To listen to the Podcast for this post click here So you have seen someone flying through the air on a kiteboard. You have been inspired and have since booked your lessons, what now? How can you truly learn kiteboarding faster and get the most value out of your lessons? From the thousands of lessons…

Before you go out you must know all your gear inside out. Spend some time on your lessons practicing setup and packing away. Be sure to ask your instructor to explain as much as possible about the gear you are using and how it works. Parts of a kiteboarding kite Parts of a kiteboarding bar…

Before you go out you must check the wind and check your spot for dangers Arguably the most important part of Kitesurfing is to decide IF you go Kitesurfing.  When you arrive at your chosen Kitesurfing location, check the wind and the potential dangers in the area. This is called a wind and site assessment….

You have to find out the exact wind direction before you Kitesurf to be able to control your kite and to make sure you don’t get blown away from the land.  To find out the wind direction, stand with your back to the wind, feel the wind on the side of your cheeks and listen…

Before you kiteboard.. Check the weather forecast, the tides and any possible wind effects Ask yourself the following questions. Will there be enough wind for my skill level and my equipment? Will there be too much wind for my skill level and my equipment? Is the wind strength going to pick up so it is…

When you are sure that you have safe, cross onshore wind, know the wind speed, have chosen the right size kite and checked the forecast, its time to check that your location is safe for Kitesurfing. Firstly you must get into the habit of spending 5-10 min standing on the beach and checking all the…

Before you fly your kite, you need to understand the wind window When flying a kite you must have the wind on your back. When you are standing with the wind directly on your back, the wind window is directly in front of you.  The wind window is shaped like a semi-circle and is numbered…

Before you go out on the water it is important that you know and understand the international rights of way for Kitesurfing.  Avoid collisions at all costs. – The most important rule. Give way to all other water users. – Kitesurfers have no priority. A Kitesurfer who has launched their kite and is entering the…

When you have completed your wind and site checks and you are confident that you have the skill level for your chosen location and right size kite for the conditions, it is time to set up your gear. Walk to a clear area on the beach that is free from any obstacles and make sure…

Before you fly any kite you must know exactly how its safety system works. Firstly you must correctly connect your bar and lines to your harness. How to connect yourself to your bar, lines and kite. Always connect your safety leash first. Remember safety first. Your safety leash is attached to your harness and it…

Pre-flight check The purpose of a pre flight check is to make sure that when you launch your kite you are 100% sure that all your lines are connected correctly. Make sure you always perform a pre-flight check as part of your setup ritual. Do it before you launch any kite for the first time….

Know this… The most dangerous part of Kitesurfing is when you first launch your kite Just being aware of this fact will help you to give the launch the attention that is it deserves. Launching can be safe and easy if you just follow some simple steps. For a safe launch with an assistant you…

When you are learning to Kitesurf, it is much easier and safer, if your location has shallow water that is above your knee and below your waist. Also you must have a bare minimum of 2 kite line lengths of space downwind of the area that you are flying your kite. This is something that…

Launching your kite on the beach or on the water is arguably the most important part of kiteboarding. If you cant do it correctly then you are going to put yourself in danger or at the very least get seriously frustrated. Launching from the land and from the water has some fundamental similarities. These are…

 All Kitesurfers are expert body draggers (also known as body surfing) even the pros. Body dragging is where you use the power of your kite to pull you through the water without your board. You have to be able to body drag to recover your board when you fall off, to get yourself back to…

When learning to board start its best to start using the baby steps philosophy. Start by getting up and riding 2ft / 1 meter and then bringing your kite back to 12 and sitting down then start again and ride 2-3 feet bringing the kite back to 12 and sitting down again. What you want…

How to ride further and control your speed  You are now standing up on your board but only for a few meters, it’s time to get in control of the power, your speed, your kite and your body position and ride further and further.  If you are slowing down and beginning to sink into the…

The day that you come back to the same place that you started from and no longer have to walk is a very satisfying day in Kitesurfing. As you progress further, you will be able to travel anywhere you want across the water and your whole life will improve.  The secrets of riding upwind are…

When learning to board start and building up longer and longer runs on your board, no matter how careful you are regarding your distance, there is a good chance than you will drift downwind and be in the situation where no one is around to help you land your kite. This is why… It is…

The main purpose of your kites trim system is to help give you less power. What does being overpowered actually mean? You are overpowered if your kite is pulling you downwind when it is in the no power zones at the edges of the wind window at positions 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2 or…

Also known as turns, sliding turns, basic turns or most commonly known as transitions. Its basically a change of direction. The best way to think of a turn is a controlled stop and then a board start in the opposite direction without sitting down. Over the last 15 years of teaching kiteboarding I have helped…

As you are riding further and further away from the safety of the land, if something goes wrong and you cannot relaunch your kite, you must know how to rescue yourself from deep water. A self-rescue is the term used for the technique to safely wind up your lines when in deep water, get back…

Knowing how to set up and fly your kite in light wind can mean the difference between having the best session of your life or having a total “kitemare”.  In light winds there is a much smaller room for error so your technique has to be spot on. “Golden” light wind trick and tips Light…

What is looping your kite? In the simplest terms looping your kite is when you steer your kite aggressively in one direction so it completes a full circle. Why should you learn to loop your kite? There are times in kiteboarding where if your kite falls into the water it will be impossible to relaunch…

While in the learning stages of Kitesurfing you will inevitably be crashing your kite more often. The more you crash your kite, the greater the chance that you will twist your lines or that your kite will invert. There is also a high chance that you could accidentally activate your main safety and if any…

Your main kite lines can be twisted in three ways. If your kite lines have become twisted, dont panic, you can fly your kite as normal with twisted lines as long as your bar is the right way round with the red side on your left (or however your bar is the correct way round)….

An inverted kite is where your kite turns inside out. It will look strange and it is easy to tell that something is wrong because its shape will change. Pro tip – To minimise the chances of your kite inverting, make sure you pump your kite up so it is hard. A softer kite will…