FLandOBX wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:13 pm
Good advice from jakemoore. I had a lot of fun on a buggy and mountainboard with a 2-line 3 meter foil kite when I was learning. I lived inland and couldn't always get to water, but open fields were plentiful. You can learn a lot about kite control and the wind window playing around with a small kite in the fields.
good2go, if you can get to some wide-open and shallow water, don't be afraid to take a smallish (6 meter) 4-line inflatable into the shallows (knee to thigh deep) and practice some launching, landing and body dragging (no board). Using a 6 meter is a lot less intimidating if you're in the water as opposed to being on land. If you get launched, just relax, land in the water superman style, and sheet out. Make sure you're in water/wind conditions that allow you to be safe and not crash into others.
I'm not really a fan of teaching beginners on land with kites larger than 3-4 meters. If you're in wind with a kite size that can launch you, better to be in water.
This makes perfect sense (see question in bold below).
Thanks for the added advice guys.
There's not that many lakes around here, that I know of, that are knee to waist deep. I'm thinking about making the trek out to Houston and taking some additional lessons in shallower water.
Sheeting-out was my biggest mental block when learning with the 6m. I can move it left to right, but can't move it in front of me at 45 degree angle without the fear of being launched 50' feet forward, and this is how I was dragged a short distance. On land that would suck, not so much on water. Great advice.
I'd like to be around a 4 meter so that I could get he kite into the power zone successfully and control the kite, this is what scared me silly with the 6m. The progression from the trainer kite to the 6m was almost pointless as those kites have completely different reaction to the wind when in the power zone, of course this is due to the power they each generate is completely different.
I've exchanged numbers with a fellow Dallas kiteboarder, hopefully we can both get out and fly something on land safely, or be there when the other needs to call 911.
-----------------------
HERE IS ANOTHER NEWBIE QUESTION THAT MAY ANSWER ALL OF MY QUESTIONS: if I purchase a 6m kite to practice on land, will I be able to or will I not be able to put the kite in front of me at 45 degree angle in the power zone?
As I continue reading and gathering information, I could possibly answer this question as NO, and that's because logic tells me I would end up either in the air or being dragged on the ground since this is where the kite makes power and is intended to be in this position to move the boarder across the water surface.
If that's the case, then I think I'll pass on buying a small kite for practice and get myself out on the water where I can work on being pulled by the kite and water relaunches.
Thank you.