trying to suss my turns without fully stopping to go the other way but still a kook,any tips apart from practice?

Man, there's plenty to read on the topic... and now I'll add to it.
The game changer for me was the confidence to change the direction of my kite before my body/board.
Once you feel you have control of your kite start asking more from it. Kite first, then board. Timing will come with practice.

Buy the "progression" kiteboarding app on iOS. In-app purchases as you progress, money well spent.

1st manoeuvre to master, break it down into stages
Come into the beach with some power, kite parked at 10 or 2 o'clock,
Slowly bring kite to 12 at the same time bring board parallel to kite with pressure on the heel( braking)
As you feel your board speed decreasing ( almost coming to a halt ) slowly but with purpose redirect your kite in the opposite direction
At the same time look into your new direction of travel and transfer pressure onto your new backfoot,
As you come out an aggressive swipe of the kite will produce the power for a smoother exit
After kiting for a long while I love the feeling of a very powered full rail carve, getting your body as low as possible, one trailing hand
Downwinders are a great way for you to master your turns, linking upwind and downwind transitions, also progression youtube has plenty of tutorials
Get out there