Hawaiis wrote:They will have problem even putting their feet in the strap with a floaty surfboard., their body will twist and turn, they can not even get in the starting position without a lots of energy to push the board into the water to edge. I remember those windsurfing days, waterstarting was the steepest learning curve of all the sports that I have tried. If only windsurfing have twin tips, they would still be around today.
I think that is utter nonsense (the last part about windsurf twin tips)
At least, I dont understand it at all I must say...
Edging is the worst ENEMY of everything connected to good skills and technique IMO.
A reminiscence from wakeboarding (which does not exist around here really), and fine for freestyle, but a no no for good surfing and sailing technique.
You "fight" the elements in a wrong way, and instead of changing the kite power into speed or glide only, you change it into loss too (spray), and you ride on a hairy knifes edge between disaster (losing your edge) and no speed (too much edging).
Whereas with a directional you ride without fighting anything - just let the kite pull and off it goes by itself.
You can put "pressure" on the board - meaning on the fins or hydrofoil, which translates into speed or jumps, but if you are edging, you are doing something completely wrong typically
I've seen so many mediocre (most all kitesurfers are mediocre seen in a wide perspective) kitesurfers, who are quite good and have ridden TT's for years.
Then they want to start up on a kitesurf waveboard, and try and try - and end up ditching and selling it
Simply because they had gotten so stuck into the "bad habits" from TwinTips
Most have finally find their way though, years later again, as they WANT to ride directionals and can see all the advantages and fun in waves especially - so my advice, and what many also does, is to get a kitesurf waveboard, take the straps off - and now they are forced to ride "correctly" and learn to glide, to use the fins, to use the edges, to use the full board !
The problem if they got straps, is they will ride just like on their TT, which is totally useless - the board will bounce up and down, it will slide and jump out of the water, etc etc.
This will be "cured" quite fast when learning strapless - and then they can use straps again when learned to ride correct
(and almost everybody does this, straps again, and a small part prefer to ride strapless in some conditions of course)
Some NEVER get into riding directionals, because they are so stuck in this TT "rut", and can not change.
Really a shame, as many WANT to, but can not do it
So the edging (and pressure on the back foot too) part is one of the worst enemys of good riding IMO, and why many does not learn to ride directionals, EVER
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Those who has never kitesurfed - and start on a directional board, will get up riding way faster it seems, thus have an even steeper learning curve, as RIDING without too much kitepower is the name of the game for learning things.
And if the kite pulls a bit too much, the board will just be pulled a bit further downwind even if the newbee does not do anything (because of the fins), so the pull will dissapear.
My experience at least, is that the learning is much more natural and fast
Upwind will also be possible much faster, as soon as some kite control is mastered - and you will be able to master the kite simultaneously much faster when you get up and ride for longer periods immediately.
Regarding the "trouble of installing straps on a surfboard" ?
It is the opposite that is the case in most countries, except the few surf nations maybe.
Every single production kitesurf waveboard almost, has straps.
You can choose to ride without, fine - but hardly any boards seen/sold without straps, so it is no trouble at all for beginners.
A windsurf waterstart was a huge relief, when it was "invented" in the start of the 80s - as suddenly you could start really really fast and easy, especially in bigger waves it was the ONLY way.
Of course, footstraps was not invented back then, so required some good balance - but that was fun.
When straps came, and boards became really short (windsurf waveboards around 2 meters only) - it resulted in extremely easy and fast waterstarts now - as the board/straps would be easy to get into, and when you pulled in to get power, you just got lifted up and the board directed itself downwind riding on its fins flat, without thinking at all, and without the risk of getting pulled over (forward/leeward) like on a big ferry
The very same goes for kitesurfing.
The good old Mutants, would be even easier to learn on, if you want a board that sits deep in the water.
But again - why should a board sit "IN" the water (again, from wakeboarding) ?
As someone mentioned, having okay loose straps on a dedicated not too small finned kitesurf waveboard - or even a mutant which is even narrower and thinner - makes it really easy for beginners
I love to ride TT also, but it is two completely different sports - TT riding and directional riding.
Like both a lot, but could hardly be more different and almost opposite techniques in every way...
Foilboarding is a third way of riding - which is ALSO very different from TT and non foiling directionals, but it is actually closer to riding big finned raceboards, than any of the two other board types.
Nobody learns to "turn" on their first kite class anyways, but being able to get up and ride both ways easy, will make your learning faster IMO.
Today, kitesurfing is learned so much faster because of lots of instructors, lots of much better (easier) gear - which also means, that it only takes very short, till new riders want more challenge and fun - which is what tacking and jibing can give, especially the last thing "CARVING" which is almost the ultimate one can experience when riding a directional of any kind - a full planing carving jibe weight forward, and you are in heaven
You will get up and ride sooner on a directional when learning IMO, just like for the very same reason it makes sense to use a much bigger TT for the first learning period, eventhough you will ditch it quite soon after the initial learning stage.
Above was a bit more thorough explanation why I think it makes sense in many cases, to use directionals for teaching/learning.
Especially if it is some who knows that it is waves they dream about and are aiming for
I like ALL of the types, but the difference is extreme in terms of how to ride !!!
Peter
