Any one having trouble with water starts and first runs ? I have been kiting for months now and I am still having trouble. Anyone else have trouble with this ? I am starting to think I might not be cut out for this sport !
Go for more lessons perhaps.
More weight on the back foot! work the kite more!
Just keep at it man. Once you break through and can stay upwind it will all be worth it. Plus winter gusty wind wont be helping either.
Agree with Plum, more lessons.
Are you using the correct size kite for the conditions?
Did two full days of paid lessons , then been on my own , I am 90 kg and using a 12 metre switchblade in 15/ 20 knots , not game to kite anything stronger just yet as I already broke my tailbone and sprained both ankles , accidentally boosting out of water start position and landing in shallow water . Thanks for the advice and encouragement , will get more lessons. Cheers!
The only time I ever injure myself is when I'm kiting in shallow water, my advice would be to go out deeper, and keep diving the kite progressively deeper until your up, what size board are you riding? Might be your problem, but I really think it's just time under the kite, if you don't have prior windsurfing skills etc it just takes time for it to all come together, I'm assuming you have already done a couple of short runs?
What exactly are your issues, NFL?
Sounds like you're underpowered for your ability... but you learned the first lesson - stay away from the shore/shallow water.
Greggor! Yeah I think just more practice is what I need , Just a little impatient to get riding I suppose . I have done a couple of very short runs but wasn't able to sustain power in the kite , I have recently found out I haven't been directing the board down wind enough on my initial launch , so it's back in the water for another go! I am riding a naish twin tip I picked up online it's about 152 long .
Select to expand quoteEfilnikufesin said...
Greggor! Yeah I think just more practice is what I need , Just a little impatient to get riding I suppose . I have done a couple of very short runs but wasn't able to sustain power in the kite , I have recently found out I haven't been directing the board down wind enough on my initial launch , so it's back in the water for another go! I am riding a naish twin tip I picked up online it's about 152 long .
Focus on short runs of just 3 or 4 Mtrs returning the kite to 12 and slumping back into the water, repeat outward then back to shore, you'll gain a feel of what's required power wise and board positioning, doing this repetitive motion will have you up on your board quicker than going for the longer runs, I use this method when teaching and find they progress a lot quicker, you learn nothing about getting up on your board when trying to relaunch your kite after a failed run,
Select to expand quoteEfilnikufesin said...
Greggor! Yeah I think just more practice is what I need , Just a little impatient to get riding I suppose . I have done a couple of very short runs but wasn't able to sustain power in the kite , I have recently found out I haven't been directing the board down wind enough on my initial launch , so it's back in the water for another go! I am riding a naish twin tip I picked up online it's about 152 long .
When you bring the kite back to one before you swing the kite in the opposite direction that should position you in the right spot in the water for directing the board downwind, but as long as you have been having a few runs then im pretty sure you will get it soon, to be clear these short runs include a couple of upward and downward strokes of the kite? not just one down stroke and then losing power? It took me a couple of month when i first started to be competent in turning and going more than 100m at a time without crashing and being a pain in the arse to all the more experienced riders. Might be worth asking the question at you local for someone to quickly critique you while you are doing it, any intermediate kiter will do and it wont take long for them to see what your doing wrong.
Also as Kamikuza said you may be slightly underpowered for your ability, I find the sweet spot for me on a 12m is around 16-17knotts and i am 80kg riding a 138. In saying that i can ride it down to about 14knotts on the same setup under that and its a different board or kite or both
Keep checking yourself on pulling the bar in too much and chocking the kite.
Let the power come through your harness and not your arms.
Pratice and it will Come.
Cauncy / Greggor! Thank you for your comments. Your advice will be a great help! Cheers !
Thanks everyone who commented on this subject , your input is greatfully received ! Regards.
Efn k..you are cut out for it , your persistent and paid your dues already with injuries with out giving up.Obviously you just gotta get your head around it try what the other guys recommend.
Select to expand quoteEfilnikufesin said...
Any one having trouble with water starts and first runs ? I have been kiting for months now and I am still having trouble. Anyone else have trouble with this ? I am starting to think I might not be cut out for this sport !
As I said to you the other day, never give up ! Keep trying and it will click...
Hi mate, I feel your pain just because I went through the same thing probably more recently than most on here. I actually feel pretty competent now, trucking upwind and probably at that level between beginner and intermediate.
Support what everyone is saying about being a bit underpowered. I know as a beginner you freak out a bit thinking the wind is too strong etc... And before too long you realize you are actually probably a bit better off a tiny bit overpowered than under, especially if your kite is recent and depowers well and has all the safety stuff on it.
The only input I can give you from experience is when I was learning everyone said to me "one day it will just click like a switch and you'll instantly get it" I always thought they were full of it, but bugger me they are right.
The same will happen for you, it will just click and all of a sudden you'll be trucking along with a smile from ear to ear while still tryin to look cool.
