What You’ll Learn in this Wave Kite Series

This 5 part series of professionally produced wave riding tutorial videos will help you quickly master the art of Kitesurfing waves. The great news is that as an intermediate freeride kitesurfer, you’re only ten days of practice away from becoming a legit wave kitesurfer!

Over the next few weeks you will learn:

1. How to Start Wave Kitesurfing: Timing your Turns
2. Your first turns with timing and usage of the entire wind window
3. Riding your first waves backside
4. Top-turns and bottom-turns, performed both frontside and backside
5. How to gybe

How to Start Wave Kitesurfing: Timing your Turns

Watch the video tutorial above to learn how to perform carving transitions with the right timing, and then get out and practice, practice, practice… If you are reading this article in an email or RSS feed, watch the video here.

Getting Started

If you can ride upwind and toe-side, then you are ready to learn to ride waves with a kite.

If you don’t live near a kite spot with waves, you can start preparing to learn wave kitesurfing on flat or choppy water using your twin-tip board. This will allow you to get used to the fundamental moves before you take a trip to a good wave riding location.

Carving Transitions

Carving transitions are turns where you keep the same foot in front during your entire transition. Smoothly turning from and to toe-side and heel-side in both directions is essential for riding a wave board or directional board. This means you have four different turns to practice.

Timing the turn of your kite and board is crucial for a successful transition. Before pointing your board downwind, steer the kite sharply through the power zone in the opposite direction. Then shortly afterwards, follow your kite around by steering your board’s nose downwind and then into the opposite direction. If you get pulled over your board, steer your board downwind harder or faster. If you sink into the water you most likely moved the kite to 12 o’clock and didn’t steer the kite quickly enough through the power zone.

Important:  first turn the kite, and then turn the board. One strong pull on the bar with your back hand should do the trick. Watch the video above to learn the correct technique.

Don’t forget, if you want to wave kite in various conditions such as with the wind from the left and from the right, you need to be able to do your turns on your weak side as well. So practice both ways from the start.

Get on a Wave Board

After you’ve mastered all four turns while powered on your twin-tip board, start practicing the exercises on a directional wave board.

Switching to a wave board might take some getting used to, and you need to adjust your riding technique slightly. Make greater use of the fins to help you to ride upwind instead of riding the board on the edge like you would when riding a twin-tip board.

You’ll find that your wave board has less drag in the water. It will also speed up quicker so you should find it easier to move the kite through the power zone. Try this while carving downwind in a smooth slalom line and enjoy getting into the flow of things.

Important: Keep in mind that your wave board has large fins which are fragile, so avoid riding in shallow water where they might get caught in the sand and break off.

For now, don’t worry about switching your feet (gybing). You will learn to gyb later, as it’s a bit more difficult to learn than just riding the waves. In the meantime, if you do want to change your feet, simply slow down and drop yourself in the water, turn your board around manually and head back in the other direction.

Downwinders for Kitesurfing Waves

While cruising in slalom lines you will be heading downwind and losing a lot of ground. Kiting back upwind will take time, effort and energy. The same applies when you’re riding down the line on a wave. For this reason, most wave riders like to do downwind trips from one point to another. All you need to do is organise transport at the end of your downwinder to get you and your gear back to your starting point.

The advantage of doing a downwinder instead of kiting in one spot is that it will maximize your net practicing time on the water. It will help you reach your learning goal at this stage faster, which is steering the kite in a controlled manor through the power zone while turning the board in the other direction. It’s also just the most enjoyable way to wave kitesurf!

Lesson Summary

• Practice the four different types of carving transitions: from heel-side to toeside, from toeside to heel-side (goofy and regular stance)
• Timing: First turn the kite, then steer the board to follow the kite
• Steer the kite through the power zone while turning the board downwind
• Practice alternating between all 4 types of carving transitions in a slalom line downwind

If you enjoyed this tutorial, then keep an eye out for our next lesson in this wave riding series: “Your first turns with timing and usage of the entire wind window” by subscribing to our updates. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to post them in the comments below.

