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Best way to start

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FLandOBX
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Re: Best way to start

Postby FLandOBX » Tue Nov 29, 2022 12:01 am

Find a 2-line trainer kite, preferably 3-5 meters in size. There are smaller trainer kites available (e.g., 2 meters), but they won't provide the power variations of a 3-5 meter kite. Flying a 3-5 meter kite will teach you about the "wind window" and where to position the kite for more power or less power. And the larger trainer is much more fun to fly, and can be used with a buggy or land board later on. Practice with your trainer kite until you can fly it by feel, without looking at it.

Don't spend your money now on a harness or control bar. Wait until you've had lessons and can try out different types of equipment. There's a lot of junk for sale online, so use your kiteboard instructor to help you discern the junk from equipment that you can use and enjoy. Most important of all, have fun with it!!

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Re: Best way to start

Postby robmccau » Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:56 am

Personally, I found a trainer only a little helpful. You'll outgrow it quickly, but if you have time to kill between now and your lessons, sure, get one. Flying a trainer is a lot more fun that wishing you could go kiteboarding if you've never gone. Agree that you should get a 4-line depower trainer if you get one.

I agree with the recommendation to go to a cable wake park if you don't have decent board skills. I didn't, and I found flying the kite (9m, 11m) easy, but I couldn't stay on the board for anything. If you're good at other board sports, you'll probably be fine. If you're not, cable park is a lot cheaper than kite lessons to dial in that ability.

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Re: Best way to start

Postby Aberdovy kiter » Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:37 am

RichM wrote:
Mon Nov 28, 2022 10:09 pm
I’m based in UK Midlands, about as far away from the sea you can get🤦🏻‍♂️😂. Buts lots of open fields around. 2 line trainer on a bar sounds like a good option, esp as I’m 60kg. Are there any other places to get second hand gear?
Hi, if you want some idea of what to expect i can help you out, i fly on the west coast in Wales, if you take up the sport that's where most people from the Midlands usually kite, drop me a message happy to help..

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Re: Best way to start

Postby tomato » Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:01 pm

Contrary to popular opinion I think 2-liner trainer kites are waste of time. You will not understand depower, window or how to control real kite. I have one- 2m- but fly it only when I come to the beach and not enough wind to go kitesurfing. My daughter does not like to fly it too: no depower- no control.

During lessons it took me 30 minutes to learn to fly real kite sufficiently to continue. If you want to learn before kite lessons- get yourself a cheap small inflatable kite, 3-5 meters on lower wind day. Many sell 5m kites since they are almost unused will cost you 200-300EUR. Then check some videos on YouTube about wind window and launching/flying kite. Small kite will not hurt you much in 12-15 knots wind.

And do some abs exercises before you go learning on water- after 5 hours session first time- I could not use ab muscles for few days :)
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Hugh2
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Re: Best way to start

Postby Hugh2 » Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:29 pm

Interesting to see the divergent views on what the OP should do. I have a 2m trainer on two lines and an old 5m Best Waroo LEI. When I teach people I insist they use the 2m trainer on land first, till they can fly it eyes closed. That way they learn about the wind window, and even looping. Then get them into a harness on an open beach with the 5m LEI 4-line kite to learn what power feels like, culminating in them sitting down and diving the kite hard enough to get pulled to their feet, in both directions. Then put them on whatever kite size is appropriate for the wind conditions and do downwind body dragging in water, and finally onto a board. So my message to the OP, is get a 2m two-line trainer and you can keep it once you outgrow it to help teach others. And like others suggest, wait till you have lessons to purchase real gear.

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Re: Best way to start

Postby bragnouff » Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:01 pm

tomato wrote:
Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:01 pm
Contrary to popular opinion I think 2-liner trainer kites are waste of time. You will not understand depower, window or how to control real kite. I have one- 2m- but fly it only when I come to the beach and not enough wind to go kitesurfing. My daughter does not like to fly it too: no depower- no control.
For some people it takes a fair amount of time to get the basic kite steering, with repeated crashes. Ideally you don't want too much of your $$$ lesson time to be spent learning that.
And a 2 lines trainer is a good way to learn that. But there are also crap trainer kites that don't fly well, or with zero resilience to suboptimal winds, those are an absolute waste of time. For some people, (kids typically) kite steering comes naturally and doesn't require more than a couple of hours to be really proficient at keeping the kite in the air, in steady winds. That's why it's good if you can borrow one.

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Re: Best way to start

Postby Pera » Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:37 pm

I would recommend a used Flysurfer Viron . It has 4 lines. It's cheap, and most of all it's supersafe. It will not lift or throw you, no matter what you do with it.

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Re: Best way to start

Postby Herman » Wed Nov 30, 2022 12:13 am

Being landlocked, If you can find any close by venue where peeps are landboarding and or bugging it would be worth a day out when there is wind to see what goes on. The same principles apply but the risks are different and you need less power on land. Talk to the locals. Helps if you have board skills, particularly mountain board or skateboard. Lower risk options is the buggy.

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Re: Best way to start

Postby Sarda » Wed Nov 30, 2022 6:12 pm

Maybe check that if you do get a kite wether, or not it will operate fully with or without the harness?

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Re: Best way to start

Postby cbulota » Thu Dec 01, 2022 12:16 am

The advice of ''flying a 2/3 lines foil trainer kite as much as possible before your lessons'' is outdated.

Read this article: https://www.kitebud.com.au/kitesurfing- ... ay-or-nay/

Your time is better spent watching quality video tutorials. https://www.kitebud.com.au/kitesurfing-online-courses/

As explained in the article, the majority of people who fly a trainer kite prior to lessons, develop some bad habits (hammer grip, wide grip, diving the kite constantly to the power zone) and it's completely different than flying a 4-line kite with a harness.

Such habits can slow down your progress as you'll need to un-learn some habits to then learn new ones.

Hope this helps.

Christian - KiteBud


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