it wont hurt much because i wear a helmet but i still hate doing it. I am trying to learn to jump. i start by building up speed while in heel side on my landboard then i try to send the kite up but i cant fully commit so i never end up with a jump

i think im just afraid something will go wrong and i will get hurt badly

what should i do?

wait for a little more wind and you won't have to send the kite so hard. you want the kite OVER you , not OUT from you. when the kite is lower in the window the action is harder to manage esp. for basics.

kite over you and JUMP UP with legs and hips at power peak. timing and kite position are what bring this together. you may need more time to feel out the sweet spots in the power strokes and high window power for lifts.

Commit! Be all in or all out. If you're not commuting it'll never happen for you. Don't worry you'll love it. BTW what kite do you normally use

Beef up the padding, it's an instant confidence booster. If you can, wait for a day with smooth, steady wind. I know there are a lot of days where the wind sucks and you just want to get out and fly anyway and make the best of it. You'll learn a lot more if you wait a bit, though. Try practicing jumping without the board more, it's a lot easier and will help you nail the technique. Knowing the type of kite you're using would help us out a lot.

i usually use a scout 5m. I recently got a crossfire II 10m though but i am not ready to use that for anything but buggy and static right now

ahhh, i see. its not as easy to jump with those kites. it's much easier to jump using a depower kite versus a FB.

why is that

the scout is small and is a fixed bridle kite. it takes more skill to learn jumping with kites like that

Its much easier to learn jumping on depower kites. the reason being is that you are ina harness, you can fly a bigger kite in stronger winds because of the depower capabilities, and also you are focusing on kite skills and not just holding on the handles for dear life

FULL FACE HELMET! I love the Giro Remedy very light and good protection.

Pad-UP! Always a huge confidence booster!

And listen to phree and flyjump, both really know what they are talking about!

Err....um.... the Scout is FB, but on a cross-over bar. Gen I the crossover linkage is at the bar end. Gen II the crossover linkage is on the bridle side (and Y-line setup drops the line count to 3). A "D-Loop" strap with safety quick-release is provided for optional use with a harness.

Advantages of jumping with depower aside, HQ markets the kite for ATB & Snow.

Looking at the Lewis Wilby video the transition to blind is an unhooked hop transition, so it would seem that the merits of depower for this particular maneuver are minimal. Just saying...

EDIT: Looked at the LW video again. He is hooked in, but the kite is fairly high in the window to the point where he seems to be coasting on the momemtum he built up just prior to the hop.

FWIW: I can do goat imitations even when I can see where I am going, so....

ATB,
Sam

I would hesitate jumping with a 5m Scout to. It isn't a kite that lends itself to jumping at all. The Crossfire, now THAT'S your tool. I would trust that kite way more.

With depower you have the advantage of adjusting the AOA just as you boost. Powering up just when you need it. You are being lifted from your core . Hooked in, Not dangling .

I here you about the commiting issues. They held me back for a long time. 2 things I think were key :
Padding up to the max! It really helped to give me courage.
Getting a loan of the 15m Synergy. It's forgiving nature allowed me to fail repeatedly and not get beaten up by my kite.

What is cool is once you bite the bullet and " Just Do It " the next time is easier to commit .....

For good or ill, this thread has been cross-linked with the the other thread "riding in a blind stance".

My point was that I wasn't convinced that the transition to blind in the Lewis Wilby video was a kite jump/boost so much as a board hop transition while the kite was providing lateral drive.

ATB,
Sam

good point sam , drive yes, straight board hop, HE is jumping the board, no boost.

demo' s atb "pop" as well,,, very little to do with the kite .

and SHORTline ===> 10M in 10-12mph should the ticket to fly...remember the forward hand is the landing plan! give forward hand direction at apex of air! and LOOK where u want to land

Have to admit that I beat myself up for years trying to make my fb foils work on land and snow and did have some success but also many injuries do to the gusty nature of the wind in the Rockies, used to cringe when the wind whisled in my ears and sat out many sessions above 15 mph because of fear of faceplants at high speed, then I got my first PL arc and it was like going from an old truck with stick and no power steering to a Caddy with power steering and an automatic. IMO if you want to ride more, sooner, faster, better go PL arc, sle, bow or Hybrid C

Dang this thread is full of great advice! Wearing pads defiantly boosts the confidence way up. After your first few jumps when you get the feel and muscle memory for it, you'll start to feel much more confident

If you start crashing never let go and put your arms or hands to the ground! That's how you break arms and wrists! Always take the crash in your hips and try and slide. Sliding spreads out energy and momentum so you don't get injured as easily. If I bail I always try baseball slides. Welcome to the world of freestyle! You'll soon become an addict and then you'll always wish for winds 25+ mph.

Everybody's post on this thread is full of good info. Steering towered depower in the future will certainly help you progress quicker IMHO.

Dude. The 10m Crossfire is an animal. I'd be careful with that thing :P wait for a steady wind.. you don't want to catch an untimely gust while holding onto it...

Crashing is a part of learning. It's a part of flying the kite, period :D I've had times where I pull the release on my 16m Scorpion, and the wind is blowing so hard that the sheer pull of the kite flagging out is enough to drag me across the field. I've never seriously hurt myself due to impact.. it's just something you get used to. ...Not from trying to jump, at least :wee: I had an encounter with a pot hole flying a 4.1m Twister in nuking winds that I can't forget about. But that's a totally different story. You'll get the hang of it, you're not alone on this. ARCs are great kites period. Even the old ones. You can find them cheap as well. They have a huge top end and absorb gusts like no other, and with the massive canopy above you and the ability to dump power in an instant, they make learning to jump much less scary.

i have no money right now so i cant buy another kite for a long while. the only possibility is someone else letting me use theirs and i dont think thats going to happen

Quote:

Originally posted by shortlineflyer the only possibility is someone else letting me use theirs and i dont think thats going to happen

You'd be surprised...

I'd let you borrow mine any time you wanted if you lived here.