Sports | Watersports » Cut Days Off Your Kitesurfing Learning Time And Save Hundreds On Your Lesson Costs

Source: http://www.doksinet Cut Days Off Your Kitesurfing Learning Time And Save Hundreds On Your Lesson Costs - Free Chapters. First of all I’d like to congratulate you on taking your first steps into the world of kitesurfing. This is an exciting time and the journey you’re about to embark upon is a fun one. We wish you the best of luck in your adventures and if you do need anything at any point along the way feel free to drop us an email and just let us know how your doing or if your struggling with something to ask for a bit of advice, we’ll be only too happy to help! Good winds and good luck! Read The Full Book At: http://www.amazoncouk/Kitesurfing-Learning-Hundreds-Lessons-ebook/dp/B009E1IINC If you like it please be kind and leave us a 5 star review. Different Types Of Kites Used In Kite Sports. As far as we are concerned in power kiting,

kitesurfing, snow kiting or land boarding/buggying there are, in essence, 2 different types of kites. Very briefly these are: The LEI Kite Leading Edge Inflatable (LEI) Kites - LEI simply means that the kite has an inflatable structure, any kite that needs to be pumped up is an LEI. This classification can be broken down into C, Bow, Hybrid and Delta style kites. www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet The Foil Kite Foil/Power kites - Foil kites look very similar to the wings used by parascenders and can be broken down into open and closed cell kites. Foil kites are not (generally) inflated with a pump but instead take their shape from the air flowing over and through them. www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet Were not going to launch into a full discussion of the relative pros and cons of each of the different types of kites at this point. All we want to do here is show you the different types of kites and very briefly give you an idea of some of

the characteristics of each. 4 Line vs 5 Line Kites Most modern kites will have 4 lines, 2 centre lines and 2 back lines. The centre lines attach to the kite nearer to the centre of the kite and the back lines attach at the back wingtip of the kite. If a kite has a 5th line it will attach in the very centre of the kite. LEI Kites The C Kite www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet C Style - C style types of kites are recognisable by the lack of a bridle and the distinctive C shape. These kites are the kites that many of us old schoolers learnt on. Fast and powerful through the turn they do however suffer from a lack of de power which has led to their decline in recent years. Recognisable at the beach by their distinctive blocky wing tips and clear corners. These kites have no bridle and the lines attach at each of the 4 corners of the wingtips. C kites can be either 4 or 5 line, however, if they have 5 lines the fifth line should attach directly to the centre of the

kite at one point. If the fifth line splits in any way or joins to a line which then splits and attaches to the leading edge in 2 or more places the kite is a hybrid kite and not a true C kite. Originally the fifth line was designed to assist with relaunch as it enabled the kite to be pulled up into the relaunch position once it had crashed. Recent improvements in kite relaunch design have rendered this system pretty much obsolete and these days it is www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet mainly used for safety as a kite flagged onto the fifth line will depower 100% and is the safest kind of safety system there is. The fifth line on a true C kite is not designed to be under tension, the kite does not fly off this line it is solely there for re launch and safety. Conversely the fifth line on a hybrid kite will be under tension as it actually affects the flight characteristics of the kite. The Bow Kite Bow Style - named after the distinctive bow shape of the kite. To

be a Bow kite the kite must have a bridle and most will have distinctive swept back wing tips. The bridle on these kites allows for almost 100% de power which means these kites are safer and much more comfortable to ride for people getting into the sport. This alone has led to these kites becoming the dominant kite on the water these days with most schools now teaching on bow kites www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet and many riders preferring them due to their ease of handling and increased safety. Introduced back in 2005 and said to have been inspired by a thread on a forum, the Bow kite has now spawned several variants. All the kites mentioned below are basically different styles of Bow kites. Several manufacturers have taken the basic Bow kite design and further tweaked, thus you can see the Naish Sigma kite (which has a bent leading edge), and several other funky designs however we only deal with the widespread and widely adopted design trends here. The Hybrid

