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Posts Tagged ‘intermediate’

Trick Wheel for Transitions – Inspiration for Kitesurfing Tricks

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

Users of the Progression Player and subscribers of our monthly newsletter have already had access to this short video that’s for anyone wanting a little inspiration to spice up their next session!

Everyone has to turn around at some point, whatever level you’re at, the Progression Trick Wheel will highlight 9 different tricks all based around the fundamentals of edging, jumping and rotations. Take a look, get inspired and trying something new when you next hit the water:

Many of these tricks are available through The Progression Player iOS App or the Progression Intemediate Volume 2 & Advanced DVDs.

How many of these tricks do you do?

Tags: advanced, intermediate, jumping, rotations, transitions, trick wheel, tricks, video
Posted in Trick Wheels | No Comments »

Make sure you’re ready for summer sea breezes

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

A summer breeze at Lancing Beach, UK.

If you’re new to kitesurfing then you are likely to be already bamboozled by the unique terminology associated with the sport – beaufort scales & south-westers, chicken loops & donkey dicks…..One thing you may have heard people talk about, particularly during the summer months, is a “sea breeze”.

So here are a few facts and tips about sea breezes that will bring you up to speed and rigged up ready on the beach with the best of them to make the most of these brilliant summer conditions….

What is a Sea Breeze?

A sea breeze is an on shore wind created by the difference in temperature between land and sea. If the land gets hotter, faster than the sea, then the warm air that rises from the land is replaced by cooler air drawn from the sea surface:

(Image from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_breeze)

The strength of the sea breeze is directly proportional to the temperature difference between the land and the sea so this gives you some idea of how to plan ahead for them….

Be Ready – The Best Conditions for a Sea Breeze

If it is a hot and sunny day and you live in a country where your sea rarely reaches above 18 degrees centigrade then the chances of a sea breeze are high.

If wind direction is already cross or cross on shore, even if its only blowing a gentle few knots, this will give the sea breeze a helping hand. Even if the wind is offshore, as long as it light, then it can generate some of the best sea breezes as it starts up the cyclic effect but if the offshore is over 15 knots then don’t get too excited! And surprisingly a dead onshore wind is more often than not a let down – it might tempt you with an increased 10 knot breeze but it rarely rises to much more and just frustrates the hell out of you!

The best time of day for a sea breeze is typically between 2 – 6pm, this is because the land has heated up sufficiently and has not yet started to cool. Time to start thinking up some good excuses to get off work early……

Some spots rely purely on this effect and can reliably do so because of the consistent appearance of the sun. Other land features can enhance the thermal effects further – mountains or channels specially. The South Downs which run along the South Coast of England aid in giving places like Brighton & Worthing amazing summer seabreezes. The channel between Baja and mainland Mexico helps La Ventana to get consistently strong cross shore winds thought winter season. Check out the wind line approaching in this picture of La Ventana – it can turn on like clockwork every afternoon!!

Some spots that have good ‘natural’ wind can also benefit from an extra boost in wind from a sea breeze effect. Places like Cape Town for example see this a lot due to their hot weather and cold water – 5m kites are the norm here as it “f@*king nukes” on days like that!

Seabreezes can be light if the sun gets interrupted by patchy cloud or the natural wind direction holds it back, but this doesn’t mean you can’t get out. We have some tips for light wind riding in our blog next week so keep an eye out for them if you want to improve your technique.

Be Safe – Sea Breezes Can Be Unpredictable

It may seem impossible that the wind can go from zero knots up to sometimes high twenties or early thirties but it does happen. Often people are caught out, rigging large kites or only bringing one size of kite to the beach. Although its tempting to get out and make the most of it, it can be useful to wait for an 1 hour for the wind to build and then make your decision on which kite to take. The wind will also be cleaner and smoother which is definitely worth the wait, if the forecast says sun all afternoon then its likely it will only get better.

Sea breezes can also drop off quickly as the day starts to cool. I have had to self rescue myself when a sea breeze dropped – and then the wind flipped round to off shore! As with any session, keep an eye on the wind and the clouds, and come in as soon as it starts to lull as it can quickly drop from there – much more so than on ‘normal’ wind days.

