Training Guide
Learning to fly the WASZP sailboat
The WASZP is one of the most accessible ways into foiling — one sail, one sailor, and a boat that rewards time on the water like nothing else. This guide explains how USFoil HUBs take a new sailor from their first flights to race-ready performance, one signed-off skill at a time, and exactly what you get when you register as a USFoil sailor.
Why a pathway, not guesswork
Foiling progress is easy to feel and hard to measure. USFoil HUBs give every sailor the same national framework: your fitness benchmarks, your days on the water and your certification skills live in one profile, and your HUB coach signs off each step as you demonstrate it on the water. You always know exactly where you stand — and what comes next.
3
Sailor levels, Novice to Advanced
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Coach-signed skills across the pathway
5
Fitness areas with youth and adult targets
The three sailor levels
Each level is a set of named skills grouped into four areas. You mark where you think you are, your coach marks what they have seen, and the level is awarded only when a coach signs it off.
Level 1 — Novice
Getting foiling. Safe boat handling, stable flight in a straight line, and the core fitness and movement standards every WASZP sailor builds on.
25 skills
Ladder Steps 1–3 · Boat Handling & Flight · Safety & Zones · Knowledge & Preparation
Level 2 — Intermediate
Sustained flight and control. Foiling tacks and gybes, mark roundings, growing days on the water, and the rig set-up knowledge to fix your own boat.
20 skills
Ladder Steps 4–6 · Sustained Flight & Control · Turns & Boat Handling · Set-Up & Troubleshooting
Level 3 — Advanced
Race-ready performance. Consistent manoeuvres under pressure, race conditioning, advanced set-up, and the leadership habits of a team sailor.
20 skills
Ladder Steps 7–8 & Dry Lap · Advanced Flight & Racing · Advanced Set-Up & Knowledge · Leadership & Goals
Inside your sailor account
Registering with a HUB gives you far more than a checklist. This is what is waiting for you when you sign in.
Your certification record
Every skill in all three levels, with your own self-assessment beside your coach's. You can see exactly which skills stand between you and the next level, and request a review when you are ready.
Fitness tracking
Log a session in seconds against five USFoil fitness areas, see your week against the Weekly Training Target for your age, and record benchmark checks like push-ups, side planks and the broad jump.
Water days and goals
Log each day on the water with hours and how physically hard it was. Set an annual target, break it down month by month, and watch the year build.
Imports from your devices
Bring in sessions from Strava or upload GPX, FIT, TCX and Vakaros VKX files. File each one as a water day or a fitness session — no double entry.
Coach feedback you can replay
Photos and video clips from your training with a voice note from your coach attached, plus written notes — so the point made on the water is still there on Tuesday night.
Regattas and results
Record the events you sail with your finishing place and fleet size, building a season record that travels with you.
Standings built on consistency
Rankings reward turning up — water days, fitness sessions and certification progress — not one lucky result. View them overall, by HUB or by race team.
Skill video library
Short coaching videos tied to the skills you are working on, so you can see the technique before you try it.
Messaging
Message your coaches, and find other sailors by name or sail number to organise sailing together. Parents are copied for under-18 sailors.
Notifications
You are told when a coach signs off a skill, when a level is awarded, and when something needs your attention.
Your sailor profile
Sail number, home club, boats you sail now and boats you want to try, your Vakaros serial and your goals — the picture your coach sees before a session.
Private by default
Fitness numbers, coach notes and documents stay between you, your HUB coaches and USFoil. Under-18 accounts need parent or guardian consent before approval.
The USFoil fitness standard
Sailing a WASZP well is a physical job. The standard sets a Weekly Training Target in five areas, with a minimum session length before a session counts. Under-18 sailors work to the youth target; your coach can adjust it for you with a reason.
| Area | Youth / week | Adult / week | Min. minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
Strength & Power Control the boat, sheet hard and keep producing force. | 2 | 2 | 20 |
Aerobic Engine Sail and race for long periods without fading. | 1 | 2 | 20 |
Race Conditioning Work hard, recover, work hard again — the pattern of racing. | 1 | 1 | 15 |
Athletic Movement Balance, coordination and body control on an unstable boat. | 2 | 1 | 10 |
Mobility & Durability Keep sailing week after week without breaking down. | 2 | 2 | 10 |
Alongside the weekly work you record benchmark checks a few times a season — push-ups, a pulling test, side planks left and right, a broad jump and an engine test — so you can see real change rather than guess at it.
What you track along the way
- Fitness sessions against youth and adult benchmarks — strength, aerobic, race conditioning, movement and mobility
- Days and hours on the water, logged in seconds from your phone, with how hard the day was
- An annual water-day target broken into months, so a big season is planned rather than hoped for
- Imported Strava activities and GPX, FIT, TCX and Vakaros VKX files from your sessions
- The regattas you sail, with your finishing place and fleet size
- Coach comments with photos, video and voice notes from your training
- Coach-signed certification skills at every level, and standings built on consistency rather than one-off results
- Messages with your coaches and with other sailors — search by name or sail number to organise sailing together
Beyond your HUB
Your record is the case you make for selection. Sailors who keep showing up — water days, fitness weeks, levels signed off — are the sailors USFoil looks at for Youth Development, the North American Race Team and the Podium Team. You can ask to join a team from your profile, and USFoil reviews the request with your record in front of them.
How to get started
- 1Check the athlete page for your club or program. If it runs a USFoil HUB, create your account and pick it.
- 2Fill in your sailor profile — sail number, boats, goals — and, if you are under 18, your parent or guardian's email for consent.
- 3Your HUB Head Coach approves you. Coaches only approve sailors they know, so anyone unfamiliar is passed to USFoil for a quick follow-up.
- 4Log your first water day and first fitness session, then start working through Level 1 with your coach.
Sailing at a clinic or regatta before you belong to a HUB? USFoil issues an event code so you can create a guest account and start tracking straight away. Everything you log comes with you when you later join a HUB.
Common questions
Do I need to own a WASZP to register?
No. Plenty of sailors start in a club boat or at a clinic. There are three ways in: register with your USFoil HUB, register under your USFoil Race Team if you have been selected for a squad but do not sail out of a HUB, or use an event code if you are trying a WASZP at a USFoil clinic or regatta.
What does it cost a sailor?
Nothing extra. Using the tracker is part of being a USFoil sailor — your club or program runs the HUB and your coach approves your account, and Race Team sailors are approved by their Team Head Coach.
Who can see my information?
Your coaches at your HUB or Race Team, and USFoil. Fitness numbers, coach notes and any certificates you upload are private to you and your coaching staff. Standings only show what you choose to appear in.
I'm under 18 — what happens?
We ask for a parent or guardian email during sign-up and send them a consent request. Your account is approved once consent is given, and parents are copied on messages.
What if my club isn't a HUB yet?
Get in touch through the athlete page. We will talk to your club about joining the HUB network, and in the meantime you can still sail with us at events on a guest account.