First Kiteboarding Lesson Tips

[ricki]

Kiteboarding demands proper instruction. There are so many ways of putting your expensive gear, yourself and our access to ride at risk. Many of these are not so obvious to new kiteboarders. So, find the best Pro instruction that you can and enjoy it! The following ideas have been gathered from new kiteboarding students and instructors. They may or may not apply to your first experience but are worth considering.

A. Interview the Instructor

1. Is he a certified instructor & how long has he been teaching kiteboarding in the area?
2. Does he have a reasonable instructor to student ratio, 1 instructor per 3 students or less in the water.
3. What are his lesson plan and expectations for you considering your related experience, physical condition and predicted wind?
4. Is the training area sufficiently large, uncrowded and away from hard objects?
5. Does he have liability insurance.
6. Does he use a chase boat, radio communications. These are starting to be used more often in some areas.
7. Try to schedule your lessons when conditions are appropriate for learning, e.g. not too much or too little wind, from an appropriate direction, etc..
8. Do you communicate well and comfortably with the instructor?

B. Before the Lesson

1. Review kiteboarding terminology before lesson such as appears at: http://kitesurfingschool.org/glossary.htm
2. Bring portable sunblock, sun glasses with a neck cord, gloves, booties, tee shirt, rash guard or wetsuit as appropriate and drinking water.
3. Wear a bathing suit that won't be dragged off of you and will pad against abrasion from the harness.
4. Don't wear jewelry to snag lines or be lost.
5. Securely tie back long hair so that none can be caught.
6. Ask for a helmet and impact vest if they are not offered.
7. Stretch/warmup your entire body, particularly your neck, shoulders and arms before and after your lesson.

C. What to Expect

1. Be prepared to LET GO of the kite control bar, if necessary.
2. Be prepared to be dragged, perhaps underwater for a short distance and jerked around.
3. Expect to feel slightly out of control at times as you are learning given wind gusts are often unpredictable.
4. Take initial time with trainer kite and small traction kite seriously and use it to best advantage. You may wish you had once you move up to a full sized traction kite.
5. Expect to feel awkward, you're not alone, we all have in our times. Focus on the fun, try not to get too frustrated and keep at it. Don't be astonished at the colorful four letter words that may fly out of your mouth at times (not k-i-t-e either!).

WARNING ... Despite all of these cautions, expect to have FUN and want more!

Other folks must have some experiences and opinions on this, so let's hear 'em!

[Gatorpv]

Rick,
I am looking for a local instructor to get my first lessons done. I have been flying a 3m trainer for several weeks now. Obviously it depends on the wind but can you recommend a couple of instructors in the Tampa area. Can I get lessons locally, this time of year or will I have to wait. Thanks :P

[ricki]

Originally Posted by Gatorpv

Rick,
I am looking for a local instructor to get my first lessons done. I have been flying a 3m trainer for several weeks now. Obviously it depends on the wind but can you recommend a couple of instructors in the Tampa area. Can I get lessons locally, this time of year or will I have to wait. Thanks :P

Sounds good. You might get in touch with the guys in the St. Pete/Tampa Bay Forum about this question. Eagle with Tampabaykiteboarding.com comes to mind.