G'day all
I just found this video and there is a pretty good demonstration of light wind pumping technique.
www.facebook.com/744963645/posts/10158795032623646/
I find if standing on the board with the sail sheeted in just bobbing along, if your speed is above 2.5kts, you might find there is enough wind to fly.
* 6-8 kts wind speed, a little gust can always help
* If you can find a swell line, use it!
* Bare off
* Pump vigorously, your effort needs to double the board speed
* Front foot in the strap
* Bounce the wing, sing the tail to increase angle of attack for wing
* Fly
Select to expand quoteberowne said..
G'day all
...
* Pump vigorously, your effort needs to double the board speed
Key word: vigorously. None of this tugging like you are trying to get a blanket off a shelf. Not just yanking on the back hand. In super light wind, if you aren't breathing hard, you are either a) really in good shape (and can pump like an animal) or b) not pulling hard enough.
That tack, though... sweet.
That bit, just after you get going and the drive is forward, the apparent wind takes over and you bank the board to windward and accelerate seemingly weightlessly. That is the sh#t. 
I have a similar video in even lighter winds, just really hard to point out what actually makes the dream work, even though I'm a reasonably experienced trainer / instructor and used to breaking these movements down.
www.instagram.com/p/B1yGKGhAL-B/?igshid=1wblcjav0wvhp
Technique changes a lot depending on the sail though. I pump my racing sails way more through the sails mast, whereas I pump my wavesails through the backhand. Understanding how your sail works best and generates most power is also one of the key points to getting going in light winds.
Second (and more important probably, but this part doesnt work without having the first part worked out) is matching the rithm of loading and unloading the board with the pump and glide phases of pumping the sail. As you pull the sail towards you (pump phase) you also pump the board, but loading and unloading the board has to be slightly out of phase with the sail pumping movement, that makes it hard. At the last half of the pump phase you have to get your weight up off your feet to unload the board and keep it gliding all the way through the sails glide phase (extending the sail forward) untill you can put in your next pump.
If you look at the board and position of my body and sail in my video closely you should be able to see what I mean. If the time spent pumping the sail is 50/50 pump/glide, you only pump the board 30/70. Those 20% of the time where your board is in the glide phase but your sail is still in the pump phase is where you accelerate most and where I think most can be gained for most riders.
As soon as you are up on the foil / making those semi-flying bounces on and of the water by a few inches the technique changes again, for as maybe sounds familiar to those of you who have pumped the foil in the air, its pushing the foil down and not up which makes it accelerate. Once I'm up I push every bit of power from my sail pump through the front foot to push the foil down, and use the glide phase to unload the board and regain height. Timing for pumping in flight would be more 50/50 - 50/50 and matched in terms of rithm.
