This tutorial looks at trainer kites in detail.
Set up in an open space with no hazards nearby or downwind.
It also helps to have a flat open area, and light wind.
First, figure out which way the wind is blowing.
Place the kite on your downwind side.
Unroll the kite, securing the trailing edge as you go.
Next, check that the bridles are not tangled.
Take the control bar, and unroll the lines, heading upwind.
Place the bar on the ground, orientated in flying position.
Return to the kite, walking between the lines to separate them.
Connect the lines using a lark’s head knot, as shown here.
Check your lines are not tangled before launching.
Attach the safety leash before picking up the bar.
Gentle tweaks on the lines will encourage the kite’s cells to inflate.
As the cells fill with air, the kite will take form.
Pull upwind, and the kite should launch.
Here the kite was launched directly downwind of the pilot.
This angle gives the greatest pull and is therefore only suitable for a
small kite in light wind.
At first, aim to keep the kite above your head using the
smallest steering movements possible.
To steer the kite left, the left hand only needs to be pulled in briefly.
To steer right, the right hand only needs to be pulled in briefly.
Once the kite starts to respond to your steering input, straighten both arms to avoid over-steering.
At first, many people misunderstand what movement turns the kite.
They try rotating the bar like a car’s steering wheel.
Or, others try moving the entire bar from side to side.
These bad habits should be avoided.
Remember, the kite is turned by pulling a single line towards you.
We will now look at flying drills to practice with your trainer kite.
During these drills, it’s important to have a mental picture of your wind window.
Remember, the window is on your downwind side, and the area in front of you, directly downwind,
has the highest power.
As mentioned, it is important to turn the kite with minimal steering input.
Slow steering movements keep the trainer kite in the low power zone.
Next, try to park the kite near 12 o’clock, in the center of the window.
As steering control develops, you should be able to hold the kite at 12
with almost no deviation.
You should even be able to do this using one hand.
This skill keeps the kite neutral – not pulling to the left, and
not pulling to the right.
You should be able to park the kite at different angles in the low power zone.
Slowly move the kite to 1030, and try holding position.
Practice until you can keep the kite close 45 degrees - even when distracted.
Try the other side, and slowly move the kite over to 1:30.
Holding the kite at 45 degrees in low power, gives a gentle sideways pull.
This is much like the kite control used during bodydragging.
To help prepare yourself for lessons, you can mimic this, by flying the kite with your
back hand, and pointing with your front hand.
Once you can park your kite easily, it is time to experiment with steering speed.
If you move the kite slowly back and forth across 12 it will stay in low power.
The more firmly you steer the kite, however, the further it will dip towards high power.
This drill simply gives you a feeling for how a kite’s steering affects its position
in the window.
Although, this exact manoeuvre is not often used in kiteboarding.
Rather, we use powerdives, as these pull to one side of the window.
You can do a power dive that pulls to the left ... or a power dive
that pulls to the right.
Start by diving the kite.
Then try to stop it around 45 degrees.
Then return to 12, steering slowly so the kite returns to low power.
The strength of a power dive, is controlled by how quickly the kite is turned.
Firmer steering, will send the kite deeper towards high power.
For this reason, start with light steering – then build up to steering more firmly.
These drills are essential for understanding how to control a kite’s power.
You can also control the strength of a power dive by changing its starting position.
If you first move the kite to the opposite side of the window before diving, you can
reach much deeper into the window and for longer.
The more run-up you take, the bigger the power dive can be.
Once you can control the strength of a power dive easily, you can try chaining them together.
This keeps the kite pulling continuously.
This skill helps riders regain speed.
Of course, the firmer you steer up and down, the more the kite will pull.
Most kite safety systems, use the same basic principle.
If you hold a kite, by a single point, or side, it should flag out.
Flagging out means the kite becomes loose and lines up with the wind.
In this example, 2 lines support the kite and keep it flying.
When the bar is thrown away, however, only the left line is holding the kite.
The kite flags out on the end of left line.
If this system ever doesn’t work for some reason, there is also the option to eject
your leash and separate yourself from the kite.
This is one of many reasons it’s important to not have anyone downwind of you, and to
build your experience in light wind.
There are some variations of this safety and control system for trainer kites.
Here we had 2 steering lines, and when the bar is released, the left steering becomes
the safety, or flag-out, line.
Some trainer kites have two steering line on a bar, but then have a third line from
the trailing edge to a wrist strap.
In this case, when the bar is thrown away, the kite flags out on the trailing edge.
Another variation, has 2 separate handles to hold the steering lines.
Then on the end of the handles, is a brake line.
If you pull in these brake lines enough, the kite will backstall, and flag out from the
trailing edge.
In this case you would typically have a safety leash attached to one or both brake lines.
Using your safety, is an easy way to land the kite.
You, then pull in the kite using tension on the safety line only.
If you have an assistant, you can also lower the kite to 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock.
Make sure your assistant approaches from the upwind side of the kite, and then grabs the
kite by a single point.
Ideally the lower wing tip.
Previously we launched the kite from directly down wind.
This is known as a hot launch, which generates the most pull of any launch angle,
As you become skilled with foil kites, you might be ready to for slightly more wind.
In stronger wind, try to avoid launching the kite from directly downwind.
If you launch 45 degrees across from the wind, as shown here,
it hugely reduces the pull during launch.
To pack away your trainer kite neatly:
-secure the upwind side of the kite -disconnect the lines
-wrap away your lines tightly in figures of 8
-secure the lines with the safety leash -and then roll the bridles up,
inside the kite, to hold them in place.
I hope this tutorial helps you get the most out of your trainer kite.
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