I'm new to jumping and every time I catch some air I drop my board - how can I get over my fear of jumping and thinking that I will bath my knees into my face?

You want to land softly. I found that I was sheeting out to avoid going too high, but that was causing me to land really hard. If you keep the bar sheeted in you will go higher, but will also land softly. Also dont take the kite much past 12.

I have never even come close to bashing my knees in my face so Im not sure where that fear comes from. If I have a hard landing I might worry about tearing a tendon or something though.

Hey,

You would really have to hit the water super hard to make your knees bash your face.

Don't go out in mental winds and take things slowly.

remember to send the kite while still edging and once the kite goes past 12, slowly move it back above yourself while keeping the bar pulled in a bit. If you push the bar out you will drop like a rock.

Keep jumping to deep water, never shallower than 1m IMO.

Hope that helps.

Tony

start with longer, low jumps and then when you are comfortable with that, move on to more hight.
try just riding along comfortably and with out moving the board at all, just send the kite a bit to just past 12. All you are really doing is pulling slightly with the back hand and then pulling with the front hand. You will just go a bit downwind a bit off the water. No hight so easier landings and less fear.

The later send it for real and hang on to the board edge longer.

and hang on to your shorts so you can clean them out.....

The biggest danger with jumping is if you swing under the kite and lose line tension - which can result in the kite and lines falling ontop of you. Basically start small and get the feel of it and edge upwind on take off. After a while you will know as soon as you take off if it has gone wrong and can redirect hard to cancel the jump. As you get more confident do it with more board speed and more aggressive sending of the kite to go higher.

Check this out...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=poP5h-M7 ... oP5h-M7xrg


Explains the above good info given and has the hulk in it, which can only be good.