Select to expand quoteBig learning day for me at Altona. Great session overall but a couple of mistakes that fortunately worked out all right.
Wind was SE around 20knts but gusting up to 28. I was on my 10 and needing to pull the depower strap in a few times as the kite was pulling like a train and I was only just holding my edge sometimes.
1/ Sending the kite a bit higher in the wind window can be useful when trying to get your fins clear sand bars and weed patches; but it makes the board skim very quickly over the top of the water and if the wind is blowing hard too then it seemed trickier to edge with the kite higher than 45.
2/ Some people obey the give way rule but many don't...including me once or twice. I had to apologize to a couple of the regulars down in the smooth water tricks area near Apex park end as I blanked out and passed on the left between them and the beach. I fell in the slimy pooh mud there anyway so I hope they got a laugh 
I will obey the give way rule always from now on...but be ready to dodge someone who doesn't if I have to.
3/ Played around a lot with heel pressure and toe pressure + board direction to get the speed down and up. Slaloming the board is a good way to become more aware of the power of the kite.
4/ Managed to eliminate the pooh stance at least some of the time by concentrating on the push behind of the harness.
5/ First load and pop jump happened while I was trying to transition. Stuffed up the landing so it doesn't really count but I was in the air hanging from my harness for a couple of seconds which felt amazing.
6/ Need to be careful not to keep going when the old body is saying it's time to stop...got to live to kite another day!
Hi All
Just like to thank everybody who has over time contributed to this post.
I'ts been excellent for those new to the sport to learn from others experiences and i have gained greatly.
Well done
Cheers Andy
I finally went down to a smaller board 136 misfit after using a misfit 142. I have so much control which is great but a lot more spray in the eyes. Is this normal with shorter boards ?
Also I still struggle to lean back far and push my hips closer to the bars, it makes me go upwind too much and slows me down. How can I lean back comfortably without pushing upwind too much ?
try to relax more and a bit more weight on the front foot. when you get it right you will save a lot of energy in your legs and hold more power
Select to expand quoteAlysum said..
I finally went down to a smaller board 136 misfit after using a misfit 142. I have so much control which is great but a lot more spray in the eyes. Is this normal with shorter boards ?
Seaspecs .....
Never chuck your bar n lines together with your harness that still has your line hook on it in the the corner some where, then pick up the bar with line hook caught in a stray loose line cause its all to late by the time you have seen the line cut :( expensive lesson #3
any thoughts one line repair would be great :) looking at http://www.fixmykite.com/proddetail.asp?prod=fmk_micro_hook&cat=159
Select to expand quoteAlysum said..
I finally went down to a smaller board 136 misfit after using a misfit 142. I have so much control which is great but a lot more spray in the eyes. Is this normal with shorter boards ?
Also I still struggle to lean back far and push my hips closer to the bars, it makes me go upwind too much and slows me down. How can I lean back comfortably without pushing upwind too much ?
I have exactly this problem too. Especially in choppy conditions the constant feathering of my legs is exhausting me and I have some seriously sore muscles the day after I have been out.
When I lean back more I also go upwind too much and start to slow down. I then try to sine the kite in order to compensate for this, but not sure if that's the way it should be...
Super stoked, went upwind for most of the time yesterday :-) But saw some photo's and my stance is still terrible. It seems to get worse as I tire and then I drift downwind. It feels to me as if I'm leaning back but I still have the poo stance?? Legs are taking a beating. If I lean back more, I kill the kite and get a seawater enema? Any tips, or just keep on practicing and it will come right eventually? 
Maybe instead of thinking of it as leaning back more, think of it as standing up straighter? It sounds like you're leaning back far enough that the kite can't hold your weight, so you need to be a little more vertical but straighter. What you were doing would work when more powered, or during a gust.
Select to expand quotebigtone667 said..Alysum said..
I finally went down to a smaller board 136 misfit after using a misfit 142. I have so much control which is great but a lot more spray in the eyes. Is this normal with shorter boards ?
Seaspecs .....
No, just bad board design. Some do, most don't spray you in the eyes. Poor testing of the design in my opinion.
Select to expand quotebigtone667 said..Alysum said..
I finally went down to a smaller board 136 misfit after using a misfit 142. I have so much control which is great but a lot more spray in the eyes. Is this normal with shorter boards ?
Seaspecs .....
No, just bad board design. Some do, most don't spray you in the eyes. Poor testing of the design in my opinion.
What yr Misfit is it? Your weight has a lot to do with it,if you're too big it'll
do that to ya. That's why I sold my 136 after having a child and putting a few
keg's on. A bit small for a heavy RIDER... But a sick board!
I have the misfit 136cm 2013 model. SO much spray in the eyes....
