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Improve Kite Drifting Technique

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vela99
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Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby vela99 » Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:18 pm

Hi,


I want to improve my kite drifting technique in wave kiting and would like to ask for some advice. Would the following be correct? Is there something else significant to be added?

• Hold kite at an angle of 45 degrees or a bit less
• Initially, before dropping down on a wave, hold the board edge and pull in the bar
• Release the bar about when bottom turning letting the kite “breath” and avoid from stalling
• Adjust board-turning radius to slow down the effective board speed towards the kite thus keeping enough line tension.
• Pull in again on bar when top turning
• Repeat.

I am assuming that the kite is trimmed correctly allowing for this initial bar pull.

Thanks

Matteo V
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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby Matteo V » Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:55 pm

Are you strapless trying to simulate prone surfing?

Or are you strapped, trying to do more than that?


These two things are almost opposite, though the latter can preform the former with ease. But you can't go the other way easily/completely.

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yomotha
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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby yomotha » Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:59 pm

I'd say the best thing is starting with a kite that drifts well as-is. I find you end up fighting a bad drifting kite in the waves, but a kite that drifts well mostly stays out of your way and lets you focus more on the wave. If you have a good drifting kite already though, I'll let others comment on your other points.

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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby or6 » Thu Apr 05, 2018 8:36 pm

It all really depends on your kite. Whichever kite you use, though, line tension is crucial. Boardhandling has major impact on line tension. Radius of your turn, timing of your turn....
Last edited by or6 on Fri Apr 06, 2018 5:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby jonysan » Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:28 pm

Hi Vela,
I think you already have a good idea of what you need to do, but if I could add some points,
45 degrees is about right, although if you are well powered up then you can keep the kite lower.
Above 45 degrees is not helpful, too easy to get under the kite ! slack lines.
Don't over pull on the bar before making that turn towards the kite, just trim it for good power, then as you said "let it settle/breath" which usually involves having slightly slack rear lines.
keep one eye on your kite , and hook/tighten your turn if necessary.
It's mostly about being sensitive with inputs to the bar/kite. and all this is easier, if you are comfortably powered.
Downloops are useful when it starts to go wrong, but commit to them , or it's wave versus kite time !

The good thing is you can practice this on flat water, linking tighten and tighter carving gybes (don't change your feet).

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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby vela99 » Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:03 am

Hi All,


Thanks for your responses.


I started with strapless but have actually moved to strapped. Strapless has many advantages but I am technically not good enough when things get really challenging. Straps allow me to surf more aggressively and jump. Fixed foot placement is an issue but this is something I have to live with. Eventually I even thought about a way to place two straps in the rear but I am not convinced. To your point; given the conditions I sail in most of the time emulating pure surfing for an entire wave is not realistic but I may be able to do so for a turn or two. So in summary it will be a mixture of kitesurfing and surfkiting depending on the section. I need to constantly adapt. My idea is to practice surf style as much as possible.

I have 2017 North Neo 11m and 8m with good drifting property. I have the right quiver but need to improve my technique.

Interesting you mention practice in flat water. I actually have practiced drifting the kite on flat water on both tacks by sailing towards the kite and carving the board slalom style by turning tighter when the kite was not powered well and turning wider when the kite was well powered. I have not been able to develop a repetitive scheme though and had to spontaneously adjust the bar pull with changes in the wind strength. So it felt a bid chaotic. When the wind dropped considerably I even had to stop the exercise completely edging the board to engage the kite again avoiding it from watering.

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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby or6 » Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:25 am

Well, Vela, I'd say you don't really need advice :-). You need to practice, you're already doing the right thing.

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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby foilholio » Fri Apr 06, 2018 12:56 pm

Kite high so it has space to fall with gravity. Ride towards kite to slack lines(including the front ones :-) ), important bit is you can only use the wave for power once your lines are slack ( learn to surf :lol: ) Pull tension back into the lines with cut backs when kite is getting too low or about to do something weird. Avoid too much slack and like riding through your front lines, just a bit dangerous and I imagine more so on an inflatable.

vela99
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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby vela99 » Fri Apr 06, 2018 3:39 pm

foilholio wrote:
Fri Apr 06, 2018 12:56 pm
Kite high so it has space to fall with gravity. Ride towards kite to slack lines(including the front ones :-) ), important bit is you can only use the wave for power once your lines are slack ( learn to surf :lol: ) Pull tension back into the lines with cut backs when kite is getting too low or about to do something weird. Avoid too much slack and like riding through your front lines, just a bit dangerous and I imagine more so on an inflatable.

Sounds like riding on the limit of dropping the kite all the time. Not too stressful?

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Re: Improve Kite Drifting Technique

Postby plummet » Fri Apr 06, 2018 6:09 pm

Try a little flick of the kite to point it towards the zenith just before going slack line. That way it can sorta back stall down in the window rather than hindenburg. You can sometimes go deeper and longer with this technique.

Also knowing how to snap the kite back after a full slack line and hindenburg is key. Many times i run straight at the kite and slack line/hindenburg it on purpose because i know i can snap it back before it hits the water.
To snap the kite back carve upwind with top wingtip line tension pulled hard. When that line will unslack first, when it does it will snap into and upward turn and away from crashing.


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