Hey guys. So i am a bigger guy120kg 190cm with a blister where 6 pack supposed to be.
And no matter what i do i cant put the board on my feet before water starting. I tried both methods with handle and footstrap.
And before i put it on i am facing opposite way. Also when trying to bend in my hips my gut is getting squeezed in the harness.

Please help guya because i really enjoy this sport but i seems to hit the wall.

Thanks mate. Ill keep trying and will do some stretches.
Any recommended stretches i should do?
When puting the board on do you grab the board with the upwind or downwind hand?

Assume you can't touch the bottom and want to start and go to the left...

Floating sorta upright
Hold the bar and fly the kite with the left hand
Hold the right strap in your right hand with the board pointing down wind

Get yourself balanced...

Tilt the board onto it's edge and rotate the downwind tip around towards your left side
Float onto your back a little
Bend your left leg and put it in the left strap
Let go the right strap and let the board rotate downwind
Put your right foot in
Square the board up...

Dive the kite and go.

Watermate said...
Will try to follow your method. Usually i get the first foot in, but strungle with the second one.

Are there any extensions that are avialble to hold the board a bit better?

Reduce your gut

Just niggle it in the straps! Niggle it... niggle it

Just an addition to the other suggestions:
Once you are floating in the water, the kite will drag you downwind. Your priority is to keep facing the kite with the board out in front of you (like a water start in skiing/wakeboarding), otherwise the water will catch the board and end up rotating you onto your back. If you focus on keeping the board in front of you and keeping your body position facing directly downwind, you will find there is heaps of time to get your feet sorted.

When starting out you'll also need HEAPS of water downwind of you. Try to find a starting spot with at least 50m of water directly downwind of you so you have plenty of time to get your board in place, your kite ready and mind focused on the launch.

now this might not help at all,
but you don't necessarily need both feet in the straps to waterstart
if you get the first foot in and then just sit your back foot on the outer heel side
it's not too difficult to manoeuvre your foot into the strap once you get going smoothly.

Good Luck

psychojoe said..
now this might not help at all,
but you don't necessarily need both feet in the straps to waterstart
if you get the first foot in and then just sit your back foot on the outer heel side
it's not too difficult to manoeuvre your foot into the strap once you get going smoothly.

Good Luck

Good advice here. I sometimes do it after a wipeout when I am too lazy to put it back on properly. Sometimes I just jump onto it with both feet and wiggle them feet in.

daveisthekotz said..

MozKiter said..

psychojoe said..
now this might not help at all,
but you don't necessarily need both feet in the straps to waterstart
if you get the first foot in and then just sit your back foot on the outer heel side
it's not too difficult to manoeuvre your foot into the strap once you get going smoothly.

Good Luck

Good advice here. I sometimes do it after a wipeout when I am too lazy to put it back on properly. Sometimes I just jump onto it with both feet and wiggle them feet in.

Not for someone who hasn't even done a water start.

That is true I admit

Watermate said..
All great suggestions, i will try and practice.
What do you all think about impwct vests that float? Will it help in putting straps on because it will float me easier?

I really want to get into kiting...

I think a good fitting vest makes it easier in the water, and protects against those things you didnt bargin for.

Make sure you get one that allows for a harness

Puetz said..
... hey Watermate and fellow bigger guy,

Welcome to the darkside. Learning to kite can be the most rewarding and frustrating thing you can do but sooo worth it in the end. If there is any consolation, the hassle you have with getting your feet in is normal thing and you'll out grow it in no time.

Just adding a little more to the discussion, the common thing I see with people learning and who have trouble putting the board on the feet is they tend to over steer the kite and try to do it too quickly. Like many things in life, slow down, relax and make your movements deliberate.

A suggestion that helped my missus when learning was to holding the bar, with fingers around the chicken loop rope then slightly pull the bar in, just enough to steady the kite perfectly at 12 o'clock ie hold bar with pointing finger one side of rope, middle finger the other side. Use other hand of course to put board onto feet.

"insert others info here"

Once feet are in the straps, then place both hands on bar as normal and carry on with your water start.

The idea with the hand or rather fingers around the chickloop rope as you hold the bar tends to help you 'not' over steer the kite off centre. An over steered kite then generates a bit more power of course will start pulling you downwind more, even starting to rotate you. Ahh bugger, now you have to start again. A steady kite at 12 o'clock will help you concentrate with the feet now.

Anyway, good luck and have fun.

cheers,

Robbie :)

Good advice here. You can never learn to split the lines early enough.

I assume the coast is portside here to you.

The trick to not spin is to use the board as a rudder while you drift downwind, that way you can correct spins of up to 90° before you have to doggypaddle.

You need to start off with turning slightly to starboard as the waves are gonna make you spin towards the coast. You then put your left foot into the strap and apply a bit of pressure with your left foot. That will hopefully counterspin you even further. Now put your right foot into the strap. Now adjsut your spin with your feet only. Dont doggypaddle, you will need both hands on the bar.

Buy some cement instead of a snag next time you are at bunnings.

Get a seat harness brah. These waste harnesses are for little kid size blokes.

Hey mate

You'll get there with persistence. Don't let anybody, especially your own inner voice tell you you can't do it because you carry a few reserves for a rainy day. You actually don't need to be very flexible or thin to get into your straps but a flexible person may do it differently to the way you end up doing it. But once you have worked it out you will do it as easily as the skiniest person out there.

I remember when I was first learning my instructor trying to get me to do both feet at once while holding the the board by its handle. I couldn't do it and I probably still can't do it that way. For me letting go of the idea of doing it the way I was first shown was actually the breakthrough I needed. Doing one strap at the time and managing to prevent the board and your body rotating too much was the trick. Try to problem solve what is going wrong for you and don't forget to enjoy being in the water on the beach learning this stuff.
I see many slight variations people do. If one thing does not work try something else. Eg Some people like to have the kite slightly off 12 and use the pull it generates to get the feet in one at a time. The first foot gives a little rotation and the second foot has enough time to get in and gives the balance to stop the rotation. I have seen others not hold the board at all. They position the board at right angles to the wind floating downwind in front of them (by stepping backwards a bit) and let the kite drift them towards the board and get both feet in more or less at once.
Once you have tried some methods and still don't get it , don't fret and just break up your session with something else - eg body drag or stand on the board in shallow water as someone suggested and practice the waterstart that way. Then get back to trying it again. In kiting there are many little micro adjustments you end up learning that will come as second nature in the end but are difficult to explain to a newby. Even though you might feel you are not progressing you actually are by spending time learning to manage your kite , board and body at the same time with all these micro adjustments. Once you get it you have it for the rest of your life. A great investment for you that will give hours of pleasure and you might even lose some kilos doing it.

Good luck and enjoy