Hi Guys,

I am new to kitesurfing. I've done the zero to hero lessons and got my own gear. But I just got the on the board a few times and didn't start with riding it at all on my third lesson. I was quite discouraged and even started to question if this is the right sport for me. Today I went to the beach again and did some more body dragging, I felt better with the kite and now can steer the kite with one hand at most of the time. I am just wondering if anyone else has got this kind of depressive feelings when you started learning kitesurfing?

Thanks,
L

Hi jljjc,

I think maybe you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Kiting really is awesome and you didn't really expect to be riding around in just 3 lessons did you? It takes time, patience, practice, persistence and tenacity.

If you get down the beach, meet some crew, start sharing experiences and having a go, I'm sure it will all come to you.

Most of the people we teach are fairly amping to get amongst it, so don't really know what the prob is. Just stick with it until you can ride back and forth and then ask yourself if the sport is really for you.

Good luck with it.

Cheers,

KH

Hang in there buddy! Literally!

It reminded me of when I first started snowboarding - the pain! Gotta do the hard yards but definitely worth it - if that's any consolation.

A good day's kiting is better than a bad day at the office??

Tick the boxes:
Arms sore
Neck stiff from staring at the kite
Ribs bruised from harness pulling up
Sick of walking up the beach
Half drowned from chop / body dragging for 2 hours straight
Losing your board
Finding it and having to swim for it
Feeling that setting up and packing up takes all of your time
Just getting good and the wind stops blowing for weeks (or you have BBQ after social event to go to when it does blow)

Hey, I learnt with AKS and I've still got my third lesson unused - think he's being modest and kind to ya!!

But it took me almost the whole season before I could go upwind. See you out there!

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jljjc said...

Hi Guys,

I am new to kitesurfing. I've done the zero to hero lessons and got my own gear. But I just got the on the board a few times and didn't start with riding it at all on my third lesson. I was quite discouraged and even started to question if this is the right sport for me. Today I went to the beach again and did some more body dragging, I felt better with the kite and now can steer the kite with one hand at most of the time. I am just wondering if anyone else has got this kind of depressive feelings when you started learning kitesurfing?

Thanks,
L

Remember when you learned to drive? Iron drip of death on the steering wheel, intense focus on the road and any other vehicles, unable to talk to anyone in the car, putting the blinker on took a massive effort!?
Now you can probably drive with one hand, drink coffee, talk on the phone (hands free of course ), etc, etc. You can drive in auto mode, its second nature yeah?

Kitesurfing is all about kite control, so at the moment you are like a begginer driver, and you do not have enough time and experience flying a kite. One thing that will help any begginer is time spent flying a kite, trainer or kitesurfing kite. Trainers allow you to gain valuable kite control learning time on the beach, when its either not windy enough, or there's too much for your kitesurf kite, or you only have a half hr at lunchtime?
If you spend time flying your kitesurf kite do it in the water, not on a beach, and do it away from other kitesurfers, otherwise you will become unpopular at that spot because you will be blocking access to and from the water, for experienced riders.

Its not uncommon to see someone get up and ride after 3 lessons, many people do it, all the ones I have seen took my advice (as above) and got really good kite flying skills before they had their kitesurfing lessons.

Hang in there, kitesurfing is some of the best fun you can ever have in the water.

Cya and

Goodwinds

steve

Thanks KH, Fooosh and Steve!

I came back and thought about what I did wrong in my last lesson. I think the biggest problem was I paid too much attention when I was trying to put my feet in the stripes, and didn’t look at the kite and then sometimes accidently pulled one side of one bar with my hand taking the kite into the power zone. When I got on the board, I didn’t lock the kite at 10 o’clock (or 11 o’clock) as I was a little afraid of the kite will get too much power to pull me off the board, so I subconsciously took the kite back to 12 o’clock and then I stayed at where I was. #61514; I will do more practice on this and hopefully everything will start falling into place for me soon. I am only available to go to the beach on weekends, so I always start counting down for it from Monday.

Thanks guys!

L

Hi L,

Stick with it, we wouldn't tell you to keep at it if the reward wasn't there in the end. Good on ya!

Cheers,

KH

The main mistakes made by beginners (that I can think of at the moment ) are:

- not enough kite flying practice and body dragging. Everyone wants to get on the board when they have almost zero kite flying skills. You have to be able to feel what the kite is doing and feel the power through the bar. You need to be able to loll around in the water and effortlessly keep the kite hovering above you in any conditions (so it will be easy to get the board on and concentrate on water starting).

- send the kite too close to the edge of the window. Newbies let the kite run to the side or let it go too close to the top of the window losing all power.

- diving the kite too aggressively (or not aggressively enough) They the kite straight down to the water and don't start the turn up until the last minute so the kite stalls at the bottom of the window and has not enough air speed to get up before they fall in.

- stall the kite. Almost everybody (including some who should know better) hauls the bar in thinking they are going to get more power. In the process they lose airspeed and stall the kite. At best the rider drops back into the water, more commonly the kite folds up and drops backwards into the water. The solution to almost all kite flying problems is to push out the bar. In light conditions you get more airspeed that you can convert into power. In strong conditions it depowers the kite and lets it head to the edge of the window.

hi there been there where you are and some times i still think i belong there . the whole deal i have found whilst learning is do with balance not so much you on the board . the balance of kite power and kite speed you can get up on the board ezey but if kite is too fast will just pull you like a bat out of hell with you bent over the board putting wait on the front foot hence the saying front foot the accelerator the back foot the brake . I found dive the kite a little at a time with only bar pull in little bit dont be tempted too pull on bar too get up let the kite do it if you didnt get up dive a little harder dont forget too steer it back up again . sit in water and go through the motions in your head first than try it . as soon as you are up try putting a little wait on back foot this will steer the board away from kite keeping lines tight and you and kite will become same speed . this is what i found any way. keep at it it dosnt take long too get the answer your after and when your are edging along with one hand in the water the other keeping kite in right spot in the air , it sure is a great feeling . got too love it . p/s learn the body drag thing it more important than ever i speak from personal experance lost my borad couldnt get too it tryed body drag seemed like forever . too put kite in water swim too kite hop on kite .see board paddel too board wilst on kite as a blown up boat only too when i got board too have not enough wind too lauch again wind shadow area too drift too very sharp rocks on shore line . i am still here very cut up feet and pride out the door . learn body drag was correct answer .

