Water sports enthusiasts dream of giving their children wings - and this is possible with wingsurfing. A few things are crucial to ensure that the next generation doesn't crash land, but is inspired instead: the right equipment, the right conditions and a playful approach to the sport. Michael Rossmeier, wingsurfer from the very beginning and author of the well-known Tricktionary books, has children himself and tells you how best to pass on your passion.
Parents = bad teachers
Of course, it is a well-known fact that parents or partners are often not good teachers - simply because there is often a lack of respect and willingness to learn from each other. For these reasons, a course at a professional surf school can make perfect sense. Ralf Madert, who has been offering wing training at Surfers Paradise since 2019, has experienced this, "that children can get started from the age of nine to ten, or a little earlier depending on their size, strength and motivation." It is important that no pressure is built up, fun and games must always take centre stage. If you want to teach your children yourself, you should already be familiar with wingsurfing, the wind and the local conditions, because even though wingsurfing is generally quite safe, you should avoid negative experiences such as drifting or fear. Tip: An overview of many wingsurfing schools throughout Europe can be found here HERE.
Wingsurfing for kids - the right wing size
Wings are usually quite light, especially as soon as there is a little wind, they practically carry themselves. As there is no need for tedious trimming, children can always use adult material, just smaller ones. Ralf Madert explains: "We train children under the age of 12 with small 2.5 and 3.0 wings, ideally in three to four wind forces. These wings have such a small wingspan that even children can easily turn the wing round if it is lying upside down on the water." To learn how to use the wing on land in a playful way, it can also be useful to use a large wing - moving and turning it requires more technique, which contributes to natural learning progress and can also be a lot of fun.
The board - the main thing is that it floats!
In general, the first attempts should always take place without a foil and with a maximum wind force of two to four. Let the youngsters ride with everything the board arsenal has to offer:
- Windsurf beginner boards or SUPs: Ideally with daggerboard or centre fin. These boards are ideal for taking your first steps as a couple and ensure lots of fun on the water together.
- Body Boards & Skim Boards: They are difficult to ride, but are great fun in lagoon shorelines that are only a few centimetres deep.
- Soft top surfboards & kite surfboards: Surfboards with a glued-on soft deck are ideal for making your first wing attempts in light winds. Ideally, they should be fitted with a centre fin that can be strapped on, such as the "Add on Drift Stopper". Be careful with surfboards without a soft deck - they are easily damaged.
- Windsurf boards: Non skid paint scratches wing tubes, so modern boards are not the best tip. Old and slightly stretched shapes (e.g. a "Sunset Slalom", "F2 Comet" etc.) are well suited. Ideally, you should equip funboards without a daggerboard with a strap-on centre fin.
- Wingboards: For light winds you can only use the foil mast as a fin. Caution: If the mast has sharp-edged corners - be sure to tape them off when playing!
Foils for Fippse
Foils should only come into play in wingsurfing for kids when the handling and control of the wing are working. "A 1500 to 1700 front wing"explains Ralf Madert from "Surfers Paradise", "is already really big for children, so they take off immediately. To be able to control the buoyancy at all, we mount the foils as far back as possible. Most of them get the hang of it frighteningly quickly." For children with a body weight of between 30 and 50 kilos, front wings with a 900-1100 surface area are absolutely sufficient as soon as they have mastered foiling and their first manoeuvres.
Wingsurfing for kids - eight steps into the air
As already mentioned, the safest way is always via a surf school, also because suitable equipment is used here. If the parents, as experienced wingsurfers, take over the teaching, you should not preach long lessons and concentrate on the most important information. The following things should be borne in mind:
1. create suitable framework conditions
Choose a spot that is as free as possible, where the wind is not too gusty (no obstacles upwind or downwind) and there are no sharp objects. Soft ground (sand, grass) is ideal.
2. use protective equipment
Surf instructors like Ralf Madert never let children start without a helmet and impact protection waistcoat, even though wing surfing is not a particularly dangerous sport. Whilst protective equipment doesn't seem absolutely necessary when playing with a wing, children should still get used to it, because otherwise it can cause anxiety before their first attempt at flying with a foil if they are suddenly equipped with a helmet and impact protection waistcoat. If, on the other hand, children practise with a helmet from the start, they will feel really strong and it won't suddenly become "more dangerous" when they go out on the water. Tip: Tests of many helmet models are available HERE.
3. convey fascination
Interest arises from the passion of the parents, but even more so when other children join in. If parents are already confident in waving and the conditions are suitable, they can simply take their offspring out on the water for a spin without a foil using suitable protective equipment. It's best to use a large SUP board or a windsurfing beginner board to ensure sufficient stability. The youngsters can also take over the wing and playfully gain their first experience.
4. play, steer, jump
In any case, wing handling must first be practised on land. Adults initially secure the wing using the handle on the front tube, which allows them to control the direction and pulling behaviour. Depending on their previous experience, children often intuitively position the wing correctly and recognise it: Holding the Wing only at the front makes it float powerlessly; it is only when you sheet in with your back hand that the right power is created. Once the normal handling of the wing on land is in place, you can start jumping around in the sand with the wing - it's great fun. Let your offspring assume the correct grip position under the wing and give the command to jump. The adult then pulls the front tube up by the handle and lifts the Wing and child upwards. Don't let go and don't pull too high!
5. get the hang of it
Before going out on the water, children must be able to turn the wing round on their own. This should be practised. Tip: One hand grips the main handle of the front tube, the free hand goes under the tube and pushes it upwards. Use the wind to help you do this.
6. long line
After a few minutes of practising on the beach, the children usually just want to jump around with it. So now it's time to give them a long leash. With the leash on their wrist, adults can run along and make sure that they don't have any bad falls due to missteering while jumping around. If you think the time is right, children can also play around with the wing on their own under supervision.
7. on the water, but without foil
Get on the water! The best ingredients are a large SUP or windsurf beginner board with a daggerboard, or a large beginner wingboard (without a foil). In the beginning, it is enough if the wing just floats, six to eight knots are ideal. Important for the first attempts is a standing area and water that is as smooth as possible without obstacles downwind. Ideally, children should be launched as far upwind as possible, as drifting is part of the process - so it is all the more important that there is a landing area downwind or that you can walk back in shallow water. Children are usually so light that "normal" windsurf boards or SUPs are extremely big for them. Standing is therefore hardly a problem, rather steering and keeping on course. The optimal standing position is therefore usually quite far back so as not to head straight downwind. This practice phase without a foil should last until going upwind is no longer a problem.
8. fly at last
The first flight with a foil should only be considered when the youngster can turn the wing round and handle it intuitively. The choice of material is really important for the first attempts at flying. A stable flying foil that offers little water resistance is preferable here - it should not be larger than 1700 cm2. The board should be as light as possible, children are usually much lighter than adults and have to push cumbersome boards that stick to the water through the water with force. The wing should be the one you are used to so that turning round and handling is easy and familiar. Start flight tests on a half-wind or closehauled course, first estimating the foot position, slightly to the right and left of the longitudinal axis of the board. As soon as the first attempts have resulted in a suitable stance position, mark this preferably on the footpad.
Finally, you should dress warmly, because it won't be long before your own offspring are riding around your ears. And by then at the latest, wingsurfing will really have become a family sport.
