One of my old posts from Feb 2011.
I wonder if i should stll class myself as a noob considering i can go up wind but not jump yet. When does one move from noob to intermediate lol
in my opinion I will always be a noob as there is so much to learn in this sport
SpawnofFossl said...
I am a noob too and I'll try and explain the main mistakes I have been making.
I have a Crossbow 3 12m which has a very long bar throw on it. This proves to be a problem when you crash because if you crash the lines go very slack which allows the kite to roll and in my case it has inverted the kite many times which is not fun.
Making sure you keep pressure on the lines when you crash is good advice however it is important not to pull hard on the lines - eg "hanging on to the bar" as this may relaunch the kite and take you for a ride :)
Still having trouble staying up for more than a few seconds before either falling back or being flung forward superman style (which is when I usually have trouble with the kite).
Ok so falling back can be caused by a few different things - My biggest issue is that I am losing power once up on the board and just sink again.
Main things I am doing wrong at the moment -
* not pointing my board down wind -- this means you are trying to edge the board on startup and not planing downwind first so you are losing all of your power from board pressure.
* wind is not very strong and power stroke is too small -- when you move the kite slightly away before diving it you are not doing it smoothly or deep enough - this means you go up but then die again.
* Choking the kite -- I found out that this is a common mistake with noobs apparently -- It is basically human nature to hang on the bar and sheet in when you are off balance - you will find that if you let the bar out you will find a sweet spot that will have much more power - so once you are up and pointing the board relax your arms a little and extend them more.
Superman comes as a result of either moving your kite way too fast through the power zone or not pointing your board. Usually a combination of the two- so instead of the power of the kite pulling you horizontal it has to pull you up - up up up and away.
Hope this helps and these are the sorts of things an intructor will guide you on.
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