Plummet said..
Here's some ideas.
Try to ride more relaxed. Let the board move around a bit more. Try not to get the eagle claw death grip going with your toes..... I notice this on my 45cm wide light wind board. I find myself trying to keep the board controlled with tensed foot/calf. But if a relax the board feels loose underfoot but still cranks upwind. The end result is that eagle claw foot is not required....
Super soft foot pads help. perhaps tighter bindings or looser binding..... Find the goldilioks postion... not too loose, not too tight.... just right.
Also cramping also a function of dehydration and lack of electrolytes..... Make sure your fully hydrated.
cbulota said..
Hey CharliesDad, yes footstraps adjustments may make a difference and are definitely worth a try. I find loosening them up helps reducing foot cramps.
In my personal experience foot cramps are really only a concern at the beginning of the kite season as my feet aren't used to that kind of workout. After 2-3 weeks of kiting nearly every day the pain is almost gone and I can enjoy long session without having to rest my feet.
I believe a big part of it is simply getting your feet physically ''trained'' for the sport.
From a sport science point of view, the more you kite, the stronger your foot muscles are getting and the less likely you are to get cramps. If you don't kite regularly enough, perhaps it won't make enough difference. The contractions in your feet muscles while you kite in straps are mostly isometric which means you basically have to ''hold on'' a certain muscle contraction for an extended period of time. Imagine squeezing a tennis ball and holding it squeezed for minutes, you would get cramps in your hands. Do this regularly for a few weeks and you will see your cramps gradually dissipate.
Isometric contractions are very hard work, especially for small muscle groups (hands, feet) that aren't used to being solicited that way.
Kite more, suffer less!
Christian
I think both of these responses are great, just add to this that our typical sedentary lifestyles nowadays added to the use of shoes all the time makes our feet (and other muscle groups) "lazy". Try walking/jogging on the beach a couple of times a week to help strengthen these muscles. Or take up another activity which requires bare-foot training, martial arts for instance. Or just walk around barefoot more often.
