Newbie here - Tips on which tricks do start with from easiest to hardest

[Marshall Placid]

Hello kiters!

I just bought my first Rev (1.5 SLE) about two weeks ago and flown it about 7 times.

I've been trying to practice some the technique and tricks, but there are just so many things you can do with the Rev.

I need your help in determining what to start with and what to do next as I progress along from the easiest to the hardest tricks to do.

Here is what I CAN do with some ease:

1- Launch kite and land kite.

2- Upright hover

3- spinning the kite quickly (as shown in the DVD that was included with the kite) - please note this is not the bicycle rotation trick... but just the very simple spinning trick

4- Fast forward.... then abrupt stop for diving, rising, left to right, right to left.

here is what I can do SOMETIMES, but need more practice:

1- Horizontal hover left and right

2- sliding up and down, but sometimes moving left and right while sliding up and down (so need more practice).

3- Landing with left or right tip down.

4- "walking" the kite

here is what I cannot do:

1- bicycle rotation (stationary) - every time I turn the kite trying to keep it stationary, the kite just goes forward in that direction.

2- Bicycle rotation (while sliding left to right)

3- Catch and toss (tried it many times, but just ended up with the lines tangled AND... the kite never ever drops on top of me... it always drops at least 10 feet in front of me... even when I am sure the top wind window is already reached)

here is what I have not yet tried:

1- Inverted hover

2- Inverted hover sliding left to right)

3- Stationary grid turning and pausing and turning and then pausing (like the bicycle rotation but... pausing each time I turn a little bit). I haven't tried this because I CANNOT do the bicycle rotation (see above).

Based on this information, what trick/technique should I try next so that I progressively use my learned experience to do harder tricks?

And, because I am a newbie, when I do these tricks and practice, should I do it in borderline "launchable" winds (5mph) or really high wind conditions (20mph)?

Thank you guys!

[SHBKF]

Wow! I'm impressed. Maybe I'll get out & try to catch up with you before I say more. Welcome, good to see you posting & even starting a topic. Many great fliers are about to comment. This is the place to guide your journey into the KiteLife. The Force is strong in this one Obi Wan.

[Justin Meyer]

Aloha Marshall,

You seem to have already self-evaluated your strengths and weaknesses and gotten started on a flight plan!!! Rev flying doesn't require any tricks. Most of Rev flying is not "tricks" but rather mastering the physics of the kite and adapting it to different wind conditions. Start with what comes easiest to you! Watch all of the videos here and use the information as it works for you! Kitelife has put together an amazing set of tutorials that will get you flying in any conditions. Check out the "Grid Skills and Basic Hover" videos. Pay particular interest to the "Tuning and Line Management" videos. If you haven't added leaders to your lines, I suggest you try it. I have found that I get the most versatility out of the kite by adjusting my top leaders in or out as the wind requires. All the info is here thanks to KiteLife.

Good Winds,

Justin

[Wayne Dowler]

Looks like a good start! And to realize that you have a ways to go, means good attitude!! Let's see what to suggest!!

Have you replaced the top leaders on your handles? Try it with much longer ones than what came stock!! You'll see this topic covered on the Rev forum extensively!! We work to create as "neutral" a setting as possible, keeps the sail from surging off into ??! And adding them should take away a few of your problems with control!!

Under the "sometimes" heading:

Not to sure what you mean by "walking" but doesn't sound important at this point!! I would work to add the inverted hover and slide to that portion! Hard to do good stationary grid turning (clockwork) if you can't control inverted flight!! Also add the stationary bicycle turn to this list! Try really hard to maintain a constant level while doing it! Don't rise or fall, learn to "do it in place"! Another skill that goes here is a simple "tip turn", learning to just turn around a tip, to control height!

Congrats on a good beginning, now keep adding more skills to really see what you and the kite can do!!! Longer leaders are just a start, but it does make it easier!!

In the end there is only one real answer - Time on Lines!!! The more you fly and get familiar with the kite and how it handles, the more you can get out of it!! This is a lifetime journey, ENJOY!!

[Moggy]

I've had my 1.5 SLE (full sail) for about six weeks and fly whenever time and wind permits.

As Wayne mentions, I'm finding "time on lines" is making an enormous difference. Even forgetting all the theory and flying just for fun causes you to pick up fundamental things almost unintentionally. Simple things like doing a dive-stop and then holding the kite in the 'stop' position is indirectly teaching me inverted hovering without realising it. The same with doing inverted launches, and then holding the pose just off the ground. This is type of stuff that is working for me. You find a range of movement that works (and equally what doesn't work!), and then you find you use little corrections over time to hone it further. Like playing a car rally game, keeping the car off the mud and on the track.

I've watched the vids, stressed over the theory, but I'm tending to find the more I relax and do things for fun and games the more I'm becoming familiar with 'correcting' the kite while flying in the sky. In doing so I'm gaining real muscle memory of the handling and physics of the kite without thinking too much about it.

That said, watching JB's vids, going out flying, then watching the vids again, etc. allows you to reinforce what you're doing and pick up vital points in the videos that you hadn't picked up the previous time you watched them. Really fundamental issues, like, when hovering, keeping the lines connected to the highest edges of the kite closer toward you in order to give the kite lift and retain its vertical position in the sky. I missed that when viewing the (JB hovers) video the first few times around, as I hadn't built up enough experience of handling the kite to appreciate it fully, but when I was ready to ingest it and the point finally hammered home it was an eureka moment and I'm now applying it on the field to improve my hovers and switch between them.