This wave kitesurfing video tutorial was brought to you by KITEKAHUNAS Kitesurfing School and KITEKAHUNAS Wave Camps.

KITEKAHUNAS is an advanced Kitesurfing School in Cape Town, South Africa. In addition to their regular kiteboarding lessons, they also offer Wave Camps designed for wave kitesurfing beginners and experts. The camps include 2 weeks of pure wave riding pleasure, guidance, accommodation and transport from downwinders – all in all, an unforgettable experience.

Wave Kitesurfing Video Tutorial: Timing Your Turns (Lesson 1) was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Before We Start

Unhooking for the first time should be done in the right conditions, meaning you slightly struggle to pull the bar in fully and ride without getting dragged downwind, or any lighter than this to the point where you can still generate good pop hooked in (without sending the kite). You’re best off learning on a 9-14m kite. Make sure you pull in some trim line on your kite to stop it backstalling and to reduce the power slightly, then attach your leash to suicide so the safety doesn’t pull each time you crash. Every bar has a different setup so check the manual that came with your kite. It’ll either be a loop you can hook onto, or hook straight onto the chicken loop.

Choose Your Trick

Choose either a back roll or a raley to land first. I think back rolls are probably easier but they don’t teach you the best technique. You could also learn flat 360s or unhooked kiteloops first but they don’t teach you powered trick technique.

Now Let’s Get Started

1. Prepare

Gain a comfortable speed and keep the kite quite high to start with (60-75 degrees). Keep your body compact and elbows tucked in, most importantly move your hands to the centre of the bar so the kite is less responsive to steering.

2. Unhook

Point your board downwind and keep pointing more downwind until you can unhook comfortably. The video below shows me pointing downwind. Because the water is so flat, unhooking is effortless. A beginner will want to point much further downwind for their first attempts.

Video: Bare Off Downwind

If you are viewing this tutorial in an email or RSS reader, click here to watch the videos.

3. POP

Raley

Edge hard against the kite and then slide the board out the water just as the kite gives you a big yank. Have more weight on the back foot but keep the distribution quite equal. If you pop hard enough it should almost be second nature to fly the board up behind your head.

This is a little hard to describe in words, so check out the video below. You’ll see that you need to slide the board out the water in the direction you’re travelling while pushing off with your feet and sweeping your heels back towards your bum with the board behind you. In other words, the board gets released in two directions as illustrated in the image above.

Video: Pop Into a Raley

Back Roll

This is a very different pop. You want to edge hard against the kite with more weight on the back foot, not releasing your edge until you’ve almost done half a back roll. Time this edge release with the maximum pull from the kite and you’ll get a nice rip off the water. With the back roll you only really slide the board out of the water where your feet are pointing and then push off with your back foot to help the rotation. Keep looking over your front shoulder and tuck your knees in until you want to stop the rotation.

Video: This is a back roll to toeside to emphasize the back roll edge release

4. Stabilise

You’ll want to pull the bar into your front hip as you come in to land. This usually comes naturally, and will keep you stable and ready to land.

5. Landing

Land with your board pointing downwind. This will take the power out of the kite, letting you focus on your balance to land the trick.

6. Hook Back In

Keep pointing downwind while you hook back in. If possible keep both hands on the bar or take one hand off to guide the chicken loop in. As a last resort grab the chicken loop with both hands to hook back in quickly.

That’s the theory complete. It’s the easiest part to understand; now all you need to do is keep putting this into practice and eliminate any common problems you’re having. You’ll feel uneasy unhooking with no depower to start with, but it’s a case of unhook more and you’ll get used to it.

Common Problems

Overpowered

Don’t unhook while overpowered in the beginning. Make sure you can land a raley or back roll before trying in more wind. Make sure you pull a bit more trim line in first. When overpowered bare off downwind more and make sure you are fully committed. Don’t go into the trick half hearted as you’re likely going to mess it up and progress slower. Here are more tips for Overpowered Unhooking.

