Top 10 Things Your Kiteboarding Instructor May Not Have Taught You

Top 10 Things Your Kiteboarding Instructor May Not Have Taught You By Neil Hutchinson/www.tikibeach.com

Originally Published in the December 08 Issue of The Kiteboarder Magazine

Getting qualified, experienced instruction is a must for anybody getting into kiteboarding. Lessons not only teach you the fundamentals of the sport to get you on your way to becoming an independent kiter, but will also save you hours of frustration. To be realistic, there’s only so much your instructor can cover in a 9 to 12 hour beginner course. As an instructor who has taught thousands of students over the last 10 years, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 things that your instructor may not have taught you, but that you should definitely know.




1. Always know your “what if’s.”
When kiteboarding, always try to be one step ahead of the game and ask yourself, “If x, y or z happens, what am I going to do?” When things go wrong in our sport, it happens very quickly and sometimes you do not even have time to think; you just have to react and react correctly.

2. Don’t trust wind meters.
When using a wind meter you are only measuring the wind speed at one particular time and only in one static position, e.g. you may be in an area where the wind is being affected by obstacles and reading stronger, or even lighter than the wind actually is. Also, wind meters go bad. They can have some sand stuck in them or a bad impeller. If you took three different wind meters of different ages and measured the same wind at one time you would have three different readings. L earn the signs yourself for the beaufort scale. Don’t rely on technology for something you can learn easily.

check it here: http://www.thekiteboarder.com/wordpress/2009/11/top-10-things-your-kiteboarding-instructor-may-not-have-taught-you/