I'm about 78/80 Kgs. My 142cm misfit from 2011 doesn't do that at all !
The fins are pretty worn out but that wouldn't change anything at all I guess.
A few little bits I've picked up on since I've recently started getting up and riding (at last!)
- Holding the bar with my hands wider apart made a huge difference for me in getting the kite turning (Although Ive been learning in 8-10 knots on a 17m so perhaps not so applicable to stronger winds)
- Leaning back and digging an edge in seems to give me a bit of power and get me going if I'm struggling for power on the start.
I do actually wonder why this is or if I'm just imagining it if anyone could shed some light??
- If the kite backstalls, the only way it's going to stay up is by turning it to one side (10 or 2), it's not going to go straight back up to 12
- I learned to let the kite pull me right over onto my front foot to get going. At first I resisted a bit too quickly and still had my weight too far back, trying to force my body over towards the front foot. Much easier to let the kite do this for me!
One other thing I am a bit confused about is what I've read about bar in on down strokes and out on up strokes... I actually feel like I still have more power holding the bar in on an upstroke, again, am I just imagining this or does anyone else find this?
If you're on a 17m, wide bars/hands definitely makes a difference...
I had a good session on Saturday, getting more confident with my boarding skills that I can not do small leg jumps over chop ramps 
However I STILL cannot do transition turns to toeside 
still struggling to get the last 45 degrees happen quickly and powered up. I'm guessing it's a lot harder with a seat harness ?
Just going to resurrect this thread because it's really fun to hear from everyone and learn from each others progression!
I had my 4th session (including a lesson from Kitepower as well as a few hours landkiting) yesterday and finally felt really comfortable - less 'When am I going to fall in' and more 'When am I going to get far enough offshore that falling in and turning around seems like a good idea?'
I started to go a little bit upwind but it wasn't until I came in for some water and got some friendly tips from people who had been watching me that it really clicked.
Lessons learnt:
- Back foot pressure is most important, front is more for adjustments
- Getting rid of poo stance makes everything better- Pull on a little bit of depower when the wind is light to stop the kite backstalling
- Liquid Force CPR's below the bar depower sucks, but not quite enough to warrant spending $500 on a [secondhand] new bar
- If you crash the kite and are struggling to relaunch, tugging on the centre lines before you swim forwards helps massively
- That moment when you get up, go for a while, try to go upwind, fail, but recover without getting more than your ankles wet is AMAZING
- If your footstraps are loose, you're gonna have a bad time as soon as the first big bit of chop hits
- Crashing and getting dragged upside down is entirely possible, and looks really funny to onlookers (related to previous point)
- I hate riding goofy (starboard tack) but just need some solid board time going that way to get comfortable
- The walk of shame is always longer than it looks - and is also a really good motivator to learn to go upwind.
- This post: www.bayareakiteboarding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=7845 is way more useful than Progression DVD's explanation, but nothing compares to just getting out there and trying stuff.
- Everyone who does this sport is insanely friendly
I'm so keen to continue getting better, and it's really encouraging to hear from other people on the beach how well I'm doing for only 3 solo sessions.
Cheers bigtone, I was loving your stories!
After a stupidly busy few weeks of work I'm back at it.
Lots more things learnt after a super fun day down at Batemans Bay with a windsurfing buddy...- Seabreeze forecast lies. Check other websites, especially if you don't know the spot, otherwise you'll wake up at 6 to drive from Canberra-Batemans and will spend the next 5hrs swimming and waiting instead of kitesurfing.- Direct onshore winds make life a little more interesting than cross-on, but they do force you to learn upwind riding very quickly.- GOING UPWIND FEELS GREAT.- GOING UPWIND GOOFY FEELS LIKE RUBBISH. Practicepracticepractice
- Actually, most things riding goofy feel rubbish. This surprised me, as I have a fair few years of snowboarding under my belt and I'm pretty happy riding switch on the mountain. For some reason it's completely different when the force is coming from the kite instead of gravity.
- Asking random strangers on the beach to launch you is a little fraught, but doable. Make sure you think about what you need to tell them and have clear directions set because it can be scary/confusing.
- Windsurfing and kitesurfing are a lot more incompatible than you'd think, especially when you're both fairly rookie. My mate and I ended up spending large chunks of the day completely seperate, working on different things. It'll be better when we get better.
- Wear sunglasses or your eyes will get really bloodshot
- There's a good reason I haven't seen anyone wearing surfing-style, short-ish, 4-way-stretch boardshorts.
They turn into really short, 4-way stretch underpants every time you waterstart and you have to pull them down to avoid revealing your pasty, cycling-tanned thighs.
Longer wakeboarding-style boardies acquired.
