QLD
12 posts
Hi all,
I have had one 3 hour lesson and have bought a 12m switchblade which I have done approximately another 3 hours of flying and body dragging with. When I am bodydragging and flying what should I be doing in order to practice for the board start. I only really want to have to get one more lesson if possible so any tips to prepare me for my first board start will be greatly appreciated
QLD
549 posts
Be confident with your kite skills, that's the most important thing, and really listen to your instructor. IMO the 2 things you regularly see when people are trying to get up and going is 1: They don't point the board downwind when they dive the kite and feel it pulling them up. They fight the kite power with their board. You have to get up some speed before trying to cut across the wind window 2: Once they've dived the kite, they send it straiaght back up to 12 and lose momentum.
Like I said, listen to your instructor. He/she knows what they're talking about.
QLD
12 posts
Thanks for your advice, just waiting on the wind to pick up so I can get some more bodydragging hours under my belt. Is there anything I should be particularly practicing when bodydragging? at the moment I'm just enjoying being dragged around aimlessly (but controlled)..
QLD
178 posts
Practice your upwind bodydragging, you'll need it in the future once up on the board for board retrieval.
Tack one way for 10-15 seconds, slowly bring the kite to the top of the wind window, then go the other way. Tips and technique for body position etc can be found here on SB, just do a search.
1421 posts
Dont choke the kite by pulling the bar in too much.
When bodydragging, do the power dive from 11 to 3 and from 1 to 9, but think about sheeting the kite right for maximum speed of dive and getting the pull from your harness - not the bar.
