Becoming a Kiteboarder

1. INSTRUCTION
Even if you are amazing at other sports, you need to take kiteboarding lessons. Simply combine modern equipment with qualified instruction and kiteboarding becomes a very safe and easy sport. Starting out the right way will save you a lot of aggravation, you will progress as fast as possible and, most importantly, you will not put yourself and others at risk.

2. GEAR
You can’t be a kiteboarder without the proper gear. First, you need a trainer kite and an instructional DVD. The trainer kite will give you the kite-flying skills to control your larger inflatable kite and the DVD will help you visualize the sport.

Once you complete your lessons you’ll need kites. Modern kiteboarding gear has broadened the wind range and safety of the sport, so people of all weights and ages can kiteboard. Making the investment into a range of kites will increase your number of days on the water. With one kite you can kiteboard about 50 percent of the time there is wind. With two kites that percentage jumps to about 75 percent and with three kites you will be able to kiteboard in about 90 percent of conditions.

Your next crucial purchase is a board. Boards have taken the same developmental path as kites. Many people try to use a wakeboard or old surfoard to start out, but they become more of a hassle than a help. Modern board construction and design allow you to ride through chop and go upwind with ease.

3. PRACTICE
The biggest mistake people make when learning to kiteboard (once they’ve taken lessons) is they wait for the conditions to be a perfect 15 to 20 mph before they will practice. To become a kiteboarder you need to become a proficient kite flyer before you can begin riding behind the kite. By starting with a trainer kite and working up to flying your inflatable kite on a light-wind day, you will build the necessary kite-flying and rigging skill set. When the conditions are sideshore and steady, you can take your inflatable kite into the water if you have the necessary kite control to be safe.

The second step in the practice stage is working on board skills. Any board skills will translate to helping you become a kiteboarder, but the best will be practicing on an Indo Board and wakeboarding. The Indo Board will help you find your center of gravity and enhance you ability to stay balanced on a board. Wakeboarding will take your balance onto the water and give the feeling of edging against a power source.

Through every level of your learning curve you can always take more instruction, practice and choose the gear you want to kiteboard on. With these three steps and a little dedication, you will be a kiteboarder in no time.

Thanks to Matt Nuzzo from Real Kiteboarding and Kiteboarding Mag for this article