Want to Learn kitesurfing?

KNOW THE FACTS, DO IT RIGHT:

Don't say you haven't been warned -- Kitesurfing WILL change your life. Once you get that first little jump happening, the huge buzz you get will cause everything in your life to change. Your priorities will change, your friends will change, your holidays will change, you'll probably change your car and you might even ditch your partner if they don't follow you along for the new ride. (Or they might ditch you when they don't see what you're so excited about) and while kitesurfing is statistically a very safe sport (safer than rugby and fishing for example...) and when practiced according to established guidelines the chances are you'll be safe, but make no mistake -- if you don't do the right thing, things can go wrong and you can get hurt. In the hands of an untrained person kitesurfing can be VERY dangerous -- bad things can and do happen very quickly. Broken ankles, legs, arms, necks, backs, skulls and yes, people do die. Every year people are seriously injured and killed. You can be dragged through fences, smashed into trees, cars, rocks, houses or any other hard object. The "secret" to safety is practice using your safety gear -- when something goes wrong you need to be able to respond instinctively--and that means knowing INSTANTLY what you are going to do in an emergency before it happens so that you don't need to think about it. If you have to think, it's too late.

Your friend who purchased a kite and had a few hours lessons is NOT Qualified to teach, Qualified instructors know what your going to do wrong, their training methods are designed to anticipate and prevent this and basically teach you right from wrong.

It is vitally important to check your safety equipment regularly and PRACTISE using it REGULARLY so that when you need to release it’s instinctive, it could save your life!

So, if you STILL want to do this, here is some advice:

Get expert instruction. You wouldn't try to teach yourself to fly a plane, so don't try and learn to kitesurf on your own. It's just too dangerous and there's no point. A qualified instructor will get you up and going far faster than you could ever do it yourself and chances are the time you'll save will pay for the instructor fees and the safety aspects you'll learn may just save your life.

Spend some time on reading all the theoretical information about kiting and you'll be better prepared once you begin your lessons. There are vast sources available on the Internet from articles to training videos.

Commit to doing it right. To become reasonably proficient and self-sufficient you'll need at least three months of practicing every weekend. If you don't have the commitment from the beginning, don't start as you'll just be wasting your time.

Get insured, become affiliated with a club or a group like IKO.