Saturday morning at Walter point and I'm trying to get on the board downwind and out of the way of all the experienced guys. I watched them first and see where they put the kite and the angle of their direction of travel And they were all in the same place.

The problem is that I can't get my kite into that spot

it goes to the 12 o'clock position but then when i dive the kite to the right it's about 10 feet to the right of where the others are. There was a small amount of pull but not enough to get me upright.
i managed to drag it left, it almost deflated for a second but then pulled me upright and I actually went about 2 m on the board!
A huge achievement for me but my question is how or why is my kite not able to go to the same spot as the others?

Don't start the dive from directly above your head ( 12 ), start from about 10 oclock on the approach side.
The weaker the wind the further from 12 you may need to start dive.

Sounds like your trying to progress far too quick from body drag to board, it's normal to want to do this but kite control and the understanding of its power delivery and position is most of this sport, IMHO you shouldn't have a board until your 100% with your kite control inc relaunch/ safety, a lot of instructors and schools seem to adopt the quick ethos , also people think they look silly body dragging , which in turn puts them in possession (of board)much quicker than reqd, body drag till you are 100% and know where the kites pulling without even looking at it, then grab a board, your kiting level will pay dividends

stan1169 said...
Thanks for the tips. I've had 4 hours of lessons and done the same amount of time just practicing without a board and I thought I was close to being ready, but obviously not.
The tip about starting the dive from 10 o'clock is certainly something I'll try next time along with a more aggresive body drag than I had been doing.

Wasn't being critical Stan, but you see too many new starters in possession of a board when they clearly shouldn't, might sound overkill but when I get someone into the sport I spend a hell of a lot more hours than that following them down the beach, even the walk of shame getting back to your original position is valuable kite flying, also don't access other peoples progression as a model, as I mentioned when you can feel the kite without looking is when I'd give you the board, great sport kiting ,stick with it

Thanks both. Interesting because I still need to be looking up at it so I'm clearly not there yet. I'll persevere with kite skills ...... the kit is not going on Gumtree just yet!

Typically (and from my own experience) beginners tend to be slightly under powered when practising. This tends to be due to limited kite selection (you only have one kite) and normal caution about how much power your kite has.

This is not necessarily a bad thing!

If your first power stroke doesn't get you up and going (and you aren't in a dangerous situation) then fly the kite back up and do another power stroke. Its not a problem if it takes you 3,4 or more power strokes to get going. You just might have a longer walk back but hey, the stoke is worth it.

Having watched my massive 19 stone mate get going on a 10m when most flyweights were struggling to get going on 12m kites, I can attest to the power of perseverance (something like 7 power strokes). He did have long walk back upwind mind

How is your progress going stan?

Hello All,

thanks for your continuing interest in my progress! Or lack of it. I'd also like to add that I'm 50 plus so its always going to be difficult teaching an old dog new tricks!

I get people's comments about lessons but after 4 hours of paid lessons I also feel that I need to get out on my own and just try and try again to get a feel for the kite.

I've taken on board the comments about winter wind conditions and I throughly research conditions prior to a session. Unfortunately there hasn't yet been a day since writing this post when I've been free and the conditions have been both safe and good. So basically I haven't been out since.

This is frustrating but I've watched loads of clips on youtube and picked up tips from this page.

The main tip I picked up from here (I think) will be the issue of starting the dive from 10 and not 12 and giving it a bit more power.

Also, the last forum subject about 'direction' caused me to think about my last session. I was trying to go in the same direction as the experienced guys when I should just head down wind and then walk back if necessary.

So, I'm hoping for a decent day this weekend and try and get out there. Watch this space!

I found it useful to have a beginner mate to pair with. You can learn bits by spotting the mistakes they make and they can sometimes spot your mistakes. We took turns flying the kite and swapped over every couple of upwind walks. Gives you a bit of time to get your breath back after all the walking.

Test your new technique in the water preferably mate not on the beach. Water is much softer.

DiamondOlives said..
Lol, im at just flying the kite at knee deep water just trying to control it, I have no idea how but i get it in the power zone by mistake way too quickly too often lmao

Knee deep is fine.... for suiciders!

Please learn what the wind window is and learn on a trainer, not on your real kite, for goodness sake.

DiamondOlives said..
Lol, im at just flying the kite at knee deep water just trying to control it, I have no idea how but i get it in the power zone by mistake way too quickly too often lmao

Yes, in that case stay in the water... But you'll be better of with a small trainer on the land, practicing the control.

Try exercises like, starting with the kite at 12 then moving it across the edge of the window to 1, then back to 12, then to 2 etc. The key is to actually concentrate on doing something specific with the kite, rather than just wanging it around.

Ans make sure to ocve plenty if space downwind from you.

A lot of learners also edge the board too aggressively upwind which eventually brings the kite to the edge of the wind Window where there is no power.

If you bear off downwind (point your board at 45 degrees to the wind) you will allow the kite to fly deeper into the Window and also with less board resistance you'll pick up board speed more easily.

Loftywinds said...

Please learn what the wind window is and learn on a trainer, not on your real kite, for goodness sake.

With all your respect and I know you're just trying to give me some pointers but firstly: I already know what the wind Window is, I did have lessons.
Second of all, I am managing very well on my 6.5 powered kite. I just had to downgrade from a 9m. And thirdly, I am at Sandgate so I have acres and acres of room without coliding into anyone.

That sounds ok. But just when people say head up wind...
Its not really up wind.
If you can go perpendicular (right angles) to the wind, you are doing well.
Then when you get that down just turn your shoulders a little more into the wind.

Look at the angles of other kiters to get a better idea.

stan1169 said..
What do you think is is the minimum wind speed required to enable me to simply body drag, practice flying / handling the kite (85kg, 11m kite) at Melville water?

Most kites will fly at 10 knots, some way lower if in consistent winds. If you can launch it and keep it up, you can always learn more things about how your kite flies. Try picking a spot on the edge of the wind window and see how fast you can get the kite there. Try holding the kite steady on the edge of the window at a low height (~1m). Try moving the kite from left to right while not moving your feet at all. Then do it again with your feet together. Then fly it faster. Try flying the kite while not looking at it. All these help you understand what your kite is doing and how much power it can deliver.

Body drags take hardly any additional power once your kite is flying, so only another knot or 2 and you should be able to practice them. I'm about 250 hours in and still fine tuning body drags so don't think it's wasted effort.

Another little hint is to body drag with your board in front of you held out by your leading arm so that you're almost lying on the board. Use the board to cut in like you're riding it and you should be able to go waay upwind like that. You can use this to make up ground from you're last dash and splash, or simply get into a comfortable position away from the shore to take your time setting up to go. It also helps with getting your bearings on what angle to the wind is possible once you're standing up on the board.

stan1169 said..
Or am I better off just packing it all away until spring?

Nope, that won't achieve anything for your kiting. It might make it easier to plan other areas of your life, but having a mad keen desire to get a kite up in the air if there's enough wind is up is the best way to keep progressing.