Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Teaching Kids Using 4 Line Handle Kites?

Forum for kitesurfers
User avatar
Slappysan
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1453
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:54 am
Kiting since: 2004
Gear: Wave Bandit Performer 4-10
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Has thanked: 44 times
Been thanked: 188 times

Teaching Kids Using 4 Line Handle Kites?

Postby Slappysan » Tue Jul 09, 2013 2:17 am

Does anyone have any input on teaching kids to kite with a 4 line handle kite instead of a 2/3 line trainer?

I find that my young son has such a tendency to turn the bar instead of pivot it.

I also think that learning to fly a 4 line kite is the right way to start learning instead of a 2 line, learning to fly the kite and sheet it properly is so important and it's just not safe to hook a young child in to allow them to learn to sheet on a bar based kite.

I've also tried letting my son fly a 4 line kite while it's connected to my CL to give him the ability to sheet the kite but of course he has a tendency like any beginner to oversheet all the time.

I've never actually flown a 4 line handle kite so I might be way off. I was thinking about a Beamer 3.0 or something along those lines.

jbdc
Medium Poster
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:51 pm
Local Beach: Ashbridges Bay, ON
Cherry Beach, ON
Hanlan's Point, ON
Favorite Beaches: Hanlan's Point, ON
Cherry Beach, ON
Ashbridges Bay, ON
Delray Beach, FL
Style: Intermediate
Gear: 2012 Pansh Aurora 15m
2010 Slingshot Octane 13m
2011 Cabrinha Crossbow 9m
2012 Ocean Rodeo Rise 7m
2012 Ocean Rodeo Cypher 5m

2010(?) Imagine Surf Fat Fish 5'2"
2011 Nobile NBL 142x42cm
2012 Ocean Rodeo Mako FR 135x37cm

2004 Gaastra Force 14m
2002 Liquid Force Switch 185cm
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Toronto, ON
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Teaching Kids Using 4 Line Handle Kites?

Postby jbdc » Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:06 pm

I'm a big fan of 4-line fixed bridle foils for introducing people to kiting, but I hadn't thought about them for kids. How young is your son? Mainly, I'd want to make sure the diameter of the handles wouldn't be too big for small hands.

Understand that there is no sheeting on a fixed-bridle foil. There are brakes which allow you to stall and reverse the kite; but you can't dump power like you can with a depower kite. But if he's not hooked into a harness, the worst that's going to happen is the handles get pulled from his hands, or he goes for a bit of a belly drag before the kite hits the ground. Nonetheless, the brakes do let one learn the feeling of the power evaporating when the kite stalls, and how to recover from it. In general, I'd say that handles give a very good tactile impression of what is happening with the wing at any given time.

I've read good things about the Beamer, I'd only be worried that 3m would be too much for a child in anything but the lightest winds. Here's a good instructional video:



Hope that helps!

User avatar
Kamikuza
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7057
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:49 am
Local Beach: Sabae Beach
Favorite Beaches: Ol' Stinky
Gear: This, that, the other
Has thanked: 220 times
Been thanked: 193 times

Re: Teaching Kids Using 4 Line Handle Kites?

Postby Kamikuza » Wed Jul 10, 2013 1:13 am

Slappysan wrote:Does anyone have any input on teaching kids to kite with a 4 line handle kite instead of a 2/3 line trainer?

I find that my young son has such a tendency to turn the bar instead of pivot it.

I also think that learning to fly a 4 line kite is the right way to start learning instead of a 2 line, learning to fly the kite and sheet it properly is so important and it's just not safe to hook a young child in to allow them to learn to sheet on a bar based kite.

I've also tried letting my son fly a 4 line kite while it's connected to my CL to give him the ability to sheet the kite but of course he has a tendency like any beginner to oversheet all the time.

I've never actually flown a 4 line handle kite so I might be way off. I was thinking about a Beamer 3.0 or something along those lines.
Tell him it's like riding a bicycle, not driving a car... I would have said "like riding a horse" but does that these days?!?

4-line fixed bridle kites... you don't sheet them or alter the AoA.

In short, stick with the 2-line. Get him to hold your hands while you do it or something...

knot_moving
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 542
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:13 am
Kiting since: 2009
Gear: kites: OR Flites & Cabrinha Velocity
Underground FLX 138, Slingshot foil, Mako Duke, Jimmy Lewis Flight Deck
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: NW Florida
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 23 times

Re: Teaching Kids Using 4 Line Handle Kites?

Postby knot_moving » Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:16 am

I use a 2 line trainer with my nephews & start out holding the bar with them for a few minutes until they get the hang of it.


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: BillyGoatGruff, Bing [Bot], bittersvolcom, bragnouff, bshmng, DanielorDani, Google [Bot], grigorib, jjm, Kemperman, Peter_Frank, PullStrings, rnelias, Windwarrior, Xtream, y2kBug and 462 guests