THOR_NADO wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:41 pm
When I started with windsurfing, rockclimbing, apnea and other sports similar to this there were no training.
I learned windsurfing by videos, and then locals telling me what to do - because I was doing it wrong...from the videos. Windsurfing is extremely difficult and most of it is counter intuitive. And by counter intuitive, I mean that 'when you have your own idea of what to do on your own, you always do the wrong thing'. But the BIG takeaway here is that doing the wrong thing does not kill you in windsurfing, so feel free to try to figure it out yourself. Come back here in 10years when you reach the level that most other beginner windsurfers will reach in 2years with help.
In windsurfing, nearly 100% the assistance you receive (or pay for) translates into skill.
In rock climbing and other sports, you kind of had a pretty good idea of the consequences of messing up - if you are down 30 feet and need a breath of air in 1 second, you drown. Or a general healthy fear of heights gives you a clear indication of what happens if your placement does not hold in rock climbing.
Kiteboarding is very different.
1. You start off apparently safe on the beach. But this is where most deaths occur, and where most innocent bystanders are injured by beginners.
2. You see others zipping around without seeing that they are constantly in danger from a sudden gust/shift of wind.
3. You see little strings connecting them to a kite that apparently could not harm a fly, but they can partially or fully dismember someone - and you have no hope of breaking one of those lines by hand unless you have a knife.
4. You can easily connect all 4 lines to the kite, but if you connect the wrong one to the wrong attachment point, you can be dragged to your death.
- Plus lots more....anyone have anything to add about the subtle nuances of kiteboarding that can put your (or others) life in danger?
So your kiteboarding instructor is there more to keep you alive, not necessarily transfer skill to you. I would guess that only 50% of a kiteboarding instructors skill can even be conveyed to you through instruction. But 100% of safety procedures can be conveyed to you through instruction. And that is the important part.
THOR_NADO wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:41 pm
....You did learn by doing it but today it feels like you can not try anything without a instructor.
And you still do "learn by doing" in kiteboarding, even with lessons. Your instructor is there mostly to keep you alive, at least to the best of their abilities. You will learn on your own by feeling the kite almost regardless of the instructor's input, just like windsurfing or any other sport you have done. But kiteboarding is much
EASIER to learn than most of the other sports you have done. But at the same time, kiteboarding is much more
DANGEROUS. When you do something that you think you should do in kitesurfing, but it is wrong, you can die or have a sport ending injury.
THOR_NADO wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:41 pm
I do not say that it is good with a instruction but 10h...is that normal for kite training?
If you want to be 'handed' or 'spoon fed' the knowledge from a kiteboarding instructor, 10hrs is not enough - on average.
If you commit yourself to a trainer kite and flying on the beach/open field, thus building the instinct for a kite on your own time, 4 hours of time with a competent instructor should do - on average.
Last but not least - An instructor is there to keep innocent bystanders from being hurt or killed by you. Given that one irresponsible act resulting in severe injury or death of a bystander can get kiteboarding banned at a public location, the instructor has great interest in everything going right and conveying safety procedures to you. That is what you are paying for. And hopefully you get an instructor who focuses on safety.
And thanks for your post. It is good to have those just getting interested in kiteboarding here to add to the discussion. Please keep posting here and feel free to ask any questions you have about your experiences. It will definitely help others.