Hi All,
Kite Control has to be the most important skill to master in any kite discipline but it's also hard to measure/evaluate. If there is one thing to love about kiting is that no matter how skilled you are (or how skilled you think you are) there are always new things to learn about kite control.
In my latest blog post: http://kitebud.com/2017/01/28/how-good-is-your-kite-control/ I gave it my best shot trying to illustrate what kiters are typically able to achieve depending on their level of kite control.
The famous author Malcolm Gladwell claims that 10 000 hours of practice are needed to be a master of any discipline, however, this claim has been largely debated. In kiting many can achieve expert levels with far fewer practice hours while others are quite happy to stay at an intermediate level after 10 000 hours (In some cases it correspond to a lifetime of kiting!).
If one thing teaching kiting has taught me is that everyone learns at a difference pace. For some kite control is a more ''natural'' thing while for others it's very foreign. Some students can go from their first flying experience to riding upwind in less than 10 hours, while for others it can take in excess of 100 hours to achieve the same skill level.
This blog post is a work in progress and I'd be happy to hear your feedback and experiences.
Christian
Select to expand quotecbulota said..
Hi All,
Kite Control has to be the most important skill to master in any kite discipline but it's also hard to measure/evaluate. If there is one thing to love about kiting is that no matter how skilled you are (or how skilled you think you are) there are always new things to learn about kite control.
Christian
Once again u are spot on Christian.
I don't believe it is hard to evaluate good kite control....for me, it is the riders that make it look all too easy with smooth action and transitions, pillow soft landings, effortlessly....everytime. Watch Toby Brauer's Airstyle video for instance, and note how many times he has to look at his kite??
Kite control and timing are everything!
Also, find the right kite that suits ur style....then sleep with it 
Great post.
If you're looking specifically at kite skills, I think there's another step somewhere in intermediate or advanced about controlling the kite while your body is rotating (EG: keeping the kite stable / under control while learning a backroll).
Well I come in at top advanced but not expert because I'm a generalist not a specialist.
I'd like to push back and say if you specialize in one discipline that doesn't neccesarily give you better kite control that someone that doesn't. Most likely you will develop specific flying skills to that discipline. But you could be bellow average in other aspects.
EG the dedicated wave rider becomes an expert at down the line drifting but usually never does monster boosts. So his boosting skill is not up to bar. Take the Toby thekiteforum airstyle guru. He only flys an 18m kite up to 25 knots. He has supreme control on that big kite. But hand him a 6m and say go and ride that 40 knots...... he wont even try.
I say the generalist can potentially build a wider range of kiting skills that over all maybe superior to the specialist that is really good at one thing but useless at others.
Unhooked - this is when the advanced "kite control" level begins, as kite positioning in relation to board control becomes a major factor, rather than a subtle annoyance. 
Any got the link to YouTube clip from years ago of guy flying his kite off the hood of a car, out over a hillside and just using the updraft to basically para-glide?
It's the most amazing kite flying control I've ever seen. Thought it was an LEI, but maybe foil.
Really good blog post. Always love your stuff Christian. I would class myself as the 1st level of advanced from the description. Although I feel more intermediate (only been doing it for 3 years). It's exactly where I am at and I think you nailed the different levels well mate.
I know your kite control is pretty good Christian. mines come a long way since the day i got stuck out off pinaroo and couldnt flip my kite over to self rescue haha
