Family Water Sports That Inspire Adventure In Your Kids
We’ve come a long way since water skiing was invented in 1922. The sheer variety of extreme water sports has grown significantly in the past decade alone and choosing a family water sport that is fun and inclusive for everyone gets trickier each year. As parents load up their cars for weekends at the beach or lake, they nervously await the inevitable arguments between siblings on what water sports activity will dominate the day or brace themselves against the battle of dragging sluggish teens from their beds in the morning. We’ve written this blog to suggest a new water sport for the summer: Wing Foiling.
It is exciting, accessible, and easier to learn than you think, and flying above the water is bound to impress even the most stubborn of children.
Why Wing Foiling is Great For Kids
As far as extreme water sports go, wing foiling is a great example of a sport that is safe and very accessible. Parents don’t want to put their kids in unnecessary danger, but with wing foiling, the learning curve is manageable and the risk of injury is low. Compared to kitesurfing, the rider is exposed to far less danger when you remove the powerful pull of the kite overhead. Instead, the handheld wing is a safer option where you can easily depower the wing in stronger gusts of wind. You can go out riding in stronger winds than you’d ever dare to with kitesurfing. Many of the more popular water sports are designed to be enjoyed at the beach or offshore, and in very specific conditions, such as side-onshore (when the wind allows you to sail back to shore easily). Not only is wing foiling a more controlled family water sport, you can do it from almost any body of water. You can thrive in a wider range of wind conditions and environments, and many choose to take a trip out to their local lake for the day.
The exercise benefits of wing foiling are significant, and it’ll get the whole family pumped and the kids tired out for a good night’s sleep (hopefully)! Not only is it fantastic cardio and strength conditioning for children, what with all the paddling and lifting of the wing, but it’s proven to improve balance and hand-eye coordination. This kind of exercise is often very far from the arduous athletics and ‘bleep’ tests at school, and your child won’t even notice how hard they’re working. Wing foiling is incredibly multi-faceted, and it’s a mental game as much as it is a physical one. You’re constantly solving puzzles: deciphering wind direction and adjusting the wing to match, reading the swell and wave movements for the foil, maintaining balance and coordination on the board, adapting to the ever-changing environment, and fine-tuning your equipment. Making this the ideal water sport for the family, not only is it physically and mentally stimulating, but it also teaches your child to get connected with the natural world.
Essential Tips For Getting Your Family Started
One of the key suggestions we make is to get the whole family booked into wing foiling lessons, especially if you, as a parent, are also a discoverer. At ENSIS, we believe in the power of Demo Days. These are days where anyone can come along and try out our equipment for the day. They get a real taste for the sport alongside a team of people who will look out for you, giving you the best tips and recommendations for making your wing foiling journey a pleasurable and straight-forward one.
Find out about our next demo days here.
After an initial training session, your kids may know the basics, but you can never practise wing foiling enough! Practising basic techniques on land is a great way to foster positivity and confidence on the water. One of these techniques is to make sure your child is able to flip the wing back around. Using a slightly larger wing on land will make them even more capable in the water; you can even make it a game of getting them to run and flip the wing in a set time or in relay with the rest of the family.
For a smooth learning curve, especially with kids, begin on calm, flat water. This allows them to focus on mastering board balance before progressing to short glides, perhaps even starting on their knees. This controlled environment builds confidence and essential skills for tackling choppier waters later.
Equipping Your Family
Next up, safety gear. Helmets and buoyancy vests are vital for children and learners when it comes to wing foiling. It also inspires more reassurance for a child early on and gives them the confidence to really go for it, which usually helps with extreme water sports. Choosing an appropriate location is also key to a successful session; anywhere with too many other riders is risky, and any beach or shore with anything above 25 knots of wind is too extreme for a discoverer. Always be aware of strong currents too!
Having the correct equipment is essential. Smaller bodies doubtlessly mean smaller equipment, and that’s where ENSIS rises above its competitors. With a wide range of sizes in our wings, from 1.8 square metres up to 6.1, we create wings for the entire family. With a focus on the all-rounder, our Spin is crafted to be compact and lightweight, and the wingtips are cut away so as to avoid drag in the water. This functionality is perfect for smaller riders, and we’re proud to offer such a wide range of equipment. Don’t let bad gear get in the way of your water sports journey, equip your whole family with equipment that will get them sending it like a pro in no time!
We also supply boards that are discoverer-friendly, such as the Samba and Rock ‘N Roll Soft Top. Both of these boards’ deck and rail are protected with a soft EVA pad, which is kinder on the knees and on any hard landings when you inevitably take the plunge! Another handy function of our discoverer board, the Samba, is its beautiful stand-out graphics that teach you all about foot placement. It’s recommended that any learner start their wing foiling journey on a board without the foil, in order to focus on getting familiar with the wing. This can be done very easily with a daggerboard, such as the ENSIS Samba, which is considered the ultimate board for schools and children. The other great feature of the Samba is that once you’ve progressed to using a dedicated foil board, you can always revert it back to a SUP or windsurf board.
Our Younger Athletes
The future of wing foiling is in safe hands. ENSIS is proud to sponsor some of the most promising riders under sixteen, like Sol Degrieck, Liam Calo, Devin Hauser, Daniel Wenger, and Dionys Mollard. Already achieving so much in their careers by winning European and World Championships, these guys aren’t holding back. Daniel Wenger is already shredding with our 2.6 wing, and Liam Calo uses our 2.2 wing, and that’s not even our smallest size! We are dedicated to developing equipment for smaller bodies to empower both the future champions and the everyday young riders who are shaping the sport today.
The future of wing foiling is being shaped by a new generation of riders pushing boundaries. These young athletes, some as young as eight years old, are breaking barriers and redefining wing foiling altogether. That’s why ENSIS is committing significant time and resources to developing equipment specifically for younger riders (and, of course, sponsoring these guys!). By nurturing this next generation, ENSIS is ensuring the continued growth and progression of wing foiling. We hope that our young team of excellent riders are doing the job of inspiring all generations out there to give wing foiling a go, and get families together to try out this unique water sport on their next holiday.
Check out our wing foiling products today to plan your next family water sports adventure