Choppy Conditions

In choppy conditions, ride slower and pick your takeoff more carefully. Try to launch your trick off a piece of chop for a cleaner release.

Kite Drifts to 12 or to the Water

This is your hand balance. Make sure you counteract whichever side of the bar you naturally pull when unhooking. Eventually it’ll become second nature. If you’re sending the kite to 12 then try to get the kite flying slightly downward just before you unhook.

Over Rotation or Getting Twisted

Tense your core and pull the bar towards your front hip.

Being a Wuss!

You have to commit 100% to unhooking for it to work. My first raley I committed 100%, lost the kiteboard mid air and did a superman with perfect technique (minus the board). It didn’t take long to learn. When I learnt to land blind I spent months crashing kites and half committing, so it took me much longer than it should have to land.

You know you’re under committing in decent winds if you get a soft pop or let go of the bar each time you take off.

Board Comes Off

Release the board more to the side (the direction you’re travelling) rather than backwards, lock your feet and tighten your straps. Or just chuck on a pair of boots, they make unhooking feel great.

Don’t Practice This

In my opinion, don’t practice raleys hooked in, or doing small pops unhooked or just riding around unhooked. They don’t replicate much technique needed for a powered raley or backroll. You’ll learn much more by not putting it off and practicing unhooked raleys or backrolls straight away, I find raleys more comfortable than unhooked pops or riding around unhooked.

That’s all you need to know, now think less, practice more and start pushing your riding!!!

Let me know if this post helped you or if you have any questions in the comments below.

Charlie

Charlie is an aspiring professional kitesurfer, dedicated to progression and pushing himself on the water in every session. You can follow his progression at: blog-charlieprice.com, or on instagram/snapchat/twitter: charlieprices or facebook.com/charlieprices.

Learn To Unhook Effortlessly was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

To continue the growth of kitesurfing as a sport, we need to recognize and overcome the barriers to entry these newcomers are faced with, and amplify the existing kiting community’s voice at the same time. We asked a number of pros who didn’t let anything get in their way what barriers you might run into when learning to kitesurf professionally, how to overcome them and why it is all worth it in the end.

Helena Brochoka

“At a beginner level, I think a lot of it comes down to fear. People are scared of a big powerful kite that can pull them out of control. Understanding the wind and kite’s “power zone” is really important in order to feel comfortable with a kite. It may seem hard at first, but it just needs a bit of practice. In the end, it’s a relatively safe sport, as long as you don’t engage in risky actions (such as launching close to trees, buildings, or rocks etc). I think it is most important to be familiar with how the wind works, and how to control a trainer kite fully before you switch to the actual big kite.

At a more advanced level, kitesurfing is very dependent on the conditions. In many other sports once you learn a trick, you usually know how you do it, and you will probably land it nearly every time. In kitesurfing you often think you’ve nailed it, but it might not work the next day or at a different spot due to varying wind and water conditions. Learning a trick is a much longer process, and it takes years to gain consistency. As frustrating as this might be, the key to success is to not give up, and just to keep trying again and again.”

Alex Arseneault

“I would say that the biggest barrier when learning to kitesurf is probably our ability to make decisions. When starting the sport, we are not always aware of the danger or risks of a spot or wind conditions.

To overcome that barrier, surround yourself with experienced people. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at a kite spot. Many kiters are present anywhere there’s wind and water. Take your place in a community; even if you are a beginner, we’ve all been there before!”

“Kite schools and shops are also there for you. Find the best Kite School you can trust and continue to ask questions. Kiteboarding can be complex (kites, boards, bars, lines etc). We learn every day, that’s what makes this sport so special.”