Heading down to Tathra from tomorrow until Christmas - I'm keen to get amongst it!
Newbie at Cotton tree today hanging off a Starboard marker trying to figure out how to retrieve his board.
First time a sup'er returns it to him the second time a jet ski brings the disobedient twin tip.
10 points for having a crack.
I've learned so much from this thread, I decided to contribute. One of the best things I've done of late was shortening my bar from 56cm to 46cm (Liquid Force Response Bar). It allows me to concentrate a lot more on my board stance, direction and power delivery - without having to correct the kite position all the time because I am inadvertently moving the kite as a beginner. It even used it today with my 15m Solo and it still turned the kite fast enough.
My last 2 kiting sessions I consistently stayed upwind for the first time ever at Pinnas.
Select to expand quotesidtinney said..
.....
- Liquid Force CPR's below the bar depower sucks, but not quite enough to warrant spending $500 on a [secondhand] new bar
....
Totally agree. After a few years putting up with the below the bar, I converted my CPR to above when I replaced the lines. Worked so well that when I bought a new bar, I took the $150 saving and purchased another CPR and converted it before first use - now have 2 bars with different length lines that have interchangeable parts.
So in short, you can convert the CPR to above the bar de-power for not much $. If interested I can post pics and parts used.
Hey harlie, can you please post some pics? My spare bar is the CPR bar, either going to trade it, or could try and convert it.
Select to expand quoteMedic said..
I've learned so much from this thread, I decided to contribute. One of the best things I've done of late was shortening my bar from 56cm to 46cm (Liquid Force Response Bar). It allows me to concentrate a lot more on my board stance, direction and power delivery - without having to correct the kite position all the time because I am inadvertently moving the kite as a beginner. It even used it today with my 15m Solo and it still turned the kite fast enough.
My last 2 kiting sessions I consistently stayed upwind for the first time ever at Pinnas.
As I progressed, I went back to a larger bar with shorter lines to improve the turning response for wave kiting. I lost out on more time in the "power zone" having the shorter lines but the improved turning speed saved me a few times in front of breaking waves.
Would love to see what you've done Harlie!
Had a session at Jervis Bay a little while ago and learnt a bunch of new things but also have a few questions...
When I'm waterstarting, I often have to do a huge sine back up and in the window and lose stupid amounts of ground downwind before I'm gonna fast enough to turn up.
Without it, I
1. Seem to have the kite way too far forward in the window (i.e. Too close to 9 o'clock when I'm going left)
And
2. I also just sink back.
Do I need to do a bigger dive from the outset?
---
I can go upwind, feeling very awkward, when I'm travelling goofy (I'm naturally footed)
Going upwind natural is far harder, I just tend to go faster and faster until I lose control/hit a bump/the board slips out from underneath me.
Any tips?
---
- I kind of did a turn the other day. It was crappy and super gumby but I changed direction without getting wet. Good feeling.
- I love how good of an incentive the Walk of Shame is to get better at going upwind. I don't feel it so much on the day... But the next morning, ooft.
- Thinking of biting the bullet on an impact vest. I'm not sure how much is Gear Acquisition Syndrome, and how much is getting sick of the occasional big hit. Opinions?
- I nearly flattened a little girl who was on a bodyboard paddling out into the bay. Scary moment, thankfully it wasn't too close but it was a good reality check - I'm still very much a beginner. Take it easy, Tiger.
- I should buy some Polarised sunniest. $2 store ones do not cut it, and will only result in bloodshot eyes the next day.
After a few weeks down in Tassie, I'm back in Ulladulla/Jervis for the next while. Keen to get amongst it!
Select to expand quotesidtinney said..
When I'm waterstarting, I often have to do a huge sine back up and in the window and lose stupid amounts of ground downwind before I'm gonna fast enough to turn up. Without it, I Seem to have the kite way too far forward in the window (i.e. Too close to 9 o'clock when I'm going left) 2. I also just sink back.
Do I need to do a bigger dive from the outset?
Yes, or get up on the board faster. As soon as you feel the power coming on, the first priority is to get your body out of the water as the board has waaaay less resistance. Don't worry about standing upright, just get your ass out of the water ASAP. You can also make it easier on the kite by not reefing back and being grunt pulled onto the board, but shifting your weight over the board instead in as efficient manner as possible. Another way to think of it is jumping up onto a knee-high bench. You push up quick, but land softly in a crouch, before extending back out to full height.
Doing a 2nd dive is still the right thing to do if you haven't got up quick enough or there isn't enough wind to get going on the first dive. Don't worry about losing upwind, just focus on getting up to speed as you won't go anywhere without the speed. Select to expand quoteI can go upwind, feeling very awkward, when I'm travelling goofy (I'm naturally footed)
Going upwind natural is far harder, I just tend to go faster and faster until I lose control/hit a bump/the board slips out from underneath me.
