IKO too easy

[Guest]

Yeah,well it looks like the best way to learn is from a competent friend or somone with a good reputation rather than somone hiding behind a name.

Well if you can't make a name for yourself, use somone elses.Incompetent instructors need a paper to prove what nobody would guess they are.There are such persons at my local beach but somehow people always ask the better sailors for lessons/advice, and they dont need to show credentials.
Still it is a shame that organisations like Iko do such things.One of my kiteboarding instructor friends told me that becoming a IKO instructor now would be a down grade for him...

[Guest]

I have been involved in teaching kitesurfing for 2 1/2 years now and thought that it would be "nice" to get IKO certification. That is until I found out what was involved.

I was told that the criteria was to "sort of stay upwind", have a first aid certificate and be able to drive a power boat. That's it!

When I asked what additional benefits there were to becoming IKO certified, the guy could "hardly believe that I didn't see the benefits, and was SHOCKED that as a retailer I was not GRABBING the opportunity to LEGITIMIZE my operation and cease being a danger and set a good example". (all for a LARGE fee of course )
He was still unable to explain any benefits though. This particular guy is the regional instructor for certifying instructors (if you know what I'm trying top say) and even his kiting skills are suspect. (not dissing him, but questioning the IKO standards)

Smacks of mob style "protectionism" if you ask me.

Good Luck IKO!

[Guest]

Well, if IKO stops passing instructors easely there will be less potential customers willing to take an expensive course (worth nothing) with the hasard of failing.I hear that they are not doing that well anyway so expect the course to be even easier in the future.Here is an interesting question.Is there someone out there who has failed an IKO course?

Mike

[Mal]

As a UK based, 'improver' I am amazed/aghast that this is the case with regard to IKO instructors.
I assume though, that the big come uppance will be when there is some tragic accident and they find out the victim / causer of the accident had just passed a course given by an IKO instructor who himself had about as much experience as diddly squat.

[Nik_KiteAntigua]

Oh man are you guys full of shit!! Please do not submit information "that you were told of" or "you heard of" and then provide an opinion on it like it is gospel. This happens too much on this forum and is a big reason that I mostly just lurk and do no post very often.

Please, please check into what you are talking about before you spew shit all over the place an embarrass yourselves(too late for that).

The IKO, PASA, etc. are good things and if you think otherwise please keep sitting in your armchair (as you are obviously doing as evidenced by your ridiculous misinformation) and stay off the beach.

First of all the IKO course is five full days; 40 hours of instruction (just as suggested by Rick above). It has never been less. It is a thorough course including meteorology, first aid, etc. The people behind the IKO have been in the sport since its inception and know what they are doing and are working hard to promote this sport in a SAFE way.

I know one thing for sure; (this is from first hand experience….not wanking on the couch dreaming of kiteboarding) many of the so called “advanced ridersâ€

[Guest]

You must be an IKO instructor.You must be upset now you realised you spent all that money for nothing but i understand your point because i am an IKO instructor too and i was hoping they would somehow "protect "our standard by giving it only to students who deserve it. Do you honestly beleive that 40 hours coaching (if there is wind) is really enough for such an extreme sport?period.How about experience?
No need to loose your temper, patience is the vertue of any instructor.

[Guest]

Unfortunately I have seen an example of the pay your $1000 dollars and recieve your IKO teaching certificate.A young female instructor where I sail is always walking up the beach because she loses ground every time she goes out.I have seen her rescued by other sailors in moderate winds when everyone else is fine and in control.I am not saying this too dis the girl in question (it doesnt matter what gender they are),Its just bad policy for IKO because everyone can see the course for what it is.

[RickI]

Lots of good points there Nik. Lets try to keep things in perspective. It is easy to trash something that is new, not particularly well capitalized and is only starting to grow in popularity. Say, like kiteboarding gear, 4 years ago.

When conditions were optimal for a given kite size, it worked pretty well, for going downwind for many riders. The kites were slow, didn't allow you ride that closely to the wind, were harder to jump and land. But, we still bought the stuff, swam and walked, went out in too light/high wind and kept at it AND CONTINUED TO BUY GEAR. This started some great things into motion, the manufacturers noticed our interest and put money at risk investing in developing and innovation for this sport. They came out with some real gems and some not so successful developments, just like in any new enterprize. It took time but eventually there was a wide field of selections to choose from with many great performers in the lot. It took TIME, MONEY (from riders and the industry), TRIAL AND ERROR but with persistance it took hold.

