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Kite Control Kiteboarding School offers Kiteboarding Lessons and Cabrinha Kitesurfing Gear in Long Beach, Long Island, New York. Kite Control is a Cabrinha Kites Exclusive Kiteboarding School. The first step towards becoming an avid kitesurfer in Long Island, New York is learning how to fly a Trainer Kite which is similar to the large leading edge inflatable (LEI) kites used for kiteboarding. A student with a background in windsurfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, or surfing will help, however the basics of kite flying are different. This is why we strongly recommend taking Kiteboarding Lessons to make the introduction to the sport easier and safer.
Kite Control Kiteboarding School New York strongly encourages the use of a training kite to help learn kiteboarding. These smaller foil kites are available through Kite Control Kiteboarding School and should be flown and mastered during your first lesson. Trainer Kites are smaller than the inflatable power kites used on water for kiteboarding. The purpose of the trainer kite is to allow the student to become familiar with the kite's power and steering capabilities. Trainer kites come with an instructional DVD and are designed for people who have never flown a power kite before. During a lesson the student's kite flying skills will be assesed on land with one of our certified instructors, prior to getting in the water.
The main skill to master with the trainer kite is steering while maintaining correct body posture. It is also important that the student be able to navigate the wind window through the power and neutral zones. Furthermore, it is important to understand the wind direction, characteristics and intensity.
Once the trainer kite has been mastered it is time to fly one of the inflatable power kites! Kite Control offers several lesson packages and provides all of the gear. It takes a person on average 7 – 10 hours of instruction to get up and going on a board. Most people decide to purchase gear after their first lesson or two.
What does it take to become a kiteboarder?
1. Get and fly a trainer kite
Once you have a Trainer Kite, the best place to go fly is an uncrowded beach or field. Before you head out to go kite flying make sure to look at the safe kiteboarding guidlelines. Approximately 10 hours of flight time, practicing steady control and figure eight's with the kite will help prepare you for a kiteboarding lesson. Trainer Kites are designed to get you familiar with how an inflatable kite flies and how to generate the kind of power used to go kiteboarding. Kiteboarding involves harnessing a great deal of the wind's power, in order to pull you across the water. This is why the most important aspect of trainer kite flying is the ability to maintain control of the kite's power in different wind speeds when practicing for a kiteboarding lesson. Due to the power capabilities of the Trainer Kite, Kite Control does not recommend flying them in winds excess of 20 mph.
2. Take 7– 10 hours of lessons
The average person can learn to kiteboard in about 7-10 hours of lessons. An Eight hour, two day Kiteboarding Camp is the most popular lesson at Kite Control. The student to instructor ratio is normally 1:1 and never exceeds 2:1. This ensures our students have ample time and recieve the best one on one instruction available.
The first hour of a beginner Kiteboarding Lesson is spent familiarizing the student with an inflatable kite's safety and control system. Other topics, such as wind assessment, location selection, rigging, and kite launching are also covered in the first half of a lesson. All students must demonstrate safe kite flying skills and self rescue techniques to the instructor, before getting in the water with the kite. Most individuals are physically tired after four hours. Therefore, the pace of the lesson is determined by the student's ability to progress through the instructor's checklist. If a student already understands and can carry out the basics of kite safety, control, and self rescue he or she will still be asked to briefly demonstrate these skills before moving on with a specific lesson. The skills which are taught in the first lesson are cumulative and will be used throughout futur lessonse. For this reason, we reccomend taking 2-3 lessons within a short time span to help the student master the fundamentals of kiteboarding.
3. Get your gear and go kiteboarding
Kite Control is a full service kite shop. We only carry the safest and most reliable brand at a highly competitive price. If modern equipment is out of the budget,
To go kiteboarding you will need 5 essential pieces of equipment: kiteboarding kite, kiteboard, control bar and lines, harness, and kite pump. Additionally, a helmet and impact vest are suggested for safe kiteboarding. Choosing a specific Kiteboarding Kite, Kiteboard and harness for a rider depends on his or her ability level, size, wind speeds, and water surface at there local spot. If you have questions about choosing the right equipment, we are more than happy to help outfit you with the best possible recommendation. Having more than one size kite and board provides a bigger window of opportunity to go kiteboarding.
After completing a few Kiteboarding lessons and you have recieved instructor approval to go out kiteboarding on your own there are a couple things to consider, that will help make your kiteboarding journey a lot safer and fun.
1. Kiteboarding with other kiteboarders
2. Kiteboarding in conditions within your ability level
3. Riding at a kiteboarding location
4. Asking politely for an assisted kite launch
5. Speaking with other kiteboarders and kite shops in your area about local hazards and unsafe conditions
6. Take more lessons to get expert knowledge and progress as a kiteboarder
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Kiteboarding a safe sport?
