Research "Going up wind" on the web. There is heaps of stuff.
Basic ruled
Don't fly your kite too high.
Turn your shoulders, hips and look to where you want to go.

KIT33R Yacka15

Thanks for your replies i wil try concentrating more on the direction i want to go and see how i get on next session.

Cheers

Ben

Hey Ben I been going through same learner curve since same time. Can't wait for summer as averaging about 1-2 days a week and feel like I'm going backwards in more ways than one.
Like what Yacka said, Sheet out, I was getting blown down wind and felt no control then after a couple of hairy runs doing the poo-stance, I remembered that I had a depower line after that I realized that I had had way too much backline pulled in. Instantly started making ground easy and felt really comfortable and my stance instantly improved.
I'm starting to think that a good stance is as much a result of a good awareness of the trim required on the kite, as it is focus on feet and hips and direction but I'll leave that call to the more experienced here.
I need heaps more practice , come on wind!

All the helpful tips are all fine and good but they won't help you go upwind because they miss the fundamental point. You are just too inexperienced to ride efficiently and go upwind.

Just ride heaps. Develop your feel for the kite and the board and get comfortable riding. Once you have done that you can ride anywhere you want.

Experienced upwind riders don't do any of that stuff (twisting the body, edging hard, locking the kite at some mythical angle). That is all just stuff to work on while you're gaining experience.

My mate and I do upwinders all the time. He rides with his kite high, both feet in the straps and the board flat. I ride mine with the kite low and the back foot out of the straps. He is faster than me in powered conditions. I am faster in lighter conditions.

The real secret is there are lots of things you do to go upwind. When the wind is light you flatten the board and look for an optimum planing stance. If the wind is dropping out you slow down and stay stable and avoid losing ground downwind. When the wind is strong you edge harder. If there's a wave or a bit of chop you carve on it and gain a few metres upwind. You do all these things and you don't think about any of them.

The thing is, once you learn to ride properly and go upwind, it is technically much easier to ride upwind than to ride downwind. When going upwind your lines are under tension and you get power. When going downwind you are riding towards the kite and losing tension in the lines. You have to work to keep the kite flying and maintain air speed and board speed.

I have carried a GPS a few times and just looked at a track log.

On the run from Brighton to St Kilda, each leg was 1km, and each leg gained 500m up the coast.

Our standard course is about 6km upwind. We have done 10km upwind, followed by 10km down, then back again. That's just on 40km round trip.

Average speed going upwind is 25 kph. Downwind is 35-40 with bursts to around 45kph.

We are both riding Sector 60 free ride race boards. We used to do the same courses on surfboards (and sometimes I still do), and before that on TT.

The best fun was me racing my mate with a 30 minutes headstart on a TT and him on a raceboard. He was way faster upwind and I was way faster downwind. The Sectors are fast up and down wind.

+1 for picking a landmark on shore to aim for. Keep your eyes on the prize and you will make it there!

You could be losing lots of ground on your transitions or turns when you first start out.
Get tips and watch the good riders how they turn.
Also some good videos are progression, and kiteboarding 101

Kitch

AKWA yeah my transitions arent the best thats for sure ! I either slow down lay in the water and water start agin like you said or loose to much power and sink ive been working on this abit lately. I think its abit of a confidence thing not wanting to srew the transition up and loose my board or ditch the kite because where i kite is quite deep up to 5-6 metres next to a rockwall and if the kite goes down cause im in the lee of the wind i had a little trouble relaunching last time and spent a good 15 - 20 minutes drifting down wind near a colony of seals. ( Filthy creatures )

Might take afew trips to somewhere shallower and improve my board skils where i dont have to worry.

Cheers

Ben