Complete Kite Boarding lessons Maui Hawaii by Troy Schafer

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Professional Kite Boarding Lessons

Why should I choose Complete Kite Boarding?
We are going to have fun as you learn from my 13 years of teaching experience and 15 years of practical knowledge. You will learn things that other instructors or schools just don't know. You can not find this information it in a book, video or magazine You will need this information because the wind and the waves can quickly separate the competent from incompetent. Eventually you will find yourself in a situation where you will need to know what to do. Never learning what to do or worse yet being taught incorrectly can make you difficult to rescue. You are important and are worth being taught by of a skilled professional. At Complete Kite Boarding you learn from a knowledgeable, patient, safety conscious kite board instructor with over a decade of service who wants you reach your goals in the most direct path possible. Going to another school is just a waste of your time and money.

Can anyone learn to kite board?
If you can ride a bike, than you probably can learn to kite. Learning to kite board is easy if you are at a good location with a good instructor. Many people have wanted to kite for a long time before they take lesson.

Take the next step and say "I'm going to do this." Call for a lesson (808)250-6922.

How long does it take to learn?
Kite boarding is not learned in one day. The average person will require at least 9 hours of instruction to cover most fundamentals. These hours can be done in a few days of even spread out over years. Throughout the world you will find that most schools offer a "9 hour package special" in the hopes that a person will take advantage of the opportunity to approach the sport safely. Realistically give yourself between 15 to 30 hours of practicing kite boarding before you are confidently kiting back and forth.

How much does it cost?
Like most sports (skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, mountain biking or scuba diving) it will cost you about $1000 to get into the sport. I charge 110/hr plus tax. Book a 9 hour package and get 10% off, plus tax. Share a class with a friend and each person will get 25% off, plus tax.
Kama'aina and senior citizens automatically receive 10% off.

Do I need to be strong?
No, you don't need to be strong. You will be seated in a harness. Think of para-sailing; your arms are not holding you up. You have a harness to support you. The same applies to kite boarding.

Can I teach myself?
Yes and No. Yes there are ways to teach yourself to kite board more quickly. Some preparations are listed at the bottom of the page. No, I don't recommend you teaching yourself or having your friend whom kites teach you. I've had many students whom first took lessons from a friend and they learned just enough to be a danger to themselves and others. You want to take lessons to avoid hurting yourself. Many of the things you would most naturally do are the same things that will get you injured. Go to a competent instructor whom will teach you how to kite board correctly. More importantly, learn from a teacher whom will show you how to recognize a problem and how to respond effectively in a timely manner before things go very wrong.

Is gear provided?
Yes, gear will be provided. Our goal is to set you up in the correct gear to help you succeed. Ideally, you have just long enough lines and a kite with just enough power for you to accomplish a skill. We want to minimize any potential risk. For example, we wouldn't want to connect you to a 8, 10 or 12m kite that is large enough to lift you, when we are just learning to turn a kite. We only need a small kite that will not endanger you to learn the basics.

Can we communicate while you are in the water?
While you are in the water, I use 2-way radios to guide you through every step along the way. I like to teach you how to do a step on land and then apply that skill in the water. You will know what you are doing and how to do it prior to entering the water. The radio is used to fine tune your technique in real time.
(If you would like me to, I can go in the water on a surf board with you. But, recognize most of the time we will not be close to hear each other and we will spend most of the lesson walking our gear up the beach instead of learning how to kite).

How do I choose an instructor?
At Complete Kite Boarding I will be your instructor. You do not have to be worried that you will be paired with an instructor whom just learned to kite and was hired on the beach a few weeks ago. If you do choose another school, I would recommend asking for an instructor that has at least 4 years of experience. Here is my rationale: unlike Maui, most places in the world have a kite boarding season that is 2 or 3 months long and If they teach for four years that just may be the equivalent of working their job for 12 months. With a years worth of experience they may have an idea of what to do when things go wrong and may be able to answer your questions correctly. If you have a chance, watch instructors from many schools teach and request the one whom students are progressing quickly and know what they are doing.

Take the next step and say "I'm going to do this." Book a lesson (808)250-6922.

What should I bring to the lesson?
1) Water, We'll be in the hot sun and last night's Mai Tais and this morning's coffee may have left you dehydrated.
2) Sunscreen, Zinc Oxide works. Don't forget to apply sunscreen to your feet.
3) Polarized Sun Glasses, The sun's rays will be bouncing off of the sand and water can damage your eyes.
4) Hat with a Strap, Your old baseball cap will not block out much sun when when the wind blows it off of your head.
5) Healthy Snack, After a couple of hours your sugar level will drop and so will your fine motor skills and ability to focus.

How to prepare before taking kite board lessons:

1, By far and away the best way to save money on kite boarding lessons is to be great at flying a kite. Buy a small $69 two-line stunt kite and a chair without arm rests. Find a place with steady wind and fly your kite as often as you can. When kite flying becomes a relaxing activity, then buy a 4 line stunt kite.

2, If you have never ridden a board in your life, buy a skateboard and ride back and forth holding onto a friends hand or a hand rail. It is important to be comfortable traveling with your left foot in front as well as with your right foot in front. Because, when you are kite boarding, you will be riding "regular" foot going one direction and "goofy" traveling the opposite direction. Or if you snowboard, practice riding with your less dominate foot in the back.

3, Although kiters rarely swim, you should at least know how to swim the back stroke. You will find it is an easy stroke to do with a life jacket on. Many of the times when you swim while kiting, it is using a back stroke to swim away from your kite to regain tension in your lines. For the most part, swimming is a last resort, when all else fails.

Experience:
I have been teaching people of all ages and skill levels to kite board since 2003. Whether you are a nervous and timid beginner, a comfortable intermediate kiter or are looking to master professional tricks, we can set up a lesson for you.

I can show you how to align you kite, board, bar, body and hands to succeed kite boarding. Also, I can show you the common mistakes of every step that are making learning to kite difficult for you.

Safety:
Are you concerned about safety? I'm the only school on Maui that uses a 5th line dedicated for safety.
When you are on a 4-line kite, you are using a power-line that doubles as your safety-line. If and when your safety jams or fails, you will find out why they are called "power-lines." I promise not to put you are risk with a 4-line kite.

Benefits of Kiting:
Kite boarding can become a beautiful part of your life and bring you so many good times. I think you'll find it is important for you to go to the beach, to be around other people living life, to feel the sun warm your skin, to connect your feet to the sand and feel the how the water releases tension. You'll find that when you are kiting, you are the connection point between two forces of nature, the wind and the water. It is awesome to be in harmony with the elements. You control your speed and directions by leveraging against the wind and water using your board and your kite. Since you are using a harness to do the work for you, it requires very little strength to connect these forces of nature. In time you could be spending the afternoon sailing in a tropical bay. Maybe you have dreamed of carving the most beautiful turns under a sunset. Some people want to jump high, soar and then float softly down--this is addicting. Many people, myself included, just want to kite-surf waves all day. A few people want to cross the ocean. I don't know where you want to go on your kite boarding journey but I can say the journey is worth your time.
First off, don't give yourself an excuse not to have fun. Kite boarding is a sport for the old, young and everyone in between, including you. Some people mistakenly think that it is a strong person's sport. It is not. In all honesty, it is kind of a lazy person's sport. For the most part, you are resting half of your body at a time while leveraging your weight against the pull of the kite by leaning back in your harness. Your arms are relaxed and will lightly pull the bar a little to the right when you want the kite to move towards its right side. Lightly pull to the left if you want the kite to move to the left side. When you are not sure what to do, just let go of the bar and sit down. In my experience, people who can be lazy and do nothing will have an easy time learning to kite board. If you are a control freak or a muscular person, you can still learn to kite. But, allow yourself more time.

Contact Troy for a lesson: kiteboardmaui@gmail.com