Hey Just wondering is there a correct way to ride? for some reason I ride hunched over a bit and get a sore back after a while, I tried to ride with a straight back but it didn’t feel right and I couldn’t sheet out all the way. I’m 16 and reasonably flexible so I think I must be doing something wrong? Any info on this would be appreciated.
You are probably not trimming your kite correctly and your bar is too far out at cruising speed. Pull your trim strap (depower rope) until, when cruising, the bar is at a comfortable distance with your elbows slightly bent and your back straight. Poo stance and a sore back are the symptoms of an incorrectly trimmed kite.
Hey Just wondering is there a correct way to ride? for some reason I ride hunched over a bit and get a sore back after a while, I tried to ride with a straight back but it didn’t feel right and I couldn’t sheet out all the way. I’m 16 and reasonably flexible so I think I must be doing something wrong? Any info on this would be appreciated.
bend yer knees in the chop. straighten them in the flat. straight back always - never bend your back.
this is my first season. is poo stance having both legs bent?
Poo stance is what all bow kite riders who forget to trim their kite have. Called poo stance cos it looks like they're taking a dump. Caused by having to reach for the bar.
A friend really helped me get better riding posture by suggesting try to remember to keep shoulder, hip and ankle in a straight line while riding. You can still twist and bend and move to adjust to different conditions while keeping this posture. It is hard to keep this posture if you are persistantly overpowered.
Good riding posture is not all about straight legs or straight back but a balanced flexible position over the centre of the board which directs power from kite to board in the most efficent way, which the shoulder/hip/ankle thing seems to do well for me.
A friend really helped me get better riding posture by suggesting try to remember to keep shoulder, hip and ankle in a straight line while riding. You can still twist and bend and move to adjust to different conditions while keeping this posture. It is hard to keep this posture if you are persistantly overpowered.
Good riding posture is not all about straight legs or straight back but a balanced flexible position over the centre of the board which directs power from kite to board in the most efficent way, which the shoulder/hip/ankle thing seems to do well for me.
One thing that helped me early on was pushing my hips forward while riding. It also helps keep your waist harness lower on your hips. If you're getting a sore back its because you are overpowered for your kite or setup. It's OK to push the bar out when you need to but you shouldn't be riding with the bar pushed out.
Fairly straight line from shoulder through hip through front leg.
Similar to knee on back leg with the back leg bent at the knee.
Arms as straight as possible. Hands fairly close to the middle of the bar.
Hips forward.
Shoulders back.
Head and shoulders facing in the direction of travel.
Works for both heel and toeside.
Getting your weight down close to the water feels nice and improves the feeling of speed and upwind performance.
In powered up conditions riding with only your back hand on the bar also feels good and leaves your front hand free for skimming the water or picking your nose or whatever.
I think the bar should be pushed out a fair bit. Most people ride with the kite half stalled. The solution to almost all kite performance and handling problems is to push the bar out.
You need air speed to get power and the way to do that is to push the bar out. Once the kite has some speed you can ease it in to harvest the power. You can also oversheet to get extra boost for jumps.
Having the bar out lets you ride with straight arms and that avoids elbow problems.
Thanks Everyone after a few more sessions and trying alot of different size kites i think its just my kites too big for the conditions, i ride a 15m Rev 1 (my only kite)in wind up to about 20 knots, im still saving up to get an 11m
Thanks Everyone after a few more sessions and trying alot of different size kites i think its just my kites too big for the conditions, i ride a 15m Rev 1 (my only kite)in wind up to about 20 knots, im still saving up to get an 11m
Yep your onto it, being overpowered causes all sorts of problems with posture and kite handling. You said you were 16 so I'm guessing you weigh a lot less than me (90kgs) and i am quite happy on a 9-10 and can even ride quite comfortably on my 7.5 in 20knots. Yes you have to work your kite a bit more if you are underpowered but it is still more fun IMO than being overpowered.
