Wingman Foil Club

Hello All,
I am 74 years old, not overweight in fact I'm underweight at 148 pounds. I've worked as a Ironworker high steel all my life which has left a bit of osteoarthritis in both knees as well as shoulders. When the Dr consults with me he also mention deteriorating miniscus in the knees..... Not torn, just old.
My history: In 1990 I took up high wind windsurfing, mostly in the Columbia River Gorge/Hood River and stuck with that and became competent at intermediate-advanced levels. In 2006 started kiteboarding and advanced in that with twin-tip and ocean directional surfboards. Then in 2014 discovered kitefoiling and never looked back. I'm kitefoiling 1-2 a week on several different foil wings (waves & speed). I drug my feet for years on this Winging craze with the thinking that the industry designs needed to settle. Now Spring 2024 I'm collecting everything I need to get started. Soon I'm purchasing a used larger 1750 Armstrong front wing, a 99L board, a 4m & 5m Duotone wing.
So I'll be frequenting this forum.... But my first inquiry is: Tell me about what measures I can use to help my knees? Conditioning? Sleeves?
Thank You
Kip in Tacoma

@Scottp haven’t you dealt with knee issues?

So, I’ve never had knee problems, but now that I wing I do often feel knee discomfort after a long session. But for me a lot of that is because I ride a small board, and if the wind is light I have to schlog on my knees. Which is why I wear knee sleeves with a layer of foam over the knee cap under my wetsuit. I can not recommend this enough for learning. When you’re learning you can absolutely tear up your knees and tops of your feet if you don’t wear booties.

I also jump a lot, but I think riding big swell affects my knees too because I ride a medium length mast and have to bend my knees a lot. Once you’re proficient you might consider a longer mast like 90-95 cm to let you ride over big swell and chop without bending your knees. I also crash a lot with means restarting a lot. The most knee intensive part.

The main thing you’ll want to do is figure out a way to start that gets you off your knees as quick as possible. In order to do that you’re going to want a very stable board. Something a little wider and bigger and that you can easily stand on when not on foil. 99L might do the trick, but I would consider taking a lesson with a good instructor and having them bring an even bigger board for the first session. A big wide board will be harder to get on foil, but it will allow you to figure out your technique for getting up and familiarize you with the wing and just riding around taxiing on the water.

A good instructor can also help you figure out how to adapt the water start to spend less time on your knees. I know one rider with a bad knee that does what he calls a “superhero” start. He gets his bad knee up first so he’s only kneeling on one knee before he lifts the wing out of the water. I know another rider that stands up completely before lifting the wing (requires balance).

I would suggest maybe even considering a 6 meter wing as well. At your size a 6 meter wing will allow you to go out in very light wind which means less chop which makes it easier to balance. Also being a little overpowered will help you get on foil easier especially on a bigger board. As a former windsurfer you will be used to having power in the sail. Isn’t Tacoma fairly light wind as well?

The good news is once you are confident on foil, there’s no slapping board to transmit impact into your knees.

Hope these tips help. Hopefully Scott will chime in.

The good news. Foiling is very easy on your knees. There isn't very much impact like jogging for example.

If you can't kneel, use a bigger board. Just stand up before you even grab the wing, then pull it up. You're gonna be stoked.

Wow! Active forum with no BS. Thank You all for this advice. I'm getting stoked.... Note: Through the 1990s my wife was a wind-widow. 🤣

wylieflyote wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 1:52 pm Wow! Active forum with no BS. Thank You all for this advice. I'm getting stoked.... Note: Through the 1990s my wife was a wind-widow. 🤣

😆 🤣 😂

I have been foiling for a couple years with bad knees. My right knee needs a total knee replacement and my left knee has meniscus issues. My right leg is noticeably weaker and smaller than my left due to atrophy. Due to this I can really only get from kneeling to standing using my left leg. I try to use the wing and a gust to help pull me up. The left meniscus issue is a new problem since October and the knee is unpredictable. I haven’t sailed since October but I have been doing physio and I might try to foil today. I bought Stoko Supportive Tights that act as knee braces with 90ft of cable in them. They will fit under my wetsuit and should help provide some stability. I have also been using compression sleeves for my legs at times. The knee issue has really slowed my progress foiling as it affects my balance. I’ll report back on the Stoko Tights once I have foiled with them.

I grew up playing soccer and played through college. Didnt wind up with huge knee problems thankfully but my issue was a lot of damage to the nerve endings on my knee cap area so I really have a hard time kneeling. In the beginning phases you do a lot of that so for me it was a problem. I bought some cheap knee pad sleeves on amazon and they worked wonders. Also board manufactures use different deck padding some thicker than others which for me makes a difference. Fortunately as you improve you spend very little time on your knees and I ditched the knee pads once I was regularly on my feet an foiling but for those beginning stages they were a life saver. I suspect since you're an experienced foiler you wont be in the beginning stages for long though.

YouTube: Knees over toes guy exercises. Do them. A lot. You're welcome.