A: Kiteboarding can be safe and fun as long as the safe kiteboarding guidelines are followed. Kiteboarding is a relatively new sport; the gear has had tremendous advancements in control, safety and water re-launch. Because there have been so many rapid changes in the sport, it is highly recommended that up to date gear is chosen for new students entering the sport.
There are several categories of kite designs including C-kites, Delta C Kites, Ram air-foils and Bow Kites. Bow kites are the most recent design and have the safest overall characteristics for entry-level kiteboarders. The Bow Kites excel in 3 categories: range, de-power and water re-launch. For example one Bow Kite will cover a much larger wind range that a C-kite or Ram Aair Foil of the same size. Bow Kkites also allow for much greater de-power when the bar is pushed out. Bow Kites also feature rear line re-launch, which allows for much easier and quicker water re-launch.
Q: How long are kiteboarding lessons and how much do they cost?
A: On average 7-10 hours of lessons are required to become a kiteboarder after flying a trainer kite. An 8 hour Beginner Kiteboarding Camp Lesson is the most common kite lesson. Most individuals are physically tired after four hours. Bulk lessons in this case, an 8 hour kiteboarding lesson will be split into two days of 4 hrs each respectively.
Q: How much wind is needed to go kiteboarding?
A: Winds averaging 8-10mph is the minimum for kiteboarding with a large kite and lightwind kiteboard or surfboard. The ideal wind speed for kiteboarding lessons is 10-20 mph. Kite Control recommends a safe wind range of 12-20 mph for beginner and intermediate riders. New and experienced riders should use extreme caution when riding in winds exceeding 20 mph.
Q: Can Girls kiteboard?
A: Absolutely! Kiteboarding is more about finesse and control, rather than brute strength.
Q: What kind of physical shape do I need to be in to go kiteboarding?
A: General overall body strength will be beneficial for kiteboarding. If you can swim and fly a Trainer Kite you should be ready to learn how to kiteboard. Taking lessons is the best way to learn how to increase your kiteboarding stamina and efficiency. During the lesson we can help you develop your riding posture and stance, which will help you ride longer.
Q: How old do you have to be to start kiteboarding?
A: Generally 12 years old is a good age to start flying a trainer kite and think about taking Kiteboarding Lessons.. Kiteboarding does require good judgment and proper adult supervision.
Q: How much does it cost to get started kiteboarding?
A: Approximately $1500-$2500 with lessons included. Also, depending on brand and model, new or used equipment. However, the equipment should last years on end with minimal upkeep. When the time comes to sell your gear an upgrade, you should hav no problem getting top dollar back for your gear. Kite Control Kiteboarding buys used kiteboarding gear/equipment.
Q: How many kites and boards do I need?
A: One kite and board can cover a large wind range, but for extreme conditions alternate gear is suggested. Two different size kites is better and is usually enough to cover a large wind range.
Q: Can I go kiteboarding with a wakeboard or surfboard?
A: Yes it is possible to kiteboard with a wakeboard or surfboard but it is generally more difficult. When learning to kiteboard a twintwip is the easiest when learning transitions and staying upwind. Wakeboards have more rocker making them perform differently and are likely to have less upwind capability than traditional Kiteboards. Surfboards work great, especially for waveriding!
Q: Should I wear a helmet?
A: Wearing a helmet is always a good idea no matter your ability level. Some riding locations may even require all kiteboarders to wear a helmet. At Kite Control all of our students are provided with properly fit helmets and are required to be worn during lessons.
Q: My kite is flying strange and feels out of control. What should I do?
A: Land your kite immediately. First check to make sure your kite is inflated firmly. Make sure it is not loosing air by leaving it inflated for a few minutes. If your kite is still flying awkwardly it may not be trimmed properly and the lines may be oversheeted. One way to tell this is by looking up at the wingtips of the kite while flying it at 12 o’clock. If the wingtips are flaring outwards in a “v” shape into the wind your kite is probably oversheeted. A quick way to fix this is by pulling in on the control bar’s depower strap. Sheeting your kite in using the depower strap should help make the wingtips align parallel on the kite while airborne and reduce any twist in the canopy. Since you will loose a slight amount of depower from your kite a more long term solution will require tuning the kite lines specifically.
Q: How do you tune kite lines?
A: Tuning your kite lines can be done easily on your own and should be performed once a kite feels as though it is not flying optimally. In order to get the best performance out of your kite all 4 lines have to be equal in length. All you need for tuning is a tree or post to tie some rope around. Attach your kite lines to the rope so that all four lines are equal length (a carabiner may help here). Make sure the rope you are using is strong enough to put some weight against. Once you have attached the kite lines and let the depower strap all the way out, go ahead and lean back on the control bar placing tension on the lines. Very slowly come forward releasing the tension looking down the lines as they slacken and drop to the ground. If your center lines hit the ground first this is a sign they have stretched. To tune your center line you can…
Kite Control Kiteboarding Long Beach, New York