Looking for a faster way to learn wingfoiling on Lake Michigan? This guide breaks down why starting with an eFoil is the smartest way to build confidence, control, and real foil skills, without fighting the wind on day one.
We’ll show you how eFoil lessons help beginners master balance, pitch, and recovery long before they pick up a wing. You’ll learn which skills carry over, why so many riders progress quicker with this method, and how to get started here in West Michigan or Chicago. We’ve coached students at Muskegon, South Haven, Montrose Beach and beyond, and every time, we’ve seen it: eFoil riders learn wingfoil faster.
This article will help you understand how electric foilboards are unlocking a better way to learn.
Learning to Wingfoil Faster: How eFoil Riding Builds Confidence for Beginners
Want to speed up your wingfoil progression? Start with an eFoil.
At Stoke Riders, we’ve found that the fastest way to build foil control, balance, and confidence on a foil isn’t with a wing, it’s with an electric foil board. Learning to eFoil first gives you real time on foil, without the frustration of managing a wing in shifting wind. You’ll get the feel for lift, turns, weight shifts, and recovery, all with a remote in your hand and a stable board under your feet.
We’ve taught all over now from Montrose Beach in Chicago to Muskegon and South Haven, we’ve seen it over and over: riders who eFoil first learn to wingfoil faster. This is something I’ve seen several smart schools use in other states as well. I even spent some time in Florida with schools that employed a similar method. There is no doubt, the crossover is real and worth investing in.
What Is an eFoil and Why Is It Great Cross-Training for Wingfoil Beginners?
An eFoil is an electric hydrofoil board that lets you fly over the water using a handheld remote to control speed. There's no kite, no sail, no wing, just a motorized foil and your balance. That’s what makes it such a powerful training tool for wingfoiling.
The board itself is actually very similar to what you’d use for wingfoiling. Most eFoils and wing boards share the same general shape, volume, and response. What’s different is the complexity. By removing the wind and the wing, you isolate the core skill: riding the foil.
It’s the same principle we use in kiteboarding lessons, we teach kite control without the board first, so students can focus, absorb, and progress without being overloaded. Wingfoiling is one of the safer wind sports, but it’s also one of the most nuanced. One of the best analogies we’ve heard is that it’s like flying a helicopter: you’re using your hands to control the wing in both vertical and horizontal axes, while managing a foil under your feet that requires its own range of movement and timing.
It’s not as intense as it sounds, but it does take coordination. And we’ve found that when you break it down and train each skill individually, starting with the foil, you learn way faster.
You’ll learn:
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How to shift your weight and control pitch
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Where your stance needs to be for takeoff and stability
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What it feels like when the foil lifts, and how to recover if it breaches
Stoke Riders coaches have used eFoils to help dozens of beginners build foil instincts before adding the wing. It’s not just easier, it’s smarter. Whether you’ve surfed, kited, or done nothing at all, an eFoil levels the playing field and accelerates your learning curve.
Why eFoil Riding Makes Wingfoil Learning Faster and Easier
If you’ve ever tried to learn wingfoiling from scratch, you know how fast it can get overwhelming. Between managing the wind, keeping your stance right, and trying to pop onto foil, it’s a lot. But with an eFoil, you strip away the chaos and get straight into the skill that matters most: flying the board.
An eFoil teaches you foil control in real time. You’re not waiting for gusts or fighting the wing. You’re learning how to balance, shift your weight, feel lift, and make smooth, carving turns, all with stability and speed at your fingertips. That means faster muscle memory, better recovery instincts, and more confidence when it’s time to ride for real.
And muscle memory is everything in wind sports. Think about backing a car out of the driveway. The first time you do it, you're locked in, mirrors, angles, brake pressure, every move feels high stakes. By the tenth time, you're (probably but hopefully not) eating a cheeseburger, taking a call, and reversing without thinking. The same applies here. Once your ankles know how to make subtle foil adjustments, your hips understand weight distribution, and your core is trained to balance a flying board, your brain is free to focus on the next layer: harnessing wind and controlling the wing.
You’ll even feel it click. As you're learning wing positioning and transitions, that foil muscle memory kicks in. Your lower body knows what to do, and that lets your upper body stay calm, curious, and responsive.
