Styles of Kiting
Styles of Kiting
Kiteboarding has a range of different styles which are outlined below.ย Many people start out riding freeride/freestyle with a twin-tip board, and then explore other styles of riding as their skills progress.
Freeride
Freeride is anything that you want it to be and the most popular aspect of the sport in Australia. Most boards sold today are designed for freeride. They all look pretty similar in shape, but vary dramatically in width, length and depth. This enables a kitesurfer of any ability to take kitesurfing to which ever level they feel like. It’s about having fun. Australia has a great freeride scene and more then likely you can turn up to any good beach on a windy day and see another freerider out.
Freestyle
Freestyle is an extremely popular area of the sport. It use technical skills to perform big jumps, rotations, flips, grabs, and unhooking etc….
There are an endless number of freestyle moves of which the most advanced are handle passes (where you unhook from your harness and rotate your body while passing the bar behind your back at the same time). A smooth landing is the key to making a freestlye move.
WAKSA runs a Freestyle State competition each year. Feel free to come along and watch the aerial exploits of some of WA’s best riders, you could even help out by volunteering.
Wave Riding
Wave riding is explosive, fun, visually impressive and very addictive. The waves are ridden like surfing on a surfboard, but with the added versatility of the kite. Aerials and power tricks can be busted out using the power of the wave. Wave riders also have the option of riding strapped (with foot-straps) or strapless.
Wave riding is easy to get into because riders often begin by practising their balance and sharp turns on flat water before moving on to little waves and working their way up.
While some people use surfboards for kiting, as the popularity increased in the sport companies have developed ‘directional’ kiteboards and surfboards specifically for kiting. They are often shorter, smaller in volume, more rigid and reinforced compared to conventional surfboards.
Western Australia is one of the best wave kite surfing locations on the planet and it’s no surprise that our local talent is amongst the best in the world.
Course Racing and Hydrofoiling
Kiteboard course racing has been growing ย very quickly in popularity. In many ways it is similar to sailing racing. Course racing involves racing around a set course marked by buoys or flags.ย Courses will vary in length and are usually conducted in relatively flat water on the ocean or on rivers or bays. Kiters into course racing can use the same kite they use for other styles of riding or foil kites, which are much lighter than inflatable kites.ย The boards used for course racing however are oftenย specifically designed for maximum speed and upwind pointing ability. They are much larger than normal freestyle or freeride twin tip boards to enable the rider to kite upwind in much lighter winds.
@kiteboardingwa
Get Social with us
A few shots of the juniors ripping it up as usual! ๐ช๐ผ #kitekarnival
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Safe to say everyone had a fun packed weekend on the water down in Safety Bay!! Huge shout out to Safety Bay Yacht Club, City of Rockingham, Gokiting WA Surf & fellow committee member Ieke for organising this years Kite Karnival event & to the Sunday TT Racing crew! ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
๐ธ AdrenalineBoardSportsDay for Fun and exciting kiting, with Body drag races, twin tip racing, expression sessions and big air
James Carew has been enjoying the delights of Perth! ๐จ
โ
๐ธ Repost โข True Spirit Photos I had the chance to grab a few photos of James Carew enjoying a few waves off one of Perthโs beaches late this afternoon. Photos taken at Floreat Groyne. Gallery of these photos & others from that shoot on True Spirits website. @jamesscarew
. . .
#duotonekiteboarding #ionaction #quobbafins #truekiteboarding #justanotherdayinwa #waveriding #australia #westernaustralia Kiteboarding Australia Duotone Kiteboarding International @ Floreat Beach
As the season is in full swing & kite beaches are busy, here are some useful points to consider to help prevent future accidents courtesy of Kiteboarding Australia accredited school Kitebud...
1) Keep more distance from each other. Of course this is easier said than done especially when it's busy, but if you are a more experience kiter getting close to beginners (whether they are in a lesson or not) you are eventually going to get tangled with someone. Avoid getting inside the wind window or too close upwind of any learner (or anyone else for that matter). Remember that everyone once was a learner and learners panic when anyone gets too close to them, which increases the risk of an accident.
2) Avoid flying your kite on the beach at the Zenith (12) unnecessarily for long periods of time when the beach is crowded. In our kite school we use 5 meter lines and really small (3 to 5m) kites to fly safely on land which greatly minimises hazards for other kiters around.
3) When the wind speed doubles you QUADRUPLE the power in your kite. That's right, on a day like to today in 30 knots (sand stinging your legs), you will get 4 TIMES the power you would get in 15 knots. Ensure you choose the correct kite size for your weight and skill level. If you're in doubt, don't go out. Give even more distance between each other and from obstacles in strong winds
4) Learn to launch and land safely. We witness so many failed launches which in the majority of cases are due to poor technique (walking too far upwind, pulling the bar all the way in, having the wrong hand on the wrong side of the bar etc.). Get proper instruction for this to prevent accidents. Get into the water with your kite as close to the water as possible to minimise the risk in case something goes wrong. The safest would be to have both the Pilot and the kite over the water
5) Your friend, boyfriend, or family member may be good kiters but are not necessarily good instructors. Professional kite schools have qualified instructors, insurance, permits and use safer under-powered kites and shorter lines in the early stage of the learning process. Hooking your 10m kite to your 55kg girlfriend for her to fly on the beach in 25 knots is NOT safe and will most likely result in an accident and potentially injure others as well. If you choose to learn with an unqualified instructor, please choose an area with less traffic and be respectful of others around you.
6) Learn to use your safety systems. If your kite suddenly drifts to the power zone on land by mistake or if you are in a tangle situation with another kite, ACTIVATE YOUR QUICK RELEASE NOW. Not acting quickly could result in bad consequences and you may end up losing your kite due to excessive tangles jamming your safety system
7) Carry a hook knife on your harness, this could save your life!
๐ Hook your safety leash at the front or on the side of your harness. Hooking your safety leash at the back of your harness is dangerous as you may not be able to reach it in an emergency.
9) Avoid self-launching and self-landing on on a busy beach with people / kites / obstacles inside or close to your wind window. This in an unnecessary risk which will eventually cause an accident that won't involve just yourself but also others downwind of you.
10) Learn to self-rescue and if you don't know how to do it, get a professional instructor to show you, this could save your life and your gear. If you kite in deep waters without being able to rescue yourself you will force others to help you when you get in trouble.
11) Learn the right of way rules. Any kiter that is entering the water has the right of way over anyone coming in towards the beach. If you are kiting back towards the beach and you see someone trying to get into the water from the beach you must turn around and him/her priority. There are a few exceptions, check with local kiters at the spot or check our guides online.
Safe kiting everyone ๐๐ผโโ๏ธ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ
Usually weโre praying for wind & sunshine, but this summer the country is praying for rain & no wind to extinguish the many fires across Australia. Kiteboarding Australia in partnership with North Kiteboarding Australia we will be raffling a brand new North Kiteboarding kite of choice including a Brand New North Kiteboarding Bar & Lines with 100% of all ticket sales will be donated to the bushfire appeal through the Red Cross - Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.
Please share and tag your kite friends in the post to help raise awareness!
www.kiteboardingaus.com.au/product/11901/