There are also usually a load of other beach users enjoying the sunny weather so keep their safety front of mind and if there are designated areas for bathers and kiters then stick to them.

I personally LOVE seabreezes as it basically means Kitesurfing in the Sunshine, and as this type of wind is rarely forecasted it kind of feels like a bonus session! Where so many of us, across Europe at least, will have to put up with grey rainy miserable low pressure weather systems to get any good surf in, sea breezes make you feel like you are kiting on holiday. Finish it off with a beer on the beach with your mates, now really, what more can you ask for??

So get out and enjoy those summer breezes

Tags: beginner, intermediate, light wind, tips, weather
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Don’t blame your kite, she might just need a little tuning

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

It’s all too easy at the end of a bad session to point the finger at your kite for holding you back – it felt gutless/no bar pressure/slow to turn etc etc – we’ve all said it and sometimes it may be true, but more often than not it may just be that your kite needs a little love to bring her back to her former glory!

This is especially true of second-hand kites, those which you are not using the supplied bar with or maybe you’ve just past the beginner stage and have been dumping your kite in the water repeatedly causing all your lines to stretch under the strain! Whatever the case with a little knowledge & advice from us you will hopefully be able to diagnose any potential problems. There are three key areas to focus on:

The difference in length between your front and back lines and how they affect your kites handling and performance
The difference in length between the right and left sets of lines and how they will affect your kites balance or cause erratic behaviour.
The attachment points for the front and back lines along the tip of the kite

1. Front & Back Lines Common Problems:

Front Line too long, back lines to short
- Visual tells: The tips of the kite are flared out
- Handling: Bar feels heavy and the kite is sluggish & turns slowly.
- Solution: Depends on the available adjustment points on your kite and bar but commonly start by trying to lengthen your back lines, probably at the kite end, by use a pigtail knot further from the kite or at the bar.

Front lines too short, back lines to long:
- Visual tells: Back lines are visibly sagging
- Handling: Bar feels light and pulling on each side has little effect on the kite, the kite reacts slowly. You feel like you need to be sheeted in the whole time.
- Solution: Again depends on the available adjustment points on your kite and bar but commonly start by trying to shorten your back lines, probably at the kite by use a pigtail knot closer to the kite or at the bar.

2. Difference between Right and Left sets of Lines:

Visual tells: When the kite is stationary above your head, you have to pull lightly on one side of the bar to keep the kite directly over head.
Handling: The added co-ordination it takes to keep the kite flying straight will affect your ability to simply ride along and stay upwind. The kite will react differently when flying from right to left or left to right – noticeable during times when your use extreme moves of the kite like waterstarts, changing direction and jumping. On one side the kite will be too fast and catch you out, on the other it will be slow and less responsive.
Solution: Check your line lengths for your sets of front and back lines separately. You can do this on the beach by attaching them to a solid object. For the inexperienced this is an article in itself! The Tuning chapter in our Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1 DVD shows this in detail and maybe the easiest option. (See the introduction to the chapter below).

If after checking your lines they turn out to be equal then you may need to check your bridle. This far harder to check and something that can be very different between bridled kites. Speak to your local kite shop or the manufacture for help with this.

3. Kite Attachment points Over the years kites have been developed and refined, with handling characteristics becoming broad reducing the need for multiple kite attachment points. However, many kites still have two or more options and they can have noticeable effects on the handling characteristics of your kite:

Front line attachments – alters the depower range of the kite available by sheeting the bar in and out
- Forward position – increase the amount of depower
- Rear position – decreases the amount of depower
Back line attachments - alters the speed at which the kite can be navigated
- Forward position – Kite will turn slower, in a wider more powerful arc
- Rear position – Kite will turn faster, in a tighter less powerful arc

As you can see there is a lot you can do to tune your kite, to solve negative handling characteristics and also to broaden the range and style of your kites function. Next time you head out, give your kite a little bit of attention and ensure she is giving you her best!

