Learn to kitesurf

30/11/2020

How do you learn kitesurfing?

We are Monki, a kitesurfing school around Montpellier. But it's not because we are a kitesurf school that we advise you to learn this dream sport by taking lessons!

It's rather the opposite! As learning to kitesurf solo is tricky and dangerous, kitesurf schools exist!

Kitesurfing is an extreme sport and not without reason.

If you are not sure if this sport is for you, you can simply follow a kitesurf initiation course in a school.

Is it possible to kite in 5 days?

Learning to kitesurf, like learning any other sport, is done in stages.

In most cases, you start by learning how to prepare your kite, inflate the kite and connect the bar.

In schools that teach in the open water, from the motorboat, the kites are ready to use. Just inflate them and take off from the boat and off you go!

Then comes the "learn to fly your kite" phase. It is true that the best kitesurfers are mostly very good pilots. The opposite is also the case.

In short, it's like riding a bike or boxing. If you pull the bar to the left, you go left and if you pull the bar to the right, you got it, you go right.

Then comes the depower. " I beg your pardon, what?? “

There is this thing in the middle of the kitesurf bar called the depower line, that allows you to regulate the angle of attack of your kitesurfing wing. When you pull on the bar, you tuck the kite in. When you let go or push the bar, you shock the kite.

This is one of the first moves you need to master in your debut in this beautiful sport!

"That's it, I'm leaving you"

In the first kitesurfing lesson you learn the rules and safety gestures.

If you master the right techniques, this gliding sport becomes safer. If you have never practiced these moves, a banal situation can quickly turn into a drama.

Knowing how to release your kite at any time is part of it.

And practicing how to release the kite should be part of a kite session.

Did you know that:

Let’s go, Superman!

Once you've mastered wing piloting, you'll be introduced to towed swimming. This will be your first move using the kite. Congratulations! You are then promoted to Superman or Superwoman.

The next step is waterstarting. It's a slightly more technical step but the reward is just extraordinary: your first meters of sliding on a kitesurf board. And believe me, even years later, you still remember it! You go from Superwoman, or Superman, to Magic (Johnson) "your first name".

Learning all this in 5 days is possible, even less.

But that doesn't mean you'd be self-sufficient. An autonomous kitesurfer knows how to choose the kite spot according to the weather conditions and his equipment according to the wind. He will know how to take off and land his kite and how to come back to the board alone if he is in trouble. He knows how to evaluate if his level is sufficient to practice his favourite sport without putting himself or others in danger.

Becoming an autonomous kiteboarder takes hours and hours of riding on the water and I'm not hiding the fact that 5 days will probably not be enough.

And if I am a windsurfer, do I learn faster?

A windsurfer has a big advantage over a rugby player, for example. He is familiar with the wind factor and knows how to glide with a board on the water.

Practicing a water sport, a sliding sport or a sport that integrates Eole is a plus.

However, do not confuse a kitesurfing bar with a windsurfing boom! It's like wanting to row in a kayak.

Or in other words, Magic Johnson would find himself demoted to superman/woman: gliding guaranteed.

In short, when you generate power on a windsurf board and pull on the wish, in kitesurfing it's by staying flexible on the bar while piloting your kite with delicacy.

Dear windsurfers friends and boarders, come and see us! With kitesurfing you will discover another gliding sport, different but just as extraordinary! It's a boarder talking to you.

How can I speed up learning to kitesurf?

Here are a few tips to get the most out of your kitesurfing course or workshop:

Oommmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, work on your resilience in difficult times

Watch tutorials on Youtube: One Launch Kiteboarding, Life is a beach TV.

Do some visualization sessions:

There are a lot of videos and tutorials on Youtube that will help you better visualise the manoeuvres. It's very useful, especially if you're learning through visuals.

Philippe Anchelin of One Launch Kiteboarding is a valuable source of information.

And most of all, have fun learning!