What I’ve found teaching is that there are TWO very important attributes to learning……
1. Foot placement : If your feet are incorrectly placed you will not have an enjoyable flight.
2. Confidence : It comes with short in control flights that lead to longer ones because you know what to expect.
Being in Control can only happen if you have the confidence.
Correct Foot placement allows you to rest while gliding. Rear foot should be above mast or slightly to the aft of mast. This allows for you to pivot more easily while pumping. Moving the mast forward means the board wants to rise up sooner which is a good thing once you get comfortable and thus allowing you to use your body weight to push the board back down as opposed to having the mast too far back and you trying to raise the board by applying pressure on the back foot. Experimenting with mast position can change the amount of energy you’re using drastically. Behind a boat its a simple adjustment to see if it works, if not, simply try moving it the other way. Pretty difficult to do this in the waves while surfing.
Riding open ocean swells offshore helps build confidence connecting waves and forcing you to continually look for ocean energy. Having a boat escort takes away that fear that you possibly break something or get too tired. A couple minutes of rest along with a sandwich and drink will have you ready to be towed into another swell.