Did only one lesson for an hour where the instructor launched my kite with the bridle caught around the kite 
straight into kite loops on the beach with me attempting to hang on to the bar for dear life and the guy running behind telling me to let go!
Taught myself after that.
First lesson was back in 2006 or so from a lovely teenage lady with an hour on kite control theory and how to rig a kite. Tide was wrong and was light winds so lesson ended with her putting up a 16m Naish X2 in the middle of a rugby field and then handing it off to me, wrist leash and all to try moving it through the wind window. Worked well for a bit until a gust came through and ended with the kite crashing and me being dragged down the field as the safety didn't work fully.
So the lessons I see being held around where I kite these days seem 100% safer and more useful.
In the Newcastle/Lake Macauqrie/Central Coat area I had great lessons around 10 years ago with Dave who runs www.kiteandsup.com.au, one lesson and I was up on the board. Later Jase assisted me with some tricks/technique, he's at http://www.coastalkiteboarding.com.au. Both guys are still around and highly recommended for safe, quality lessons. (I'm not affiliated with them, they're just good blokes).
The biggest thing that improved my skills was when the newer kites and board came out in 2007-2008, the 2004 gear was much harder with limited range and depower in kites and short twin tips that weren't shaped well.
I also " learnt" from Ian young in the river
Paid for 3 lessons, after being yelled at for two hours - left, right, right, left! I didn't go back for the third
Took me a year to regroup and go somewhere else
After reading some of these posts I think myself pretty lucky when I started out. A pre requisite before lessons was a number of hours on a trainer kite to understand kite behaviour. I then had good instructors at KP here in Sydney who focused on safety (including setting up the kite, launching, landing etc) on the beach before letting me loose on the water to body drag and learn to go upwind for board recovery and finally boat lessons... Pretty physically demanding for a newby, but unlimited space to practice including a self rescue.
After that, helpful locals and some informal coaching from the instructors on the beach gave me a good start. A trip to Fiji for a week didn't hurt either...
The new KA curriculum and instructor courses should help improve the quality and consistency of training, but in the end people need to seek out good instruction and be prepared to pay a reasonable cost for instruction - reminds me of how dive instruction was over the years... find a good instructor who teaches well, pay a reasonable fee and you should have good skills for life, or, pay $99 and you are a danger to yourself and anyone you are unlucky to be buddied up with, or in the case of kiting, share the beach with...
Keen to learn I got a couple of lessons which involved flying the kite and body dragging. Nothing taught about safety, re-launch, rigging up etc. Back then it was hard enough to get lessons let alone get one where there was the right wind also. The guy that ran the school never answered phone calls, would double-book you and I literally had to beg him to give me a spot. My last lesson was held in the near darkness (the body drag one).
Like all good newbies I had bought a brand new kite before lessons so I took it out in any light wind day and just merely flew it and got used to the whole thing but did not progress or get on a board.
One or two years later my wife bought me a voucher. Had a couple of lessons with a more professional crew, GoKite (including proper safety, rigging up, current model kites etc) and was up on the board in no time.
The original school I used was pushed out of the coveted St Kilda promenade. He was crying foul in the local papers about being the "original" school and now being replaced by an international school. Not sorry for him and no doubt the standards have improved.
I thought lessons were a waste of money. I got the hang of it about 2-3 sessions, the third session being the first session I didn't crash my kite in to trees and rip the canopy.
Cost wise, it worked out the same (2 kites in the bin = lessons).
It was easy to learn but I do other action sports and am a fast learner when it comes to those things as learning tricks in other hobbies like surfing/skating forces you to learn faster. I can imagine for someone pretty hopeless at learning fast pace practical things or someone above 40 or females then lessons would help substantially.
Select to expand quotedrewpweiner said...
It was easy to learn but I do other action sports and am a fast learner when it comes to those things as learning tricks in other hobbies like surfing/skating forces you to learn faster. I can imagine for someone pretty hopeless at learning fast pace practical things or someone above 40 or females then lessons would help substantially.
OMG, so if you are female and over 40 forget it!!!!!
Would love to hear from instructors if this is the case or not. My wife is over 40 and would love to take up this sport but not if she is going to need hours after hours of lessons based on her age and gender. 
Select to expand quoteajs18s said...drewpweiner said...
It was easy to learn but I do other action sports and am a fast learner when it comes to those things as learning tricks in other hobbies like surfing/skating forces you to learn faster. I can imagine for someone pretty hopeless at learning fast pace practical things or someone above 40 or females then lessons would help substantially.
OMG, so if you are female and over 40 forget it!!!!!
Would love to hear from instructors if this is the case or not. My wife is over 40 and would love to take up this sport but not if she is going to need hours after hours of lessons based on her age and gender.
The skills needed to kiteboard are very minimal. The time needed (time on water) is usually the limiting factor. Some people get it straight away and some people need months, or longer. Lessons are more about gaining the knowledge and confidence to kiteboard safely, everyone needs/should have them, Tony Hawk, Jon Jon, Julie Bishop, doesn't matter. Understanding the conditions, correct kit, knowing what to do if things go wrong and why they might go wrong etc.
Kiteboarding is not extreme like base jumping is, you only go as hard as you want to. If you're not able to hold your ground, or even if you're still struggling to get up and going at the end of your lessons but have the confidence, kite control and awareness needed to be an independent kiter, then you just need more practice, not more lessons (that doesn't mean more lessons won't help the learning process immensely). Just my two cents from my experience, those more in the know might disagree.
Help her get into it mate, the both of you won't regret it. Heaps of girls out there ripping, young and old and loving it.
I have successfully taught several women over 60. It's not an issue if you have a good plan. They are down at my local having a blast now. Are they busting huge airs in 30 knot winds? No, but they kite to their conditions, arrive early, leave early, and stay safe.
Select to expand quotedrewpweiner said..
I thought lessons were a waste of money. I got the hang of it about 2-3 sessions, the third session being the first session I didn't crash my kite in to trees and rip the canopy.
Cost wise, it worked out the same (2 kites in the bin = lessons).
It was easy to learn but I do other action sports and am a fast learner when it comes to those things as learning tricks in other hobbies like surfing/skating forces you to learn faster. I can imagine for someone pretty hopeless at learning fast pace practical things or someone above 40 or females then lessons would help substantially.
Why red thumbs are needed, what a douche
are we sure this guy isn't lofty?
Select to expand quoteswinginginthewind said..
With a seabreeze name of droop weiner, I think he's taking the piss
That is pronounced Drew P Weiner of course but yes you would be right I am sure.
Paid a guy 600 for a Peter Lynn water foil, came with a leather strape(no harness). He showed me and a mate how to launch, the window and how to put s's in the sand, then walked away. Said something about body dragging. First go with a board, got beaten. Second go, was off. 20 kites, 10 boards later, still love it. Guess we didn't know how hard it was.