We’ve seen it firsthand. Riders who take one or two eFoil lessons before starting wingfoiling almost always progress quicker. They spend less time crashing, less time guessing, and way more time riding. The difference is night and day.
If you’re serious about learning to wingfoil, we recommend booking an eFoil lesson first. It’s fun, it’s safe, and it builds the foil instincts you’ll need no matter what gear you’re riding.
Can You Learn Wingfoil Without eFoil First?
Of course you can. Plenty of people do. But it’s more fun to do both.
Learning to wingfoil is already an adventure. Adding eFoil to the mix just makes it smoother, faster, and honestly a lot more exciting. When you ride an eFoil first, you’re not skipping the process, you’re giving yourself more water time, more confidence, and a better feel for what a foil is actually doing underneath you.
We’ve seen students try wingfoiling on day one, then hop on an eFoil the next, and suddenly everything clicks. The skills feed into each other. Every ride builds experience. Whether you start with wingfoil, eFoil, or bounce between both, it’s all forward progress.
And here’s something most people don’t realize: eFoils are the perfect backup when the wind dies. If Mother Nature bails on your session, we can still get you on the water. We’ve used eFoils to salvage plenty of no-wind days and keep students moving forward in their journey. Progress doesn’t have to stop just because the breeze checked out.
So yeah, you can learn without an eFoil. But if you want to ride more, crash less, and keep going even when the forecast flakes, do both.
How Do eFoil Lessons Help You Learn Wingfoiling Faster?
eFoil lessons let you train the hardest part of wingfoiling without the extra chaos. You’re building balance, foil control, board awareness, and recovery instincts—all while having a blast. Instead of fighting the wind, you’re learning how to fly the board first. That gives you a real head start.
At Stoke Riders, we design eFoil lessons to teach movement patterns you’ll use again on a wing. Where to place your feet. How to handle a breach. How to stay loose when the board starts to lift. Every minute on an eFoil gets stored in your body—and it carries over fast when you switch.
Tyler’s just as stoked on eFoils as he is wingfoiling. For him, they’re not separate sports, they’re just different ways to ride the same feeling. Living on the Great Lakes, we don’t always get steep surf, but we do get big rolling waves. And with a foil under your feet, you can surf them all day. Whether he’s flying with a wing or cruising on an eFoil, it’s about time on the water, progression, and freedom. That’s what makes both worth chasing. I remember seeing the potential from my time kitesurfing and surfing here. If you’ve never been on a great lakes wave its the wildest feeling dropping in on an overhead wave only to have it pass you by because there was no real force to it. I fell in love with kiteboarding on these days as I could use the power of the kite to ride. With foils having come so far the potential became limitless. I remember the first time I saw one of our local legends Marc Hoeskema ride a mile long way from the muskegon pier and it never fully broke. Just his making small turns with the wing depowered behind his back.
What Skills From eFoiling Transfer to Wingfoiling?
Pretty much all of them.
Riding an eFoil builds the exact muscle memory you need for wingfoil. Ankle control. Weight shifts. Stance. Foil pitch. And maybe most important. knowing how to fall and get back up. These are the invisible skills that separate new riders from confident ones.
And it’s not just the physical part. There’s mindset too. You’ll already know what foil flight feels like. You’ll trust it more. When the wing powers up and starts to lift you, you won’t panic. Your legs already know what to do.
Is eFoil Riding the Best Way to Train for Wingfoiling?
We think so. Because it’s not just training—it’s riding.
This isn’t balance drills on a wobble board or skate practice in a parking lot. You’re actually flying. The foil’s under you. The water’s moving. You’re carving, turning, recovering, feeling the conditions. The only thing different is how you’re powering the board.
For us, that’s the real connection. Wingfoiling and eFoiling aren’t separate sports. They’re the same ride with two different engines. One’s electric. One’s wind. The foil is the constant.
Can I Use eFoiling as a Stepping Stone to Wingfoiling?
Yes and also way beyond that.
A lot of people think of eFoiling as a warmup tool for beginners. But it’s not just that. It’s its own progression path, and it overlaps with wingfoil at every level. You can ride waves, explore new lines, and build advanced foil skills with either one.
Tyler’s just as passionate about eFoil as he is wingfoil. Living on the Great Lakes, we get big rolling waves that aren’t always steep enough to surf, but with a foil, they become endless. Whether you’re riding with a wing or with a motor, the feeling is the same: gliding, carving, flying.
We love both because they open up new ways to ride. And no matter where you're at—day one or year three—they’ll keep pushing you forward.
Common Mistakes Beginners Avoid by Starting with eFoil Training
Most new wingfoilers struggle with the same few things, and they all come down to foil control. Starting on an eFoil skips the awkward phase.
1. Standing too far back or too far forward.
When your stance is off, the foil won’t fly right. Either it never lifts or it launches you like a catapult. On an eFoil, you’ll figure this out in minutes, not hours.
2. Overcorrecting with your upper body.
New riders tend to flail their arms when they feel unstable. But foil control comes from your legs, hips, and core. eFoiling forces you to fix that. You either ride smooth, or you swim.
3. Not knowing what a breach feels like.
When the foil breaks the surface, most beginners panic or slam. eFoil training gives you dozens of clean reps. You’ll feel the rise, the stall, the drop—and learn how to ride it out.
4. Burning energy on things that don’t matter.
Without eFoil time, your brain is overloaded: “Where’s the wind? Where’s my wing? Am I even on foil?” It’s hard to learn when your nervous system’s fried. eFoil strips it down to just you and the board.
5. Thinking you need perfect conditions.
The truth is, you don’t. Especially not on an eFoil. Chop, breeze, small rollers—it all works. And learning to ride in real-world conditions builds confidence fast.
Start with eFoil, and these mistakes get cut before they start. You’re not just riding better. You’re learning smarter.
Tips for Making the Most of eFoil Lessons as a Wingfoil Beginner
Whether you're brand new or trying to break through a plateau, a little strategy goes a long way. Here's how to get the most from your first eFoil sessions:
1. Show up rested and ready to fall.
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about logging minutes on foil. Don’t worry about style or distance, just ride, crash, reset, repeat.
2. Ask your instructor about stance and foot pressure.
These two things translate directly to wingfoil. Get clear on where to stand and how to shift your weight. Small changes here pay off huge later.
3. Use the remote like a throttle, not an on/off switch.
Learning to feather speed is a big part of controlling the ride. Smooth inputs equal smooth lift, and smoother transitions later when you’re on a wing.
4. Ride in short intervals.
Take breaks. Process what you’re feeling. Then go again. It's not about toughness, it's about attention. The more tuned-in you are, the faster you improve.
5. Don’t skip the turns.
Even if all you care about is going straight for now, turning teaches balance. Turning teaches edge control. Turning teaches how to fall with style. You’ll need all of that on a wing.
We’ve coached riders in every condition the Great Lakes can throw at us. The ones who improve the fastest? They’re the ones who show up curious, open, and consistent. Let the foil teach you. It knows what it’s doing.
Ready to Learn Wingfoiling the Smarter Way?
Start with an eFoil lesson.
At Stoke Riders, we’ll get you flying faster with real foil time, real feedback, and a board that helps you learn without the frustration. Whether you’re riding in Chicago or West Michigan, our team knows how to build confidence from the first session.
Book an eFoil lesson in West Michigan or rent an eFoil on Lake Michigan and start progressing toward wingfoil with less stress and way more fun.
FAQ: Learning Wingfoil with eFoil Training
Q: Do I need any experience to try eFoiling?
Nope. eFoils are beginner-friendly and perfect for building foil instincts from day one.
Q: How long does it take to learn to wingfoil if I start with eFoil lessons?
Most riders see faster progress in 2–3 sessions. You'll already know how to control the foil before adding the wing.
Q: Is eFoil riding safer than learning to wingfoil first?
Yes. You’re removing the wind and wing variables, which makes the learning curve smoother and easier to manage.
Q: Can I use the same foil for both eFoil and wingfoil?
In some cases, yes. We can help match you with gear that crosses over so you build skills on something that transfers well.
Q: Is Lake Michigan a good place to learn these sports?
Absolutely. With wide beaches, clean water, and consistent conditions, it’s one of the best places to learn foil sports in the Midwest.
Ryan "Rygo" Goloversic
Rygo is a globally recognized kiteboarder, digital marketing expert, and Airush team rider and an advocate for wakestyle kiteboarding. When he's not writing articles or producing kite videos you can catch him competing on the KPLxGKA world tour or grinding it out in the gym.