I can't do a full 360º bicycle yet, as hovers must come first. Bicycles are a transition between all hover positions, so trying to do the former without learning the latter is running before walking.

Attempting to watch and follow the hands, handles and lines of others do transitional hovers in tutorial videos can be like watching someone juggling rubik's cubes while solving them at the same time though! But already I'm getting glimmers of achieving static hovers in different positions when actually going out there and flying for myself. So without stressing about it too much, learning the hovers and later transitioning between them in a fluid motion will likely come in their own time, given experience and more muscle memory. Just need to have fun and tease it out.

As others advise, if you haven't already, use the 3-wrap frame instead of the chunky SLE. The 3-wrap is lighter and more flexible and the kite is a lot more responsive.

Enjoy flying! It gets better and better.

[rexracer]

You've come to the right place for this kind of info! I've had my Rev for about a year now.Practicing hovers in all positions is key. I find inverted hovers are the hardest, and I'm not alone. One thing that i've discovered is that some things will take me longer, and some things will may not come at all due to my flying conditions. You didn't say where you are or what your flying conditions are. It is definitely easier to learn when the wind is strong, steady and smooth. My wind is weak, bumpy and from every direction most days. If your wind is good, that's great, but if not, practice the basics and try not to get frustrated when things don't look as smooth as JB. I find that I like 50' lines most of the time where I fly. I get a faster, more direct connection and can adjust to the changing wind directions faster, plus I can really see what the kite is doing better.

Also you should look at the "flying with intent" thread.

[John Barresi]

http://www.kitelife.com/tutorials/flying-with-intent/

[Marshall Placid]

Thanks guys!

Read the article, and it was exactly what I have always tried to do.

I flew today (8th time) and practiced some upright left to ride sides with some success.

Question:

May I ask if a bicycle rotation is a slower version of the fast spinning trick taught in the DVD by Joe Hadzecki (included with the Rev kite)?

Spinning trick = keeping one hand steady, but twisting the other hand forward A LOT.

Bicycle rotation, assumption = instead of applying a lot of forward twist to one of the hands, I would apply less forward twist on one hand and a backward twist on the other hand?

----------------------

To Mr. Barresi.

Thanks for the awesome website!

I fly regularly at the local beach/park and Diane came up to me and we talked for a good 30 minutes.

She mentioned Mr. Bethel lived nearby and Mr. Hathaway lived nearby and I was flabbergasted when I found out that so many Master kiters lived nearby!

This is indeed some motivation for me to practice practice practice (and have fun in the process).

Diane, if I remember correctly, said she stood beside you at the 64 Mega-grid WSKIF 2010 record.

[rexracer]

That's great that you have kiters to gain knowlege from nearby. I live in a kiting desert. I'm still working on bicycle rotation, but I can tell you what I've found. First, you're right in that you want forward on one side and reverse on the other to keep the spin centered. I can do a pretty good bicycle spin at any rotational speed but they still fall. You need to not only rotate, but keep altitude, so when your kite is sideways you need to pump your arms so the top wing is always pulled toward you and the lower is away like you would for a hover, It's a timing thing that I pretty much have down. The part that I haven't mastered is pulling the back lines when the kite is inverted. Once i can get the timing and amount of reverse needed down, my bicycle rotation will stop falling. Of course, steady wind helps.

I've actually decided to stop trying to keep my spins from falling since my wind conditions are so variable. I haven't given up, but like JB says in his video, I need to fly with intent, and my intent won't be to keep my spins from falling. I'm going to try to get them to rise! If I can get my spins to rise then keeping them steady will come easily.

[Wayne Dowler]

I'm sitting here chuckling to myself - Master Kiters - lol!

Yes they are farther along in their path than you, but still came up the same route!! No substitute for "Time on Lines"! Nobody wakes up and finds they have the gift of flying, just automatically!! It does take time, enjoyable time, but time none the less! Use your flying sessions to the fullest and prepare for liftoff!! Skills learned can never be taken away you, go out and enjoy!!!

[Marshall Placid]

I'm sitting here chuckling to myself - Master Kiters - lol!

Yes they are farther along in their path than you, but still came up the same route!! No substitute for "Time on Lines"! Nobody wakes up and finds they have the gift of flying, just automatically!! It does take time, enjoyable time, but time none the less! Use your flying sessions to the fullest and prepare for liftoff!! Skills learned can never be taken away you, go out and enjoy!!!

I know that the term "Master" is funny in a way.

But, in reality, that is what the AKA calls tournament winners or the tournaments themselves (ex. Masters Ballet, Masters Multiline, etc.)

Mr. David Hathaway won 4 AKA Masters tournaments/trophies, and he is also a member and co-founder of Team Iquad with John Barresi.

Just someone to follow and aspire to... And.. of course, to not look ridiculous when flying the rev when in the same park... and that takes practice practice practice.

To even have a minuscule percentage of what John and David has in terms of skill would be... fantastic!

[John Barresi]

It's easier than it looks, and a little key knowledge goes a LONG way - tutorials, one-on-one with other fliers and fly time will provide that..