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what is needed for competitive racing?

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Toby
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what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby Toby » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:09 pm

If you are looking into competitive racing, you should pay attention to the following:

- your body should be in good shape. It is very exhausting going upwind for about 20-30 minutes. You will feel your legs big time. And your back as well, so if you have any problems with your back, pain killers are the way to go...
- get your body lots of minerals, vitamins and energy. No doping, but things that give you enough energy to get you going and not feeling your muscles becoming soar.
- read info about racing. Any windsurfing and sailing race info will help you to understand how you should race. The right tactic will make a big difference in your results.
- the start is important. To get a good start you need a watch to be right at the starting line when the green flag goes up. If you come with speed, it does help. Be careful though, tangling can happen very quickly, specially with very ambitious guys...
- know all the rules! If you break a rule, you will get disqualified. Read them carefully and know them.
- don't be too heavy, in my opinion the lighter the better you will perform.
- the gear is very important. Pay attention to the gear that keeps winning, either directionals or special boards. You need to go upwind like crazy, so keep testing until you found your gear. Same with kites, they should fly fast, shouldn't have bar pressure and downwind pull, and fly far into the wind window.
- have your gear ready on the beach, don't be late. The best would be, if you have a bar for each kite, set it up, so you can switch quickly between them, also for boards, always good to have one for more or less wind. During races winds can change, and you don't have so much time and you don't want the stress, to need to setup gear during the breaks between races.
- If there are more races in a row, but with a break, get back to the beach, relax your body, drink a power drink, and get some energy into your body.
- stretch your body before each race, to relax the muscles.

If I have more advices, I will post it on here.

Have fun!

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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby kiter147 » Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:14 pm

wow kiteboard racing is just like regattahs(sailing races) but i guess it works your body out more to race with the kite. i have a question about racing too, will different harnesses help in races like a seat harness or wait harness ect?

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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby moblvet » Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:46 am

Depends upon your venue, this past weekend Ronstan Bay Challenge, Crissy to Golden Gate bridge to Berkeley and back Saturday, San Francisco Bay, 3 upwind, downwind course races Sunday, seemed to be all about boards, Nils's boards rocked, trying to get close to the windsurfers.
Toby, why aren't you here?
This thursday night Cabrinha race series sponsored by Saint Francis Yacht Club, then US Nationals, then St FYC thursday night series, sweet.

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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby thehand » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:51 am

A good Board,
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Al-Kite-A
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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby Al-Kite-A » Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:25 pm

Toby yes it is all about the board right now.

Also "The Hand" your boards look pretty sweet but they are a little too small to be a competitive with the race boards being built this year in the US. the directional are a min of 6 foot. It is changing out here in San Francisco on a weekly basis. The major changes going on right now are fin placement and design.

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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby thehand » Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:28 am

The new The Hand Boards wicth news fins 6´0 good for 8 - 12 knots
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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby Wawando » Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:50 pm

Hi, one thing i don' tunderstand is why haven't hte board got 3 straps?
They should so that you have the optimal foot placement, specially when going downwind...

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Re: what is needed for competitive racing?

Postby moblvet » Wed Jul 09, 2008 11:17 pm

Nils makes boards with 3 footstraps like you surmised and a lot of us are very pleased with his design. He comes from windsurfing racing and actually ski jumping in the Olympics, not sure how that helps board design, but makes him a real competitor. Now we are working on fins since US Nationals, North and others really did some R&R and stepped up the competition here at Crissy. Oh and yes start practicing tacks on short boards, that was an eye opener for me.


Nils Stolzlechner
NJS Designs
Custom Kite Boards
Corpus Christi, TX
nils@njsdesigns.org
www.njsdesigns.org <http://www.njsdesigns.org>


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