Wow!

[white noise]

went out last night down at the duckpond in exmouth for a session after work, still at the learning stage of just getting up and riding for a small distance. the wind was gusty but fairly good and was out on a 10m rhino, had a poor start to the session with a floundering run over the small channel to the shallows of a sandbank and spent ages in the middle of the duckpond trying to go right (my worse direction), with the tide dragging me down wind and i was really struggling, at this point i really was thinking if kitesurfing was for me as i was getting really frustrated at not bring able to go right, and getting pi$$ed off with having to work so hard just to no where!

some how i had a up/fall back/up/fall back/up run with the kite and got over the channel and was able to walk up wind and back to shore a bit so i could try going left again.

had a couple of half decent runs to the left but not great but then i had the best run of the night and it felt absoluting fantastic, i was up and felt smooth, fast and constant power from the kite from me doing the right movements. Its a great feeling just skimming across the water. i got carried away enjoying myself and went quite far out and by the time that i realised where i was it was too late, though instead of usually happens that i have to stop because i stacked it, i stopped being in control.

slight bummer to the end of the evening that in trying to get back to the grass of the duckpond, going right. i ended up dumping my kite and couldn't get it relaunched so had to drift to the duckpond far shore and had to spend 10 mins sorting out tangled lines.

 

obviously you guys are doing this all the time, every single session but for the first time last night i felt i was actually riding properly, next i need to do is be able to ride properly to my right and get up wind. its taken me ages to get this far (i.e being crap) but feel that i really made a big step last night!

don't know what i am doing wrong going to my right but has anyone got any tips on how to ride on your difficult side?

WN (stoked!)

[kevob]

anyone got any tips on how to ride on your difficult side?

WN (stoked!)

 

just keep practicing it will soon come

[benbaron]

^^^^ tis the only way

[moagli]

from riding snowboard equally well on goofy and regular when it comes to kitesurfing it was the same but when i was learning to snowboard i took some valuable tips. Firstly on the side you favor try and ride least on that but when you are focus on your body position/mainly where your legs are (e.g left leg front straight, back leg bent) then when your ride on your other side do the opposite. This may seem bit silly of obvious but if you describe how you ride one way to yourself then in your head switch left and right it will come much more naturally!

[danmon81]

you'll have another session where it all clicks for you and you leave the water stoked!! like kev said once you've got one way sorted spend a while focusing on going the other way.....i promise in a few weeks you'll be saying i dont know what the big deal was!! Enjoy!

[stueyboy]

When I was learning, I always tried to go upwind too soon on my poorer side. Maybe give it a bit more downwind travel to get started and build up your speed so that you get on the plane.

[soggy]

When I was learning, I always tried to go upwind too soon on my poorer side. Maybe give it a bit more downwind travel to get started and build up your speed so that you get on the plane.

 

^^^ That's the key thing that people get wrong. You need speed to be able to go upwind and you get that speed from riding downwind.

 

Go and get an hours private tuition you'll be up and cruising on your weak tack in no time.

Saves getting frustrated for the sake of £40

[Noo Noo]

make room for another one in the nut house!