Getting up on the board.

practice practice... and then when you're sick of it and have the sheits, cause you see all the seasoned kiters whizzing around you while doing the walk of shame... practice some more...

when things start to work it will literally happen over one or two sessions and you,ll be on you're way.

I have seen many beginners grappling with this problem over the years .its often a case of too big a power stroke (and you go straight over the front of the board ) or not enough and subsequently not getting up (and then they go for the big power stroke which ends up with the big hoik over the front of the board )

Also sometimes when they get that initial stroke just right and get up on the plane they are so stoked with that achievement they forget to continue to work the kite .

my advice is work the kite alot harder without doing masive downstrokes ,ie do 2 strokes when you would usually do 1 and don't take it down so low ( you wont see the guys that are with more experience do this because they have figured out the perfect combo of kite power and board finesse they will just go for the big power stroke) .This technique will tend to hold you up better making things easier as the kite is pulling higher .just be careful that your kite is not swinging too far in the opposite direction of where you want to go.In other words you will be working the kite harder in the top part of the window slightly on the side that you want to go without swinging it too low or too far to the other side of the window .
I have seen alot of beginners working the kite lower and lower on the side of the window they are heading towards trying to find that elusive power until the kite crashes and then youve got to go through the whole tedious relaunch procedure .Do this without the board first then add the board later when you are getting a really nice constant power

With the board really point that front foot forward and keep your centre of gravity low (ie don't go standing up really straight ) this will allow you to get your centre of gravity right

Good luck and like the other guys said practice practice practice .Also stay in touch with your instructor .A good instructor will be a able to have a chat about how its all going and diagnose the speed humps that you have come across where you feel you just cant get it together and give you a great tip to try in your next session

Getting up and riding was the hardest part of learning to kitesurf for me. It took me about a week of consecutive sessions (and long walks of shame) to get up consistently. I had exactly the same problems you described wassaby.

I'm not a great kitesurfer by any means but the following points might help you out:

1. As you dive the kite to get up, stand up in tandem with the pull in your harness. Don't expect the kite to pull you all the way up to a standing position (like I did ). I think this is a balance thing so it takes practice.

2. When you initially get up, you need to point the board about 95 degrees to the wind and edge a little. This means you don't travel upwind too much or downwind too much either. Too much downwind and the pull of the kite lines decreases because you are travelling with the kite. Too much upwind and the board speed will decrease below planing and drop you into the water.

3. When you start your power dive, make sure you start at 1 o'clock if you are heading to your right or 11 o'clock to your left. Not 12 o'clock. If there is enough wind you want to clip through that top corner of the wind window and end up with your kite at about 10 or 2 o'clock respectively. If the kite ends up to far to the side of the wind window (near 9 or 3 o'clock) you will not have the pull to keep going.

4. Practice and never give up cos it is the best feeling when you get it :)

My two cents...

Just relax and go smoothly. Like someone else said, don't try to go upwind straight away. Just go with the flow, and work on it later.
What i found really helped me was to do a downwinder, which means you don't need to worry about walking back at all. It just lets you try over and over again. Try and organise one with mates/local people.
Also, don't give in, it will literally come to you in one go, and you'll be amazed that it was so difficult ever before.

Like some of the others said, do not edge the board right from the beginning. You can go downwind (not necessarily straight downwind, but at least do not edge the board and try go upwind from the beginning) for 2-3 meters and as soon as you are on the board and have some speed you can start edging the board.
If you fall over your board it probably means that you tried to edge the board. Just let the kite pull you in downwind direction with no resistance when you start.

Thomas

cool thanks mate

just pratice and dont give up just cos everyone else is sailing around you, prob trying to cut upwind to fast, we all did it. Dont dispare it took my mate 18 months to get upwind, just ask someone to watch you and to give you some advice, 99% of kiters will be glad to assist you and tell you what you are doing wrong. Good luck and dont give up, We have all been there.

Wassaby, I had the same problem for ages. Then, just as I was starting to get it, I have not been out on the water for 7 months... Anyway, all the above seems like advice I will be paying attention to next time I get a day off and the wind is blowing...

Good luck and Practice, Practice, Practice.