Kiteboarding, Kitesurfing: What sort of physical shape do I need to be in?

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"The main reason I enrolled my 15 year old son in Kiteboarding School of Maui was because I knew that Martin's first concern would be his safety. Secondly, I knew that he would be sensitive to the local environment. Finally, I wanted to support someone who was so uncommonly committed to helping make Maui a better place for all of us."

Randolph S. Coon
President-Trilogy Excursions

What sort of physical shape do I need to be in?

You should be in relatively good shape before taking kiteboarding lessons but you don't need to be an elite athlete to learn the sport. We begin teaching kids as young as 8 and the most senior student we’ve taught was 80 years old! Strength isn’t the key to this sport because you fly mainly from your harness and your body weight and technique are bigger factors in how much kite power you can handle. You should be strong enough to unhook the control bar from your harness hook when needed, though. (Suggestion: do a lot of pull up and abdominal exercises). Kitesurfing is not very aerobic - you don't run out of breath as quickly as you do when running because the kite does most of the work. Muscle fatigue in the legs can wear you out but as your skills improve your endurance increases. Being a good swimmer and comfortable in the water are very important, too. Essentially, being in good physical shape would allow you to get yourself out of a stuation quicker than if you weren't in shape.

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