Now to kiteboarding instruction. Only a year ago, people would often respond," professional instruction? There aren't any instructors within my region that I know about." Instructors were rare things unique to high wind resorts off in the distance for most riders. There are more certified instructors coming out of the training organizations today and you may ACTUALLY have a pro instructor within reasonable driving distance today, maybe. Kiteboarding can be a hazardous activity for the rider and potentially bystanders if things go wrong. Will kiteboarding instruction eliminate this risk, no, probably not at any time in the near future. Will it help to reduce the risk, yes, certainly better than going off on your own or even with casual, limited input from friends. Not all instructors or schools are equal in kiteboarding or most other sports that come to mind. Want to change or improve things? Pay substantially more than you currently do for instruction and demand certain levels of performance. No takers? Then you will have to do what we did with the kite gear four years ago. Invest in the process, take the gems, try to dodge the busts, wait and ask for improvements. Instructor training is a business however and to survive it has to be a sound business. Competition between IKO, PASA, KISS and other groups should bring improvement as well, but it will take time.

The 30 to 40 hour course that I was referring to was for the STUDENTS, not the instructors. My SCUBA instructor course was closer to 60 hours and was quite an education in many ways. It takes time though. Do your research on a potential instructor carefully and make a careful choice. Instruction, like gear, should only grow better but it will take time and investment by riders and the industry. If you ignore it what do you think will happen instead?

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

[robertovillate]

I think that PASA and IKO should look at the US SAILING teaching programs.

US SAILING has instructor certification courses for several different levels of sailing and types of boats. These are not instructional courses, but rather observed practicals. As part of the course fee they provide an instructors manual and classroom manual. It is a minimum 3 day program (sometimes 12 hr days) and they really take you to task on your knowledge AND ability to teach. Those who o not pass can take the test again but they raise the standard even higher. If you fail that test you have to wait for a year and go through, and pay for, the whole course again.

When I got certified there were 11 qualiified applicants (all experienced instructors), and to the shock of many only 3 of us passed. The standards are really tough and the Instructor Trainers (ITs) are incredibly strict with their standards. This is a pass or fail deal. You either know your stuff or you do not. Nobody helps you pass the course and EVERYONE is held to the same standard. My feeling was that the course was purposely long and grueling so that they could see how you react under really tough conditions, when you are tired, etc. to see how your handle problems instinctually. Assuming you can pass the course you also need current Red Cross 1st Aid/CPR to get your certificate. You also ned to maintian your certification every couple years depending on your teaching log.

I think that kitesurfing instructors need to have some standards set and they should be very high given the dangers of the sport. I am sure a lot of people out there will want to downplay this so they can get teaching "status" easily, but we should all be looking at the long-term viability of the sport. The benefits of a good certificaion program include: lowering liability risks, reasonable insurance rates, lowering injury rates, getting better new kiters on the water, maintaining a positive perception of our sport, etc...

Unfortunately this will probably eliminate half of the people out there who think they are qualified. Only the people who are dedicated to teaching this sport will invest the time and money into becoming certified under similar standards. But then I just read about a guy running a kitesruf school in Hawaii making $200,000.00!!!

I already know a few people calling themselves he instructors who do not have the qualifications, resources, insurnce, safety training, and this is scary. I am wondering what will make people take this seriously??? I have been thinking about taking the PASA course myself, but I might be disillusioned if I see them "selling" certifcates.

roberto

[Guest]

Our attention was brought on this forum and we would like to put the record straight.
To become an IKO instructor, there are various qualifications required and after a complete 5 days training program, the candidates pass OR fail the certification. This year, IKO has upgraded the standards, making it even more difficult to pass the certification (check the IKO web site for a complete list of the prerequisites and actual cost). Instructors that do not follow the standards and that do not prove efficient and safe learning can have their certification suspended. So believe it or not, becoming an IKO instructor is not an easy task and being a good instructor an even harder one.
The IKO examiners also have specific standards and must apply them. When it is brought to our attention that they don't, we can assure you that we do what is necessary to put things back in order. Our business is not to certify as many instructors as possible. That would be bad publicity for us, would discredit our training program, and would jeopardize the safety of students and other water users. IKO does not benefit from massive training courses, as the dividends paid to IKO per candidate is small. We are working on a long term basis, to create greater awareness of the sport, and to ensure that it is practised safely.
Ever since the beginning, that has been one of our sole priorities. Our training program is recognized in more that 18 countries and IKO is working with associations and federations as its program is the official one recognized (Maui, UK, and more).
IKO.