If you already have a good two-step dock start and are able to speed it up, you can try the frog start. The frog start consists of starting the pump without running along the dock, but standing and in a single jump, with your feet at the same height as the dock, on the board that was already in the water with the foil (if it were out of the water it would be considered a drop start).
For this, it is better to have a slightly higher dock, so that the board with the foil slightly submerged is at the same height as the dock or a few centimetres higher. I also find it better with a low aspect foil as in my experience they are easier to get up to speed by pumping.
The steps to follow would be:
- Stand at the corner of the dock with the board at a height that has the foil submerged but with only 1 or 2 centimetres of water above it. Place the board as close to the dock or wall as possible.
- Grab the board by its back side with both hands.
- Push the board forward with both hands at the same time, not too hard so that the board loses control, but with enough force so that it gains some speed.
- At the same time that you release your hands from the board you have to be jumping forward. Your hands never go back. The idea is that you land on the board before it has stopped.
- Land on the board with both feet at the same time. You should have previously seen a video showing the optimal position of your feet on the board and have some reference to try to put them in the best possible position.
- Land with your body slightly forward. At first, because of fear, your head doesn’t make you lean your body back.
- Lower the board so that it gains speed like when you lower it in a pump.
- Release weight from the board so that it rises like in a normal pump, and continue the normal pump.
Once you have got the hang of jumping, the difficulty is to give it speed until you reach the speed of a normal pumping. With a low aspect foil it is relatively easy, but after learning with a low aspect I tried it with a mid aspect foil and it is more difficult, so it is even more important to land on the board well by giving it speed from the first moment.
In the video below I detail these steps, and the common mistakes that usually occur in practice, doing some of these steps incorrectly.
This start is easy with a low aspect foil, but with a high aspect foil it is difficult to gain speed. On a high spring it is easier to start with a drop start, but the drop start can be a bit scary at first so this start is a good intermediate step to get over the fear.
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