either both feet in, or both feet out. one of the injuries is when one foot is stuck to the board and the board stops in the water while you keep rotating.

kitcho207 said..
either both feet in, or both feet out. one of the injuries is when one foot is stuck to the board and the board stops in the water while you keep rotating.

can vouch for this, left leg has bulk steel in it now from single leg carnage

Andy T said..
Grow a pair!...send the kite and boost all your troubles away (and keep board attached to your feet for landing)

remind me to watch you attempt a big jump next time we are down at safetys ;)

This reminds me of my snowboarding instruction years when students asked me ''how should I fall?''... My answer has always been that they should focus on improving their technique to avoid falling in the first place.

The same principle applies here, if you have good technique and use the correct size kite there is no reason to have those high-speed out of control crashes anymore.

Speed wobbles come from poor stance and not having the right pressure distribution between each leg/feet. Also, a lot of beginners tend to ride with far too much power, either from having kites that are too big and/or pulling the bar too far in. I also regularly see beginners ride overpowered and out of control simply from having their lines completely de-tuned! If you bought a second-hand kite, spend some time checking your lines to make sure they are all the same length.

When you get enough speed to edge your board and keep riding, sheet the bar out and learn to control your speed using the correct stance. With the correct technique, anyone should be able to ride upwind with very little speed, even in very strong winds.

My advice for any learner struggling to ride upwind after a while is to find an experienced instructor with a good camera so you get a clear visual on what your stance actually looks like vs what it should look like. I've done this countless times with my students and it's always been game-changing for them.

Fixing your stance at an early stage will build a strong foundation for any tricks you want to learn later. Trying to break a poor stance after many months/years of doing the same mistakes is very difficult.

If you avoid kiting in super shallow waters and if you keep your footsraps loose when learning the risk of ankle injury is negligible

Christian

Best thing I did when learning, (do we ever stop), was to enjoy a big down-winder. Do it with some experienced kiters, to ferry your board to you after a crash and to generally keep an eye on you.

The edging concept should "click" quite soon, just be patient and not try when conditions are unsuitable. Time on water is the best lesson.

When it clicked with me, I found it more uncomfortable going down wind than edging!

I've just started going upwind. When I lean right back I try to sheet out to slow down but I have the bar at such a distance away from me I can hardly reach it with arms outstretched?
Hence I stand more upright to sheet out which leaves me unsteady.

kitcho207 said...
either both feet in, or both feet out. one of the injuries is when one foot is stuck to the board and the board stops in the water while you keep rotating.

This has had me worried in my latest sessions. I can the foot stuck in the strap turning in the strap as if it could break my foot where the toes connect. I wonder if I loosened my straps whether my foot would actual just roll and come out.

It's actually quite hard to take both feet out of straps during a crash, especially in rotation crashes (front/back rolls).

I just started using a oceanus reel leash and it helped immensely with cutting down body dragging time and not getting pushed downwind ruining all my hard earned effort of edging to go upwind. My board is always close by so I don't have to worry about being a lure on a fishing line, bobbing about for sharkies below. It is just collect my board and go. Apparently this comes with a risk though as a few people have been hurt by these leashes still. I am yet to see it snap back at me and am yet to see how that snap back is even possible. Once I do then I will probably stop using it. You have to think how many surfers use even more dangerous leashes (elastic) combined with having waves wash over them and their board and yet everyone does it, and only a few ever hit their board in a wipeout.

samokta said..

drewpweiner said..

kitcho207 said...
either both feet in, or both feet out. one of the injuries is when one foot is stuck to the board and the board stops in the water while you keep rotating.

This has had me worried in my latest sessions. I can the foot stuck in the strap turning in the strap as if it could break my foot where the toes connect. I wonder if I loosened my straps whether my foot would actual just roll and come out.

It's actually quite hard to take both feet out of straps during a crash, especially in rotation crashes (front/back rolls).

I just started using a oceanus reel leash and it helped immensely with cutting down body dragging time and not getting pushed downwind ruining all my hard earned effort of edging to go upwind. My board is always close by so I don't have to worry about being a lure on a fishing line, bobbing about for sharkies below. It is just collect my board and go. Apparently this comes with a risk though as a few people have been hurt by these leashes still. I am yet to see it snap back at me and am yet to see how that snap back is even possible. Once I do then I will probably stop using it. You have to think how many surfers use even more dangerous leashes (elastic) combined with having waves wash over them and their board and yet everyone does it, and only a few ever hit their board in a wipeout.

How will you ever learn how to body drag effectively if you always have the board tied to you?

I know how to body drag side to side and slightly upwind, it is just annoying and increases risk of shark attack

Stay powered up and skip across the water like a rock. You fall off and think you will come to a stop but sometimes there is a little more to go. That's my favourite.

Or fall over but fall back onto your board in a strange position, like with your foot on the tail, or sitting on the board or some other unorthodox way.

drewpweiner said..

samokta said..

drewpweiner said..

kitcho207 said...
either both feet in, or both feet out. one of the injuries is when one foot is stuck to the board and the board stops in the water while you keep rotating.

This has had me worried in my latest sessions. I can the foot stuck in the strap turning in the strap as if it could break my foot where the toes connect. I wonder if I loosened my straps whether my foot would actual just roll and come out.

It's actually quite hard to take both feet out of straps during a crash, especially in rotation crashes (front/back rolls).

I just started using a oceanus reel leash and it helped immensely with cutting down body dragging time and not getting pushed downwind ruining all my hard earned effort of edging to go upwind. My board is always close by so I don't have to worry about being a lure on a fishing line, bobbing about for sharkies below. It is just collect my board and go. Apparently this comes with a risk though as a few people have been hurt by these leashes still. I am yet to see it snap back at me and am yet to see how that snap back is even possible. Once I do then I will probably stop using it. You have to think how many surfers use even more dangerous leashes (elastic) combined with having waves wash over them and their board and yet everyone does it, and only a few ever hit their board in a wipeout.

How will you ever learn how to body drag effectively if you always have the board tied to you?

I know how to body drag side to side and slightly upwind, it is just annoying and increases risk of shark attack

Paranoia , it's the ocean, sharks live there, it's their home, keep out if you carnt accept it

protect your ears, I found when I started kiting I didn't have much board control or kite control. it was only after about 12 month of kiting was I able to make a mistake and say for example send the board tip under the water and recover from it. there is no way I could have done this at the start but now i can. depending on the situation I push the feet apart or turn my feet out. but yeah skimming the ass along the water is not a bad option as long as the lines and or bar stay clear of the board