If you are new to kitesurfing and some of this still confuses you, you need to watch a 30 minute DVD chapter that completely focuses on Tuning your kite across all these scenarios. Check it out on our Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1 DVD.

Tags: equipment, instruction, intermediate, kiteboarding, kitesurfing, tips, tuning
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The Art of Popping – Part 2

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

In part 1 of this blog post we introduced you to some top tips for popping whether you are riding Hooked-in or Unhooked. The two videos have had a great response but check them out if you’ve yet to watch them… But now we thought it would be good to show you how you can take the basic technique of popping and move it forwards into more advanced tricks.

What next – Hooked-in Popping…

1. Popping on its own will get pretty boring pretty quickly so the next progression is definitely Popping to Toeside and it definitely beats forcing the board round like you may have been doing so far.

2. Next up has to be grabs and there are a lot of them to try, which in itself can keep you busy for some time!

3. Finally we suggest you take a look at the more advanced technique of Popping to Blind. This is a trick that takes some practice, to get used to the contorted position you have to get into. However once again, it will improve your kite and board control and set you up for taking your next progression, unhooking…

What next – Unhooked Popping…

When it comes to unhooking then possible tricks that lay ahead are endless! But to start with heres a few of the first progressions you should look at taking…

The number of tricks, requiring good pop, that you can try beyond that are numerous. Here are just a few examples to get you started:

So there you have it, your next steps for popping whether you are hooked or unhooked. If you want more in-depth help with your kitesurfing then check our the our Progression DVDs which cover many of these tricks in full detail, including common mistakes and key elements helping you to get it nailed faster!

Tags: advanced, back mobe, blind judge, crail, grabs, hooked in, instruction, intermediate, nuclear, popping, progression, raley, s-bend, top tips, tricks, unhooked
Posted in top tips, trick terminology | 5 Comments »

The Art of Popping – Part 1

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

In Issue 51 of KiteWorld, their Motordrive section cover how to “Get Pop”. Now for any riders wanting to perform unhooked tricks learning to pop is a necessity but for those of you who aren’t quite ready to make that step yet, popping hooked-in is still a vital skill to learn. To that end we have created two ‘Top Tip’ videos for kitesurfers learning to Pop Hooked-in & Pop Unhooked.

Now fundamentally the technique for popping is the same whether you are hooked-in or unhooked:

Keep the kite low and stable
Edge hard off your back leg, with your whole body moving back against the kites power
When you release the edge your whole body comes forward

The unhooked version however requires better timing and control to ensure you can harness that power correctly – but start learning your pop hooked-in and you’ll be half way towards the next progression of unhooking.

Hooked-in Popping

Popping hooked-in is a great technique as it will not only giving you leg up when it comes to unhooking but also offer you a range of new tricks to learn whether its popping to toeside, popped grabs or trying back rolls without sending your kite.

Want to master this trick in full? The Progression Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1 DVD covers popping in-depth within a 45 minute chapter of high quality instructional content about learning how to jump in kitesurfing - buy it now from our online store.

Unhooked Popping

For those wanting to uphook, getting good pop is vital for Raley’s, S-bend’s, in fact every powered trick that exists! Quite often the most common problem for any unhooked trick comes back to the very beginning and mistakes in that initial pop.

Want to master this trick in full? The Progression Kiteboarding Advanced DVD covers everything from setting up and learning the basics of unhooking, to learning to pop and then on to in depth instruction for how to throw down a raley and a s-bend -buy it now from our online store.

So this is just part one of the ‘art of popping’ from Progression, in the next blog post we’ll run through some of the progressions you can take after the basics of popping to spice things up a bit!

Tags: advanced, how to, instruction, intermediate, jumping, kiteworld, motordrive, pop, popping, tips, top tips, video
Posted in top tips | 2 Comments »

A Survival Guide – 5 Tips For Kiting In Strong Winds

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Last night the wind howled all night here in Tarifa, rattling my shutters – and me – awake in the early hours. Kiters are rarely praying for less wind but with only a handful of diehards able to make it out here the last week or so you wonder whats best – howling strong winds or no wind at all? At least in no wind you can turn to activities like cable or SUP, and of course lounging in the sun without being sandblasted!