Any tips?
Going upwind is your friend. Going too far upwind simply stalls the board, so use this as a brake. If you are going too fast it means you can keep heading further and further upwind. If you're starting to lose speed where the water is furrowing behind the board (not planing), point the board more downwind. You should be able to find a sweet spot where the speed is to your liking, then keep making smaller and smaller adjustments upwind or downwind to maintain that comfortable speed.
Upwind means more time for water starts. Upwind means less tacks to go anywhere. Upwind means more time for fun stuff (that usually takes you downwind). Upwind rocks. Select to expand quote- I kind of did a turn the other day. It was crappy and super gumby but I changed direction without getting wet. Good feeling.
Awesome work! The main thing to focus on for transitions is how much downwind you go. The more coordinated your turn the less downwind you can achieve, eventually getting to the point of stopping and pivoting on the spot. Which means even more upwind! Plonking your ass in the water looks aweful, but will still be more efficient and reliable than mistiming a turn and ending up 15m downwind. Just keep getting faster and smoother in the transition so your body doesn't sink. Later on on you can flair out on carves, but that's part of the fun stuff that takes you downwind. Select to expand quote - I love how good of an incentive the Walk of Shame is to get better at going upwind. I don't feel it so much on the day... But the next morning, ooft.
Sounds like you're just about there. What I found that was the best Walk-of-shame-beater is bodydragging with your board. Keep the board in front of you and lean on it so that most of your body weight is over the edge of the board. My hip is usually about at the end of the board with my hand on the front footstrap. With the extra reduction in resistance and the board acting as a wedge to assist your shape, you should be able to head waaay upwind (even more upwind than you will ever get kiting). Much the same as kiting upwind, keep aiming the board either further upwind when you have speed (walking pace that leaves a wake) and slightly more downwind when you're losing speed. This also give you a great opportunity to line up site markers to assist in how far upwind to aim when on the board. Select to expand quote- Thinking of biting the bullet on an impact vest. I'm not sure how much is Gear Acquisition Syndrome, and how much is getting sick of the occasional big hit. Opinions?
If you think you want it for the unexpected, then go for it. If you think it'll take the pain out of wipeouts so that you can get out there more and go harder, then a healthy dose of pain aversion goes a long way into keeping the adrenalin high and the body intact. Select to expand quote- I nearly flattened a little girl who was on a bodyboard paddling out into the bay. Scary moment, thankfully it wasn't too close but it was a good reality check - I'm still very much a beginner. Take it easy, Tiger.
Yep, keep clear of ANYTHING. Ideally 2 whole kite lengths (50m) so that if the kite dumps, you have time to do something about it, or at least approach the soft squishies with a floating kite. Most people will have no idea how dangerous it could be to come into contact with a kiter, and how far the impact zone of the kite extends. The only ones that do seem to know are other kiters and they'll stay WELL CLEAR of a beginner. Which is good for you. One less group you need to look out for. Select to expand quote- I should buy some Polarised sunniest. $2 store ones do not cut it, and will only result in bloodshot eyes the next day.
The very best thing you can do to get going upwind is to have time in the water practicing. Lots of time. Lots of continuous time. If sunnies gets you out another 1/2 hr it'll probably save you a session or 3 before you're consistently going upwind.
VRBones - thank you so much for the detailed response! I'll keep all of that in mind over the next little while and will hopefully have some fun new additions to this thread in a few days.
I haven't actually ever been able to dedicate any solid chunks of time to getting out in the water every day and I'll have nearly 2 weeks straight of that up in Jervis soon so I'm super keen to get some solid progress in. Now just hoping for wind!
Cheers once again mate!
Select to expand quotesidtinney said..
VRBones - thank you so much for the detailed response! I'll keep all of that in mind over the next little while and will hopefully have some fun new additions to this thread in a few days.
I haven't actually ever been able to dedicate any solid chunks of time to getting out in the water every day and I'll have nearly 2 weeks straight of that up in Jervis soon so I'm super keen to get some solid progress in. Now just hoping for wind!
Cheers once again mate!
Get ready for the obsession then:
You will always be looking at the movement of trees, checking local wind charts, any local surf cams, cancelling pre-planned events for an unplanned kite, buying "necessary" equipment and travelling to wherever is might be windy.
What I have learnt.
1. Riding toeside is much easier with a sliding spreader bar.
2. Learning to ride strapless is not hard. Learning strapless transitions takes time and patience.
3. You don't have to ride a short board (under 140cm) to be proficient in high wind.
4. Footstraps do not have to be tight.
5. You are never too old to learn new things.
