riffclown

as a slight counterpoint, please know that in the kiting world, there are no nobodies. EVERYONE brings something to the table and we all learn from each other every time we fly. Even a new perspective from a fresh face in the kiting world can change the way you look at a trick or even a specific type of kite. Even the well known kiters learn every day from the most unexpected places. Personally, I'm still kicking myself for not making it up to OC on Saturday to at least fly a little bit. would have been great to reconnect with friends for a few hours..

Great question.. This is one area of the throw and catch that I didn't feel worked for me.. @Paul LaMasters has done quite a bit of flying with that aspect of this trick and will hopefully share some of his experiences here. I know from my brief experience with the Reflex, it was a matter of once you got the kite slack on the lines and gliding, you moved downwind to meet the kite. Unlike the typical catch, this was more like a walk to a meeting instead of a dash to a catch. The throw is generally the same but you have to work heavily on your throwing speed to keep the kite from rising and stalling out on you. Coincidentally John's B2 Launch video was the first time I saw the catch and throw.. I bought a Rev soon after I saw it just to learn that one trick.. I was already flying my Symphony conversion at the time..

I've been accused of many things but never has "normal" been one of them..

Reading @peterbruusmadsen's recent post regarding catch and throw, I thought it might be a good opportunity to discuss some of the dynamics of this trick. I've been asked on occasion to help someone learn how to do both parts of this and it's not only fun, it's VERY visual.There are some practical aspects of the catch and throw that often get ignored.. Lots of important variables come into play and you have to learn to "unthink" them to become proficient at the catch and throw. First the catch.. It's really simply destabilizing the sail from "flying" to "falling" so it takes a specific path to you to catch. How high in the window is only one variable.. The higher overhead vertically, the less forward motion you will want to impart to make the kite come diving towards you. The optimum angle when learning this maneuver is somewhere between 65-75 degrees up in the window.. any lower and you have to consider your glide, higher and your initial string yank will likely have you stepping back to make the catch. You can start the catch from most places in the wind window but most commonly along the vertical axis is optimal. anywhere from ground level to directly overhead is possible but they all take a bit of practice and shorter lines are much easier than longer lines for practice.. When I'm playing with this trick I usually use anywhere from 25-40 foot lines. If the kite is higher in the window, a short sharp tug will do the job most of the time.. lower in the window requires more of a firm jerk transitioning to a pull motion.. From Ground level you have to soft pull it forward then accelerate the kite forward after it is already falling. Each of theses angles has it's own appeal and all are worth practicing. Once you leave the vertical axis, you have to consider the kite will side slip once you start pulling it your way. I'd suggest leaving off-axis catches to later when you've covered the vertical variables. They are well worth exploring, just involving variables into how how you tug each top line come into play and those are better left to learning by experience. This also brings up the topic of sail shaping and LE tension.. If the LE is curved significantly or the sail has the Reflex Springs, then your catch variables will vary greatly as now you are controlling a glide instead of a dive. It can be done with practice but as with all things kiting,, you have to decide what works for you. The Throw. There are multiple schools of thought here as well and they ALL have advantages and disadvantages.. Some work will in Wind, some work better in no wind. The bottom line is you want to throw the kite so that it reaches the end of the lines with the Leading Edge forward and ready for you to apply brakes and stop the kite just as you would a dive stop. Some styles of the throw glide better than others and adding twist or flex to the kite as you throw it will change how it acts in the air until you control it with your lines and handles.. Keep in mind it's at the mercy of the elements once you release it until it reached the end of your lines. All of these throws are the same basic movement but vary in how much lateral motion you impart at the end of the throw. I start with the LE level to the ground and the kite aiming 10-20 degrees off-axis to the wind direction.I'm a lefty and I use my left hand to guide the throw and my right hand to propel the kite. (mirror these instructions if you are right-handed) I'll place my right hand at the end cap of the sail and my left hand in between the left vertical and the center of the LE. By choosing an angle instead of directly downwind the Trailing edge of the kite is naturally pulled away from me slightly. I make sure there's no part of the lines that will bind or catch or KNOT as I throw the sail outward. I have my handles in my left hand side by side with the left handle seated in the curl of my fingers ready to fly.. Time for the toss. I use my left hand to discern the angle of the toss and bring my right hand forward. just before I let go of the kite I put a little left motion on the back end. This makes the kite spear out but turn and glide a bit as it floats to the end of the lines.. as soon as I let go of the sail, I grab the other handle from my left hand and ready myself for the stop.. The explanation is far more difficult than the actual maneuver. The more lateral motion you put into the toss the faster the sail will transition from a spear toss into a glide. The Spearing aspect will launch the sail faster and further but makes for a tricky recovery sometimes. The harder your throw the more flex it adds to the frame initially.. at some point this breaks down and you get another try. A Flat launch will have a very elegant appearance but will only float so far (depending on the sail) before the inertia is gone.. The real trick here is finding what works for you and imparting the right amount of lateral motion on the initial toss to get the look, feel and range you are trying to accomplish.. I have a personal tradition of the first time I fly a kite of my own (whether purchased or home made, I always start with a throw launch. That way the first thing I can observe is how it glides. Have fun with it and I hope these pointers will help you with adding or tweaking this maneuver for your flying fun.

