I've been wondering about this. I removed my back strap and only have the front strap. I like the freedom the backfoot has.
But hesitant to remove the front straps.. thinking its safer when you fall that one foot is connected to board so at least you know where the board and foil are going.

But also wonder if without the front foot strap I can develop more feel for the board? On the other hand does the strap give me more of a handle on things. Also strapless concerned I might learn and get used to different foot positions and later its harder to go back to straps?

So many worries and concerns !

Keen to learn about your experiences: with or without straps?

I'd say go for footstraps from the start particularly if you have used them before (e.g. windsurfing). The reasons being:

1) They provide a distinct marker for where your feet should be - particularly the front. Ideally you should have the board setup so you are comfortable in the straps while foiling and when the board is almost stationary on the surface. Having a fixed foot position makes it easier to tweak the foil position

2) You can pump like crazy and not worry about being lifted off the board or losing your footing

3) Often you can recover from what would have been a crash without footstraps. If you're strapless you've basically lost control once you toes or heels lift off the board

4) You've got much less chance of going into a taco. That's where you lose control and fall towards the foil. With footstraps you learn to take the board with you as you fall in certain direction. That makes sure the foil stays away from you helping to avoid injury

5) You'll need straps anyway to jump!

Most of the above (except 5) can be mostly achieved using only front straps only if you prefer.

My first day winging was without straps and I had horrible crashes. Second day was with front straps which gave me much more control and let me complete some gybes. Once I started using the rear strap I found I could pump onto the foil in lighter winds.

Robby Naish has spent all of his life using them ,here is his opinion on Straps&Wingfoil:



"No one has more experience across windsurfing, kitesurfing and now wingsurfing when it comes to using footstraps, so we threw the most commonly asked questions about if, when and how to use them at Mr. Naish:

Should I start wingfoiling in straps as soon as possible, or are they a hindrance in the beginning?

-That's a good question. I'd have to say you should start without footstraps. Foot position when foiling is amazingly critical, especially when you're learning. Having either foot an inch or two in the wrong position will have a huge effect on your ability to foil. If they're a tiny bit too far forward then you'll struggle to take-off; a tiny bit too far back and the foil will come up too powerfully, making it hard to keep it in the water.

Riding without straps will allow you to find the 'sweet spot'. That sweet spot also changes depending on wind strength, your weight, the foil you're riding and where you position the mast. If you're inexperienced and just slap on some footstraps where you think they should go, you will likely find they are doing you much more harm than good. They can also create some pretty sketchy scenarios if you are new to foiling and do yet not know how to anticipate what your foil is doing when you crash, putting knees and ankles into some very compromising positions.

Once you've learnt to comfortably ride on the foil and know where your feet are planted most of the time, then you can add straps to the equation."

I started winging in july 2019 and have only just put the straps on my board. I have learnt to gybe and tack, catch some waves etc. Now that i want to jump have put the straps on ( 3 of).
I have found that it does take a bit of change of technique with the gybe as the strap positions are a bit more forward than were i would of been strapless. I can definitely say that learning to gybe or even foil locked into one position would of been harder.

Would front foot straps help for a beginner giving more of a feeling of contact with board and help to pump the board

Paul68 said..
Would front foot straps help for a beginner giving more of a feeling of contact with board and help to pump the board

Yes,definitely.
But you will also become "enslaved" to the straps.

I started without and once i could go back and forth on foil both sides i added them, as an ex-windsurfer it felt great.

Easier pump,no thinking about foot position and loads of lateral control.

Straps let you use pull and strong lever forces, strapless you only get to use down pressure through your feet.

But...
As Mr. Naish says, once you set the straps you don't get to fine tune your foot positioning.Using a wider screw distance with low height strap mitigates this a bit because it allows some foot shift in the strap.
And the danger of crashing with only one foot in is real,foils do not behave like a windsurf board that mostly wants to go flat in the water when you fall.They can create very strong railing forcesas you fall off.
I have tweaked my ankle a few times to the point where i thought something would snap.Mostly when i was learning to jibe.You can also mitigate this by pulling the front foot half out of the strap before entering the jibe carve.

The main reason i removed them is that you will never learn to finesse the foil unless you go strapless, if you wing strapped all the time and then go prone surffoiling without it will feel really weird and difficult.
Removing them was very humbling because it is harder but it will build up your foil skills in a very good way.

I kind of see it like learning to footswitch vs riding same foot forward both tacks.Footswitching is a PITA to learn,and it means you have twice as many maneuver combos to practice, but it opens up a much better winging experience IMHO.

So my advice is to take your lumps early on,learn without straps and put them on when ready to start jumping.

These are all great insights! I started with 3 strap set up and it was ok. I removed the back strap and made a little leap in progression.

After reading the comments here I'll give a full strapless session a go. I feel that strapless will open up a lot of board space.

I am also considering a single strap.. like really wide and low .. in the front, but placed at 90 degrees of direction of travel (90 degrees across). Wide enough to have the room to move the foot and just enough to have the toes (read: my big toe) under a strap.

Maybe those Dakine half straps are worth considering (?)