Now we would never advocate going out in winds that you didn’t think you could handle but sometimes people limit their sessions unnecessarily when really it just comes down to learning good technique that will enable you remain in control in all types of conditions. Being able to go out in a wider variety of conditions not only will stop you being a frustrated kiteboarder but will make you more skilled – ready to deal with challenges when they arise even on an average day.

Approach new conditions and locations as you would any new trick. Assess, understand and practice. Strong winds can deliver some awesome sessions so don’t be put off, just be prepared and follow these five top tips:

Tip 1 – Keep The Kite Low.

You want to be in control and in kitesurfing, control is all about your edge. It might feel natural to keep your kite high and out of the power zone when its super windy, but this will pull you up and off your edge making it hard to resist gusts. Keep your kite low at 45 degrees, that way you’ll be flying the kite and not the other way round.

Tip 2 – Edge Really Hard.

Pushing hard with your back leg, push your board edge deep in the water. Not only is edging about staying in control but its about keeping your speed low. By edging hard you also drive your kite to the edge of the window which again, will allow you to reduce power and stay in control.

Tip 3 – Power Stance

The classic piece of advice you get when you learn is “shag it don’t shit it” as an eloquent way of illustrating the right position to hold your body in. In strong winds though you need to “shit it” a bit more. Sit back down in your harness so your hips aren’t so forward but still keep your shoulders back and arms slightly bent. This is the power stance!

Tip 4 – Assess The Risk Factor

In new places you probably do this all the time but you need to do this even at your local spot if the winds are strong. Hopefully others will be out or rigging up so first up see what sizes they are on, but importantly also consider their size, weight and ability in comparison to you. If you only have one size of kite and its not right then don’t just risk it – you wouldn’t drive a car down a busy high street if it could only go at 90mph! Sit it out this time and keep yourself amused by watching how others cope with the conditions – it could give you some useful insight!

prix cialis pharmacie

Tip 5 – Be Safety Conscious

This is basic stuff really but we all know how we can lose our head when we are excited to get out! In strong winds though if something is gonna go wrong, its gonna go really wrong. Double, triple check your lines are set up ok, preferably find someone to launch your kite who you know and trust, never self launch and don’t hang around on the beach. Sometimes you can feel overpowered on the beach but fine on the water so get out as soon (but as safely) as you can.

Kiteboarding is all about taking considered risks – well, it is an extreme sport! Never put yourself in a situation you can not handle and be as prepared as you can by watching instructional content, listening to others advice and taking time to assess the situation before you take the plunge. Most importantly though, have confidence and enjoy the session, if you can nail your tricks in extreme conditions you are that much closer to being a more competent and skilled kitesurfer!

Tags: conditions, instruction, intermediate, safety, strong wind, tips
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Add a little style with the help of Bas Koole

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Its been a while since we posted our last trick terminology video but we now have a dozen lined up and ready to roll out over the coming weeks.

Today we start off with a couple of stylish twists on some of the standard tricks that any intermediate should be aiming for, all courtesy of one of the most stylish riders we’ve had the pleasure to work with – Dutch Kiteboarding Champion and Airush Rider Bas Koole.

Spice up that front roll!
Take your standard hooked in boosted front roll, add a grab and kick back your head and shoulders to get inverted:

A transition with flair!
Ariel transitions can be pretty plain but not when you double up the back roll rotation and once again add in that grab and invert – smooth and stylish, we love this move!

Next week we’ll have two more tricks for all the advanced riders – and they might just give you a better idea of what Tom Hebert was doing here!

These videos do not have any in depth instruction but instead can help you quickly and visually define a particular kitesurfing trick. Whether you want to line up your next kiting progression, find inspiration or just appear more knowledgable down the beach these videos are an easy way to get clued up fast!

If there are any tricks you would like us to cover in our ‘Trick Terminology’ videos then just add them into the comments below and we’ll get it done!

