Tips for learning to kite with a prosthetic leg.

[Kau pi kite tarifa]

Currently I am teaching kitesurfing to a man with 1 above the knee prosthetic leg. In the hope to find information about this I contacted Bille and searched through the forum.

Bille said let's make this a public topic and here we are:

This thread is meant to collect as much information as possible about learning to kitesurf with a prosthetic leg.

Are there more forum members riding with prosthetics?

What are the do's and don'ts?

How do the prosthetics hold up against the salt water and the forces of kitesurfing?

Can you compensate somehow for not feeling the board?

[ChickenD!ken]

Hmm. Tough one. I would think it’s possible but the practical details I do not know. Watched a very touching 30 min. documentary called ReSurface on Netflix a while ago about US veterans learning how to surf. Some of these guys have ptsd and are missing multiple limbs but amazingly they are riding waves and healing in all sorts of ways. Don’t know who made the documentary but it might be worth looking into contacting them to see if they can refer you to someone with real knowledge on the subject. Fingers crossed for your project..

[jeromeL]

Currently I am teaching kitesurfing to a man with 1 above the knee prosthetic leg. In the hope to find information about this I contacted Bille and searched through the forum.

Bille said let's make this a public topic and here we are:

This thread is meant to collect as much information as possible about learning to kitesurf with a prosthetic leg.

Are there more forum members riding with prosthetics?

What are the do's and don'ts?

How do the prosthetics hold up against the salt water and the forces of kitesurfing?

Can you compensate somehow for not feeling the board?

You should talk to the one legged kiteboard chick Frances Osorio Rivera, I think she reply to messages, she actually taught my wife a beginner lesson in PR.
https://www.iksurfmag.com/kitesurfing-n ... io-rivera/

I remember she explained to my wife how she was explaining to my wife her issues with the prostetic maybe she got a better one since then, she actually used ductape to lock it in place but after a long body dragging session hooking to the back of the student she was loosing her leg.
You should check out her video she throws some nice trick with it

[sflinux]

Is the position of kneeling doable with a prosthetic limb?
I would think that a large board would be a nice stable platform. I would think a SUP, longboard, Egg, or fish would be where I would start. Light winds and a floaty board make for some peaceful sessions. Switch to a SUP paddle if the winds are too light. With SUPs, I've found it easier to fly the kite unhooked.

[SENDIT!]

Currently I am teaching kitesurfing to a man with 1 above the knee prosthetic leg. In the hope to find information about this I contacted Bille and searched through the forum.

Bille said let's make this a public topic and here we are:

This thread is meant to collect as much information as possible about learning to kitesurf with a prosthetic leg.

Are there more forum members riding with prosthetics?

What are the do's and don'ts?

How do the prosthetics hold up against the salt water and the forces of kitesurfing?

Can you compensate somehow for not feeling the board?

You should talk to the one legged kiteboard chick Frances Osorio Rivera, I think she reply to messages, she actually taught my wife a beginner lesson in PR.
https://www.iksurfmag.com/kitesurfing-n ... io-rivera/

I remember she explained to my wife how she was explaining to my wife her issues with the prostetic maybe she got a better one since then, she actually used ductape to lock it in place but after a long body dragging session hooking to the back of the student she was loosing her leg.
You should check out her video she throws some nice trick with it

Frances is exactly the correct person to feed you this info. Not only does she have a prosthetic and kite with it, she's also taught some folks like that through the Wind Sports For Wounded Warriors. I've taught some people through that program, but none were missing any limbs. I had one in a wheelchair, but we just did trainer kite riding in the parking lot w/the chair!
http://ws4ww.org/

[Bushflyr]

I would think that a large board would be a nice stable platform. I would think a SUP, longboard, Egg, or fish would be where I would start. Light winds and a floaty board make for some peaceful sessions. Switch to a SUP paddle if the winds are too light. With SUPs, I've found it easier to fly the kite unhooked.

While I'm normally a strong advocate for surfboards I really think it's the wrong option for an amputee. You need to be able to move your feet around and feel the board much more on a surfboard. On a twin tip you only have one foot position and never need to move your feet. Just lock in and go. Not being able to feel the board with a foot is pretty irrelevant for a TT but important for a surfboard.

For the OP, it really shouldn't be all that different from teaching a 2 legged person. Making sure the leg/foot doesn't come out of the binding somehow is important and I'd probably put a leash of some sort from the prosthetic to his harness so it won't go sinking to the depths if it somehow comes loose.

[Bille]

Currently I am teaching kitesurfing to a man with 1 above the knee prosthetic leg.
...

Bille said let's make this a public topic and here we are:

...

1) Are there more forum members riding with prosthetics?

2) What are the do's and don'ts?

3) How do the prosthetics hold up against the salt water and the forces of kitesurfing?

4) Can you compensate somehow for not feeling the board?

