Let's face it, we live in a time where everything has to be done fast, easy and cheap. Unfortunately, the kitesurfing lessons industry hasn't escaped this trend.

Newbies are being sold the dream of learning to kite in just a few hours, cruising around effortlessly on their boards, independent and safe.

The sad part is that most students, even those who wanted proper training, simply don't realize that the product they actually bought is much closer to a kitesurfing experience rather than a good lesson. Don't get me wrong, students getting a kitesurfing experience can have a pretty awesome time as well.

Lessons are oversimplified and the focus is put on getting onto the board quickly. The only way to achieve this is to skip (or go very quickly over) an impressive amount of fundamental skills and knowledge. This, of course, is often done in shallow waters with constant assistance from the instructor.

As a result, the majority of students completing their lessons aren't independent at all and need to be re-trained if they really wish to become genuinely independent kitesurfers.

As I mentioned before, the simplest way to evaluate the quality of your training is not to watch what the instructor says or does but to ask yourself what do you know? and what are you competent at doing without the help of your instructor?

Christian

I teach lessons for a great kitesurfing school on the goldcoast mate, and I couldnt agree more. I was only willing to work for Jamie as he hasn't given in to this trend himself. Its hard though when students are saying to you "but im not going to get on the board today? The other school i called, said I would" you have to stick to your guns though. No point in getting someone up on a board if they still cant control a kite. And safely self launch and landing are a must. Thats what they are paying for right.

What lessons?

I tell all my students that it takes 9 to 15 hours to be independent, so don't expect to be up and riding straight away. Nobody gets a board until they have demonstrated a self rescue. Self launch is shown to my students from the very beginning but I wait til the second lesson before I start teaching them that. I remember all too well the mighty struggles I had without lessons and a kite with limited wind range. I could have benefited from proper lessons but there were none available anywhere close.

I took lessons in 2002 in St Kilda (Melb.) the instructor was half way through teaching me how to control a trainer kite when a mate of his arrived at the beach, he left me without explanation for 30 mins to go have a chat to his mate, being an immature 19 year old I decided the best way to get my instructor to attend my lesson was to repeatedly slam the trainer kite from 12 o'clock into the ground. That worked, he came running back to continue instructing.

Later that week my girlfriend has a lesson and was concussed from out of control body dragging on the beach. Good times.

My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

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cauncy said...
My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

Lol your recent feminine pic.. she was a he, man boobs and didnt know about the adams apple

Great post Christian - keep up the honest good work

Might take up music mate. She still around?

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cauncy said..
My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

Hey cauncy, you still pulling that pork today................just sayin!

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cauncy said..
My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

I got lessons from Ian Young in the summer of 1999. All he did was shout SAS type orders at the top of his lungs. He nearly made me cry. I was such a pussy. 'left, right, left!!!'.

Man I wish he had big tits...

...seeya wed' arvo mick handbrakes in tow.

Back on topic
Sorry Christian

I'm unsure at an early stage most students wouldn't know good from bad
As seasoned kiters we know good from bad
I've seen some visually appealing teaching practices where tutors are actually in the water body dragging and talking their students through and I've seen instructors talking to mates and paying little attention
I had 4 instances at this time last year with fresh out of kite camp / schools, 3 had awful knowledge and 1 knew what he was tutored
All 4 had attended lessons and had nice new quivers though

Don't know. Never had any


Edit: god I wish I had some tho. Would have saved me some skin

I had great lessons - but frankly it was the middle of winter and the instructor didn't really have anywhere else to be ..
Self launch at a kite school ! Didn't teach me that, and I wouldn't have had the skills to sort it out if it didn't go right to be honest.. learnt that at the local and on YouTube

Great question, and currently very close to my heart!

Hitting my mid 50's and surfing becoming a distant memory my wife saw a group of kitesurfers and thought it would be just up my alley. After checking it out I couldn't agree more. A new challenge for me, it looks to be a great sport.