Tags: airush, back roll, bas koole, front roll, front rolls, inspiration, intermediate, kiteboarding, kitesurfing, transition, trick definition, trick terminology, tricks, video
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Pro top tips from the BVI Kitejam

Friday, April 1st, 2011

The guys at New Wave Kiteboarding have filmed a great video at the BVI kite jam with loads of Pro riders top tips:

Here’s a quick summary of the tips mentioned:

Shannon Best – Check your hands are in middle of bar during tricks
Susi Mai – Training to build up muscles to prevent injury
Kristin Boese – Trick progressions, start with the less advanced tricks and work up to harder parts
Sander Lenten – Ensure you kite is tuned correctly
Youri Zoon – Don’t give up, keep trying, watch videos of others doing the tricks you want to learn
Madison Van Heurck – Safety…don’t walk up wind of kites in high winds
Tommy Fields – Ride switch – learn your tricks both ways
Pete Cabrinha – Riding waves – use a smallest kite you can and medium sized board
Andreas – Use a trampoline to practice flips and spins
Bruno – Trick Progressions, talks through the steps up to a Blind judge

There are some great points there and many are echoed in the Progression series of dvds and online content. One in particular we found interesting was the tip from Sander Lenten on tuning your kit. In our newest release – Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1 – we have a full length chapter all about tuning. It is the first time we have covered this topic in detail and have had great feedback from our customers on its value alongside more trick based instruction. Here is a short clip that gives you a taster for our tuning content:

Tuning is about getting the most out of your kit and ensuring nothing holds you back from your best ride possible. It may seem a pain to spend 10 minutes more on the beach instead of the water but it could make the difference between an awesome session and a frustrating one!

Tags: brands, equipment, intermediate, tips, tuning
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Next Progression DVD ready to be released – Intermediate Volume 1

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Its been alot of hard work, ALOT of late nights but we’re excited to say that the Progression Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1 DVD is done, off to replicators and will be back ready to ship out on Friday 3rd September 2010! Get your pre-order in today at our online store or go see your favorite kiting store on Friday.

There’s lots to talk about but in a nut shell, you’ve 2 1/4 hours of the usual Progression in depth instruction covering Jumping (including popping), carving turns, toeside riding, lightwind riding, strong winds, coping with waves and Tuning your kit. Hopefully there is something there for all you super keen kitesurfers looking to progression that little bit quicker but also for those stuck on a bit of plateau and this DVD will hopefully will be the kick in the arse that will get you doing a little more than just cruising back and forth.

Best way to understand what its all about – check out the trailer:

Order your copy today…

Tags: carving turns, dvd, instructional, intermediate, jumping, kitesurfing, toeside riding, tuning
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UPDATE : Next Progression DVD – Release January 2010

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

We gave you a quick teaser of the next DVD in the Progression Series, Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1, when we got back from our last filming trip to Egypt. In that time we’ve been re-working the script as we review and analysis the footage for some of the more complex technical sections of the DVD and it hasn’t been as straight forward as we first thought.

Half the DVD will follow the standard Progression Method – First Run Through, Key Elements & Common Mistakes, but some of the insight we want to in part can be very technical and confusing if not explain in the correct manner – things like kite dynamics, apparent wind and kite tuning. These and other aspects are the kind of things you pick up over time from an experienced kiter, and are best explained face to face, as and when you come across the need to understand them. But for many access to this level of experience is not readily available or worst still you may not realise the question needs to be asked!

So though we hoped to have the new dvd available for Christmas, we didn’t feel that the we could if we wanted to offer the level of instructional expected, in a clear and easily understandable manner. So anyone looking to master carving turns, toeside riding, jumping, lightwind riding, Strong Wind riding, understanding riding in waves, chop, tide & current along with tuning of your kite, lines, bar and board, we’ll you’ll just have to wait until January 2010. Sorry but it will be worth the wait.

Also to clear up a little bit of confusion – this new Intermediate Volume 1 DVD is not a replacement for the current Intermediate DVD. It sits perfectly between the New Beginner 2nd Edition and the current Intermediate, which will later be re-branded Intermediate Volume 2 – so there is no reason to hold off buying either of these DVDs in time for Christmas

Tags: intermediate, kitesurfing
Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments »