Power Kite Forum

Landboarding new-be any tips??

lee_m - 10-10-2007 at 07:21 AM

Hi peeps!

My new ATB turned up today! so in about 2 hours i'm off to have a go!:singing:
I'm a little scared of it at the moment! it rolles so fast:sniff:

SO, any of you have any good quick trips for me so i don't kill my self:(

domdino - 10-10-2007 at 08:16 AM

Just lean back and push your feet hard into the ground! Speed is good :) try not to let yourself come out of the board over the front, just try and lean back, when it gets too much for you lie down or sit on your ass instead of going over the front, this will improve your skills and stance very quickly!

Pablo - 10-10-2007 at 09:24 AM

Yup, better to fall over backwards than to go out the front door, helmet is always a good thing.

Easiest to learn if you have enough power to park the kite to one side and ride, working the kite requires you to work the board angles to keep powered. And yeah, slow is hard, a little speed makes it easier to keep the board under you.

lee_m - 10-10-2007 at 11:16 AM

I'm back now it just getting dark! and there was no fookin wind! well about 0-8ish mph:thumbdown: but for my FIRST time on a board of any kind it was nice to be pulled at walking pace to start with, i hope tomorrow there will be 10mph winds that will do nicely!!

Thanks for the trips too..
I have bought a helmet and knee pads, my harness also turned up today, so i'm all set, i can't wait to get out there again I LOVE IT!!!!!!:smilegrin:

Pablo - 10-10-2007 at 12:10 PM

One thing you can do on no wind days is ride it down hill. Be sure to ride both regular foot and goofey, Same as time spent flying the kite, any time spent riding the board will help you out when you put them together.

lee_m - 11-10-2007 at 06:11 AM

I'm going out again later today! so i'll let you know how i get on!

Theres still not much wind though about 0-4mph:(

lunchbox - 11-10-2007 at 09:34 AM

Hi Lee_m,

As Domdino said, 'digging in' and leaning back is key. One thing I wanted to mention was that you can also remove the straps (if you don't plan on getting air). That really helped me early on when I got caught by a gust and went over the front. If you can't get your feet out in time with straps, possible face plant :o.

Happy boarding!

Pablo - 11-10-2007 at 10:05 AM

Yup, I used to ride with teh straps extremely loose, same thing, easy to eject when needed.

lee_m - 11-10-2007 at 12:14 PM

Hi peeps! :barf:No wind again!:barf:I'm gutted:barf:
Thanks for the TIP on the straps i have had them nice and snug but after this tip i think i will loosen them some more!!!

There was just enough wind to fly the kite but there was VERY little pull. so i put on my harness and just had ago! and WOW how great are they, you can fly the kite with one hand and with very little effort! its awesome!
My strop was about 6" to long, so i'll have to cut a bit off! LOL:thumbup:

Ohhh come on wind!:cool:

lee_m - 14-10-2007 at 07:41 AM

I've just thought of something!

How do i stop!? Ie i was flying along on the beach and i had to stop as fast as possible what would be the best way of doing it?
But without using the kite killers or ditching the kite

lunchbox - 14-10-2007 at 10:23 AM

Throw the kite back hard in the opposite direction...

Pablo - 14-10-2007 at 12:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by lunchbox
Throw the kite back hard in the opposite direction...


Well, that'll most certainly change your direction. Best way to stop dead is to keep the kite low and cut as hard as you can upwind, one of two things will happen, both will stop you fast.

1) You'll go upwind hard, the kite will surge to the edge of the window and lose power and you stop.

2) The board will slide, scrubbing off lots of speed in the process, then the kite will surge to the edge of the window and lose power.


Sending the kite back the other way is how I set up for a good jump. If you're moving fast when you do it expect some decent height.

lunchbox - 15-10-2007 at 08:19 AM

..probably should have added a little more detail to my late post for clarification purposes, sorry. When I do throw the kite back, I make sure not to throw it up too fast (lifted off your board) or dive it back through the window (yanked off your board). I follow the arc back to the other side of the window...Cutting hard upwind as Pablo suggests works great too!

lee_m - 15-10-2007 at 12:18 PM

Guys!!!:thumbup:Ohh i so love power kiting, and landboarding is an amazing feeling, the wind was in the right place aswell it was on on shore breeze the weather forcast said it was 12mph:thumbup: and it was AMAZING for a newbe on my board,:thumbup:
I had the kite at the edge on the window where there was little pull, stood on the board flu it up and bought it back down about 30feet ish from the edge of the window and i was off! i fell off about 5 times:lol: but after 4 hours of playing i was 100% better, i was going up and down the beach, its really good how you can lean back on it and almost pump the board upwind i found the kite found a groove in the wind and it just stayed there.
Totally awesome.
But there was one proble i found and that was turning! how do you do it?
the way i was turning, when i got to the end of the beach i brought the kite up in the wind and over the top of me so the kite was on the other side then i got pulled back the other way!
but i don't think thats right.

B-Roc - 15-10-2007 at 12:51 PM

That sounds right to me.

At the end of your run, if you are still carrying power in the kite start to edge hard upwind as you send the kite back - this will put what will become your forward foot in the proper position to start a slightly downwind run as the kite moves over head before you lean back and carve to cross wind.

