Welcome to my new category “Skills Drills”. Here I will post drills that challenge riders to move beyond their comfort zone to develop new skills, and understanding of the sport of kiteboarding.
S Turns
Now that you have mastered the water start and have ridden a few hundred yards at a time, it is time to figure out how the board works and how to make it work for you. This drill is designed to get you to change course. That is the direction in which you are riding. I.E. from 90 degrees east to 130 degrees south east and back again. This will give an idea of the effects that a change of course will have on things like speed, upwind progress, and the limitations of too great of a course change.
Drill: As you are riding on your heel side edge, back leg bent, front leg straight, leaning against the kite, arms out, bring your body to a more vertical stance while still standing over you back foot to keep the nose of your board up. Now lean toward your toe side edge and re direct the board in a more down wind direction. A course change of maybe 30 or 40 degrees. Not 5 degrees. This course change should only last 2-3 seconds, and then back to your original course. The kite should remain at the same elevation (45degree angle).
Goal: To carve S Turns in a consistent manner.
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