I had the misfortune of using a "coupon" to get a discount on 5 hrs of lessons, split into 2 sessions - my first mistake.
With a group of 5 people we were all flying the kite on the beach fairly well after our first session, observing other peoples mistakes as well as my own enhanced my learning.

The second session was fairly gusty (April - Melbourne) which was good in a way to learn about reading the kite in the air.
However, no body dragging just straight into dragging a board out and back. Out was ok, but I crashed the kite on the way back, subsequently had to release the kite and board as I was nearly drowning. Instructor was not impressed with me or the other students who kept making "mistakes".

Got some basic gear and hit the beach, tried to self launch after watching utube and took the kite up through the power window - second mistake, I went flying with it. Back home I started to read as much as I could and look at the progression lessons. I realised the instructor hadn't really mentioned much or any theory at all - biggest mistake.

I have since had the kite up on the beach a couple of times but had more failures than successes and haven't been back in the water as my confidence has taken a battering (Would rather learn slow and safe at my age!)

After making a couple of inquiries I have decided to invest in private lessons, hopefully with a tuned in instructor / school.
Would I recommend the coupon, school or instructor I used? - NO WAY

If I were to do it again, I would take a 1 hour group lesson as a trial and then move into private lessons.
Based on the east side of Port Phillip bay, hopefully the hardest thing for me to accomplish over the summer will be to get a quality instructor.

I hope my 2 bits helps someone else

Cheers

My lessons were two days of theory and a tiny bit of practise by means of flying the trainer kite. Safety, way of right, being conscious of the technical aspects and what can go wrong. Whoever was still keen was respectful, very respectful or almost scared. Some walked away. But the bloke who taught us was able to sell all the dry but crucial stuff in a fun and positive style.
Then came the practical part. Water temperature 10 degrees. Large slippery rocks one had to climb down and up to enter the lake. Entering via one tiny spot which meant waiting for the person in front of you to get in the water and ride away. Testing and training kite control before even getting wet. Swimming in ice cold water with crappy and gusty wind and a 2005 C kite without much depower (learning to depower by edging) and an almost impossible relaunching at least for beginners. Meaning ending up at the downwind end of the lake and walking back as an ice block for 20 minutes, again practising kite control on land.
Interaction with teacher was limited to exchanging a few words before hitting the water and after coming back.
Whoever survived and was able to perceive all this as fun, became a good kiteboarder learning the theory and important safety considerations from a good coach. While learning the actual kiting all by ourselves, in deep and cold water. Hundreds of kites on a tiny lawn and tiny lake. Never saw a single incident.

I agree Christian while these days kites are much more user friendly. It does not hurt making sure that everyone gets a thorough, well structured training including a good amount of theory. Perhaps even a test, just like a driving licence competency check. Making sure newbies know how to stay out of trouble, keep others out of trouble, and help others when in trouble.

A more conscious and smarter approach to teaching. Cheers.

the brains trust of seabreeze said you should be punished by being dragged around by a C kite until you knew how to edge correctly. that was my lesson, never listen to some of these fools when the correct method was to go through legitimate training with an appropriate kite

Man that feeling like a clubbed seal dragged across beaches and dunes, makes you be glad your alive.

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cauncy said..
My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

Maybe she should teach kitesurfing?

Admire your work CHRISTIAN . You are making a difference in trying to get some standards in an industry that needs it.

You wonder how many accidents have happened by releasing people to the waters without knowing what they are doing.

Luckily the kiting community help each other and probably a lot of learning happens informally on the beach , though not enough by the curvaceous music teacher types that Cauncy refers to.

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Bletti said...

cauncy said..
My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

Maybe she should teach kitesurfing?

Good point
35 years later I still remember every detail

The year was 2001, September 11 attacks had just occurred, and Kite surfers were about as popular as hydro foiling canoes. I scraped together $900 or so to purchase a 6 meter wallan watefoil with fixed chicken loop, and a safety / reverse line, seat harness and made my own wallboard for 200.

