Tips for learning to kite with a prosthetic leg.

[Kau pi kite tarifa]

Thanks for all the input guys!

Winn will need to read the technical parts about the prosthetic maintenance. He is the expert on prosthetic legs between the two of us

He is using a belt to keep the prosthetic in place. It is well enough for when he skydives. A bit of kite line to connect the prosthetic to the harness might still be a good back up though.

We are aiming to go with a twintip first! A strapped surfboard would be our second choice.

Currently we are at the bodydragging stages, learning to do the powerstrokes. The tricky parts are still ahead with putting the board on and waterstarting

[Kau pi kite tarifa]

Also -- a prosthetic is Dead weight, and sinks fast ; i would recommend
using a minim 2-mil shortie wetsuit, for bouncy. The foot ankle is fixed, and doesn't do
much but add drag when swimming ; so being able to just barely float is essential
if it's a long swim in. The BEST part about the short wetsuit is that when
Ya put it Over the liners it won't allow a lot of water to get in. When i
kite board with no wetsuit ; i got to duck-tape the exposed skin to the
liner. Shave First !! I can get into what liner i use later, if needed ?

We are in cold water so we are using a 5/3 full suit. With the leg rolled up just above the knee of the prosthetic. This has an added bonus that it could keep the leg in place if it somehow comes loose.

There is still water coming in between his stump and the prosthetic. Can liners help with this?

Practice putting your feet into the foot-straps , ((Before)) you hook up to
a kite ; i had to make a longer handle because my body is kinda broken, and
your student probably won't have a problem.

I need knee-braces to kite with and snow ski ; again it's because i have two
fakies and probably won't be a problem for you.

In the long term a brace might be good to keep the good leg from getting to much abuse!

How do your fake feet fit in to the straps? Do you feel the need for heel straps to keep your feet from sliding out?

Some pictures of your students first and last day of training, (if more than one) would be GREAT !!!

Bille

Winn's girlfriend arrived and may have been taking pictures today. We don't have pictures of the first lessons though. But I'll definitively make some when he is up and riding!

[Bille]

...

We are in cold water so we are using a 5/3 full suit. With the leg rolled up just above the knee of the prosthetic. This has an added bonus that it could keep the leg in place if it somehow comes loose.

There is still water coming in between his stump and the prosthetic. Can liners help with this?

Totally forgot to mention , (sorry) that i need knee-braces because i got two
fake legs, so there's nothing to stop the body to foot rotation, without a dominate foot
to rely on. The knee brace seals the wet-suit to the liner with no tape ; without the wetsuit
the brace won't keep the water out of the liner and i need duck-tape to skin.

You may need to go with tape ; if there isn't a knee-brace and wetsuit, to hold the seal
but until he gets a knee-brace, a bit of Velcro over the wetsuit may seal it to the liner ?

LINER :
I use the 6mm Alpha Hybrid Liner ,with uniform gel style from WillowWood ; it has
strings in it so it can Not stretch length-wise, (only the diameter changes). I can
hang inverted from my fake-feet with this one. I didn't like the progressive gel
even though the knee bent easier, the uniform one with constant gel thickness
length-wise, seams to hold to my stump on better, and also holds water out easier.
Do Not trim it in length, unless it hurts your crotch ; the longer , the better the seal.

https://www.willowwoodco.com/products-s ... id-liners/


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...

In the long term a brace might be good to keep the good leg from getting to much abuse!

How do your fake feet fit in to the straps? Do you feel the need for heel straps to keep your feet from sliding out?

YEP, i would go with a knee brace just anyway , (Copious amounts of rotational stability)
the foot feels totally connected to my Hip for body rotation , even when there's slop in the up
and down between the stump and socket ; but this is where a guy like
Sean Reyngoudt would know WAY more than me.


The TT can be put on from the handle with both feet in at once ; but i'm old and
broken, so i needed a longer handle.

After i stand --- i physically go pidgin-toe , (toes in) and that locks the board to
my feet. Your student with the one real leg, might be able to use a normal Duck stance.
IF
when his back foot is the fake one, and all his startups Ya notice when his knee gets
bent , and he cuts up-wind Too much ; then
he'll need to go pidgin-toe on the fake one, to get the pressure Off the front of his foot
and on to the heal when the knee is bent. Try it just holding on to a wall, and you'll
see what happens when the knee is bent on the fake foot, in both pidgin and Duck stance.



Bille

A shot of my knee-brace, with no wet-suit ; i needed to tape up that day.

[onewoody]

I am an above knee kitesurfer and started kiting in 2008 , I previously was a windsurfer , however kiting took my wave riding to another level.

My prosthesis had to be simply fibreglass with an OSSUR rubber foot , salt water destroys any complex knee joints , the shape has a bend at the knee to provide a " normal riding leg position". ( Please note that a below knee rider has completely different issues ) .

Of course one should start to learn on a twintip , then later to a surfboard and a foilboard which I am now riding.
When riding a surfboard and or foilboard , I ride with straps as it is difficult to keep the artificial foot from slipping off the board without straps.
Also note that switching feet , getting the foot out of the strap and back into the new foot strap position is nearly impossible , therefore I ride toeside and never switch my feet.

Perhaps I will try foiling strapless in flat water , however riding waves or big swell in Maui , the Oregon coast or the Gorge , straps is a must.

I would be glad to answer any questions and offer help online.