BayAreaKiteboarding.com

In the process of getting all the equipment I need. All I need is someone to train me for a day. Can't afford the kite school because I'm just a college student. Would any body be willing to help out, if so we could work out a price!

Get real lessons.. it will be worth it!!

Loscocco wrote:Get real lessons.. it will be worth it!!

+1
You'll save money on the long run by not destroying your kite and not ending up in the ER or injuring a bystander.

Google "kitemare". Dont be a kook. Dont spend money on equipment now. That money should be spent on lessons. Have patience.

One day of training from a friend or another kiter is NOT ENOUGH!
Do not risk kiting access for everyone just because you can’t afford lessons.
You will put others at risk. The bay area is growing increasingly intolerant of people who don’t take lessons and get proper knowledge and experience.

Ditch the idea of getting a bunch of new/used gear and get some darn lessons.
If $$ is an issue, prioritize.
Take fewer units at school so you have more money for kiting.
OR
Focus on school now and finish earlier so you can get a job and afford to kite.
Get a job now.
Sell some stuff you don’t need (kidney, blood, plasma, lungs, etc).

The ONLY sport I took up that required lessons? You guessed it... the BAK community says "Take real lessons from a qualified instructor. No exceptions."

A day of professional instruction costs about $400; a complete used setup costs at least that much. If you can afford gear, you can afford lessons.

Also, the benefit of lessons is that if you take 2-3 days of lessons, you will be up and riding on your own at the end of the week. You might even be able to go upwind. THEN you will get the joy of spending the rest of the summer expanding your skills.

If you cheap out, you will spend the rest of the summer learning how to waterstart. Not to mention that you wont learn proper self rescue skills on your own. Then you will have to learn how to seld rescue the first time you need to. And you will need to one day.

Bite the bullet, get some lessons. You will enjoy kiteboarding much more if you do.

I did the same thing and got yarded across coral reef in la ventana on ancient gear.

I ended up buying a 3M trainer kite and flying it over a 2 week period. Used this site (http://www.kitemare.com/trainer-kites.html) to go through all the online lessons they suggested. Especially important was taking off my shoe and putting it back on while flying the kite. If you don't practice this you will go out on the water with your board and when your brain focuses on the board your arms will yank the kite and your body will fly across the water.
I also wore a baseball cap so that it was difficult to look at the kite all the time. it forced me to feel the kite rather than using the DEATH STARE that you see on noob faces. Then I went to http://www.wowkite.com/ and took a three day lesson. By the end I was up and riding and ready for Alameda.

YMMV, but most people learn the hard way. i don't expect you to take any of this advice anyway, i just was bored at work.

Definitely a must to take the Land + Water lessons. Usually max 5 hrs combined. You won't be going on your own at the end BUT, you will know what to do and practice your water starts and first shirt runs.

Once you are able to go upwind AND stop looking at your kite as you're riding, friends can lend you tips and pointers for further progression. Expect 10-20 hrs or probably 10 solid sessions to have the upwind nailed down. Kiteboarding is an insane learning curve, the start is very steep and requires a LOT of practice.

Buy used gear and ideally a, larger 3 strut kite, larger board. Alameda IS light wind 90% of the time. This gear will become your light days setup. But you need to be going in 10-15 kts for Alameda. I bought my first kite, 2 years old for $350 and a board for $200. I sold them at the end of first season when i started transitions and jumps and got equipment I could really appreciate and able to care for. :D

Cheers!

Hi " kiteguy526" Im a certified Kite instructor. I would be willing to work something out with you if you can't afford full price lessons. After 30 years of water sports instruction, I can tell you that good instructions, the right condition and the right equipment make a big difference. You will save yourself time, damaged equipment and injure by taking kite lessons. I work with school that are insured and permitted to teach in the Bay Area.
Jack
415 610 0164
sfactionsports@gmail.com