Golf and Paintball. In no particular order and both can be done at the same time.
SB

As being an instructor, I'd say people that sail are my best students. Windsurfers and wake boarders are my worse students since they keep pulling in on the bar and waiting for the pull of the kite. Sailers just know the wind better and seem to be much more calmer with the kite and more fluid with its motion.

This is an interesting post for sure. Let's put it another way - if you have a newbie kiter who has never done another board sport what would you get them to do?

Now I'm a bit biased 'cuz I used to be a wakeboarding instructor. I have found that if I take people down to the local waterski club and teach them the basics of wakeboarding then they learn to kite much more quickly than those who decline to bother. I was kind of surprised to see what you said there slingshotucf and wonder if the wakeboarders you have taught were the 'weekend wally' types who have learnt themselves behind a mate's boat or are genuinely properly taught wakeboarders who have achieved a basic intermediate wakeboard level (landing at least a heelside back roll)? Still, wreknball also has a point - there are some who just get to grips with the whole kite thing faster than others irrespective of their 'boarding' background and talent.

These days I'm a committed kiter who doesn't wakeboard at all but I insist that people I teach to kite spend some time learning to wakeboard. One point that helps me is that I teach students from the same perspective for both using similar concepts and language. This helps translate the more easily acquired wakeboard skills to kiteboarding which is a much harder sport to learn.

Here are the big similarities which pay off for me when I teach people both sports in parallel:-

1. You have to let the boat/kite pull you up. All newbies try to stand too soon before they have power irrespective of the mode of traction. However, with the boat you have one less variable (A big 'un!) and you get consistent power each time you start. Another advantage of using a waterski club which usually has an excellent level of driving.

2. You have to keep your arms straight. Easier to do on a boat, harder to do with a kite with a bar sliding up and down the CL. Once a novice kiter gets it sorted behind the boat though they seem to find it much easier to keep the bar resting about half way along the depower which means their arms are relatively straight and stay that way. This stops weight going onto heels and having the board slide out and kiter heading butt first into the water.

3. Once up on the wakeboard I can shout instructions (esp using a short rope) to get stance corrected and teach toeside very quickly. A wakeboard student taught this way quickly gets the hang of keeping hips up, no rounded back and knees slightly bent. The kiting position only requires modification by increasing weight placement on the back foot.

4. It's real easy to teach the edging skills behind the boat. Load and pop is required for both sports to get max air (whether off the wake or for whip/no -whip kite jumping). Without having to worry about the kite the novice wakeboarder can usually get this pretty quickly (especially with more shouting from the boat) and again can translate this to the kite quickly.

There are no other board sports with this similarity to kiting and if used properly wakeboarding is a fantastic teaching tool. I would advise any novice kiter who feels they are struggling to find a professional waterski/wakeboard club and get some lessons.

If you want to do wakestyle stuff then I'd stick with the wakeboarding until you can back roll, tantrum and raley.

I will concede that I've seen many good wakeboarders have problems because they take their brain out and forget silly basics such as the points above. Once I remind them about the arms and having the kite pull them up then they're off downwind in no time!

Incidentally I've pretty much done every board sport there is and taught windsurfing as well. At the end of the day the wakeboarding/windsurfing etc will only get you so far. You've gotta get time on the water with your kite and board and do the walk of shame over and over! No way round that!!

Going on all the recent posts on this forum I would have to say BOXING!

8-Ball

KGBing helped in my case.

I tried wakeboarding for the first time on a windless day during my kiteboarding lessons. I never got up on the board. On my second day kitesurfing I managed to ride though. The instructor claimed that the vertical kite pull helps get you up compared to the wakeboard's horizontal pull.

I found that the kite flying occupied 90% of my concentration when I learned. The board skills were just learned as I was going along...

Cablepark

My money is on surfing for the allround knowledge of the ocean and weather.
Also for the commitment factor.

I would vote for wakeboarding as a close second.

Wakeboard skills are the closest thing to kiteboard skills.BUT.... The only problem I see learners struggling with, is chasing the kite like it`s a boat, and consquently dropping the kite.

I second that - it's how I started and although I struggled a bit the first few sessions getting some board skills together (started with zero), I crashed the kite maybe twice (both in my first lesson) and once I got the board to stay under my feet I progressed rapidly (perhaps because I was spending so little time relaunching) - now well ahead of guys who came in with just board skills, although they did a little better in the first few sessions.

But I also agree that dedication is probably the biggest factor - never get past the newbie phase if you only come out 2-3 times a year...

I'd be interested in knowing how many people get the basic lessons and buy some gear and then never really get going because they don't get out enough.

sailing jelps but only w/ recognizing wind direction and understanding hoe the wind works in relation to the sail(in this case kite)
besides all that id say wakeboarding helps with board skills