If the kite is really loaded with power and you've edged hard as you redirect, you will be lifted and then you can use that jump to switch directions but you'll need to redirect the kite and then work the landing and the kite to go off in the new direction and not continue on the old.

Or, if you aren't carrying too much power send the kite up higher and drive the front foot in to the wind so you start to carve around to toe side - then as you come around, lower the kite to pull you though the rest of the transition and either jump the board back to heel side or slide it or ride as is.

Regardless of what you do, you are still basically riding back and forth trying not to give up too much ground and trying not to carve so hard that you kill the kite and the power.

As far as carving all over the place, you need space and power and loose enough trucks to get the job done. The more power and speed you carry, the more you'll be able to go where you want. And always look where you want to go as opposed to at the kite.

Looking where you want to go will twist your body and force the board into the position needed to go where you want (assuming you have enough power and speed - your two biggest friends when landboarding.)

joecat - 7-3-2008 at 08:42 PM

Hey, hopefully i will have my board within a few days,,,,Getting a Scrub Rush. been on the buggy for almost a year so had to try the board....There are some good tips here..... but a few more questions if you guys dont mind.... Pablo you said "regular foot and Gooffey" What does that mean? and what does "toe and heal" mean? of course I know what they are but what do they mean when your talking about going from heal to toe runs........

thanks.

burritobandit - 7-3-2008 at 11:07 PM

Joecat,

Regular vs goofy:

"The two different ways to stand are called stances - Goofy (skating with your right foot forward) and Regular (skating with your left foot forward)."

From:
http://fall.about.com/od/sportsrecreation/ss/JustStartingOut...


It's good to get comfortable riding goofy AND regular so you can steer (and eventually do tricks) in both directions easily. If you always ride regular (left foot forward) and ONLY feel comfortable riding regular, you'll do great when riding to the left, but end up having to ride blind when you want to go right. And vice-versa if you ride goofy. When starting out, it's easier just to face the kite the whole time and ride regular to move left, and goofy to move right.


More on riding blind:
Let's say you're regular... When you're first starting out, you'll move the kite from zenith to the left (11 or 10 o'clock), to get you moving to the left. Your toes are facing the kite, heels away. Let's say you are moving along and running out of room, and need to go back to the right. You can bring the kite to zenith while turning the board downwind (leaning on your toes). Then you'll bring the kite to 1 or 2 o'clock to powerup goin right, and keep your leaning on your toes to turn to the right until you've rotated the board 180 degrees. You're now riding blind. Your heels are pointed at the kite, and your toes are away. The kite will feel like it's behind you (well, it kinda is at this point, heh.)



I'm guessing that 'toe to heel runs' means doing an s-turn (snowboarding term) which is basically what I just described above. You went from riding heelside to toeside. To go back to heelside, you'd lean on your heels and your board would start going downwind again. Keep leaning and you'll be back where you started with your toes facing the board, and moving left.


This video is a good example of riding blind, goofy, and regular.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lqGNySRdf84&feature=related

The guy feels comfortable riding in both stances, and even when blind.

Hope that helps :)

joecat - 10-3-2008 at 07:54 PM

Hey BB. Thanks,,, I sort of understand what your saying,,, I am going to check out the videos and I am sure I will figure it out.... Thanks... I will let you know how it works out....

joecat - 10-3-2008 at 08:04 PM

checked out the video..... I got it now..... in my head anyway..... will try out the practical soon as I get the board...... Thanks again.

macboy - 10-3-2008 at 08:42 PM

Thought it'd be just as well to add this question here. Can you skate on these like a regular skate board and if so, is there value in doing it in terms of getting acquainted with the things? I just picked up a used but loved MBS Blade and super stoked to try it out! (Once the snow melts away) The ravine where we walk our dog every day has a great rolling gravel trail.

burritobandit - 11-3-2008 at 08:04 AM

You can totally use it as a skateboard, although it's much heavier to jump without a kite helping you in the lift department. :)

As far as value getting acquainted, I would say so. You'll get to learn the turning radius of the board, the feel of rolling on rubber as opposed to urethane as well as getting used to the feeling of having your feet under the bindings. You might wanna wear some pads if it's your first time on one. At the very least knee and wrist pads, although a full set would be better.

Also, if you don't have a handbrake, you'll have to learn to slide to a stop, or put a foot out to use as a brake.

USA_Eli_A - 14-3-2008 at 03:31 PM

many riders are using ground boards in skate parks....looks like a ton of good times!

If you are new to kite ground boarding, I recommend 'Drill 1', it's got so much info improtant for beginners to know!

macboy - 14-3-2008 at 03:34 PM

Drill 1?

joecat - 16-3-2008 at 06:04 PM

Hey Eli,,,, whats Drill 1?

joecat - 16-3-2008 at 06:06 PM

Anwered my own question..... Macboy... http://www.drill1.co.uk/

macboy - 16-3-2008 at 09:59 PM

Sweet - thanks!

joecat - 17-3-2008 at 07:00 PM

Got my boards today.... Both Scrub: one Photon and one Rush. Just have to put them together.... no not both for me,,,, Photon is for my son.