Jessica Perigny

“I would say that for someone who has never participated in any wind sports, understanding how the wind works is really difficult. I remember when I was teaching at Real Watersports, I would spend so much time explaining the wind. The best way to overcome this, in my opinion, is to watch videos and spend LOTS of time flying a trainer kite. It’s so much easier for a coach when students arrive having watched videos because they at least have a basic idea of what to expect.”

Dom Granger and Annie Carrier

“I would say, and I think it’s different for men, but for women, aside from money and/or time, I would say fear is the biggest barrier. Fear of not to being able, fear of the water, fear of not being strong enough, and fear of not being able to afford it. The best way to overcome this fear? Just do it! It’s definitely possible if you want it to be.”

Jana Schader

“The biggest barrier in learning how to kiteboard for me was getting back on the board after your first huge crash. To overcome your fear, you have to start slowly and think back to something great that happened before the crash. Watching others crash and get back up helps too.”

Brandon Bowe and Brandon Cordina

“Time and dedication. Kiteboarding takes anywhere from 5-8 hours to learn the basics, and the first stages of learning to kitesurf are very difficult. Just stick with it and learn to stay up wind, which is the key to success. Oh and make sure to get proper instruction! It’ll save you a lot of frustration!”

Jake Kelsick

“Mastering the kite. I always tell people kiteboarding is 80% kite control and 20% being on the board. Once you master the kite, your kite life will be much easier. Aside from that, if you are persistent and motivated, you will be ripping it up in no time!”

These kitesurfers and so many others are passionate about working with new and experienced kiters to help keep this sport growing to the level that it deserves. You can check out our kiting community, what they can do and what they can teach you on MentorMob by clicking to their profiles above.

What barriers and challenges have you faced to get to the level you are at now, and how did you overcome them? What tips can you offer potential newcomers to our sport to keep them motivated? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

This article was contributed by MentorMob, a community for kiteboarders and various other interest groups, and a great place to get free online learning guides.

Overcoming Barriers to Become the Next Pro Kitesurfer was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Since many kiters are aspiring to be pro kitesurfers, and based on the response to an article I wrote last year “How to Get Sponsored”, I thought I would do a follow up article on becoming a sponsored rider. I feel it’s important to show the progress I’ve made since creating my profile on Hookit.com. Their platform for sponsorship was instrumental in me gaining confidence in pursuing kiteboarding as a career.

When I first started I had no idea how the business of sport worked, besides competing of course. I first heard about Hookit.com when a representative from Monster Energy drink told me to register on the site, and when a sponsorship opportunity opened up I could apply. Upon creating my profile I discovered many great opportunities for sponsorship with companies like GoPro, Fuel Clothing, Skull Candy, Dakine and more. I began to learn what companies were looking for in athletes and what I needed to work on. I ended up getting 8 different sponsorships in my first year. I began to promote myself within the industry using my sponsor’s brands to gain recognition.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites) | PKRA Mexico

The first media connection I made was with inMotion kitesurfing. Brendon provided a platform for me to gain the exposure and credibility required to attract bigger sponsorships and interest from the industry. He published articles I wrote, and promoted them tirelessly. Fortunately these articles were well received by the public and lead us to create the Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer competition (MIGK). The MIGK is an online competition intended to showcase female kiteboarder’s talents in our sport, as well as their commitment to the industry. The success from our first year was outstanding, so we intend running this competition on a yearly basis.

I realized people started believing in me when I began to believe in myself. This in turn made me spend more time on the water, really pushing myself to do more complicated tricks. Eventually when I could afford it, I hired a photographer to take good quality photos so I had something to present when applying for better sponsorship deals. In addition I set up fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and my own website www.jessicawinkler.com. At first it feels egotistical to do all this, but it’s important in order to establish your professionalism as an athlete. Once you see yourself as a professional, others will start to see you as one as well.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites)

Here is a list of steps you can take to become a pro kitesurfer, or to increase the value of your sponsorships.

