Kitesurfing is one of the most exhilarating sports in the world, bringing together aspects from other sports into a fantastic combination of the speed, big jumps, waves and tricks, below are a few pointers to help you to learn how to kitesurf
Step 1: Learn to fly a kite
The most important aspect of kitesurfing is flying a kite, 90% of the control is the kite, the more natural your kite skills are the more you can focus on everything else that is happening. With more quality kite flying time under your belt the faster you will be able to progress through the kite techniques and on onto the board!
Using a power/trainer kite before your kitesurfing lesson is a great advantage and will allow you progress quicker and spend more of your course with the kitesurf kites and boards, making the most of your tuition.
A trainer kite with a bar around 1-3m in size is perfect for improving your kite skills and understanding of the wind. A perfect kite is the 2m Peter Lynn Impulse Trainer as it is very stable, fun to fly and durable, plus it is ready to go with the bar and lines.
Step 2: Improve your board skills
Once you have progressed past the kite flying the next step is the introduction of the board. At this stage you are trying to do two things at once, both of which could be completely new to you. The more familiar you are with the board the more you can concentrate on the kite and all the other factors in the situation.
Having some previous board riding experience is extremely beneficial as when it comes to the board starts you have less to think about. Wakeboarding (cable or behind a boat) is the most similar as the weight distribution on the board is the same. Snowboarding is very useful and surfing, skateboarding and mountain boarding also help. If you have the opportunity try and practice any of these sports before learning to kitesurf it is good to try going in both directions (regular and goofy) as when kitesurfing you ride both ways.
Step 3: The Kitesurfing lesson
Having tuition from a qualified instructor at a registered school is crucial, not only will it seriously cut down your learning curve but you will be introduced to the sport in a fun, danger free environment so that you can progress safely to avoid any accidents and injuries to yourself or others. The instructors are very experienced and have taught many students over the years so know all the problems that face people learning how to kitesurf and the mistakes that are made. They will guide you through the learning process and offer all the motivation to turn you into a safe and independent kitesurfer.
Step 4: Buying the correct equipment
Kitesurfing equipment has come a long was since it started, even more so in recent years. We highly advise that you do not buy any equipment until you have had some lessons as you will learn a lot about what is suitable from your instructor.
In your first few days of learning how to kitesurf you will be crashing the kite a lot, it is much more sensible to use the school’s equipment at this stage so that when you do decide to buy your own you are more skilled with the kite and it will stay in good condition and last much longer. Using the school’s equipment will also give you a good idea of what you prefer, we have a few brands and models of kites. Over a kitesurf course you will often use different types and sizes of kites, everyone has a personal preference so it is great to have a try before you buy.
These kitesurf packages are perfect examples of suitable equipment for beginners to purchase.
Buying a trainer/power kite for yourself to practice how to kite can be very benficial as they are very robust and much cheaper, they also pack down very small, so you can keep them on you or in your car and take them out for a practice anywhere when the wind is good. This will really help keep your brain and body used to flying a kite so that when you next have a chance to go kitesurfing it will still be fresh in your mind. For many people that live inland this kite flying practice is invaluable as they dont have the chance to come to coast as often as the like. The trainer/power kite can also be combined with a landboard/mountain board which is perfect as you are also practising the board aspect of the sport.
How to kite
Hopefully this information has given you an incite of the world of kite flying and how to fly kites and move the board safely.