I want to do the right thing..help please

[Big Air in Florida]

My second post here so go easy, ok?

I am very new to the sport, so I need some suggestions -

My experience is this:
I have @ 20 hours on a trainer kite and I have taken
two sessions with a professional trainer which taught me body dragging.

I need a place to practice. I ride dirtbikes....fast. I hate when a googan gets in front of me and either jams me up or worse, crashes into me.

I am now this googan, with one big exception....I want to avoid these problems, not create them.

I have confidence but am still very cautious.

Help me become a non googan. Where can I set up and practice without getting in the way, or worse, endangering anyone?

I live in Fort Lauderdale and can travel north or south...

Any help is appreciated....

Thanks

Leo

[ricki]

Hey Leo,

Good questions and thanks for your concerns for others. Far too many newer riders never stop to consider such things. Even some experienced guys fail at this to be accurate.

Here are some questions to think over. Have you practiced emergency depowering, body dragging upwind for board recovery, self-rescue, rules of the road and weather planning in your lessons? Did they cover what to look for in a good launch area vs. a bad one, kite size selection, etc.?

Still more questions along these lines appear at:
http://www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=656

I will be interested to hear your responses. These are important skills and knowledge. Lack of sufficient background in these areas has caused problems in the past.

[flkiter]

Ft. Lauderdale is sort of a hard place to find a safe place to ride for people on the beach. You should wait till the schools in Miami are back up and take a lesson out on the flats to learn the board skills that you'll need before attempting to use the board on your own. There are a few schools in Ft. Lauderdale/Pompano but with the shore break, it's hard to get on the board as a beginner.

[Big Air in Florida]

Originally Posted by RickI

Hey Leo,


Here are some questions to think over. Have you practiced emergency depowering, body dragging upwind for board recovery, self-rescue, rules of the road and weather planning in your lessons? Did they cover what to look for in a good launch area vs. a bad one, kite size selection, etc.?

I will be interested to hear your responses. These are important skills and knowledge. Lack of sufficient background in these areas has caused problems in the past.

Questions answered:
I have been taught emergency depowering (4 ways) but have not practiced it except on a trainer kite.
I have been taught body dragginging but need lots of practice, especially upwind travel.
Self rescue was taught verbally, and my instructor showed me how, but I have not done it with a real kite.
Rules of the road - none -
Weather planning - Classroom taught, I am an offshore fisherman, so I know (somewhat) how to read the clouds and I know to avoid building storms because they create gusts, updrafts, downdrafts, resulting in either a crash or worse...
Wind selection - I know to look for a cross shore wind, vs. direct east or went wind, and my approriate wind speed is 8 -15
Kite selection - I did a lot of research and phone calls for this - and bought a kite with my instructor's advise...intentionally did not buy a board yet.

Before I say what I did buy, may I ask what YOU would have suggested?
After speaking with several retailers, they seem to have the same answer, so I am curious about your suggestion.

I am 6'3" and 275lbs. which kites do YOU think suit me best?

Launch area - I think I know the basics...little to no bystanders, big downwind clear area, no obstructions.........

The launch area issue presents a few questions for me. I want to be near others in case of emergency, yet I don't want to be the googan getting in the way. I want to in an area that allows .... or understands at least....
that I am going to make mistakes and stupid (non life threatening) rookie moves.

Does such a place exist?

I am a big believer in paying for my education, so I am taking a class and trying to practice. Am I premature? Too soon to solo body drag?

Any and all help is appreciated.

Anyone or group interested in a free boat ride to the sandbar?
I have a 26' Donzi/Proline offshore fishing boat that can accomodate six or seven and their gear.

Gary (Leo)

[ricki]

Intelligent, considered answers, thanks. I would recommend some more lessons with a good instructor, perhaps down in Biscayne Bay where the boat will travel along with you after you get up on your board. It is amazing at how fast you can progress removing waves, the need to stop due to approaching shoreline, bystanders, etc.. The wind may even be a bit stronger out there as well. A few hours out there could equal much more time working from shore in unsheltered waters.

If you have a traction kite, I would recommend regularly practicing emergency depowering with it along with PM to make sure it works. In most severe accidents, the rider never seems to bother or at least activate it successfully. You want to practice it often enough imaging likely scenarios to improve the odds of fast success.

As you are working on basic skills currently, I would recommend practice self rescue. You don't need a lot of wind as a rule and you would be best not experiencing this for the first time when you actually do it in need. The same could be said about body dragging upwind. It is fairly easy but only if you practice it a bit.

Regarding weather planning, launch selection and emergency scenarios it is best if these are adequately treated in your course. Sometimes this happens and sometimes not in these early days of organized instruction. There is a fair amount of information about these subjects on this website including: http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=12 , http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=29

At 275 lbs. you have some special challenges in our lighter winds. I would say you should find a good flat kite on the order of 16 m in area and a larger twin tip. I would not start with a traditional C kite at this point. I have had good luck with the Underground FL-XXXL board, not sure if it is still available but it is a nice light wind board. When the wind is light you may not be able to get out as often say as a guy around 150 lbs. particularly while you are still developing kite and board skills. If you have a fair amount of time wakeboarding already you may not need to consider this. If not, at a heavier weight I think you might benefit with some time at Quiet Waters Cable Park. Often the greatest barrier to learning to water start on a board is inadequate wind power. The cable park may bypass this issue while you cultivate board and edging skills independent of wind needs.

There is a lot more to know about kiting than you can gain from either trainer kite flight or body dragging. So, I would say hook up with the best instructor you can find in a good setting. Talk about what you want to achieve and what is a reasonable time frame to do this in. More ideas about selecting an instructor at:

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=656

Good luck and let us know how you are fairing.

[Big Air in Florida]

A lot has happened since I last responded. First of all, thank you to all who sent PMs with encouraging words - it's really nice to feel welcomed into this community.
I spent the weekend at Matheson. Saturday I spent watching and learning.
By the end of the day, I met a dozen or so really awesome people, all willing to help. I had no intention of using my kite, but they convinced me to get it out, so I did.
I bought a 17 Waroo and this was my third time inflating it. They helped me a lot and soon it was in the air. One buddy, Andres, stayed with me until almost 9pm, flying the kite.
Sunday, I returned and was ready to fly. I did... with the help of many others. After a few hours of body dragging and a few attempts to ride a board, the wind died and my time was over. But I will be back.

The cable water-ski idea is a good one. You are right, the better I am at the board, the less I need to think about it and I can concentrate on the kite.

Thanks again for the warm wishes and good, solid advice. I am listening and learning every second. I have several hours of lessons ahead of me (already pre-paid) so now I am taking a lesson, practicing for a few days (while watching instructional dvds) and then taking another hour or two to learn more.

I still have a lot to learn, but am making forward progress every day.
I'll report back again soon but now I need to got make some $$$$ to pay for my new addiction

[AEsco48]

Take 1 lesson with Ken from Sky Banditz... 3053218428

[Big Air in Florida]

Originally Posted by AEsco48

Take 1 lesson with Ken from Sky Banditz... 3053218428

Francisco was my first teacher (Skybanditz) and Ken is going to teach me the next step. Great pair of instructors, those two.