It's so odd. Anytime there's kiting in the works I get nervous. I like to think it's nervous anticipation but it's still nervous. Am I the only one?

I'd decided yesterday - in spite of the game tonight - that I'd cut out of work early and hit the lake to meet some of the locals. The report as of 5 minutes ago is "Get out here! It's a 9-10m day! Wahoo!" which makes me nervous-nervous but even before that I was nervous.....since I woke this morning.

I'm not scared. Just a hard to explain nervous for some reason. It always happens. Doesn't matter how heavy the wind - or how light. I was nervous out at Sylvan this winter and there was NO wind to speak of - let alone wind to be nervous about.....

Odd.

13m Venom is heading for the car. That makes me happy. That's a kit that I know I can get along well with most any day. Can't wait to see how the Flydoor goes.

No man, I AM EXACTLY THE SAME WAY! Its not being scared its like getting butterflies with anticipation. It's a big joke with my friends because I don't really cuss or anything but when i'm driving to my field through tthe traffic I get the worst road rage. I get anxious the most when i'm walking towards my bar to hook into my harness after inflating my arc.

It's so strange because it doesn't matter if the wind is low or high, it's just the excitement of it all. after the kite is in the air, do you automatically feel better?

Been kiting for 10+ years and I still get the jitters just before I launch my kite. Doesn't happen to me when I go surfing or any other sport, only when I'm kiting and mostly when I haven't kited in a while. Once the kite is up in the air it's "business as usual". I've always thought it was caused by all the accidents and near accidents I've witnessed over the years, but I'm not really sure why it happens. I look at it as a good thing, keeps me alert and cautious, after all, kiting -can- be a dangerous sport especially if you start getting lazy and take unnecessary chances.

I had a dinner engagement last night. We sat outside where I could see several flags revealing what I estimated to be 15 mph winds. The dinner dragged on. The wind kept up. I checked weather on my iPhone 20 times. When is this over?? I wasn't nervous, just wound tight with anticipation.

Things wrapped up as it was getting dark. BUT, there is a full moon! Heh, time for a night flight cuz it's still blowing. Got to the field close to 10:00 p.m. and the wind died. Bummmmmmer.

nervous, let's with go anxiety. a psychological and physical response to stress.

breathe in nose out mouth with belly. it will help burn the adrenalin .

go for short well controlled sessions , do one new thing or something simple ride toeside longer and switch with power stroke sometjhing like that, then stop . decide to put the gear down . if the nervousness has washed away ,THEN relaunch without the anxiety. clarity and confidence, good breath control , don't let the harness choke you . while riding focus on an easy fixed point on the horizon (up wind). need to find a comfortable body position, head back relax through the shoulders or something like 5 min swim before you start may help..or pump a kite! its normal and will reduce with time . try and put in your mind as a work out like bike ride or run. kiting is just a really fun work out! it will come to that point.
dude my teeth would rattle when i first started, on the drive out to the spot. its excitement mixed with adrenalin , EVERYONE STILL GETS THIS ...here you go.

http://www.mysticboarding.com/blog/items.php?id=95

I am exactly the same. As I head out to kite, the closer I get to the field / lake / beach, the more anxious / nervous I become and that feeling lasts during setup, launch and usually through the first few turns or so. If I'm the only one riding and no other kiting friends are around, the anxiety lasts a bit longer as I know there is no one around to understand how to handle the kite if I get in trouble.

I think that's a healthy and normal way to feel for those who truly enjoy the sport and understand the risk and potential danger associated with doing what we do.

I think newbies are always overconfident and feel no fear until they experience their first hard crash / lofting. Then they feel the anxiety / nerves that the more experienced fliers feel when they get out.

Once I'm riding though, everything settles down as I get in my groove and get a feel for the wind conditions.

moto cross/hare scrambles was the same for me....(kiting not so much and crotch-rocket/road racing not so much [strange?]).
always went for a 5-10 min, full effort, blast then took a quick 5 min rest. good to go for the rest of the day/session which could be hours.
I was under 150 lbs in my best motor-cross days.
i'm at about 190 now:dunno::bigok::dunno: :frog: haven't twisted a throttle in a few years:sniff:

I get anxious when the wind is blowing and i cant fly.... i get nervous when i know what kite im gonna fly, and i know its a lilttle too much.... when its gusty and 30mph, and im set on the twister... i get quiet.... lol

like last week... mid 30s and the synergy... lmao! I almost wrecked my a$$ on that one! when i know im trying new stuff, i get nervous too... ahhhh!

When im not doing anything, im anxious, when im pushing the limit... nervous :tumble:


of course... the rush is why i kite :singing:

I've always felt that and yes, it goes away as the kite launches and I've once again verified I'm in charge and in control. Then on those really aoxomoxoa days, there is the adrenaline high that can last for 3-6 hours after the session. You just can't buy that in any form. It has to be earned. I've also felt that feeling on a good waterski or barefoot session.

I'm with Adam on the road rage thing. If I'm on the way to grab some wind and I get bogged down in idiot induced traffic I go friggen nuts.

If the conditions are just the way I like them I get a little juiced up. Not so much nervous or anxious, the best description is "rabid". Same kinda of feeling you get when you're about to get in a fight is the best way I can describe it.

When I'm in that mode my patience is pretty much non-exisistant. I just want to go go go.

