Been learning to kitefoil for some time now and decided to keep a video log of what's been going on. Any tips / pointers very welcome. POV is helmet cam for now.. meanwhile I'm experimenting with other setups for future vids! Episode 6 is here:
Learning to kitefoil
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The Ultimate Freggle
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jumptheshark
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Re: Learning to kitefoil
Looks like your getting it.
You need to fly your kite higher... I know easier said than done at that stage!
When the kite gets low it drops easily because you have to be light on the bar. Makes for a tricky situation where it feels like you can't pull the back hand long enough to get the kite to climb without power building at the bar. It stays low and you tend to build speed, the pull is completely horizontal so it messes with your balance. You start going faster and faster..... well, you know how it ends! Don't worry, we've all been there. It's a right of passage.
Speed, balance and kite position are much easier to maintain with the kite up well above 45 degrees. Whenever it does get too low, Instead of trying to gradually climb the kite, try giving the back hand a quick hard tug to pivot redirect. The kite rotates but flies in a straight line up toward 11 o'clock. Get it facing up and you can let it climb without much bar pressure or increase in speed. The kites natural tendency to drop will usually level it out by the time it gets up high. Keep it up there and you'll improve quickly. Eventually you get comfy enough to let your kite down lower or generate power with sweeping turns, but at the beginning keep it high and use quick redirects when it gets low. Feels like your staying really light on the bar and steering with short deliberate inputs to keep the up kite where you want.
Once the kite is up there move your back hand out on the bar so you can angle it without sheeting in. Kind of flying the kite from the top steering line only. Yo will generally have enough power to keep foiling along just feathering the power. The kite will be pretty unresponsive. You can fly along using constant tension on just that one steering line for kite input to hold the kite at the altitude you want.
With the kite higher, its also much easier to crash with less force and more easily separate yourself from the foil.
You need to fly your kite higher... I know easier said than done at that stage!
When the kite gets low it drops easily because you have to be light on the bar. Makes for a tricky situation where it feels like you can't pull the back hand long enough to get the kite to climb without power building at the bar. It stays low and you tend to build speed, the pull is completely horizontal so it messes with your balance. You start going faster and faster..... well, you know how it ends! Don't worry, we've all been there. It's a right of passage.
Speed, balance and kite position are much easier to maintain with the kite up well above 45 degrees. Whenever it does get too low, Instead of trying to gradually climb the kite, try giving the back hand a quick hard tug to pivot redirect. The kite rotates but flies in a straight line up toward 11 o'clock. Get it facing up and you can let it climb without much bar pressure or increase in speed. The kites natural tendency to drop will usually level it out by the time it gets up high. Keep it up there and you'll improve quickly. Eventually you get comfy enough to let your kite down lower or generate power with sweeping turns, but at the beginning keep it high and use quick redirects when it gets low. Feels like your staying really light on the bar and steering with short deliberate inputs to keep the up kite where you want.
Once the kite is up there move your back hand out on the bar so you can angle it without sheeting in. Kind of flying the kite from the top steering line only. Yo will generally have enough power to keep foiling along just feathering the power. The kite will be pretty unresponsive. You can fly along using constant tension on just that one steering line for kite input to hold the kite at the altitude you want.
With the kite higher, its also much easier to crash with less force and more easily separate yourself from the foil.
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Kamikuza
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Re: Learning to kitefoil
What do you mean by "some time"? I find I plateau after an advance or two, and it takes a while to get the next level, as it were.
I both agree and disagree with jump about the low kite
I found with the kite high, it'd lift me off the board (especially in gusts or "over powered") which meant a breach and crash. Putting the kite low eliminated that, and controlling power and speed was down to direction control.
Side effect was learning to balance on the board rather then relying on balancing against the kite. Come time to gybe, it helped.
But yes there are all those benefits to keeping the kite up...when you slam without kite support, it's a real body check
I both agree and disagree with jump about the low kite
I found with the kite high, it'd lift me off the board (especially in gusts or "over powered") which meant a breach and crash. Putting the kite low eliminated that, and controlling power and speed was down to direction control.
Side effect was learning to balance on the board rather then relying on balancing against the kite. Come time to gybe, it helped.
But yes there are all those benefits to keeping the kite up...when you slam without kite support, it's a real body check
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