Just converted to boots. Love the feel and everything about it other than catching an edge. Even the smallest stacks on toe/heel side edges leave me with a decent headache straight up.
Is there any way to minimise whiplash on the neck? Heard lifting the knees up can slightly minimise the whip effect.
cheers
Too many whiplashes is guaranteed to leave you with long term damage. People with bad backs are a pain in the arse same goes for the neck. It is part of the spine aint it?
I think excessive wear and tear on the knees, back and hip and neck are big sleeper issues in kiting for those that ride hard and often.
Once cartilage, disks, end plates are damaged they are damaged. If you already have some accelerated wear in lower back/hips/knees then if you go long and hard often, boosting, hard landings, chop bashing can really ramp up the wear. Combine that with the tightening response, changes in pelvis orient and new patterns the **** can hit the fan. Once backs and hips are screwed you are screwed.
I reckon a decent human movement study of kiteboarding landings would reveal some concerning issues re the simultaneous application of forces of the kite pulling thru torso combined with impact forces of landing and how the body deals with this whilst trying to execute a smooth absorption of the landing forces. I have an inkling that the normal landing mechanics maybe comprimised resulting in very high levels of force being applied to joints at compromised orientations.
Seeing this is my future course of study, I recon such a study would be very revealing and perhaps lead to better practice or management of issues.
Yea, it is a sad fact that the body deteriorates after 20
I ride hooked and unstrapped, not to look cool..........but simply because my body can't take it any more.
Really there are some fools on here (probably me included)... But the fact is boots aren't any worse for you than straps, think about all the other related damage you can do in straps that boots save you from...
The key for you my friend is learning to crash properly. It might take some time to adjust to boots, your body has learned bad technique from riding straps for so long, take it easy for a while and get used to crashing safely.
The key most of the time is either:
A) Rolling as you hit the water avoiding a big edge, or
B) Lifting your legs by bending your knees up in order to clear your board from the water, or
C) a combination of the two.
Once you suss it all out you are going to have a lot more fun riding because you wont be swimming for your board and you wont be scared about blowing out on big landings or braking an ankle.
*** Oh i forgot to add one big thing - LET GO... I know strappers love to hang on after crashing and looping their kite letting it pull them about 100m downwind of their hook plank, but yeah... just let go.
Yeah,once you learn how to body drag upwind and get past the noob stage, you wont need the learner boots. They are like trainer wheels on a bike
lol
im considering getting a board for boots n sum boots for a board, just like the idea of being able to edge n pop super hard. i dont looze my board with straps very often but like the idea of boots
^^^^+1 to Rowdys first comment, learnt to crash, the best way is to WEAR a wetsuit as you wont give yourself a saltwater-enema. Landing badly straight up is pure physics, and your head is the last part of the fulcrim. Knees almost to your chest so you dont knock yourself out with your knee and throw yourself forward. Most times your ready to relaunch in the proper position.
Yeah and let go everything stops, even on the most radical C-kite nowadays.
Back on topic douchebags. None of you are cool. You're sitting at home argueing on the internet.
We are all lame, kitesurfing is lame, boots are lame, straps are lame and fat chick avatars are lame. But, as lame as I am, I do have an interest in minimizing the damage done to myself when I crash. Mostly because crashing hard in front of chicks is lame and being literally lame is lame.
Fat chicks as an avitar are lame, and as Ive come to realise kitesurfing is gay, Im happy to be a lesbian, Surfingboye, please say someting constructive once in your life on this forum and you might control your penile warts
. Otherwise Ill see you in a year when you are again unlocked.
...but check it, from yoga trying to correct it
.