1- I haven't found many , and i didn't know why at first , but 75 to 80% of all
legs amputated in the USA, are due to diabetes ; so i think it's common to
unhealthy and + sized people who wouldn't go swimming to begin with ?

2- Don't stay out on the water , if you need a sizer-sock ; when the adrenaline
wears off, HOLLY-COW does the cut-off stump HURT !!! Don't put too
many sizer-socks on either, (thinking you will srink in to fit) ; what
it does is cut off blood circulation and causes cramping in a Big way , Ouch!!

Also -- a prosthetic is Dead weight, and sinks fast ; i would recommend
using a minim 2-mil shortie wetsuit, for bouncy. The foot ankle is fixed, and doesn't do
much but add drag when swimming ; so being able to just barely float is essential
if it's a long swim in. The BEST part about the short wetsuit is that when
Ya put it Over the liners it won't allow a lot of water to get in. When i
kite board with no wetsuit ; i got to duck-tape the exposed skin to the
liner. Shave First !! I can get into what liner i use later, if needed ?

3- I broke 3 prosthetics while kite boarding ; it breaks the end of the socket
where the pylon and socket screw together. Not needed now, to learn, but later
get your fake-leg maker, to add a few extra layers of carbon to the bottom
of the socket and up maybe 4cm where the lock mechanism is located. If you
got one made from that new ballistic stuff called Synthex™ composite fiber ; ---
i wouldn't use it even to learn on , because i broke the Right socket the second
day i owned it, (went kiteboarding) and it was gone with NO jumping. Now
adding some Carbon to Synthex will make it so strong and stiff that i haven't bin
able to bust the last one i made, and it's 30% lighter than the stock one was.

And Sand likes to screw-up the lock ; don't use grease, but do use silicon.

Salt, sun and water , don't have much affect ; just the sand and silt in the water,
like to screw-up the locking devise , so don't hang out near shore where small waves
break, just go out a bit further. You WILL need to clean the locking mechanism
after each day in the water IF theres a lot of silt and sand mixed in churning
water ; stay away from shore-break of wind-waves !!!
If you continue on kiting ; replace all the steal screws on your prosthetic
with SS ones , and do that before the stock steel ones start to rust
or you'll Never get them out.

4- YES
But remember i got (2) fake legs, so the feedback from his good leg might
make a Huge difference. ME-- i got no feeling what-so-ever beyond my stump
and i need to look at how the water comes off the rear, heal-side fin ,to know
if the board is going straight.

Another draw-back is when i had real legs, i used a Duck stance , (toes Out)---
When i relearned with the two fake ones with the Duck stance, the moment i bend
my rear knee , the foot pushes the toes Down into the board, and the front foot
would pull the toes Up cause the front leg was streight, causing the board to turn
up-wind, (Fast).I went to a pidgin stance, (toes pointed in) and the problem went away.
But with only one fake leg, that might not be a problem to begin with.

Practice putting your feet into the foot-straps , ((Before)) you hook up to
a kite ; i had to make a longer handle because my body is kinda broken, and
your student probably won't have a problem.

I need knee-braces to kite with and snow ski ; again it's because i have two
fakies and probably won't be a problem for you.


Really Good observation ; i agree 100%
to go with a TT to learn with ,(and NOT a giant one) ; go with what's normal
for most of your students !

I can go quite well on a directional ; i think i'm ready to trade
the two foot-straps in for a set of hooks so i can move easier.
It's the start-up where i NEED the strapps , (the ankle don't bend) ; once up and
going, i feel way more stable.

...
Making sure the leg/foot doesn't come out of the binding somehow is important
and I'd probably put a leash of some sort from the prosthetic to his harness so it
won't go sinking to the depths if it somehow comes loose.

The girl who called to take me to the lake tomorrow ; she had to spend 2 tanks of
air, diving down to 40-ft, looking for the last one i lost !

BTW -- That wasn't the first time i Needed a diver to retrieve my leg ; so now i tie
it on really good !!

Some pictures of your students first and last day of training, (if more than one) would be GREAT !!!

Bille

[FLandOBX]

I don't know if Sean Reyngoudt is on this forum or even if he's still kiting.......I really hope so! A few years ago, he was "da' man" with a prosthetic on a kiteboard or wakeboard. I'm sure he'd be a good resource if you can find him.

http://www.prostheticorthoticdesigns.co ... reyngoudt/

[Bille]

I don't know if Sean Reyngoudt is on this forum or even if he's still kiting...

YEA , that would be Awesome to read what Sean has to say ; i read about
him and he's 10X better than i ever was !!!
Bille

[FLandOBX]

I don't know if Sean Reyngoudt is on this forum or even if he's still kiting...

YEA , that would be Awesome to read what Sean has to say ; i read about
him and he's 10X better than i ever was !!!
Bille

Bille, I think Sean is 10X better than 99% of us on this forum, no matter how many limbs. That's why he's da' man.