The one lesson lasted 5 minutes, this is how you rig up, this is how you launch and relaunch. Don't kite in offshore winds or near swimmers. An hour later I was on my own.

I hated that kite, the combination of fixed aoa, and my board made it impossible to go upwind , unless the current was against the breeze. Tried in 18 kts from apple cross, went to the beach on opposite side of river, Matilda bay, and on tack back missed majestic point and ended up 1/2 way to Perth on side of kwinana freeway.

It's come a long way since then !

Could not agree more with Christian here. I've tried to alert the local shop here about possible dangers and situations, but got totally ignored. The "sleeping" monster is always there, and all it will take is a sudden gust out of no where and - bam... a situation. But this is Straya and the "she'll be right" attitude is king. What can I do? Nada.

On my experience though, I started back in 2007 when a mate of mine had one of the first Switchblades that ever came out, with that dreaded 2:1 overdrive bar. We read the manuals, saw some videos and chatted to other kiters (hi Rosebud crew!) and one day we went out with this 14m kite in a Northerly hot windy 15knot day. Gusty was the order of the day. My mate launched me and I had the thing at the Zenith, when pow out of no where a gust lofted me and I landed about 50m downwind. Luckily we were out on deep water and only landed on deeper water again, but I quickly panicked and QR'd the lot, including the kite!

Fast fwd to 2011 and I go to KSS in Altona. We bought a set of packages and lessons. Lars and Justin were our trainers. We had like 6 lessons all up. Best investment I've ever done. I didn't get going, as I didn't really practice between lessons, but I had the confidence and kite control knowledge to know when and how to start on my own self learning oddyssey. I knew, without water starting, how to control the kite enough to avoid other kiters, right of way and the safety systems, which I pulled for fun and practice. The lessons were really good.

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cauncy said..

Bletti said...

cauncy said..
My music teacher had massive tits
She'd rub them on your back when she leaned over to help you
My lessons were wicked

Maybe she should teach kitesurfing?

Good point
35 years later I still remember every detail

hate to spoil the memory but those tits'd be knocking the back of your knees these days..,.

no lessons...unless you count the broken ribs that taught me to let go of the bar

Previously I was into windsurfing for last 20 years. My friend, who instructs, took me kitesurfing about 6 years ago. I was dragged all over the place and drank 2 litres of sea water...lesson 1 - mouth closed under or near water. Needless to say didn't enjoy it.
Two years ago bought some gear and got lessons included.again with my mate. first one was light winds but got a good 3 hours on what to do including body dragging and rescue. Second lesson was freezing and covered previous ground. My best starts involved getting up momentarily and skipping sideways. With the cold lost feeling in limbs. Luckily a short lesson. ....was lucky as both lessons were one on one and have set me up for success. Noticeable as I have had had my share of failed launches (crossed lines), rescues and even crossed kites....look out for the humble instructor that has been around for a while....

Thanks for sharing your experiences. My lessons (in 2006) also fell right in the ''kitesurfing experience'' category even though the school had a strong reputation and was charging more than $100 per hour back then...I was put on the board in the first lesson and definitely was far from ready for this. Many accidents happened after this, damaged gear, etc.

It's nice to see other instructors are applying the standards as they should be applied. If no one complains, schools and instructors will continue to do as they please as no systems are yet in place to make sure these standards are respected.

In instructor courses, these standards are super clearly outlined and instructors know they have to teach at those standards. What happens after that is a completely different story.

Some schools are advertising garanteed independence and riding the board in just a few hours...and we are allowing this to happen

I don't see a problem with giving newbies a kitesurfing experience as long as it's advertised as such and students are clearly told they will ''not be independent'' as they don't have the required training to go kiting alone.

Christian

... my lessons were great back in 2003

step 1. purchase kite (Naish ARX 17.5m)
step 2. quickly read manual
step 3. pumped kite up
step 4. connect strings
step 5. pulled at kite with bar attached until kite goes up then down,,, got dragged a bit.
step 6. shake sand off face
step 7. consult manual again which is clearly written wrong,,,read it a bit more.
step 8. repeated steps 5 and 6 a few more times with same results.
step 9. drank beer,,,, consulted manual again.