Another common mistake beginners make is not straightening out the front leg enough. It feels a bit wierd until you get comfortable with your own stance. Straighten the front leg to start with it will be heaps easier.
Oh oh oh.... Also as one earlier said take the power through your harness not your arms. Just lean back on the sucker and it'll help get you upwind.
Finally I'm a bit heavier just like you and found a seat harness (hold back the mocking please) helped me 100% so might be worth a try???
Where's your local beach? If your in Vic I know heaps and heaps of helpful kiters that will help get you rockin along!
I agree Daniel, I tell people it’s like learning to ride a push bike… you try and fall off, try and fall off over and over and f***in over again…ya old man’s getting frustrated and sick of pushing you, your brothers calling you useless
, you have skin missing everywhere
, you start thinking you’ll never get there and then it just happens
. 1 month later you’ve forgotten about the frustration and think “how easy is this”
Noobs - your 'front' foot is the 'Accelerator' and the 'back' foot is the brake !!!!
Water start with front foot pressure only... Try pressing both in your car ;)
Select to expand quoteEfilnikufesin said...
I haven't been directing the board down wind enough on my initial launch ,
Thats the answer
And what Save the Whales said.
Be aggressive with your kite & keep it moving.
Select to expand quoteEfilnikufesin said...
Greggor! Yeah I think just more practice is what I need , Just a little impatient to get riding I suppose . I have done a couple of very short runs but wasn't able to sustain power in the kite , I have recently found out I haven't been directing the board down wind enough on my initial launch , so it's back in the water for another go! I am riding a naish twin tip I picked up online it's about 152 long .
152cm long but how wide? My first board was about 146 but narrow, like 36cm. Useless.
No need for a bigger wind, a bigger kite probably yes. Again, was struggling with 9m, got myself an 13m Bow kite, went to Bali and bingo!
Took me a year before that, with some injuries like yours. That was 5 yrs ago. I'm 60kg, riding 12m in 15-25kn. Get 14m and you'll be up in no time...
Get an 16m or a bigger slow kite too and forget about 12m for a while.
I've never been called a noob before! Not sure if it's a good or a bad thing! I don't really understand this young talk you young people use nowadays with all this internets and everyone now 'on the line'
In learning I found keeping the front leg straight really helped. Just remember whale boy that your sooooo awesome now that you don't need the basics anymore. Us mere mortals need to practice basics prior to kiting out to intercept harpoons.
Go grab yourself a sunny boy or a razz and cool off! They're rad!
I found that when I put too much power in, I find I can make it work by pointing my board downwind towards the kite, then turn upwind when the power has died down.
While I was learning it took me a while to dial in the power stroke, but I found that if I did the above I could cope with too much power.
If I didn't give myself enough power, then I could either sink back and try again, or sine the kite up and down like a loony until it caught.
Another thing that helped me was figuring out what angles I should be riding before getting up - looking at the other kiters and giving myself a landmark to aim for. I spent a lot of time trying to go upwind too much, which isn't helpful!
Select to expand quotekiteboy dave said...
Your username should be Efilnikufecin
/justsayin
No it's spelled correctly 
Select to expand quoteKamikuza said... kiteboy dave said...
Your username should be Efilnikufecin
/justsayin
No it's spelled correctly
nokceruoy
Select to expand quoteSaveTheWhales said...
Noobs - your 'front' foot is the 'Accelerator' and the 'back' foot is the brake !!!!
Water start with front foot pressure only... Try pressing both in your car ;)
Yeah I found this one useful. Weight on front foot = go faster.
+1 also on not choking the kite, on the upstroke, let the bar out a little bit.
You can't beat time on the water, and trust us it will click, then you'll be hooked for life. err.... until you unhook that is..... (alright, this is a kiting dad joke).
What Greggor said about diving the kite is a key lesson I had to learn
Most of the tutorial videos show people diving the kite a single time. When learning I would always be slightly underpowered and it was never pointed out that you CAN just dive the kite a couple of times (or loads) until you are moving having built up the apparent wind. Even when I had learned to fly upwind I still often needed two power strokes to get started.
Only downside is you do end up going downwind pretty quick with all the power strokes, but hey - builds up the leg muscles walking back upwind again.
Just bought a 14 m draft ( wow what a kite! )and a 145 naish hero , not underpowered any more . Gonna take a week off work armed with all this great advice and give it a red hot go ! Thanks again everybody ! Seabreeze rocks !P.s thanks to kite rite yorkey's knob for steering me in the right direction .
A week off work!! You lucky buggar, I hope you have good winds! A weeks worth of kiting will be invalueable! 
Evad yobetik sti ton taht I ekil ot etirw sdarwkcab efilnikufesin semoc morf na xarhtna mubla eht gnos gnieb N.F.L. Evig ti a netsil !!
