Hi guys,

I tried to screen on the "lessons learned" big thread, but didnt find anything substantial on this.

Im making decent waterstarts, but after a bit of riding I feel that I earn a lot of speed and its quite difficult to edge and keep control of the board. I get scared and prefer to stop. I do try to edge as much as possible and avoid having the board flat as to control speed.

Anyone with this problem? Is there something Im missing for board control?

cbulota said..
Hi Jenna, this can be caused by one or multiple of the following:

1- you may be overpowered, kite might be too big for the wind conditions. try using a smaller kite or going out in lower winds if you don't have a kite for 25 knots+

2- use your trim strap in an effort to keep the bar closer to you and avoid getting pulled forward, this will improve edge control

3- check your line tuning, especially if you just bought a second hand kite make sure all lines are at even length. If your front lines are longer than the back lines, you'll always be overpowered

4-board size: if your board is too big and/or too wide for your body weight, it will be much harder to edge, especially in strong winds and choppy water

5-pressure distribution. the faster you go the more back foot pressure you want to use to control your speed. front leg needs to be locked in straight, shoulders back and hips pointing upwind, eyes looking upwind. If there is too much pressure on your front foot or if your overall stance isn't right you'll be quite limited in your edge control.

6-No matter the conditions, if you have the correct size kite/board for the conditions you should ALWAYS be able to edge your board hard enough to the point of coming to a complete and controlled stop.

check out this video about board/edge control just released by woo sports, should give you a few useful tips: www.facebook.com/woosports/videos/907228279331181/

Christian

Thank you heaps Christian!

I have a 7m and riding normally in <20kn and 130cm board.

I will do check the lines and shorten the trim strap as I always lock it middle way out of ignorance/fear of how to use if, basically.

Will apply more back foot pressure and experience how that affects my board control.

Maybe flying the kite a bit higher as well? Sometimes I feel that flying the kite too low chokes it as well.

Thanks for your useful advice!!

cauncy said..
If you feel comfortable try riding with one hand on the bar, this will encourage the edge, place your bar hand central , try and touch the water with your other hand, you'll be a bit stop/ start at first but will soon progress into a relaxed stance, I'd say your a bit upright and flat on the board, curling your toes up applies more heel pressure, as mentioned upper body position from the hips is a big contribution to pointing into the wind, is it downwind you struggle more with ?

Im really leaning back as much as I can (not in the pooping position, but more back straight) and trying to go 90 degrees to the wind and keeping from going downwind.

I guess most of the part is that I don't put enough pressure on the back foot, hence not breaking and gaining too much speed.

I will try the one hand tip, thank you for that one!!

Thanks for the advices, will definitely give it a go tomorrow!

Hi Jen I have just been through the same thing and a week ago it all came together. Where I learnt to kite it's really tight and I just couldn't get back to where I started because I kept loosing my edge and getting pulled down wind. So frustrating I had to swim back 4 times to get to my car. I was suffering terribly from poo man stance .I was OK at 8 to 10 knots (board speed) but when the wind picked up out went my arse and I lost the edge. My biggest mistake was not leaning into the harness which pulls your butt in , once you do this you can ride the kite higher and the edge stays in and you stop choking the kite. The pressure from your rail lets the kite fly higher with more power.

Try a bigger board as well that helps plus I also had my outside lines shortened so my arms weren't fully extended to de power. I also started dropping my hand which makes it easier to point your shoulders to where you need to go. When you finally get some edge control you can start changing the pressure on your feet . Try and find an area to kite that if you loose ground you can still walk home or go out with a friend in a boat. When you don't have to try and point into the wind straight away it takes the pressure off and you can start loose ground get settled and then get your sh!t together. Plus avoid heavily Kited spots it just puts more pressure on you when have to pass other kiters plus heaps less chance of causing a tangle.

These were my Biggest mistakes:-

Starting and not letting the board point downwind at all , this stops you from getting any speed . You need speed to hold a rail

Pulling in on my arms and choking the kite (all the time)

Not leaning on the harness

Looking at the kite and not where I needed to go

Keeping the kite too low and chicken choking it once I got going , trying to pull in more power.

It will come together. I've only been at it for 4 weeks but the wind was up the whole time so I was out every second day and I'm now in the surf and getting back to where I started. I've had 3/ 4 hour lessons and that is a must. It's expensive at $200 a pop but that is what has fast tracked me and I have used every self rescue technique my instructor taught me. Including body drags back to my board in 20+ knots on a 12m and pulling the release when the kite inverted inside itself. Plus wrapping my kite around an anchored yacht mast on day 4 , but that's another story

You have some good advise there.
I note you said you try to go 90 degrees to wind and not downwind. I would suggest that 90 is to much and to focus on a slight upwind angle.
I also noted someone referred to weight on harness. This is what we term commitment to your harness, where you let your harness take the load, this is very important.
focus on having your hips ahead of your shoulders.

once you have that commitment worked out simply try this. with both hands on bar lightly push bar sideways away from direction you are going you will get a slight bend in the centrelines going through your bar < so if heading to your right the bend will point to your left.
what this does is to force your body into the correct stance as described earlier for upwind riding and better edge control.
good luck

RAL INN said..

I note you said you try to go 90 degrees to wind and not downwind. I would suggest that 90 is to much and to focus on a slight upwind angle.

Thanks guys, I've got many things to work on. Piros had very good advice there to bite! Ill try these today and start to grow and digest each bit.

From this last thing, I thought that 90 degrees (with this I mean cross- from where the wind blows) would be easier than trying to go upwind initially.