5 Steps to Becoming a Sponsored Kitesurfer

#1 Register on Hookit

Register on Hookit and keep your profile up to date. Post all your sessions, photos and competition results (if you compete)

#2 Promote Yourself

Set up fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, My Space and any other sites you frequent.

#3 Post, post, post….

Content is very important, and helps get you the exposure required to attract quality sponsorships. Let people see what you are doing to pursue your career. Write interesting, unique articles and try and get them published on kitesurfing websites like inMotion Kitesurfing, or start your own blog.

#4 Train

Get in the water and push your boundaries as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to take a course or hire a private instructor to help you get to the next level.

#5 Fun

Always have fun and enjoy the ride!!

One year after embarking on this journey, I received the biggest sponsorship offer of my life, Epic Kites. Getting the opportunity to ride professionally for a big name kite company actually brought a tear to my eye. I felt completely overwhelmed with joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites) | PKRA Playa del Carmen

After the announcement of me joining the team, amazing opportunities keep presenting themselves. A local Mexican airline magazine contacted me for an interview, as they are writing an article about kitesurfing for their in flight magazine. In the July/August edition I will be featured representing the sport within the Yucatan. It’s a pretty big honor for me, and I’m very thankful. The second big thing is I was head hunted by an extreme sports agency, Viral Technologies, who wanted to represent me. They will now take care of all my future sponsorship and media deals giving me more time to concentrate on running my kite school and training for competitions.

Since the Epic sponsorship, I’ve been going through a lot of different emotions. The world changes a bit when you are looked at as a Pro all of a sudden. You realize you need to walk the walk. You’ve spent so much time and effort marketing yourself to get to this point and now it’s time to live it. It’s an interesting shift. The biggest thing I’ve learned on this journey is you have to believe in yourself. You can do it, but it takes hard work and patience.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

Jessica will be participating in the PKRA women’s freestyle and downwind competition on May 18th in Bucerias, Mexico. She also recently competed in the PKRA freestyle exhibition and big air comp in Playa del Carmen in the men’s category, as there wasn’t one for woman yet.

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How to Increase your Sponsorship Deals was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Some of these principles do apply to kitesurfing disciplines outside of wave riding, so be mindful of them, and you may well find ways of improving your current techniques and performance.

A Bucket Full of Air

The Physics

According to our high school science teachers, the physics shows that momentum is equal to mass multiplied by velocity. So the faster you go or the greater your mass then the more momentum you will have. Considering that none of us are going to shed or add any mass of concern to our bodies or board during a session these become a constant leaving the formula having momentum equaling velocity which is quite simple but somewhat useless to our cause of becoming better riders of the waves.

While theoretically correct there is a vital element left out of this equation. This being the inherent momentum to be found stored within the kite. (Hang in there the good stuff is coming.) Let’s leave the formulas behind and take a practical look at what’s to be found in the kite. Think of it like this: Take a big empty bucket and run with it. Now come to a sudden stop. Not too difficult hey? Fill the very same bucket with water and run. Try come to the same sudden stop. Not so easy and it gets messy. The water wants to continue in the direction you were running and you needed to put in a whole lot more effort to come to a dry halt.

Using Kite Momentum for Wave Riding

Bringing it Home to Wave Kiting

So how does this relate to wave kiting? If we consider our kites being giant buckets filled with not water but moving air and that the air is not feather light as we may be tempted to assume, but has a real mass, as we all know and experience when we head off downwind after losing an edge. It’s not so easy to stop, just like running with that bucket of water. We can then agree that the kite has its own independent momentum, which means it has a life of its own and this is something we can work with.

More and more riders in spite of their preference of being hooked-in or unhooked are seeing the advantages in parking the kite, allowing it to drift downwind, then focusing their attention on riding technically in the critical part of the wave as opposed to being distracted by the constant steering of the kite, and the consequences that come along with that. The idea in the park and ride style of riding is to have the kite almost achieve an auto pilot status where it drifts downwind under its own momentum, with the rider trailing loosely behind it attached only by the now un-tensioned lines. If you can attain to this, then you are coming close to wave kiting nirvana, where just about anything is possible.