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suface2air said...

hi there been there where you are and some times i still think i belong there . the whole deal i have found whilst learning is do with balance not so much you on the board . the balance of kite power and kite speed ....

Absolutely correct. Give that person a gold elephant stamp.

jljjc,

I was in your boat last year. I got up on a board on my 3rd lesson and thought I was ready to take it on. I then had one particularly memorable 3.5 hr session at Leightons which was broken up as follows:

1 - Set up gear - 20min
2 - wait at waters edge for right moment to launch (no sets, kite at 12, floating in water with feet in straps facing right direction, no other kiters in the way) - 10min
3 - Time on board before first turn - 30 seconds
4 - Body dragging lookign for board after stacking during turn - 15min
5. Walk back up beach without board because dragging upwind into chop too difficult - 20min
6. Stand on beach, squinting into sun looking for board - 15min.
7. Someone brings board in - give profuse thanks.
8. Repeat steps2-6 - this time can't find board.
9. Pack up kite - 15min
10. Walk downwind lookign for board - 40min
11. Find board at South Cott
12. Walk back to car - 20min.

Total time at beach: 3.5hrs
Time on board: 1min

It astounded me that any beginner could spend enough time actually on the board to get good enough at it, and my +1 can attest to the number of times I came home, chucked my stuff into the corner and swore I'd sell everythign on ebay the moment I got the chance.

But ultimately quitting gets you nowhere, so I stuck with it and am now hooked. I'm still not great but have definitely gotten over the hump. Perserverance is your friend!

Good luck!

Stick with it, be patient. Talk to other kiters, most are friendly people and eager to help someone who genuinely wants to learn. Most importantly relax, it's all in kite skills as the gurus Kitehard and Steve will atest. If you live in windy WA you're half way there.

Hang in there jljjc. I'm just getting out of beginner zone and have had plenty of dud days. What keeps me going are those moments when you get a ball-tearing run or land an unplanned jump or make it over set waves before stacking. They make all the ditched kites and walks of shame worth it.

Also, go back down and watch some first timers. All those kite slams should show you how far you've come as well as cheer you up

yeah, been there done that jljjc. It was all very overwhelming in the beginning. But soon you will learn that kitesurfing is the best thing on this planet...

aren't there any shallow flat water beaches around your area? I don't mean completely shallow, but waist deep or so... It makes hell of a difference when learning as you are more relaxed and not too concerned about loosing the board so much, and you can concentrate on perfecting the V dive and staying on the board. It's not really recomended, but i learned body dragging after i was confidently doing upwind both directions...

i guess this is where landboarding comes very handy... as prior landboarding experience can get you up on board in water in 2 sessions...

couple of tips that helped me - 1) point board slightly downwind when V diving the kite and getting up... 2) immediatelly after you are up on the board and you are bringing the kite back up, lean backwards with your body to offset the upward pull of the kite.

Hi jijjc,
Man do I know what your talking about. I to did the hero lessons at the end of last summer .the kid teaching me didnt want to be there and was really only interested in telling us how good he was. so after shelling out my hard earned dollars ,i walked away a little disapointed and frustrated at my lack of skill.(didnt get on the board at all.)
Any way I got hold of some good second hand gear and have been teching my self ever since, I still can't go up wind and can only go on my backhand. Ive had so many frustrating times (kite in the trees, catapulted into the mud and alge,bitten by crabs,steped on cobbler).....But thos moments on the board have got me absoloutly Addicted and super stoked.
so as everone is tellin ya ! Hang in there man.

Im in the learning stage myself can get up but not for long and thinking got the wrong size board and havnt got the coin for a bigger one very frustrating!! I think the learning curve is what it is and patience is the key. Yesterday I drove for 1h to kite with some other kites and wanted to take my 80kg with a 12m out in 29nots but ended up sitting it out and wanting to race down to a shop a pick up a 7m and just get a out there. But we all know thats mad and the misses dosnt want to miss out on another holiday. So I drove home with a sandy crack and a new attitude called patience. But I hear ya L
PS anyone got a 7m they want to give away??? ha ha

Only one suggestion from me.

Go downwind.

Maybe get a couple of mates and do it together.

Oops that was two.

Cheers

Best advice I can give you beginners:

There is no substitute for time on(in, near, being dragged through) the water

You must make as much time as possible to get yourself on the curve and progressing. This will probably turn you into a social retard because you are forgoing the big Friday night out to get to the beach the next day; and on Saturday evening you will be so tired you will come home from the beach and want to sleep. It also may damage your relationship with your significant other (if you have one) somewhat. Repairing relationships is for the off-season and non-windy days.

Don't think that getting different gear will help - yes its all you. (Unless you were conned into buying some old school 4 line C kite with no depower)

If you can take a week off when the conditions are good and get out everyday, all day, you will progress quickly.

General fitness will help a lot, so on the days you aren't riding, doing something like cycling, going to the gym will help. Fitness helps you deal with the physical stress better.