I didn't realize so many had the same feelings.
When I started out I would describe that feeling to people. I would say I am not sure if I am over excited or scared to death but either way the hairs are standing up on my arms and I feel like I am living in a way I have never felt before !
Nothing like facing your own mortality to get the old heart up !

I also agree that it is a different feeling . I would get super worked up before skiing , hockey and other sports . I thought it was all part of getting O.L.D. :puzzled:

Just talked this out with the Roomy and and he said , maybe that is the difference between a sport and an extreme sport ? Maybe this IS an extreme sport after all ?

Same here, Some days more than others.
I am nervous in general, so I just learn to deal with it.

Oddly, I am less nervous when my son is with. Cannot explain it, I just must be more focused or it's the whole strong dad thing. Don't know.

I do know that the best sessions are when I shake for a couple hours afterward. It's good to get my fill.

So that's what the "bumpy-ness" is all about... :eureka:

There are times when I've felt better about long lining out of a Chinook than launchin' that kite.

I thought it was just "knobb nerves" and should have tapered off by now. A couple days before heading to Elmer's for Sprang Thang, I was a huge PITA :flaming: for the guys at work and couldn't figure out why to save my arse... Had to buy lunch for the whole shop before they would quit beatin' me with various and sundry hand tools.

Actually, it's part of the reason I'm still infatuated with this whole game. I was waiting for it to get dangerously dull and boring... but it doesn't. I get bumpy loading out gear at the casa and stay in it until that second or third big blast of acceleration. By then, it's too late, I'm snuggled in to the juice and won't come out until something breaks... mind, body, gear, somethings gotta go "twang". It's usually a muscle or joint these days; just gettin' crusty, I guess.

Thanks folks, that helped clarify it a bit.

I think the pre-session anxiety / nervousness is part of what keeps me wanting more, lol. No matter how prepared and practiced you are and how safely you fly, the chance of something going horribly wrong is there no matter how much we try to minimize it. I go out to fly and have fun and push my personal limits, if I didn't want the little nervousness that goes with it I would take up disc golf.

I find myself nervous on the way to kite, and yes I get real bad road rage. Almost like I'm in a hurry to get there before the wind decides to leave. Lately I've been alright, but when I'm at the beach with my buddy I get really nervous just before I launch the kite, its like I'm scared to screw up the whole take off thing. Then when the kite is in the air, I find myself real cautious to keep everything looking good. :cool2:

Anticipatory adrenaline rush ... it's all good. Breath in breath out, focus your mind and keep in mind what you're doing - setting up etc.

This is awesome. I happened to see Phree's post on my way out the door and clicked the Len10 vid. Put it right into perspective. BUT I was so anxious that the last 20 minutes of the drive I felt like I was gonna faint. I think that went a little too far. I suspect I'm over it now (see STOKE Post) so we'll see how I feel on the next trip to the lake.

I'm amazed though...I thought it was just me! Wow.

ya, definitely get a sense of excitement that's in the body.

My theory, Kiting is a pretty amped up sport that requires lots of nervous system activity...body might just be preparing itself for that type of energy it needs for the nervous system to step it up a bit. Plus, combine this with the sense that you REALLY want to be out there....and...your body is gonna be pretty charged up!

I'm with Phree on the controlled breathing,

Get a good puke in, then launch the kite! :bigok:

Hockey was worse for me - even though in 3 years we never lost a game and our wins were pretty much a sure thing

Can't agree more myself...

I get worked up before hitting the ice (moreso at Nationals - the whole drive from RI to MI I was jittery!) or snowboarding but feel like the nerves kick in the most before kiting.

I notice it the most after passing the kite off to Anderson and watching him fly and I am still there shaking a bit but then I want the kite back ASAP as I see the fun he is having!!

Glad to hear I am not the only one

(fever to) stoke syndrome. Just coined it. better than runners hi.

jonesing to hit it followed by sustained full body and mind elation.

any addictive tendencies? you'll want it daily! PROMISE

true story, a guy i ride with daily was rigging wind surf stuff and a NE was howling like 30 +(everyone is jumpy to start) . we arrived same time and he was so jittery he was walking in circles " i just don't know what to do" a 20+ year veteran of wind disease. 10 mins later we're all composed, serious and #@%$#! and blast off! 5 hours later we're praying for more tomorrow! we go through this ALOT.

it happens ! right before you're about to bite into a mountain of PHUN!

I couldnt agree more with the jitter/anticipation it is one of the things that lets me know the fun is about to begin. Everytime i launch a kite i have cotton mouth and a knot in the stomach as soon as the kite is up and i have my first little run- then the groove is on. I have a sign on my wall about whitewater boating and its the same thing- "Hours of pleasure separated by moments of sheer panic". Often times i will explain kiting or boating to people as the ultimate drug because when you are doing you are 100% in the moment and all other things leave your mind. When i am really pushing my limits- at the end of the session I am pleasantly tired/relaxed yet energized to do it again.

Today I feel the flipside of this addiction and am reminded why I got into it.

I went in to work but could not face the music after being up all night. I live downtown Van. . I am SO wound up it's crazy and NEED KITE THERAPY !!!!!!!!

The only way I am going to seperate myself from this shame and settle down is to go to my kites. I know it works and fortunately already have a fly date with Airin !

I never got nervous about kiting untill my first kite beating:ticking:. Since then I am always nervous about the first launch or getting into the buggy. But it goes away most of the time once things are good. It's just all the thoughts of how much it hurts when the kite body slams you into hard ground! Or the buggy drops on you when you mess up showing off!!