Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

How do you learn how to kitesurf?

Everyone wanting to learn should seek professional advice. There’s uncountable kiteschools and teachers worldwide and a basic course usually lasts about 8-10 hours (i.e. 2-3 days).

First of all there’s some theory that has to be explained, starting of with ‘the wind window’  (the invisible area in the air) that’s used in order to dictate the kite how to perform. The understanding of the wind window and skill to control the kite in that area 100% is the vital basis for kitesurfing. You will experiment and learn this with the help of a ‘trainer kite’ (often also referred to as ‘stunt kite’), a smaller version of the ‘real thing’, usually about 1-3m2.

A trainer kite is the perfect tool to learn  e v e r y t h i n g  (launching, landing, generating power, flying the kite with only one hand etc.) that you will need later in the water, in the SAFEST way possible.  With the trainer kite you can actually make mistakes that won’t hurt you and will spare yourself, others around and your equipment of sustaining damage.

After having acquired the basics in kite-control you will get a go with a bigger kite in the water with the ‘bodydrag’ to be the next challenge to master.  The bodydrag (as already explained in the word itself) refers to using the kite to drag yourself through the water, first of all downwind, later you will learn how to bodydrag upwind which is one of the 3 most essential things you have to learn before attempting  to kitesurf on your own:

1)    Safe launching & landing
2)    Bodydrag upwind
3)    Water relaunch

The water relaunch is vital and requires a bit of practice as well as an understanding of the wind, possible currents in the water, and kite-control. Before you cannot master the bodydrag upwind and the water relaunch there’s absolutely no reason for attempting to go into the water with a board!!!

Please take your time in training yourself in the 3 points mentioned above and you will be a safe & happy kiter!

Last but not least the board will be added. Please note:  the more you will have trained yourself in kite-control, body drag upwind, and water relaunch the easier it will be to add the last part in the ‘learning-how-to-kite-puzzle’.  Please NEVER use a board leash!  It is totally unnecessary plus a serious danger to yourself (for the ones who are not aware of this:  board leashes do extend in length under pressure, thus imagine being dragged through the water, the board on a leash on your leg, resisting the water the leash will extend and when you come to an halt, snap…often right into ones face or neck. Even if you wear a helmet a board leash can cause serious injury as your neck and your face isn’t protected), however, a helmet in learning is always recommended.

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