Starting kiteboarding

A great summary about starting what to expect etc..



FKA KITEBOARDING FORUMS :: View topic - Ideas for selecting kiteboarding instruction

Quality professional kiteboarding instruction should allow rapid, safer learning under controlled conditions using someone else’s kites and boards. Much of the trial, error, hazards and frustration that plagues folks trying to figure it out on their own can be avoided when you work with a capable instructor. Your speed of advancement in kiteboarding after proper training should also be faster than otherwise. This process should reduce the odds of painful and costly injury, damaged kite gear, threats to our access to ride and give you experience to make your own judgments on what gear to buy. A primary goal of adequate, quality instruction is to aid the rider in becoming an independent kiteboarder to allow safer experience building following training. Don’t fall in the trap of trying to figure out how to kiteboard from scratch with a friend who is new to the sport. This practice is not that uncommon and a very bad idea. There is too much that can go wrong during inexpert “training” and after.

Proper instruction can also help you to avoid looking like a kook. Experienced riders can give kooks a hard time at the local launch. Nobody wants to be an outsider. Learning mistakes accidents/incidents can also lead to bans. Also, there may be a growing trend in which certification is required to access some riding areas.

How much time should you spend in instruction? Can adequate instruction be accomplished in a single lesson, No. A taste of the sport, sure but not much else. SCUBA diving, hang gliding, boat operation and kiteboarding too, demand a realistic amount of time for proper training. Teaching the basic mechanical skills can be fairly quick BUT there is all that knowledge that is needed as well for safer kiteboarding. It’s a package deal, there is knowing how to steer a airplane for example and then there is learning how to OPERATE a plane under all the varied conditions including emergencies. Kiteboarding instructors indicate that first time students are requesting from 3 to 5 lessons currently. Kiteboarders may wish to come back to hone and develop skills following initial training.

Instruction costs however quality instruction may be the best investment you make in kiteboarding. Quality instruction can last a lifetime. For example, I still remember and draw from my first SCUBA diving course over 30 years ago. It was that detailed, effective and launched a fun sport for life.

What should you learn during professional instruction before you go out on your own to continue to carefully build experience? This subsequent phase should be with a more experienced kiteboarding buddy by the way. Some ideas follow. Not all instructors cover all these points in these early days as kiteboarding instruction is still fairly new. Still, you would do well to try to find a program that properly addresses the following:


A lot more ideas appear in the SBC Kiteboard article located at:
http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=829
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transcribed by:
Rick Iossi
http://fksa.org

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