Took me a while to realise, I rigged the front lines to steering and steering to front.

Robbie

My experience with lessons, last season.
Went with a very reputable company on the Gold coast, the instructors very professional and had a passion for the sport. I believe that the instructors did not work directly for the shop.
Safety was paramount with these guys. Was never told or promised to be a up on a board in any time frame, to be honest I think I had a respectable fear for this new sport. Yes Youtube the **** out of it.
So, I spent about 4x 2 hour lessons on just set up, body dragging, self rescuing and flying the kite. Even on my own with the help of other locals did more of what I was taught.
Then as this is such a seasonal sport and the instructors left, with lessons paid for mind you, Now I find myself finding it hard to part with more money, just hitting the water myself at Redcliffe, seems safe to do so, but I believe I can do so safely.
Probably spent close to $1000 so far on 2nd hand gear and lessons.
Unfortunately I think from what I read on the forums and from my experience $$$ plays a huge role in this awsome sport, well for lessons anyway.
I am sure I shall be forking out a couple thousand dollars in the next 12 months. Just have to convince the minister of finances.
Just my experiences.

My instructor only taught as a part time gig but was a lot better than most of the horror stories I've see on here. I used to keep a log of hours that I'd been learning - can't find it but here's pretty much what we did:

(I'd already bought and spent a few hours on a trainer kite myself. This was all on a beach with about 5m before you couldn't touch the floor)

0-2 hrs - 10 minutes to show him I wasn't lying about the trainer. 1 hour learning the set up process and what everything was followed by 20 minutes with the kite in the air before the wind died

2-6 - Moving the kite side to side, playing with sheeting in/out, controlling the kite with 1 hand and walking (All still on the beach). Pretty sure I had a tack out and back in bodydragging towards the end of this

6-8 - Did a water relaunch whilst standing on the beach. Then got in and practised figure 8s to pull myself downwind and get used to the power zone. After I'd got the hang of kite control he said he'd trust me to go out and have a go practising water starts by myself.

8-10 - Practised water starts on my own and generally built up a bit more experience

I then had another hour lesson for him to point out the mistakes I was making, had another hour lesson after about 20 total hrs when I'd got to the point that I was up and riding 95% of the time to try and get rid of any bad habits I'd picked up.

The overwhelming thing that made me trust him was that right at the start he was fully upfront and said I wouldn't be on the board before 6-10 hours. He would teach me the basic foundations but there was no point me paying him to stand there watching whilst I spent ages fiddling around learning to put the board on or whatever, those things just take time and practise.
Obviously there were the instructors advertising that you'd be riding in a 4 hr session but I definitely put faith in the fact that my instructor said he'd just teach me the basics and let me learn the rest myself

(I learned a self rescue myself, he'd explained it but again said that there was no point me paying him $100/ hr to stand there watching me swim towards the kite and untangling lines)

My lessons were good. My instructor took a lot of time explaining the theory part and the safety systems. He made me repeat the exercises on land a lot before moving on to the next one. So all in all he was a good instructor.

Off topic slightly but I would definitely +1 on getting a trainer kite. I bought mine, used it for a couple of months and sold it for maybe $30 less than I bought it. Probably halved my time having lessons too.

My first time it was about 12knots n I was using a 14m FUEL and I picked it up straight away. Fortunately I had done a lot of kite buggying, WAKEBOARDing,windsurfing and catamaran racing so the transition was easy and then I started teaching people.
Now with YouTube it's quite easy for people to get an understanding about kiting if they have no idea or no background in wind and water sports. Kites these days have come along way in regards to kook ability and safety systems and launchability but the kite only does what you tell it to do. Some people need em and some don't!

Progression Kiteboarding Beginner DVD and YouTube.