Feel the wing's power on land

Read the pictures, then go slowly on land

The friends in the picture are handling their wings on land before they go into the water. They are slowly changing from the starting position, with the wing above their heads, to the position that catches the wind's power. First read the pictures and understand which way the body faces. Practice with a real wing together with an instructor, in a space on land where people and gear won't bump into each other.

Try it together like this

1. Find the starting position in the picture

   Look at TIKI in the top left. Both hands are on the power handles, and the wing is directly above TIKI's head. First learn the neutral position and the starting position in the earlier land basics, then move on to this activity. At home, it's fine to just point out where your hands and eyes go, without a wing.

2. Tell your front shoulder and front elbow apart

   In the top right, find the front shoulder and front elbow the arrows point to. Say which arm is in front, based on the way you're heading. Compare how the wing's position changes when the front elbow drops and you look over your front shoulder.

3. Feel the power slowly with your instructor

   In real practice, get into the starting position, then lower your front elbow a little and feel the power the wing catches. Walk slowly across the wind, like in the drawing below. Don't turn it into running fast. Check with your instructor that you can control it comfortably.

4. Reduce the power and return to the starting position

   If the power feels too strong, do what your instructor showed you: bring the wing back above your head to the starting position, or let go with your back hand to reduce the power. Just calmly return using the moves from your earlier practice. Talk about what felt different today, and check it again next time you practice.