How far can i Pump?

THE LONG WAY

Matt — TAKOON Ambassador

For Matt, pumping isn’t about height. It’s about distance. On a quiet stretch of water near Orléans, Matt, a TAKOON ambassador, spends his sessions pushing the distance. No wind to wait for. No wave to catch. Just open water, a foil, and the desire to keep flying.

Passionate about long-distance pumping, Matt is always looking to go a little further. What started as a simple challenge — landing his dockstart and staying on foil — gradually turned into something else: a pursuit of efficiency, rhythm and distance.

We caught up with Matt at his local spot near Orléans to understand what keeps him going, what makes long-distance pumping so addictive, and why the best sessions are sometimes the ones you simply don’t want to end.

What made you want to get into dockstarting?

At first, it was mainly the challenge. Getting up on the foil, finding the right rhythm and trying to stay in the air a little longer each time. In the beginning, you progress quite quickly and every extra metre feels like a small victory.

Then, at some point, I stopped thinking only about the start. The question became: how far can I go? That completely changed the way I approached pumping.

What draws you to long-distance pumping?

There’s something addictive about always trying to go further. You’re entirely responsible for keeping the foil moving. There’s no wind to wait for, no wave to carry you.

It’s just your movements, your technique and the efficiency of the foil. When everything comes together, you find a rhythm where it all starts to feel almost natural. That’s the feeling I’m looking for.

What does it feel like when you find the right rhythm?

Fluidity. If you’re fighting the foil or forcing every movement, you’re using too much energy. Over distance, you need to relax and let the foil do the work.

Little by little, you start to feel the smallest changes in speed and height. You stop thinking about every movement. Your body reacts naturally and everything becomes more fluid. The best feeling is when you find your rhythm and simply keep going.

Is long-distance pumping more physical or technical?

Both, but I think efficiency is what connects the two. You obviously need endurance, but technique determines how you use your energy. If every pump takes too much effort, you won’t get very far.

The whole challenge is finding the minimum amount of effort needed to keep the foil flying. The longer the distance, the more important that efficiency becomes.

And mentally?

The mental side becomes more and more important. At first, you’re very focused on technique. But after you’ve been pumping for a while, it also becomes a mental game. You find your rhythm and focus on what’s ahead of you. In the end, it’s very simple: keep the foil flying and keep moving forward.

How long do your pumping sessions usually last?

It varies a lot. If I go for a long run, I usually only do one. If I do several shorter runs, my sessions generally last between 2 and 3 hours.

What do you look for in your setup for long-distance pumping?

Efficiency and glide. Over long distances, I want a foil that carries its speed and doesn’t require me to pump aggressively all the time. The more efficiently it glides between each movement, the more energy I can save. Everything needs to be balanced. The idea isn’t to fight against the equipment. The foil should almost become an extension of the movement.

What is your ideal setup for long-distance pumping?

My ideal long-distance setup is a high-aspect-ratio foil that is thin and fast, with a large wingspan without being excessive — under 2 metres — and a surface area of around 1,500 to 1,900 cm².

Above all, I’m looking for excellent glide between pumps, while still having enough lift and a foil that is easy to accelerate again. At TAKOON, the Pump Pro and Pump Extreme front wings are particularly well suited to what I’m looking for in this type of riding.

Rigidity throughout the setup is also essential. I use a TAKOON carbon mast paired with the Titanium fuselage to achieve maximum stiffness and transfer every impulse to the foil as directly as possible. It also helps reduce small imbalances and micro-corrections which, over long distances, eventually cost a lot of energy.

Finally, I look for a low stall speed that allows me to slow down without risking dropping off the foil. Over long distances, every detail matters: the better the foil glides and retains its energy, the less energy I need to use.

What makes you want to do it all over again?

That feeling that you can always go a little further. You finish a long session with a new distance and, almost immediately, you start wondering what you could do differently next time. Can I be smoother? More efficient? Hold the rhythm for longer? There’s always one more kilometre.