Mastering the water start is one of the most frustrating part of learning to kitesurf. It appears effortless when you see it done properly, but initially finding that elusive balance of kite power & board control is a bit of an art.
So here are my top 5 tips to get you going:
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Plenty of space - Check. |
1/ Pick your direction & check there's plenty of space around you, especially down wind. You can't water start if you have nowhere to go once you're up!
2/ Get everything under control. You can't begin to water start if your splashing about trying to control a wayward kite. Find your balance in the water & get your feet in the straps. If you spin out, keep control of the kite, put your feet down, settle yourself & try again. If you drifted downwind, go back to section 1 and check your space.
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Feet in & under control - Check. |
3/ Put your feet in the straps, tuck your back foot right in to your bum & point the board well off the wind with your front foot. Don't put the board at 90 degrees to the wind or you'll either get pulled over the top or slide out.
4/ Dip the kite & as you feel the pull, roll your weight up over the board as it starts to plane & stand up! If you don't help by standing yourself up, the kite tends to fly out of the power & stall at the edge of the window, leaving you sat in the water wondering - "what happened?"
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Kitesurfing - CHECK! |
5/ OK, so you're up... Think about the kite! Fly the it back up away from the water & then back down to the middle of the window. Park it there & you're kite surfing! If you slow down or start sinking repeat this step. If you sink, go back to step 3, check you still have space & get going again. Try to ride across the wind, look where the other kiters are going and enjoy.
Here at 24-7 Boardsports we offer comprehensive Kite & SUP instruction & our highly qualified instructors from Nomadic Kitesurf can tailor courses around your requirements.