I remember exactly how it felt the first time I held a bar in my hands and wanted to get out on the water with the kite: I was super nervous and despite the anticipatory excitement I was a bit scared. Afraid of something happening to me, hurting other people or destroying my kite. Afraid of losing control of the situation. And honestly, I still get a little heart palpitations every time before I hit the water.
I think that this nervousness is quite normal. Besides, it’s good to know the dangers and not jump head over heels into the waves. But I can imagine that some people find it hard to start kiting at all with such a fear and it shouldn’t be like that. That’s why I give you here my tips that help me to turn my panic into healthy respect.
1. Go on the water in pairs and without a board.
If you have learned kiting in a kite school, you will probably have gone into the water with a kite instructor at the beginning. And probably you didn’t have a board with you. To all of you who want to learn kiting with a friend: Make sure you do the same!
I found it very helpful to get to know the kite without a board and to feel how it moves and can be steered. It is very stressful to watch the floating board at the same time. Also, you can listen to your friend much better, who will hopefully give you good tips. They can also save you if you drift too much during the exercises. This gives you a lot of security!
You can repeat this procedure a few times. You don’t have to be ready to get on the board right after the first few lessons. Take as much time as you need. And to the instructors: Be patient 😉
2. Kite with an experienced person.
Kiting alone for the first time is very exciting and probably still involves a lot of walking, since you can’t ride upwind yet. But don’t worry: you will learn faster than you think! It helped me a lot that I was kiting with experienced friends. I knew that someone always had an eye on me and could help me if something went wrong. Also, my friends would stop by every once in a while and give me tips.
3. Getting help at the start.
At the beginning I found the launch very scary. When starting the kite, something can go wrong and I didn’t want to end up in the next car or flatten other people with my kite. If you don’t feel 100% confident with the kite yet, it is super helpful to have a friend launch the kite for you and carry it into the water. In the water you can simply hand over the kite and off you go! However, it is important that you do not always let them help you. As soon as you feel more secure, you should dare to start the kite yourself, so that you get a feeling for it and lose your fear. But it is always helpful to have someone else with you to help if necessary.
4. Practice the upwind bodydrag.
The very first time I went kiting alone, it happened to me: I didn’t see a wave and there I was in the water. My board? A few meters away from me. And the stupid thing? I couldn’t stand anymore and swimming with the kite doesn’t work well either when the wind comes from the wrong direction. What helps? An upwind bodydrag. The difference to a normal bodydrag is that you let yourself be pulled against the wind. With the upwind bodydrag you can reach your board faster or let yourself be pulled into shallow water. It’s your life insurance, so to speak. So practice, practice, practice! It’s worth it.
5. Internalize movement sequences.
Especially in the beginning you often try to think of 100 things at the same time while keeping an eye on other kitesurfers. Then you are distracted for a few seconds and you are already in the water. How can all the movements be internalized?
Before the session it is definitely worth watching Youtube videos. There are endless explanations and tips – especially for beginners. Just google Kite Start, Going Upwind or Bodydrag. You will see that things will be much easier for you if you watch others doing it first.
Speaking of watching: Of course you have the perfect opportunity to watch experienced kiters at the spot – you can learn a lot from them! It also helps to talk to your kite partner about the important movements and to keep them in mind.
Despite all the observations, something can still go wrong in the water. Maybe there is too much wind or you lose your board in deep water. So that you can react quickly, safely and without panic in such a situation, it is worth going through all the safety steps in your head before each session:
- Let go of the bar (This will take some pressure off the board).
- Trigger Quickrelease (The kite falls into the water and you can e.g. wait for help or swim into shallower water).
- Safetyleash release (Better to lose the kite than your life… This sounds very dramatic, but you must not forget that kiting is still one thing – An extreme sport).
6. Ask, ask, ask!
And last, but not least: If you have questions or feel insecure, just talk to the kiters at the spot. Don’t be shy! Most of them will be happy to help you or give you tips – after all, we were all beginners once! And maybe you will make new friends to go kitesurfing with.
– Lotta Lilena