Training Tips 

If you're just getting into the sport of kiteboarding, KSM instructors recommend purchasing the instructional kiteboarding DVD, Kiteboarding 4 Beginners, and watching it several times. They also suggest purchasing a trainer kite and using a kiteboarding harness to performing the kite flying exercises listed below. Correctly practicing with the trainer kite before you begin formal lessons will accelerate the learning curve once you start taking lessons, plus it's fun!

1. Hold kite steady in the overhead position with the wind at your back. Get a feel for holding the control bar square to your body and level and notice that the kite remains in neutral.(This practice should be avoided on land with larger traction kites due to the risk of injury if a dangerous gust of wind develops.)
2. Gradually steer the kite from side to side and close to the overhead position. Smooth side to side flying will give you a feel for timing. Steering with the control bar is like steering a bicycle. Remember, pull back on your elbows as opposed to rotating the bar like you’re steering a car.
3. Trace out smooth figure 8’s (vertical patterns) with the kite on the left and right sides of the power zone. To prevent accidental face plants, assume a tug-of-war stance or simply sit down on the ground with feet in front of you. Define the drop zone of the kite to prevent injuring a downwind bystander. That area is defined by the length of the flying lines and about 60° on either side of straight downwind of you.
4. Repeat above exercises hooked into the harness. (Control bar must be set up with harness line.)
5. Practice holding the kite in neutral with one hand on the control bar while hooked into harness.
6. With the kite in neutral and both hands on the bar and unhooked, practice rotating your body while standing and holding bar level and square to your body to put twists in lines. Then, after returning kite to a neutral-overhead position, practice taking twists out by reversing your previous maneuver.
7. Practice bringing kite slowly down and up along both edges of power zone to simulate landing and launching the kite.
8. Sit down with the kite overhead and fly through the power zone and up to outside edge and begin flying figure 8’s along edge of power zone. This maneuver should be done in one smooth pattern.
9. While seated, dive the kite as in #8 and stand up on your back leg while keeping your front leg straight and shoulders back to simulate the water start maneuver
10. While walking or running, practice keeping your kite powered in the direction you are moving and try to resist the pull downwind and hold your ground so you end up walking or running upwind.
11. Finally, when you can fly the kite with precision while not looking at it and you know it's position in the sky from the pull, then you’re ready for the larger water relaunchable kites.....

...and remember, never fly near people, trees, power lines, etc. Be Safe and Aware and always check the weather before flying!