Kite Hybrid Kites - a trade off between C and Bow style kites. Hybrid kites will always have a bridle of some sort but will also have a concave trailing edge (as opposed to a bow kite which will have a convex trailing edge). Hybrid kites can be referred to as either hybrid bow kites or hybrid c kites, which simply refers to which design they are closest to, a hybrid C kite will more closely resemble a C kite with the typical C profile but will have a bridle of some sort. Where as a hybrid bow kite will be more similar to a bow, possibly the only distinguishing www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet feature being the concave trailing edge. There now also exist Hybrid Delta kites which again is a Delta kite with a concave trailing edge. Hybrid kites are designed to capture the best of both kites combining the raw aggression of the C kite design with the precision and flexibility of the Bow design. The Delta Kite Delta Style kites - Delta style types of kites are

recognisable by their highly swept back wing tips. These kites are designed to relaunch easier and fly more efficiently in light winds. With some loss of top end performance. A relatively recent design innovation they were originally introduced in 2009 and have since taken off with most major brands now offering their own design in some shape or form. Due to their easy relaunch, great handling and light wind performance they have become very popular with schools. While not necessarily the kite of choice for the advanced riders they do offer the beginner an even faster route into the world of kitesurfing. www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet SLE Kites You are going to hear this term thrown around a lot in Kitesurfing. SLE stands for Supported Leading Edge. This term is used to refer to any kite that has bridles attached to its leading edge. Bow, Hybrid and Delta kites are therefore all SLE kites, C kites are not. Foil Kites The debate about foil kites vs LEI kites

has been raging in kitesurfing and many other power kite sports for as long as I can remember. General wisdom states that a foil kite is better off the water (snowkiting, landboarding etc) and an LEI kite is better on the water (kitesurfing). Recently there is a growing band of supporters for foil kites amongst kitesurfers and they are definitely becoming a more common sight on the water. One of the main reasons they havent been more widely accepted in the kitesurfing world is the price tag, as they can cost up to double what an LEI kite costs. Which you prefer is simply a matter of taste and their are staunch opinions in both the LEI and the foil kite camp. My advise would be to try both types of kites and make up your own mind. Foil kites possess the obvious advantage of not needing to be inflated, something that all LEI riders whove ever tried to inflate a 16m kite can appreciate the value of! They have a wind range comparable to the modern bow kites and are very similar in

appearance to a paraglider. The Open Cell Foil Kite www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet Open Cell - These kites are designed for use on land and have intakes (cells) along the leading edge of the kite designed to allow air to flow inside the kite and over the canopy. They rely on constant airflow to keep the cells inflated and so cannot be used on the water as if they crash in water these cells the material quickly becomes saturated while the open cells allow water inside the kite which makes relaunch impossible. The Closed Cell Foil Kite Closed Cell - The same as open cell but designed for use on water. These kites use inlet valves to hold air in the chamber The www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet pressure inside the cells keeps the valves open so once the kite crashes and the airflow stops the pressure drops and the cell door closes preventing water from entering. Relaunch is then a simple matter of tugging on the power lines. Kite Equipment

Youll Need To Learn To Kitesurf. Here we introduce you to the actual kite equipment you will need to begin your training. Go out and beg, borrow or steal it as fast as you can! The Trainer Kite The most essential bit of kite equipment to kick start your training. Kitesurfing, landboarding, snowkiting or buggying are 80% about the kite. If you can control the kite you will learn these sports in a matter of hours not days. A trainer kite is the safest and fastest way into power kite flying and spending 10+ hours flying a trainer kite before arriving on course will likely reduce your learning time by 2 - 3 days.saving you a hell of a lot on course fees!! It also means when you get back you have something to teach your partner, kids, grandparents or friends on! Every hour you spend flying a kite prior to trying to put a board on your feet will double your chances of getting up and riding, hopefully avoiding the frustration of continually crashing your kite into the water. Snow kiting and

