Learn to Kiteboard

LEARN to KITEBOARD

LEARN WITH US: Action Sports Maui has been teaching the sport of kiteboarding since the beginning. We have tons of experience teaching all kinds of people to learn to kiteboard. We love to teach and make the learning process fun. We started as a Kiteboard school and that is our main focus, teaching people to Kiteboard. Learning is easier than ever before, with better equipment and better instruction methods.

<>LEARN TO KITE: Kiteboarding is a fast and fun water-sport that is easy to set up, transport and just uses the power of the wind. You can do it almost anywhere, on lakes rivers, dams, reservoirs, and beaches, even on the snow. There are kiteboarding destinations all over the country and all around the world. Once you have mastered the basics you can explore many fun and exciting locations. Learning is fun and you can take lessons from good certified instructors in over 40 countries.

SMALL AND LIGHT: Kites fold up small and the boards are small and light like a snowboard. All the gear packs down small and it is light enough to take with you whenever you travel on vacation. All the gear can pack into a bag the size of a set of golf clubs. And you don’t need to put a roof rack on your car, because it all fits neatly in the trunk.

LEARNING IS FUN: We make the learning process fun. From the very first time you feel the wind in your hands you will feel the excitement and the power. Every step is an easy progression, and the instructor stays with you every step of the way. Trainer kites and Ground School are followed by body-dragging in the water to learn the kite handling, then we add the board and the waterstart. In a few sessions you will be up an riding both directions and feeling the speed of the board flying across the water.

HOW YOU LEARN: We teach 90% of our lessons as private 1 to 1 lessons, so your very own instructor is right there with you side by side. Giving advice, supervision and feedback. When in the water he is right with you or close at hand spotting you and caddying for you. As you progress we give you the option of having a radio helmet so you can get real time instruction, and vital information. With the radio helmets you are are never alone. As you progress a little farther from shore your instructor rides along side you guiding you and giving instructions from the water. This is the best and fastest way to lean.

LEARN BY DOING: Our method is designed to give you the maximum hands-on experience because people learn by doing the Action. We do not just talk about it, we get you doing it, in a series of straight forward exercises that teaches you the skills. Muscle memory and some basic explanations are all that is required to get you trying it for yourself. We are right with you giving feedback and correction when needed so that you spend more time doing it right and less time struggling. No one can explain the feeling of kiteboarding, you have to try it for yourself, that is called proprioceptive learning, or developing the feel for the position, action, using spatial sensory perception (learning by doing). No book, video or verbal explanation can beat that. Our instructors are trained to use the best instructional techniques to help you learn and remember faster. At Action Sports our Motto is a little less conversation and a little more action!! Why just talk about it when you can actually get out and do it.

WHAT IS A TRAINER KITE?: A trainer Kite is a smaller easier kite to fly. We fly on the beach to learn the basics of steering. Trainer Kites are fun and not scary at all. The trainer kite session lasts about 40-45 minutes and you will learn about the wind, and steering, and the power zones, and how to fly with the harness and how to fly one-handed. (you can purchase a Trainer Kite to use after your lessons, and take it home to practice with). Trainer Kites are a great way to develop Kite Skills with a less powerful kite, you can learn on dry land, and they are great for kids too.)

WHAT IS A BODY DRAG?: A body drag doesn’t sound like much fun, but it really is. After the ground school and the trainer kite, we get into the water and fly the kite without the board. This is where you will learn the vital skills for handling a kite on the water. In this session we let the kite pull us through the water, like we are bodysurfing. The kite does all the work, and we can learn to steer, and relaunch the kite after it crashes in the water. With the body drag we can focus on learning kite skills and not worry about the board skills (yet). Body drag skills are important for any kiteboarder because you need to know how to do this when you lose your board later on. You can drag/sail up to your board and it is surprising how easy it is and how much control you have.

POWER CONTROL: The kite we fly have variable power. We show you how to fly with just enough power to get the job done. You control the power, have a little or have a lot, the power depends on the bar position just like a sailing boat adjusts its sails. We start by selecting a kite the right size for the student. Small people get smaller kites, and big people get bigger kites. Also on a windy day we will us a smaller kite than a lighter wind day. Don’t worry because your instructor always helps you choose the right size kite so that you are not overpowered. Also even if there is too much power, you can stop at any time. We show you how to depower the kite, and how to kill the power in the kite, so the you have the ultimate control.

WHAT IS A WATERSTART: A waterstart is how you get onto the board in the water. Just like a water skier gets up on a water-ski, or wakeboard, is almost the same as a kiteboarder getting onto the kiteboard. This is where the kite control you learned come into play. If you have good kite control, getting up is easy. if you have bad kite control getting up is harder. because you supply the power and steering needed to get up on the board. People with a boarding background have a slight advantage at this stage, the board skills cross over from wakeboard, and snowboard, but the “kite is king”. The kite skills are about 80% of kiteboarding, board skills are about 20%. Even if kiteboarding is your first board sport, but you have a smooth feel for the kite you will get the waterstart in a few tries.

HOW MANY LESSONS?: Everyone learns at a different speed. It depends on your comfort level in the water, and maybe some crossover skills from other sports. You learn the most on the first day, and after a few sessions (totaling 6-9 hours) you will be riding a little each way and know the starts, stops, and the tech side of setting up the gear. After about 15-20 hours you will be a basic rider and be riding upwind and cruising and making turns.

IS IT SAFE?: Kiting can be relatively safety if you learn from a professional instructor. You do not want to go cheap on your kite lessons, because it compromises safety. A professional *IKO Certified instructor is worth every cent because he teaches you how to protect yourself from the potential risks. You will spend less time struggling and learn more every session. Your instructor creates a safety net and ensures the ideal learning environment. During your sessions you are wearing protective gear including; a helmet, rashguard shirt, and a buoyancy jacket/harness. Booties are also provided.

ACCREDITATION: The IKO International Kiteboarding Organization, is the worlds most respected kiteboarding training & certification organization represented in 38 countries, The IKO has a worldwide network of affiliated kiteboarding schools. Action Sports Kiteboarding School is a fully accredited and affiliated IKO Training Center (#372). Every Action Sports Kiteboarding Instructor is fully trained and Certified by the IKO. And is also certified in First-Aid and CPR. (beware of untrained imitators).