Would you like to practice kite surfing but don't know where to start? Here are the 10 key things to know if you want to get closer to kitesurfing.
1 - CAN THE KITESURF PRACTICE ANYONE?
YES. As I said kitesurfing is not particularly difficult or particularly tiring. It's not a sport that requires a lot of physical strength, and you don't even need to be in perfect shape to practice it. This is why kite surfing is truly a sport for all and all. Indeed very often the girls show more predisposition. The only requirement is to have a good aquatic quality, and with this I do not intend to do swimming competitions, but at least be quiet in the water (above and below).
2 - IS THE KITESURF A DANGEROUS SPORT?
It depends.
In the beginning, when kite surfing was born it was certainly an extreme sport. Over the years, security systems have made great strides, so today kitesurfing is a safe and suitable sport for everyone, provided you know the safety rules and approach them in the right way.
Kite surfing is a sport that is practiced in the water and exploits the power of the wind. It is clear that its dangerousness is linked to the conditions of these elements. Very strong wind and stormy sea can easily make kitesurfing a dangerous and decidedly extreme sport.
In kitesurfing the risk almost always derives from underestimating the weather conditions or overestimating one's abilities. As in many other sports, the worst accidents often involve experienced riders looking for new challenges, rather than beginners.
3 - DO I HAVE TO ATTEND A COURSE TO LEARN KITESURFING?
Yes. My advice for starting kitesurfing is always to start with a good course. Finding a good school and relying on an instructor is the best way to learn kitesurfing safely, quickly and without frustration. By now kitesurfing schools are very numerous and the experience accumulated by the instructors in hours and hours of teaching allows them to learn the basics in a very short time and with a rather contained expense.
4 - WHICH KITE SURF COURSE TO CHOOSE
We have already established that it is better to start with a course ... yes but which one? Most kitesurfing schools offer various types of courses.
The first distinction is between individual and group courses. The individual kitesurf course is of course the best option to learn quickly, however a small group course (3-4 people) can be a way to save money without giving up on attending a course. Furthermore, often learning in a group offers the possibility of comparing oneself with others, learning from others' mistakes and resting a little between one exercise and another.
Many kitesurfing schools offer introductory courses in kitesurfing, lasting 2 or 3 hours. This is a good option if you are not convinced that this sport is right for you and you do not know if it is worth investing time and money, or if you are already familiar with traction kites and think you can burn a few stages or still if you are good self-taught and you prefer to acquire only the rudiments and then continue on your own. In two or three hours you obviously won't learn how to kitesurf but you will be given a more precise picture of what kitesurfing is
5 - HOW MUCH IS A KITESURF COURSE?
We come to the cost of a kitesurfing course for beginners. Of course different kitesurfing schools may have different prices, so this is just a rough guide. Most basic kitesurfing courses last about 6 hours and an average price of around € 300 / € 400. The cost of the kitesurf course includes all the necessary equipment.
6 - PRACTICE THE KITE SURF IS EXPENSIVE?
It depends. Kitesurfing is certainly not one of the cheapest sports but there is not even one of the most expensive ones for luck! The new kitesurfing equipment has a high cost and the fact of using it at sea, with the salt air and the strong wind means that it does not have an infinite duration. Fortunately, however, there is a good market for kitesurf used to save a lot of money. Furthermore, once you have bought everything you need, there are no other costs like the ski pass etc.
7 - HOW LONG DOES IT NEED TO LEARN KITESURFING?
As I said at the beginning kitesurfing is a sport that can be learned fairly quickly and that in a reasonable time allows you to get great satisfaction. But what does reasonable mean? It depends.
In kitesurfing, as in everything, everyone has his times. In principle I can tell you that you will hardly learn in 2 days, but already in 5-6 days, if you are lucky to find favorable conditions, you might be able to glide with the board under your feet and sail in the air.
Usually once you have finished the basic course you will be able to stand on the table, even if only for a few meters. From here the next step is to manage the glide and after a few more days the windward that will finally allow you to return to the starting point and climb the wind. From this moment on, we can say that the learning phase of kitesurfing is finished, which is also the most tiring and often frustrating phase, while the progression phase begins, which will lead you to experiment and learn new maneuvers.
8 - KITESURF EQUIPMENT: WHAT TO BUY TO START?
If you decide to attend a kitesurf course, as we suggested, you won't have to buy anything at the beginning. Kitesurfing schools provide all the equipment needed to get started. This will allow you to get closer to the practice of this sport with a minimum investment, compared to the cost of a complete equipment also used. At the end of the course, if you are passionate about kitesurfing (it might not really be that way ??) the instructor himself will give you some advice on which equipment is right for you, also based on the spot where you usually go out.
Buying the equipment after attending a kitesurf course will allow you to orientate yourself much better in choosing the right equipment for you, new or used.
Before the course, I advise you to buy only 2 things:
- a kite trainer to train you without risks both before the course and during and even after
- a pack because if it is true that you will be provided by the kitesurf school, it is also true that wearing the mute of others even if disinfected is not the best.
Once you have finished the kitesurfing course you will need:
- Kite surfing . In reality one sail will hardly be enough. Most kiters have 2 sails: a large sail for light wind and a small one for strong winds ... but many also have 3 sails. The sail will naturally have to be complete with a bar, but only one bar can almost always be used with more than one sail.
- Kitesurfing TABLE . Your first table will certainly be a TwinTip board. These are also the tables used for freestyle. In the future you might even get excited about the waves and so maybe you want a kite surf ... but we're running too much!
- Kitesurf TRAPEZIUS . The harness is the harness to which the sail is connected.
To this equipment every beginner, and not only, should add a helmet and a protective jacket . Plus you'll probably need a wetsuit (or even more than one depending on the temperature of air and water).
In this guide we will not delve into the different types of sails, boards and which equipment to choose for a beginner because these topics deserve to be explored separately.
9 - WHERE TO LEARN KITESURF?
Obviously there is no better place in which to learn kitesurfing (even if some commercials in Brazil or the Caribbean could be on the podium of a ranking). In principle, the ideal is to have a wide beach, without rocks or obstacles of any kind, so that you can become familiar with the sail and eventually get carried away without any danger.
After the practice on the ground the time will come to enter the water. Here the absence of waves will certainly be a plus. Low or high water? In reality it has little importance. Many beginners feel more comfortable learning in shallow water. The important thing in these cases is to make sure there are no curls or rocks! Strong wind or light wind? Both extremes are difficult to manage. If the wind is too weak it is more difficult to keep the sail up, while if it is too strong, a very small sail that is more reactive and nervous should be used.
10 - THE KITESURFING CREATES DEPENDENCE
The last point of this list is not a question like any other, but a fact that you must absolutely consider before approaching this sport. They should write it on the sails, like they do on cigarette packets: THE KITESURF CREATES DEPENDENCE. Once you have experienced the sensation of gliding over the water once you will hardly be able to stop. And this means living perennially with an eye to the weather, the trunk of the car full of sand and the thought of the next kitetrip.
