Correct Porgression Timeline

[JumpinJoe]

Ok heres the deal I got this young kid that I think is going really slow, This kid is 19 and has been riding for 7 or 8 months now.

I kind of have forgotten what the correct timeline should be for a normal person.

This kid asked for my help to get him started. I gave him a perfect lesson and have hand held him every step of the way. He meets me at the beach everytime I ride, I tell him what he's doing wrong. I push him to progress and I tell him to go out and try a trick and he goes out and comes back with never trying a thing or if he did it was a timid half ass try.

I was a super fast learner and i am a ball buster. I push myself harder then most.

But really this kid is 19 and in good shape and has a ton of time into it but he is super timid and slow.

He just learned to stay upwind last weekend. He can't jump, he can't do a back roll. He still has to fall in the water to turn around. He says he watches videos and he really seems to love it but really come on. Something is wrong YES or NO?

Also any ideas on how to get him to progress anyone else had this issue. I am starting to get mad at him and I know thats not helping. Any ideas would be helpful.

[grantman54]

I guess I would just say to remember that if he is having fun... thats all that really matters. Try not to let his cruising bother you. Some people are never going to push it and that should be ok with the rest of us.

[yomotha]

It's one thing to be happy just cruising around and another to keep pestering people for help without really getting anywhere and/or expecting people to help because you can't progress. I'd start getting a bit annoyed as well if this kid kept asking me for help without ever progressing as well. I'd just go ride and leave the kid to figure shit out on his own I think.

[angelinversace]

Yo, i had the same problem. At first taking a begginer under my wing was cool cause i had a protoge. I tryed the friendly approach for like a year but this dude was a pussy. So after a while i started getting pissed at him as well. So what i did is i told him that he was being a pussy and to take his balls out of his vag and to man up. We all take a beating in this sport if we want to progress. So i kind of was a dick about it but holy shit i was surprised that it actualy worked and being a dick to him actualy helped. So i would recommend you ask him what he wants to acheive? then call him on his weaknesses and tell him straight up "if you want to get better stop being a pussy man, and if you dont stop being a pussy and wonder why your not getting better that is the reason. So stop asking me for help if you cant stop being a wuss, man up. harsh!! but it will help. Make sure before that he was not abused as a child or could send him off the deep end hahaha

[droffats]

I'm not trying to sound rude, but here it is:

1. it's not about how many months, it's about flying time. How many hours of flying the kite, etc. Like airplane pilots don't say "I've been a flying for five years." they say "I've got 2,000 hours on a such and such plane."

2. Maybe he doesn't wanna jump(?)

3. He may not learn most effectively in the way you are teaching. Some people pick up by watching really easily, some need it step by step verbally, some need to go out and do it (crash 50 times) before they get it. Teach the way he learns, not the way you've taught other people or what works for you.

Again, not trying to sound like a rude know it all, just my thoughts. I've been wrong before, I could be way off again!

Thanks,
Droffats

[AndrewJMcGee]

Joe... Do you give the kid any insight on the trick? Do you give him a run thru of what happens when you miss the trick? Or do you just say hey, try this....? Talk him thru the trick, help him invision him landing the trick with the proper body movements and bar pressure.

Telling someone they are a pussy, they are not going to progress is a cop out in my book!!!!!!!!

If you really wanted to help the kid then help him. If not then just go ride, and he will stop asking.

Maybe the kid just can't see it yet. You say he can't turn? How about walking him thru a nice turn?

I don't know what else to say. If he is not progressing and your teaching him......it might be you!

[JumpinJoe]

I want to thank you guys for your input. Heres what I have done with him when I started to see that he was not progressing.

I started by giving him a step by step on some simple tricks and techniques, edging and poping and upwind techniques. Also some kite positions and body positions, Stance and things like that.

Stance inproved but I could get him to go upwind for while. I had to take him on day trip to the keys to get some really flat water and I rode in front of him and I made him follow me. I did that for about and hour till he got it. By the time we left he was staying upwind much better.

I have also taken a more pusher way, NOT really by being a dick but I did tell him to stop being such a pussy and start sucking it up. Hes going to have to take a bit of a beating. I told him that everyone has had there beating and he needs to take it like a man. I also tell him he won't get that hurt in the winds he is riding in, 15 to 18 mph. Its perfect wind to take a beating in. Its just enough to ride in and not really hurt your self.

[p__han1]

I don't think this kid really wants to get all that much better. I've been kiting since new years and my biggest motivation is not sucking! I hate to suck at sports so progression is my #1 priority everytime I get out. Granted I usually feel like I've been in a car wreck every monday, but how do you learn tricks and techniques if you don't try? Of course I kite every chance I can even though the nearest beach is 4 hours away. Maybe I'm a bigger kook for it but coming from a 120day/year skiing background (big mountain, park and pipe) I know that it takes some beatings to get things dialed in.....even if you try to take it as safely as possible.
But to say it's taken this kid 7 months to learn to stay upwind, and having him ask about techniques about jumping and transitions and not even attempt them?!!! This kid is a Grade A vag is my opinion.
Damn, if all I did was mow the lawn for 7 months I think I'd get so bored that I'd quit the sport and take up sewing.
Maybe the best thing for him would be to get to know others who have about the same time kiting as him that he can ride with. Usually that way one pushes themselve a bit more because he/she sees how far behind they are from their peers. It's also a bit easier to feel competitive against those near your skill level but are still a bit ahead of you. Personally, I want to be better than every kiter out at the beaches I frequent... Granted, I'll never be the best out there, I have to get my mindset in that frame of thinking to perhaps someday be one of the top riders at my kitebeaches. That's my motivation and it keeps me going through the long road ahead. That's just my honest opinion.
So kid, if you're reading this thread, just buck up remove the skirt and go for it. Your sense of accomplishment will be so rewarding when you start reaching your goals!
JumpinJoe- kudos to you for taking the time to take a kid under your wing. Mentors in sports are important. But if this kid doesn't want to heed the advice that he seeks from you, then you'll need to cut the umbilical cord........maybe someone else will adopt him!
Happy kiting everyone!

-P

[Peter_Frank]

Can only agree - there is no "correct" progression timeline !

Some are natural talents and will evolve rapidly into something way better than the rest of us.

Others just dont have the "thing" it takes - no matter how physical fit they are, and they will stay just above the common "beginner" level

Thats just how things are - and the important thing is, that you are having fun - no matter what level

I would never try to push anyone into something (at least not when you've seen they have a limit) - just help them when they ask for it, or give them polite suggestions, thats the best thing to do IMO

Never try to push - that is YOUR opinion of how it has to be, and not his/hers level
A few people will benefit from being challenged - true - but most dont, especially not if you've tried it and seen a negative outcome, you know it is not the way.

Just my experience from friends and teaching - everyone has fun at their own level

Peter

[harviento]

Don't push somebody in a sport that can seriously injure or kill somebody. Everyone has to go at their own pace, and if he's not interested in anything beyond mowing the lawn, so be it. If he's staying upwind now, then why do you care beyond that? Your job is done. If he's staying upwind, then he can now ride with you. Just leave him alone, and both of you can have fun doing your own thing. I've been teaching my uncle to ride for a couple of weeks a year over the last five years, along with several professional instructors. He's finally riding both ways with confidence but still working to stay upwind. I still love every minute of teaching him because he's more stoked on the sport than most other kiters I know, even with his long learning curve. I'll be really stoked when he can stay upwind like your buddy.