land (power) kiting can be learned in one tenth of the time that water kiting can be learned and a basic trainer will get you started down this road. Youll also find that you dont crash your full size kite half so much, meaning that when you do finally buy a full size power kite it stays in much better condition for longer! The trainer kite we are recommending you learn on is the Flysurfer Viron. We actually use these kites in our kite school and I have to say weve been absolutely blown away by their performance. Flying on 5 lines they are absolutely stable, even in gusty winds. Their wind range is incredible so youll find yourself able to fly them in almost no wind up to howling gales.safely They are so www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet ridiculously easy to handle and relaunch youll be able to fly them all day with no real problems and best of all they handle the same as the LEI kites youll be flying once youre up and riding. They are also perfect for starting out

in landboarding or snowkiting and are forgiving enough that (once you know what youre doing) you can teach you entire family on them. They are however a little on the expensive side! Other cheaper alternatives exist. A simple 2 line trainer kite can be found for around 20 €, with these it is generally a case of you get what you pay for. Try to get one with a bar if you can, but the most important thing is to get something and get flying. A kite with a control bar helps (as opposed to handles or simple straps) as it is similar to the kitesurfing kites set up and if you feel so inclined youll be able to attach a windsurf harness line to the bar and invest in a harness so you really get used to the hooked-in feel of kitesurfing. This also prevents you (to a certain extent) developing bad habits when you move up to 4 line kites. If you opt for a 4 line trainer kite (other than the Viron) beware, these boys pack a punch, we wouldnt advise anything over 2m and even then treat it with

respect. Helmet An absolutely essential bit of kite equipment, if you are serious about doing the sport.please, please, please never fly a kite without a helmet. I know you may think it looks goofy but better that than a stint in hospital with bits broken off your head. Any helmet will do to start with, even old bike helmets are better than nothing. Remember snowboarders used to scoff at helmets until enough of them got dropped on their head to realise they were actually a pretty sensible thing to have! The Anemometer Or Wind Meter.Or Thingy! www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet These are great bits of kite equipment and will last you your entire kitesurfing career. This is essential so you can be sure what strength the wind is blowing and whether you should loft your kite or go to the pub. We talk more about these in a later chapter Kite Killers If youre going to be flying a kite you need one of these, absolutely essential bits of kite equipment, unless your kite

comes with an inbuilt safety system and leash (the Viron does). With one of these babies fitted snugly around your wrist you can let go of the bar and watch your kite fall gracefully (and powerlessly) to the ground while leaving it still attached to you. Thus means you can simply walk over and retrieve your fallen kite. Without a kite killer fitted, when you drop the bar, your kite, bar and everything will simply fly off down the beach away from you and inevitably land in the nearest barb wire fence.even if theres not one for miles around they always seem to find them. You also look like a damn idiot as you have to chase the kite down the beach for 20 mins. To fit your kite killers attach one end to your wrist (it will be obvious which end) and the other to one of the back lines (the outside ones on a 4 line kite) ensuring that where you attach it is at least 1 kite span (the length of the kite from wing tip to wing tip) away from the bar. This will ensure that when you let go of the

bar the kite fully flags out and flies only on one line powerlessly. Most kites should have a stopper ball or knot to show you where the kite killers attach. NOTE: If you have bought one of the Flysurfer Virons we recommended earlier they come with their own leash and safety system and so you dont need any kite killers. I swear were not an affiliate! How Fast Is The Wind Blowing And Should You Put Your Kite Up? What is Wind? www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet Before we actually fly a kite we need to have some idea of the wind speed. This will (hopefully) prevent you from hoisting the kite in an unfeasibly strong wind and suffering the inevitable consequences! So what is wind? Simply put wind is the horizontal (usually) movement of air. Measuring wind speed is problematic at best as wind is not a constant force but will change speed and direction regularly. These changes in speed and direction are referred to as: Gusts - when the wind increases in strength. Lulls -