Bringing it Home to Wave Kiting

The Love Triangle – the Basic Setup Rules

To get the kite to auto pilot more consistently some basic ideas need to be adhered to. The setup of the correct kite for the conditions of the day is important. Being underpowered tends to have the rider out-running/surfing the kite and being grossly over-powered is never healthy. If in doubt a bigger kite for the day especially if the swell is on the larger side is the better choice. With the correct kite in the air, the next step is to fill it with enough wind to first of all give the rider enough general or overall speed to ride the wave successfully and then enough momentum in the kite to keep it happy and flying.

It is kind of like a crazy love triangle, the rider, the kite and the wave. Setting up the cleat or strap adjustment for the present wind condition is also a good start whether you are unhooking or not. In lighter winds this gets more critical. Most important of all though the kite needs to be parked correctly with the right amount of air in it. This is where experience and feel come into play, getting out there and riding will help more than all this theory.

The Rider, the Kite and the Wave | Photo by John Bilderback

Wind Angle and the Full Bucket

Think of this final step of parking the kite full of air as taking a scoop of water out of a pond with the original bucket idea. By putting the kite into the power zone more, or less, with a kiteloop being the greediest of scoops, the kite will be set up to have the correct amount of momentum needed to stay flying without much input, on auto pilot if you like.

Fast breaking waves will need more generous scoops and slow breaking waves less of a scoop as a basic guideline. Wind angle is however a complicating factor. After scooping your bucket with the correct amount of air it is not good enough just to leave the kite parked haphazardly on the side of the window. This may work at times depending on the wind angle relative to the wave, which will vary from cross-off the wave to cross-on to the wave. Cross-off wind allows for an easier park and ride experience with cross-on being the most challenging of the park and ride winds. It is being found that parking the kite more aggressively, using even the much dreaded kite loop, which is not to be that feared when bearing off downwind down the line, is making the cross onshore wave riding experience a lot more enjoyable and radical.

Wind Angle and the Full Bucket | Dean Bottcher

Parking the kite correctly is critical to this whole process lest you find yourself riding past the kite. Some kite designs do perform better than others, but for the most part any hybrid style kite or c-kite can be tweaked to perform admirably, never forgetting that the chicken loop is always there whether you are hooked into it or not, to be used if you find the kite stalling out totally.

Although it should be fairly obvious to most readers, these principles apply mainly to downwind wave riding, down the line and not to the toeside upwind, onshore-wind style of riding waves.

Happy Days, hope the tech talk helps a bit. If you have any questions or would like to add your own wave riding theories and formulas, please add them in the comments below.

Written by

Dean Bottcher

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Using Kite Momentum for Wave Riding was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

While my own road to sponsorship centres around kitesurfing, these tips are not just for kitesurfers, and can be applied to virtually any sport.

I should also mention that I am not claiming to be an expert in the field of getting sponsored. Instead, this is an account of my own experience in finding sponsorships, and of what worked and didn’t work for me.

My first encounter with sports sponsorship was when I was in high school. My best friend and I were one of the first girl snowboarders on the mountain (yes I’m that old) and she wanted to be in the Olympics when they decided to recognize snowboarding as a sport. She went down to the only snowboard shop in town and they worked on hooking her up. The sponsors got her the exposure she needed to start competing on a global scale and although she didn’t get into

Jessica Winkler for Oneill Eyewear

the Olympics she did capture 2nd in the world for women’s boardercross.

Getting Sponsored

Sponsorship is an important part of gaining exposure and progressing your career in a sport. When I first decided I wanted to start entering competitions and making a name for myself as a kitesurfer I started emailing companies like Red Bull, Monster and Roxy. Red Bull told me I needed to compete and place in order to be considered but Monster told me to register for a site called Hookit. They would only sponsor athletes who have profiles set up on this site.

