LEARNING TO KITESURF ON YOUR OWN

How to learn kitesurfing alone
With this phrase it is evident that just by mentioning it one is already getting into trouble. Is the answer yes? No? Absolutely no? …
But, is it possible to learn kitesurfing alone? I mean on your own or with the help of a friend who knows.
The answer is twofold, I mean, yes and no.

I would not be the most indicated person to deny it since I myself learned by myself. Of course, you can say that they were other times, or put it another way, there were no schools, there was no one to teach you, it was the very beginning of the sport.

We would have to go back to the year 1998, to October of that year to be more exact. There it all started for me. As I do not want to extend too much in this explanation and go into too much detail I am going to go to the subject that leads to the entry to this blog.

The answer is no. Do not try. Do not try to learn by yourself.  Why? Because it’s not worth it.
Is it, despite everything, possible to learn on your own? … well yes, but if you consider the pros and cons, the answer becomes a boomerang and we go back to no. And now I explain.

¿El kiteboarding es difícil? Esa es una pregunta difícil de responder.
Depende de otras habilidades que uno tenga, de cómo aprenda el deporte y de con qué equipo aprenda.

Pero antes de esas consideraciones hay 2 que van por delante de todo y son: Donde vas a aprender y en qué condiciones de viento vas a aprender.

Learn to kitesurf by yourself

And, back to the initial question: How to learn kitesurfing alone, well, better not to try it for the reasons that I will now mention, or rather because trying to learn alone we will not have enough information about each of the factors necessary to learn. . Enumerating:

1.- You do not know the necessary and appropriate wind conditions to learn
2.- You do not know the needs required in the space in which you have to learn
3.- You don’t know if the material you want to learn will be -or not- the right one
4.- You do not know the method to apply to understand how a kite works
5.- And you do not know in which progression you have to practice looking for the ultimate goal of sailing

I mean, you’re clearly seeing it. You know nothing.  And most importantly: That knowledge is not going to fall from the sky by itself, or, put another way: this is complicated, more than one can believe at first.

And since the chances of failing in any one of the five points above, if not in all of them, which would be the most likely, no matter how many laps you give the matter, it is not a good idea to learn kitesurfing on your own.

Here below is a video of how the kites of the time behaved at the slightest handling error
Con un kite como este aprendí yo en 1998

Mitigating factors that “dim little” to be honest …   Can you windsurf, wakeboard, surf or do you have experience flying stunt kites?If the answer is “yes” to any of these possibilities, perhaps you will find more or less ease in certain parts of your learning.

Would this be enough for success to accompany you? Well, rather no than yes.
This is a matter of doing everything right. That the five previous points are all positive.
It is enough that only one of them fails for the risks to multiply.

Think that even having all the five points on your part, to this we must add a few more:

A.- are you aware about your greater or lesser personal ability -skills-
B.- how about your ability to concentrate
C.- your ability to learn from your own failures or mistakes -very important factor-
D.– are the weather conditions in which you are trying to learn the adequate ones
E.- there’s nobody around when we are practicing who can get hurt with our kite while we are “learning”

One is supposed to learn by practicing over what we have understood and we are able to keep in mind, but in our case, in the sport of kitesurfing, it does not work exactly like that.

You can practice as much as you want. If you are not doing things well, you will get little benefit from it, and without forgetting that at all times, we are handling a kite, which, from one moment to the next, can develop enormous amount of power, hence, any failure , may have far greater consequences than might be expected.

And with this I am done.
To everything previously described, we must add:
F.- the time factor.

Everything in this life is a matter of time. One can take more or less time to learn, and the amount of time necessary to do so is indicated by the five factors mentioned above, plus the concentration and ability to recognize our one’s mistakes and correct them as you keep your training

I learned alone. I was an expert windsurfer, I had a lot of experience flying kites, I am fortunate to be a fairly skilled and analytical person, and with little difficulty I recognize my mistakes and avoid them in the future. If that’s the case, in the right place and in the right wind conditions, maybe you will learn by yourself.

If not and you still have doubts, if you want to learn safely and save money and serious risks, look for a good kitesurfing school, choose well, and do not complicate your life.

MAIN RULES TO FOLLOW

The following points are those that were already given in early 2000, when this sport was still in its infancy. They served then and they serve now. Read them carefully and analyze.

This sport can be dangerous not only for you but also for other people around you.

1. Take lessons with a kitesurfing school
2. Use the kite responsibly and never take risks
3. Always make sure the wind is right -not in excess- in a space free of people and obstacles
4. Always make sure you have the means of getting back to shore safely
5. Evaluate the wind conditions at all times, in fact, don’t expect room for failure
6. Don’t overestimate your own abilities, gradually gain experience
7. Avoid kitesurfing alone
8. Avoid kitesurfing when the wind blows directly towards land or from land to sea
9. The exception in the first case maybe with light winds, in the second case, never
10. While sailing, preventive measures must be taken to avoid a collision with other kiters or obstacles in the water
11. The one heading to starboard has the right of way, if your right hand is ahead you have preference
12. Lowering the kite in the wind window will allow you sailing upwind
13. The one riding in the leeward side of the scene has the right of way when overtaking
14. Before changing course, first of all look back and make sure there are no other users preventing your turn
15. Never deliberately maneuver into a right-of-way position, avoid crossings whenever possible
16. Students must practice downwind of other kiters
17. Know your equipment and understand your limitations
18. Always use a kite with a quick release and safety leash in good condition
19. Regularly check all equipment, kite, bridles, lines, fins and footstraps
20. Choose the correct kite size, preferably a size just big enough but without excess of self confidence

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