when the wind decreases in strength. These changes in wind strength or speed are often accompanied by a change in direction. Wind speed is officially given as a measurement of wind speed and gust speed. Wind speed is measured as the average wind speed over a 2 minute period. While the gust speed is the strongest measurement taken in the last 10 minutes. The Anemometer The most accurate way we can measure wind speed at the beach is with an anemometer (or wind meter for the tongue tied, or little windmill or even more regularly. thingy!) This handheld device www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet when held aloft and facing the wind will give an accurate measurement of the wind. Most anemometers these days will record average wind speed and display the strongest gust. To use your anemometer simply turn it on and hold it up above your head making sure the cups are able to catch the wind, the longer you can leave it above your head the more accurate reading you should have,

about 2 mins should be fine (feel the blood draining from your arm?). Then check off the readings and your good to go.or not as the case may be Some points to bear in mind, the anemometer gives you a wind reading at the height you are at.most often beach level Your kite can be up to 25 m above this (depending on line length) where the wind could be a little stronger. This is especially true if there are obstacles in front of you (see the chapter on the effect of obstacles on wind speed for a full description). Sometimes wind can come and go, one minute feeling strong and the next dying almost to nothing. If you feel this is the case on any particular day you can repeat this exercise at 5 minute intervals to see how the wind is behaving over a longer period of time. You will often hear kite surfers and other wind sport enthusiasts referring to wind not by kph or knots but in terms of a number between 1 and 12. For example, "its blowing a 3 today" This is not some obscure

code but is what is referred to as the Beaufort scale. So named as it was created in 1806 by Sir Francis Beaufort. This is a guide to wind strength based on visual signals, so anyone upon arriving on the beach will have some idea what the wind strength is simply by looking for visual clues, without the need for an anemometer. Seamans Effects on Land Beaufort Wind Terms Number Speed (mph) 0 under 1 1 1-3 Calm Calm, Smoke rises vertically Light Air Smoke drift indicates wind direction, vanes do not move www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source: http://www.doksinet 2 4-7 Light Breeze Wind felt on face, leaves rustle, vanes begin to move 3 8-12 Gentle Breeze Leaves & small twigs in constant motion, light flags extended 4 13-18 Moderate Breeze Dust, leaves and loose paper raised up, small branches move 5 19-24 Fresh Breeze Small trees begin to sway 6 25-31 Strong Breeze Large branches of trees in motion, whistling heard in wires 7 32-38 Moderate Gale Whole trees

in motion, resistance felt when walking against the wind 8 39-46 Fresh Gale Twigs and small branches broken off trees 9 47-54 Strong Gale Slight structural damage occurs, slate blown from roofs 10 55-63 Whole Gale Seldom experienced on land, usually with widespread destruction 11 64-72 Storm Very rarely experienced on land, usually with widespread destruction 12 73+ Hurricane Violence and Destruction! Top Tips When Using The Beaufort Scale • • Wind will feel and look stronger when it is blowing onshore Wind will feel and look lighter when it is blowing offshore Advantages Of Using An Anemometer The great thing about using an anemometer when youre just starting out is that you can get an idea of what the real wind speed is and compare it to visual signals so that after a while you can simply rock up at any given location and say with a great degree of accuracy what the wind is doing and which kite youll need. www.TantrumKitesurfcom Source:

http://www.doksinet The wind speeds you should attempt to fly your trainer kite in will vary depending upon which kite you have and how much you weigh, you should have been given detailed instructions and safe wind ranges with your kite. However, as a general rule of thumb anything over a Force 5 (between 19 and 24 knots on your anemometer) should be treated as too much, even less (avoid anything over a force 3) when you are just starting out. If you own an iPhone or Android Phone there are now several handy apps which turn your phone into an anemometer. By measuring the wind blowing into the phones microphone these apps give a good reading of what the winds doing. Weve been using one for a while now and have to say were very impressed. Want More? Read The Full Book At: http://www.amazoncouk/Kitesurfing-Learning-Hundreds-Lessons-ebook/dp/B009E1IINC If you like it please be kind and leave us a 5 star review.

Or if you’re ready for more you can always get in touch with us and learn to kitesurf 3 times faster with Unlimited Hours Kitesurfing Lessons at www.TantrumKitesurfcom www.TantrumKitesurfcom