So you think you might be a fast learner.
Taking 14 pages of Replies on a topic before you finally back down doesn't seem fast.
You'll be bored with a trainer kite 5 minutes after you grasp how to control it. So spend it on lessons or a helmet !

Living on a popular kite spot we witness hideous accidents every year from those who think they know. Putting bones back that are sticking out through shins is not fun ! For either side.

Put it this way.

WOULD YOU TEACH YOURSELF TO PARACHUTE ??

DRC

I would actually or with the help of people I trust and by doing research on my own just like I did with kiting or snowboarding or motocross or any other sport I've done. Really though the point is mute considering I've already gotten up and am riding. Do me a favor though read through all 14 pages first before you decide to comment. I can tell you didn't just by your post. I don't mind the criticism but at least read though everything.

Getting down the basic concepts of kite flying with a 1.5 or 2m trainer kite is gold, especially if you can pick up a second hand one as they don't depreciate too much like kitesurfing kites.. (ie a new model comes out each year..). You learn a lot of skills you may not even notice doing this.

Go hard with a trainer kite till you cos the cash for kite and some lessons

Okay I have a short teaser vid for you guys. This is only in regular def and is a short vid of my last run before I had to give up to having cut my feet up on shells because I didn't go out with anything on my feet. Ill have the rest up maybe this week. I started trying to ride at 9 am and this last run was at 11am or so. It was probably my 3rd or 4th good run. Let me know if you see anything that sticks out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZsgHBDgFgE&sns=em

Looking good! But your quasi-instructor is right; that's a pretty wimpy power-stroke.

Try to move your hands closer to the middle of the bar. In the video, your left hand is preventing you from making a tight turn at the top of the window to dive the kite. Similarly, before falling it looks like you were trying to make a small correction to turn the kite up off the water a bit, but accidentally sent it straight up. Putting your hands in the middle will help prevent over corrections like this.

In the same vein, for a few sessions consider moving your rear-line attachment points one spot forward to increase bar pressure if your kite has the option. Like moving your hands to the middle of the bar, it reduces your leverage and increases the force required to turn the kite--which is a good thing when you're learning; you don't want every little unintended movement translated into a turn on the kite. Deliberate actions are the order of the day. Your forearms will complain, but you'll have a better feeling for your kite, even when you switch back to the lighter setting.

Tautologies has some good advice on going upwind. Coming from a sailing and windsurfing background, my instinct was to point as high upwind as possible as soon as I got up on plane. I'm much better now about building board speed first; but I still catch myself losing speed when I try to point too far to windward. And that's trick to going upwind: finding the balance between pointing to windward to control your speed and bearing off to maintain it.

The next time you're in a situation where you're thinking, "HOLY SHIT, I'M OVERPOWERED AND GOING WAY TOO FAST!!!" instead of turning the kite to the zenith to lose speed and get back into control, let the bar out, drop the kite closer to the water, and edge hard upwind. You'll be going scary fast for the first few seconds, but soon your speed will taper-off and you'll be able to raise the kite, sheet-in and reduce your edge pressure. At this point, change direction, and marvel at your upwind progress.

Hey hey now I'm only respecting the power of the kite and wind. Now that I somewhat understand how to get up on plane I can give it more. As far as moving the my hands closer to the center I can try that. You couldn't be more right as to what happened when I fell though. I tried moving the kite up from the water and over corrected. I have been sheeting the bar in and out more to keep balance then to control going up wind and or slowing myself down. I can try that next time. I'm not sure what you mean though by moving my back lines up one. I know your talking about the knots just not sure which direction your talking. I have them on the last knot right now. On the kite it's labeled normal and then one knot up is light wind. So should I use the light wind setup?

The next time I get out I want to pick my time just right because I want to go out in a steady 15-20mph wind but no more because where I ride the water is flat at 15 and starts getting pretty choppy about 20mph and I think if I can concentrate on kite flying and edging the board instead of trying to stay up and balanced due to the waves then I will learn faster. I think next week Monday and Tuesday its supposed to be those conditions so hopefully they are right. Of course ill get video again and see how I'm improving. I love taking these videos since I can critique myself and also let others that already know what they are doing critique as well.

Once again thanks for all the advice I really do take it all in and attemp to apply it while riding.

Sorry for not being clearer and using the right terminology. Use the same knots on the pigtails you've been using. I should have said something like, "If your kite has the option, try moving the rear attachment point forward." I couldn't find anything on the Liquid Force site to indicate whether they have multiple rear attachment points or not.

I'm talking about something like this:


Where you'd want to move the connection from 'B' to 'A'.

Other kites have three options:


If yours has three or more options, there's no need to go from the back most attachment point to the front most; small changes here make a big difference. Furthermore, you should be aware that moving the rear connections forward will make it a bit harder to relaunch--but not so much that you should worry about it.

Hope that clears things up!

Well I haven't been able to get out and fly my full size or ride at all since we really hadn't had any wind and the couple days we did my jeep broke down on me so I had to take care of that.

However though I did figure out why my trainer kite is not flying right. The internal channel dividers are torn on a couple spots. It looks like there are about 3" circle holes that are in each divider that even out the force between the channels. Well a couple of them are now torn all the way down the kite. That's why it's flying strange. I tried to snap a photo with my phone but you can't see anything so ill try to get a pic with my good camera later.

That sucks. I'd get in touch with the Method trainer guys. Even if flying in overpowered conditions, the kite should hold together.