10 Common Mistakes All Kiteboarders Should Avoid - YouTube

Meet Jean Luc.

Jean Luc has been kiting for a couple years now.

He can kite on his own, stay upwind,

but he still makes a lot of mistakes he is not aware off.

Jean Luc could be you.

And Jean Luc needs to stop doing these mistakes once and for all.

When arriving at a new kite spot always ask the local kite center or local kiteboarders

about the safety rules of the place,

there might be some no kitesurfing zone or other dangers you need to be aware of.

When setting up your kite never connect your front lines

without checking that your bridles are free from any tangles

Always double check your lines prior launching.

Do not keep your bar in both hands before someone flip your kite over to help you launch

Make sure to let go of your bar until the kite is completely turned over.

You can then untwist your lines and get ready to launch.

Stop pulling the bar when launching!

Make sure to lean forward and bend your shoulder toward your bar

so you can have the bar pushed out before launching safely.

Stop screaming or making weird faces when you are ready to launch your kite.

You should raise your thumb as an international sign to launch the kite.

Never give the kite a hard push when launching someone,

it will simply break its initial position and make it fall from the sky.

Just hold the kite until you see the hand signal and let it go without any push.

When landing someone remember to NEVER grab or even touch the trailing edge of a kite.

The only safe place to land a kite is by its leading edge.

When kneeling to reach for your board with the kite at 12 O' clock,

most people end up depowering their kite fully as a reflex

which can make the kite fall from the sky.

To reach for your board make sure to keep pressure in your bar

or keep your kite lower on the edge of the wind window.

With on shore wind you should never do a waterstart without clearing some distance between you and the shore

your fins will get stuck on the sand and you will face plant in front of all your friends.

Take 10 more seconds by walking away or body dragging out

until you are at a safe distance.

When it comes to landing, don't pull the bar so hard after the kite has landed,

it will be very uncomfortable for you and for whoever is grabbing your kite.

As soon as the helper grabs the kite

let go of your bar and release the pressure in the lines by walking toward your kite.

Jean Luc is now a much better and safer kiter for himself and others.

He might still need to work on his style,

but we can cover that in the next video.