?
At eFoil Miami we have had hundreds of students over the years. We’ve taught people of all ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels. In that time, we’ve got a good gauge for what the process is like for the average eFoil student.
The good news is you can get out and ride right away! The question is how long will it take to get up on foil? Most people can learn to eFoil in three hours. Some take longer, maybe up to six or nine hours. Younger students like teenagers typical are up and foiling in 30 minutes. But not always! If the student has reservations, it can take longer. People in their 20’s and 30’s are usually riding in an hour. Riders in their 40’s 50’s and beyond sometimes, pick it up in 30 minutes and sometimes it takes the full lesson.
We find, it is not age or fitness that slows people down. How fast you learn to eFoil will come down to two things. Confidence and being teachable. The most rewarding thing about teaching eFoil lessons is the giant smile on everyone’s face the moment the press the trigger. Even our slowest learning students walk away with the biggest grin and completely in love with the sport.
What can I expect the first 30 minutes eFoiling?
The first ten minutes on the water you should just get used to the different speeds of the eFoil. Most eFoil brands will have several speed settings on the remote. Use the time to lay on the board with your weight all the way up on the nose. Select a speed you are comfortable with and go! As you get comfortable with accelerating, try going faster and taking more turns. Lean to the left or the right to apply pressure to the rail of the board. Take note how the foil feels as you turn.
The next ten minutes you should get used to riding on your knees. Repeat the drills from the first few minutes. Sit far up on the foil and make sure you keep your weight near the nose. You don’t want the foil to take flight yet. Try going even faster or maxing out the speed of the foil. Use your knees to apply pressure to the rails of the eFoil board to make it turn. Practicing all of this will help you get used to how the board and the foil react.
Use the next ten minutes in the taxi stage. Most eFoils will float you when simply standing up. You’ll be staring on your knees and practicing popping up onto your feet. If you are a heavier rider, we recommend seeing if the eFoil brand you’re using has additional flotation. For example, Waydoo has the Flyer Pod. This keeps the board stable for everyone and helps heavier riders balance. For the taxi stage, you will be standing in the riding stance. Just like a surfer on a surfboard. Make sure to keep your weight up near the nose. We’re still not coming up on foil yet. Practice accelerating on your feet and get used to riding at different speeds.
What can I expect the first hour learning to eFoil?
The next half hour you will be practicing taking turns in the taxi stage. We turn the eFoil with pressure from our heels and our toes. Get to a steady speed and try a turn. With your knees bent, put some pressure on your toes and lean slightly forward. The board will start veering in that direction. Do a complete 180º turn and start riding the other direction. Now, put some weight on your heels and lean slightly backwards. Keep your weight between your feet and look over you shoulder in the direction you want to go. Do another 180º turn and ride the other way.
Spend as much time as you like here. Get used to riding fast, accelerating on your feet and taking turns with control. You might not be taking flight yet, but you are surfing with an electric motor! This is the stage where students experience their first falls. If you do fall, jump away from the board and backwards. Falling is a part of learning and it’s always fun to go for a swim.
What can I expect the second hour learning to eFoil?
This is the stage where most people either get up right away or spend a lot of time practicing.
This entire hour is spent learning to take flight. Start on your knees and get some speed so you can pop up into the taxi stage. Keep your weight further back on the board and start applying some weight to your rear foot. The nose of the board is going to start rising. To take flight, you’ll need to be going about 10 miles per hour. If you go too slow, the nose will just pop up and it’s going to take a lot of front foot pressure to keep it down.
Practicing popping the eFoil up and take small rides on the foil. It’s okay to come up and come right back down! Keep trying and getting used to the balance between your feet. You need to have heavy back foot pressure and light front foot pressure to balance the foil. The first thing you will notice is how the board responds to your toe and heel pressure. This is why we spend the first hour getting used to controlling the board. If it still feels funny, that’s okay! The trick is to look forward where you are going. This should keep the eFoil board straight while you’re learning to get up.
Practice taking longer and longer rides! Have fun and don’t worry about taking falls. Like before, fall back and jump away from the board. Make sure you don’t have your hand on the trigger when climbing back on the board and make sure you don’t kick the foil or the prop when climbing back up.
What can I expect the third hour learning to eFoil?
This is going to be different for everyone depending how the first hour or two went. Some riders will be practicing the first few drills and building confidence and control. Others might be spending this time working on popping the board up on to the foil.
If you were able to get up and ride, this is a great time to work on turning the eFoil in flight! The process is the exact same as you practiced in the taxi stage. Work on applying toe and heel pressure. eFoil schools will be teaching on large and stable eFoil wings so it should be a long slow turn.
This is where most students become independent and pick up their own eFoil! You can make a game plan with your instructor. If you want to book more lessons, we’re always happy to get back out there to work on the details.