Sponsorship Services

Hookit is a free service focused mainly on individual lifestyle sports, although anyone from any sport can sign up. The site is user friendly and full of potential sponsors. Athletes have the opportunity to showcase their talents via photo, video and competition results. It also allows you to register your riding spots and sessions. Once I had set up a full profile I began applying for sponsorships. The application process is simple and there are so many companies to choose from. I ended up getting 7 out of the 8 sponsorships I applied for which honestly really surprised me. The one company who denied my application allowed me to try again 6 months later to which I’m currently waiting a reply on my reapplication.

You can also set up a profile on SME. They recently redesigned their website to make it easier to use. They don’t have a section for kitesurfing yet but neither did Hookit 4 months ago. On SME you upload your best riding videos and you can win a sponsorship and $25K. Another website you can try is SponsorSpace. There are free basic level profiles you can set up to apply for sponsors. I like the site but out of 100 or so people, I’ve only seen 1 person who received a sponsorship so I’m not sure how effective it is. The other sure fire method is to ride hard and compete, sponsors will then approach you!

My Fuel Clothing Sponsorship

Having sponsors really gave me the confidence to write articles, find photographers to film me and to promote myself as an influential kiteboarder. One of the hardest things when you go from casual riding to starting a career in sports is confidence in yourself. I’ve struggled with feeling like I’m not good enough to be sponsored and not wanting to embarrass myself when people expect too much from me. These feeling are normal, but what I’ve learned is that for me it is not about being the best rider or competing, but rather being able to encourage and influence others to achieve their goals with hard work and dedication. Competing in kitesurfing to be well known is no longer my goal. Instead I want to use my support from my sponsors to encourage other athletes to give it a try, and to show other girls that you don’t have to be the best to be admired.

Get Started Today

Taking the first step and creating my profile changed my life because it gave me the confidence to pursue my passion and believe in myself. If you are looking to pursue a similar path, try setting up your own profile on one or all of the above mentioned websites, or nominate yourself on inMotion Kitesurfing’s upcoming “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” competition. The top ten girls will be profiled on inMotion Kitesurfing and the winner will receive great sponsorship’s (see competition page for details).

Jessica Winkler

It’s not easy to get recognition for all your hard work in the sports world, so take advantage of the opportunity to be profiled as a real athlete, not a bikini model. Leave a comment below if you want to be notified when the contest begins. Good luck ladies!

Feel free to share your own experiences finding sponsors in the comments, and if you have any questions please ask!

Written by

Jessica Winkler

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How to Get Sponsored was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

There is a whole new vibe being brought into kitesurfing where sliders are involved.  Kitesurfing due to its nature is generally a solo sport across most of the disciplines.  You are out there on your own, pushing your personal limits and only every now and then do you glance over your shoulder to see what your mates are up to.  Sliding is different.  There will probably only be one slider at your local and that one slider to start with was more than likely the product of much group discussion.  So already there was a team effort even before you got wet.  Then it is all the brainstorming and the group work party actually building the thing, a true riot itself.  Setting it up also requires the hands of a few good people, so once again a time to interact.  But that’s not where it ends, it is really only where it all begins.

Sinisa Misic – La Mercy Lagoon, South Africa

Only one rider can hit the slider at a time so the rest sit and watch in anticipation of their turn as they circulate around.   It is in this queuing for the action that a whole lot of chatting and cheering, oohing and aahing goes down.  Here you will find the place of beauty, where creativity is set free and the soul finds a new expression as each kitesurfer is challenged.  It is this interaction that has been the core of the boarding industry for decades and now it’s finding a path into kitesurfing.  While surfing holds claim to the history of board riding it must be skate boarding that be given a lot of credit for the board riding culture that has filtered back into surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, cable and any other form that it takes.  Open any skate mag and you will find that probably 50% of the mag is dedicated to the good old “slider” which in skate terms will be either a hand rail on some sketchy stairs, a pavement curb, park or mall bench or any other item worthy of the task.

