Provided you have enough wind/big enough kite for the conditions, it sounds like you may just be poo stancing. When you don't stand up straight, your body can absorb the pull of the kite and makes it all very inefficient. You'll find if you extend your front leg, push your hips out, and stand up straight, and lean back into the harness the kite seems ot have a lot more pull.

That helped me.

Sounds like your under-powered, and could do a bigger "power stroke" - at least two good 1o'clock to right down to the water almost "stroke". Takes at least 2 good strokes to get up and planing. Hope this helps.

tollair said...... I understand I must go downwind so I move the kite to about 1 o'clock to move my board around to face downwind...

You may be overdoing the 'going downwind thing'. My advice to newbies is always to think about pointing the board in the direction that your diving the kite. If you start with the kite at ~12:30 and dive it through the wind window towards 10, then you'll want to point the board towards ~10:30. If your pointing the board too far downwind then you'll get up on the board then almost immediately sink back into the water as the kite will have stopped generating power.

The other thing to mention is that a two-part water start is often easier than just a single power dive. Assuming your getting up and riding to your right (right foot forward), then try starting with your kite at about 10:30 and quickly steering the kite up to 12, then aggressively steering the kite back down into the window and out towards 10. The first up stroke of the kite should lift you partially up out of the water allowing you to orientate yourself and point your board ~45º downwind (towards ~10:30), then the down stroke should generate power and get you planing. Very shortly after your up and planing you need to edge the board to try and travel across the wind - ie. not upwind, but not down wind either. Resisting the pull of the kite will make the kite continue to generate power and will keep you up and riding.

It's worth while buying one of the Kiteboarding 101 DVD's so you can watch someone else do it in slow motion, then you can just play it back in your head and try to replicate it when your down at the beach.

There's also the perception of stance, Goofy or natural. Everyone's one or the other, If you need to find out which one you most likely are, get a friend to push you over from behind when you arent expecting it (On sand would be nice), whichever foot you place out first to stop you falling is your preferred foot forward ie stance. So left foot forward is natural, right foot forward is goofy. Basically, it's like left and right handed writing (whilst some people are ambidextrous), one direction generally comes more naturally than the other.

In my own experience, I have been trying water starts for about a week now and am getting the hang of going out Switch (Thats the opposite to your preferred stance) I have always since the first try had not a single problem coming back in Goofy (My natural stance).

Hope this helps!

Hi All,
I have this exact same problem. I can feel that when i put my weight against the kite and lean back that i get a lot more pull from the kite, however i still sink in.
This sometimes happen a good 20m - 25m from starting, so i am up on the board planing for about 15m and then things start slowing down.

I realize it is just my technique, but I have seen in the vids they say to put weight on the front foot to gain speed.

How much difference does this make, will it cause me to stall if I putt to much weight on my back foot?

How soon should i start putting weight on the front foot to flatten the board?
Thanks
Wihan