When we’re able to pump for half a minute, we want to pump more, pump for longer, go further… It’s time to optimize our pumping.
If we want to optimize, we need optimal equipment:
- A flat, lightweight carbon board with a maximum length of 100 cm.
- A high-aspect foil, with an aspect ratio of at least 8 cm. The higher the aspect ratio and the greater the surface area, the further you’ll go, but I think it’s better to adjust it to your weight, at least until you learn a good technique.
- Reduce the size of your mast to between 70 and 78 cm. Anything less will start to be limiting, and anything more will only add weight.
- Start trying smaller stabilizers, as they provide more lift, although they also increase instability, so do it gradually. I don’t recommend freestyle-type stabilizers that shorten the fuselage, as you’ll go up quickly but also down quickly.
Once you have the equipment, practice comes, and lots of practice, because practice is the most important thing. By practicing, you’ll notice sensations and continually improve. The tutorial only offers a few small tips to try and find motivation to try more things again. One of the tricks can help you pump for 10 seconds more a day, but don’t think that just by applying it you’ll be able to pump for 5 minutes. That magic trick doesn’t exist, even though there are thousands of videos on YouTube giving you those important tips that will mark a before and after.
The accumulation of hours of practice will result in improved pumping performance. Those people you see on YouTube pumping for minutes on end didn’t start pumping on weekends 6 months ago; they’ve been doing it for years and practice on average 3 or 4 times a week.
Therefore, below, I’m going to give you some points to keep in mind that I recommend taking in circles. Read one, try it, if you like it, keep it, and move on to the next. When you’ve finished them all, start over. Even if you’ve already read a tip and think you’ve got it, or if it didn’t work for you after a full lap, the following month may give you a little extra push or you’ll notice a new sensation.
Don’t try to practice them all at once on the same day, because it’s impossible. You have to practice one, build muscle memory, and move on to the next.
These tips have helped me go from pumping 40 inches to 1’41 inches in 6 months. To give you an idea, there’s no magic tip, and all I have to do now is practice and practice to go even further. In the meantime, if I find any more key tips, I’ll add them to the tutorial.
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