Sliding has been around for a long time in many board sports and it would appear that it is going mainstream in kitesurfing or as close as it can get.  In my opinion it is what we need in the sport, especially in the South African context.  It brings spectator value back into the sport in a neat focused package that is oh so easy to market to potential sponsors.  Slider Jams with the beat pumping and the juices flowing are possibly the media draw card that we have been waiting for, which will hopefully bring all the kitesurfing disciplines together again at events.  With the advent of the bungee tow and motorized tow they can even work when the wind fails to pitch.

Our Portable Slider – Sinisa Misic

So what makes a good slider?  From a safety perspective the box slider is the way to go as there is close to no chance of getting pulled through the thing from a misguided upwind approach or slipping under it, not that it happens too easily.  Is the box slider what riders want?  The answer would be yes for every first timer but a no for the more advanced and adventurous.  The mutter on the inter-web is that box sliders detract from the core culture of sliding or “grinding” as it is sometimes referred to in skating, where the metal trucks (wheel axels) eat away at the obstacle of choice.  To further explain – One of the most amazing things with the sliding discipline is the photos and videos that we will see coming out of it.  The subjected kitesurfer is easy to shoot as the action all happens within a confined and “controlled” space.  Multiple angles are available to the photographer by taking only a few steps in any direction.  You also don’t necessarily need photo trained riders to get the money shot as you would need in freestyle and surf kiting.   Skaters have been at it for years and some photographers have made it their bread and butter line.

Sinisa Misic – Kitesports

Herein lies the big quandary of what slider is a good slider.  A skate photo shoot would involve a scout of the town to find the elements that would make a good photo.  Now you answer the question.  How good a photo can you get out of a man made box slider?  Once you got your skills down, and that will take a while on the very same box slider or something similar like a simple rail.  You may then want to follow in the footsteps of the skaters and start looking for alternatives.  Maybe an old bluegum telephone pole or tree that has fallen over, a boat jetty or even the boat when the owners eye is turned, a fence that won’t kill you, a wall, some windsurfer’s masts or any other obstacle or item that you can get in, near to, or across dry land then back into the water.  An open mind is the key here.  These are going to be the shots that the magazines will be featuring.  Sliders that have an element of natural danger are the ones that are true to the core of sliding and the ones that will give you credit amongst your peers.

So the challenge goes out, and other than attacking hazardous obstacles, the quickest way to get beaten on a slider is to try doing it with your fins in.  We have a sign board that we put up on the approach to our slider that clearly states “use at your own risk and nofins.”  It is amazing how many people can’t read at speed, but it does make for good footage.  Riding without fins is a challenge on its own and in a way it separates potential slippers from the dedicated grinders.  Once you start riding your freestyle board without fins (preferably use an old board as it is going to get serious battle scars) you will find some new moves coming to you even in the flat water.  Channeled boards look like they will be the way forward, with or without smaller recessed fins.  Increased rocker is possibly a good thing for moves like the nosepress, it also helps to protect the fins if you using them and may make some grabs easier.  Bindings seem to be the rage but practically they are an extra effort.  Wakeskates, or now referred to as kiteskates (flatter rocker etc.) on the other hand are making a big impact.  They are strapless, bindingless boards being used to do skate tricks on flat water, on sliders, off waves, wherever creativity will take you.  Originally from the wakeboard scene they are most definitely a complement to the kiting outfit.  Landing a kickflip off the end of your slider on a wakeskate will rocket you into stardom for sure!

The possibilities are endless and only our minds limit where this slippery avenue will take us.  If you have not had a slip-n-slide in a while then it comes highly recommended.  Get together with your crew and start knocking one together.

Written by

Dean Bottcher

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Sliders: The Slippery Slide of Things was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.