Edging and Staying Upwind
(Part 3) |
|
When you first have a go at kitesurfing it’s best to be underpowered, but this in turn will mean you’ll work the kite closer to the centre of the wind, dragging you off down wind. This is good because you’ll learn a lot about the kite and how it produces power in the wind window. Once you get used to this underpowered riding, start building the power up slowly.
|
Kitesurfing with the Waterboard
|
|
|
|
|
Once you can ride along without moving the kite, keep it still whenever you can, because when you move the kite it will become less efficient. As you get to this stage life will be good!!
Every now and then the wind will drop or pick up slightly, so sometimes you’ll have to hang on and other times you’ll have to go back to working the kite up and down in the scooping pattern.
Now you’re riding along with the kite in one position, you’ve got to know where to put it. When you’re powered up, if you keep the kite high in the window, you’ll get pulled off your edge dragging you downwind once again.
 |
However, if you keep the kite low in the window, you’ll be able to edge harder and have more control and this is linked to body position. The optimum position for the kite is for it to be at about 45 degrees or slightly lower. If you’re really powered up and you have good board skills, you can keep the kite really low and edge as hard as possible. This will enable you to hang onto loads of power, but remember to build this power up slowly. |
.The worst thing you can do is to go out with too much power too soon. This can knock your confidence levels setting you back in your quest to be the best kitesurfer you can be.
|
Now you know where to put your kite, you need to know how to stand.
If the kite is high in the window you’ll be pulled upwards by your harness, this pulls you off your edge and downwind. So again, this is another reason to keep the kite low. When the kite is low in the window, it is quite easy to sit back into your harness, as you bring the kite to 45 degrees or less lean back into your harness, put more weight on your back foot and fight the power.
Where you look also has an effect on where you go. If you look upwind, your shoulders, waist and in turn your hips will turn slightly upwind and this tension on your hips will put more pressure on your backfoot, edging the board into the upwind direction. |
 |
Also when you’re powered up enough to keep the kite in one position a good tip is to hold the bar towards the centre of the bar, you can then fly the kite with one hand. If you remove your front hand you can twist your shoulders in the direction of travel even more so than just looking upwind and once again, this will twist your hips in the same direction.
The mistake that a lot of people make, including me when I was first learning, was to keep both hands on the bar, cautiously keep the kite high and not look where I wanted to go. If you are very square, and you are facing the kite, you haven’t twisted your body up enough to put enough, subtle, pressure on your backfoot to edge upwind.
A good tip is to watch any of the good guys at your local beach for a while. You’ll see them do all of the above to get upwind, most of it is subtle but if you know what to look for it becomes obvious.
| |
©2006 The Waterboard Ltd Inc. All Rights Reserved ©2005 Fluid Edge ©2005 Mike Smith
Many Thanks to Mike Smith for providing this article. |
|
|
