From hobby to profession: Become a VDWS Wingfoil Instructor in eight days

Nowadays, anyone who lets their gaze wander over the water at spots around the world can no longer avoid wingfoilers. With the rapid growth of this trend sport, the need for qualified trainers is also increasing. I took part in the VDWS (Association of German Watersport Schools) wingfoil instructor course in Soma Bay, Egypt.

The bar is set high - requirements for wingfoil instructors

One thing is clear even before you arrive: the course is not a holiday. In order to be admitted at all, participants must already have a defined level of practical sailing skills. This includes being able to tack safely in different areas from ten to 30 knots, jibe and turn on a longboard (e.g. SUP or windsurf board with centreboard) without any problems, as well as jibing from or into the toeside position in both directions - and without touchdown. Anyone who fails here quickly realises that the purpose of the course is not to learn wingsurfing and wingfoiling, but to gain knowledge on how to teach it to students.

Before travelling to Soma Bay, we also had to work through the comprehensive content of the VDWS Academy's e-learning course with texts, images, videos, audio and quizzes in order to be optimally prepared for the course. It was immediately clear to me that I was in for a packed day with a mix of theory, practice and teaching exercises.

Methodology: The teacher's tools of the trade

The core of VDWS training is the general methodology. The aim here is to break down complex movement sequences so that students can implement them successfully. The association focuses on fundamental principles: "From easy to difficult", "From simple to complex" and "From the known to the unknown". Among other things, we learn to differentiate between the partial method, in which basics are practised in isolation, and the holistic method for simple sequences such as turning the wing, and to apply these depending on the content to be taught. Or how different approaches lead to problem-solving or learning manoeuvres for students - because, as Jule Bleich, VDWS instructor, says: "There is not one way, there are many ways to success."

There is no one way, there are many ways to success." (Jule Bleich, VDWS instructor)

The roadmap to becoming a professional: eight intensive days

Training to become a VDWS Wingfoil Instructor takes place over eight training days with a tight mix of theory, practice and instructional tests. The morning is mostly dedicated to the theoretical foundation and "supplementary knowledge": Central topics such as methodology, safety, physics, meteorology and material science are on the agenda here. The afternoons are almost exclusively devoted to practical and methodical exercises on land and on the water, in which the theoretical knowledge is directly translated into practical driving skills and teaching methodology.

The course is designed for continuous improvement: After consolidating the basics in theory and practice over the first four days, the fifth day marks the first major milestone with the practical longboard and foilboard test. Days six and seven focus on teaching skills, with intensive units on lesson planning, teaching experiments and the decisive teaching tests on the agenda. The programme concludes on day eight with the theory exam, followed by a look at the VDWS job description. The programme for each day is not fixed, but is adapted depending on the wind and weather conditions, for example.

Theory with depth: Why the wing actually flies

Good teaching requires an understanding of the functional relationships. During the VDWS instructor course, for example, we learn how to explain relative wind to students - the sum of atmospheric wind and headwind. The example of the "steam locomotive" used by Jule Bleich, whose vapour is drawn away at an angle depending on the speed and wind direction, is a visual aid that will help students.

The aerodynamics of the foil are also covered. For example, we work out how negative pressure on the top and positive pressure on the underside of the wing create lift. A professional instructor must also know the Difference between high-aspect and low-aspect foils in order to recommend the right equipment to students for their first "flights". We also talk about collision avoidance rules, the structure and planning of courses, ocean currents and the technical description of manoeuvres on land and on the water.

Back to square one: the longboard lab

During the practical training on the beach at Soma Bay, we become students ourselves again in order to test the best exercises for our own lessons later on. After dry runs on land, we later went "back" to the longboard. What initially sounds like a step backwards turned out to be an essential methodology lab. In the group, we work out which methods and exercises make it easier for pupils to get to know a wing for the first time - for example, how best to carry the wing, grip it by the zero grip, turn it round and bring it into the starting position. Then it's off onto the water on large-volume longboards with a centreboard or centre fin.

• Tutorial: How to learn to wingsurf on the SUP!

In serpentine lines, we work out how to luff and drop optimally and which steering impulses from the wing are necessary for this. In addition, the basic manoeuvres - the 180-degree turn, the tack and the jibe - were on the agenda for the practical training exercise. In addition to practising on the water, we also learnt about the modular course structure and were able to take away valuable insights for our own courses on our home waters. The use of a buoy course helped us to playfully incorporate spatial orientation and course positioning. At the end of these longboard days, we realised that only those who have mastered the craft of displacement sailing will later be a pilot rather than just a passenger on a foil board.

Only those who have mastered the craft of displacement sailing will be successful on the foil board later on."

Later on in the course, we also take to the water for a practical teaching unit with the foil board. There we work out together how to support students in their first attempts at flying, which tips are helpful for stable foiling, how to initiate direction changes, which pumping technique supports the start and how to learn the jibe. Of course, the fun of flying over the water yourself, at least for a short time, is also a must.

The tests: The moment of truth

In the end, we also completed a marathon exam. The practical test requires confidence: on the longboard, you have to complete a course between two buoys with turns and jibes in figure-eight style. On the foil board, safe flying on all courses, controlled stopping and foiled jibes are examination tasks.

Another element was the teaching rehearsal. Here we taught three real students in a two-hour beginners' course. We had to directly apply what we had previously learnt in the various theory and practical units. Jule Bleich, the VDWS instructor, observed closely: Are the instructions clear? How well were demonstrations carried out? Does the prospective instructor recognise the causes of errors and correct them with the right exercises? The VDWS Wingfoil Instructor course concludes with a comprehensive theory exam, which tests knowledge of equipment, law, weather and physics, among other things.

The path to becoming a Level 2 Instructor

Those who successfully pass the exams hold the Level 1 licence in their hands and can use it to teach at a VDWS watersports centre. But the journey continues: to be able to issue wing licences (basic licences) independently, you need Level 2, for which a 100-hour internship (at least 21 days) at a recognised VDWS school is required. During this internship, you will consolidate what you have learnt under the supervision of an experienced supervisor in the day-to-day reality of the school.

For water sports instructors who already have a VDWS level 2 licence in another sport such as windsurfing, stand-up paddling or kitesurfing, the association offers an efficient shortcut with the VDWS X-Over course. This compact, three-day workshop assumes that you have already mastered the pedagogical and methodological basics and instead concentrates fully on the specialised content of wingsurfing and wingfoiling - from the aerodynamics of foiling and wing material science to intensive longboard and foil training. A big plus for professionals: participants who can prove that they have at least six months of professional experience with their first instructor licence receive a waiver for the practical training. This enables direct progression to Level 2 instructor, which entitles them to take examinations and issue VDWS licences independently.

The training days in Soma Bay changed my view of the sport."

From learning to teaching to teaching for fun

The training days in Soma Bay changed my view of the sport. You learn that teaching is not about being the best winger on the water, but the one who leads the student to success with safety and fun - and that you can teach even in light winds and put a smile on the students' faces. The professionalism of the VDWS system, combined with the intensive theory and practice on site by an experienced VDWS instructor, made this course a formative experience. For anyone who wants to turn their passion for "flying over water" into their profession, this is the path to happiness.

All information and dates for VDWS Wing Instructor can be found at vdws.de