YES!!!!!

@whtmtn my personal record is 5 kites in a week but the machine has been mostly idle for the past month.

Except for the Pros, it's not a vastly different number from the original post.. Wait'll I finish sewing what's on the table.. The number will go up quickly then.. Oh, I forgot to mention the 2 piece Indigo and Yellow Home Made.. New Number 48 Kites..

Time to update my numbers 12 Revs Shook Mesh 75% #214 Shook Mesh 40% #206 RWB Trifinity, Rainbow Trifinity, Skulls, B-series Custom Full Sail, Full Vent SLE, (Lime Black) SUL Old Glory, SUL Ghost Full set of B-Pros (Full Sail, Mid-Vent and Full Vent) (inbound) 6 Freilein Vertigos (4 in a stack plus a full sail and a Max all of them are Red White & Blue) 2 Freilein Exodus (one full sail and one Mid Vent) Both the Cool Color Scheme 1 knockoff (it was a gift) 13 home-mades 2 RWB Full Sails 5 The Spectrum Stack 1 Yellow 1 Purple 1 Plaid RWB 1 RWB Mesh 1 Mesh #2 Yellow Green Blue Black 1 Mesh #1 Blue Black Lime 4 converted HQ Symphony 2.2.4's 1 HQ Mojo Power Kites: 3 HQ Crossfires 2,3,& 4M 1 8M Toxic 1 2M Hornet 1 2.8 Skydog 1 4.5 Flexifoil Bullet 1 3.5 Flexifoil Blurr total 47 Quadline Kites 8 of those are true power kites. Not Counted as of this time (i.e. Under Construction) New Spectrum Stack. 10 kites. New RWB Mesh (Panels Completed) New Purple Full Sail (Panels Completed) New Yellow Full Sail (Panels Completed)

Unfortunately, I found myself almost yelling at the screen later as they moved the camera away from the sport kite fields to focus on the Corvette parade. Shows what's interesting to me isn't the same as others.. They also spent a lot of time earlier in the week focused on the big SLK field. Only on Saturday did they focus out front long enough to see a few routines..

@John Barresi I just like being able to say "I like John Barresi's kites and John Barresi likes my kites." How many people can make that claim?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx1M6Vju0KU&feature=youtu.be&t=655 Here's the video

Report of the Symphony 2.2.4 at the AKA Convention.

Beach is busy this AM.. Sorry I couldn't make the trip up..

That's typically indicative of a filesize or image size issue.. Sent you a PM

Was hoping to head up there tomorrow to fly a bit but looks like that won't happen now..

Congratulations... New Karma is up. Locking this one down

It's like a window out without a door you can use..

Aye. that was about it. They move the camera side to side throughout the day so you get what you get. You and team were at the edge of it all. I never saw more than 2 kites at the time and it was mostly yours.Scott would follow but you'd be off frame before any thing else would be seen. I sent you a text just to say "I see you" but you were involved obviously. Looking forward to some Symphony 2.2.4 footage. Hopefully I will see you on Saturday. Hoping to make a day trip.

using the Park Place Webcam http://ocparkplacehotel.com/cam.cfm So far I've recognized 3 of 4 TKL members on Monday. I also recognized Eliot and Cath Shook today as they walked by carrying their kites but didn't grab a pic. Watching the big SLK's down the beach is relaxing and closest thing I have to being there. Seeing someone you know or recognize is kinda cool as well. Anyone else recognize friends, faces and fellow kiters in the webcam?? (It doesn't count if you just recognize the kites. That's too easy)

http://ocparkplacehotel.com/cam.cfm

@John Barresi any chance these will be available on CafePress to purchase shirts/hoodies/etc??

If it's the same places on both sides, are you sure it didn't come that way? It would be quite odd for that type of damage to happen symmetrically. (unless you fold your kite in half to roll and store) As for the adjustments changing the flying characteristics, I'd say minimally to slightly. I personally wouldn't notice it but a more advanced flier might. Alternate solutions would be to hand stitch back together with good quality thread.. There is no invisible repair here though..

@JWharton Given the location, I'd personally suggest a wear strip. Looking at the overall condition of your mesh, this was likely an impact or friction tear. But also given the location, this is an area that the tear can quickly grow into a significant problem for you. I've gotten tears like that landing in tall grass before so you might not have noticed when it happened. That being said, your repair can easily be handled by the wear strip upgrade.. They will stabilize the issue and add years to the life of your kite. Talk to @John Barresiabout it as he does provide that service... Given that you are international though, it might be cost effective to do yourself.. Insignia Tape or even the Kevlar type fabric can be sewn to the mesh and will not only fix the problem but prevent future related issues.. http://kitelife.com/forum/store/product/31-wear-stretch-strips/

Please take a picture and share.. THere are different options but some of those optios depend on what caused the holes.. Make sure the frame is in when you that the picture.. Causes of holes with their solutions Repeated folding same spot -- Repair and reinforce with Dacron patch Sail too tight and a stress point -- Reduce tension and repair/replace mesh. Possible stress strip needed Friction with frame -- Add Backing strip and repair Improper packing -- Repair and adjust packing procedure External impacts -- It happens.. Different levels of repair

Sorry but this drawing has already occurred. Rules and guideelines for the Karma Drawings are here: