Why use a kitesurf school?

Kitesurfing is a water sport that, using a board and a kite, makes use of the wind to soar the waters. Despite having surf in its name, kitesurfing does not need to be done with the presence of waves. You can either practice the sport on flat water and in a sea with little or bigger waves. Bottom line is that all you absolutely need is wind and water. The fun and progression of kitesurfing is immense. From the moment you have mastered the basics, you can start riding faster, jumping, learning freestyle tricks, surfing waves or taking long trips along the coast.

Kitesurfing is a sport that can be very safe and quite easy once you learn how to do it properly and if you put that knowledge to the test. However, it can also be pretty dangerous for the practitioner and others if it’s not done the way it should, or if the user pushes his skill limits. A lot of risks may be involved, but they can be calculated risks, if the aspiring athletes choose to learn with certified professionals. This is a sport that is dangerous to learn by yourself. There’s a time and place to be self-taught, and this is not one of them. Most accidents tend to happen when people chose to be autodidacts. Even when taking lessons, some schools might skip a lot of different and most boring learning steps, because they seek their clients’ immediate happiness instead of long-term safety and knowledge.

So, the first and most important reason to use a kitesurf school is for safety purposes. Not only your own, but the safety of others. The dangers of misusing kitesurfing equipment must not be undermined. The equipment features dangerous materials such as 20+ meter lines, which can easily sever body parts upon strong impact. Taking a good course with certified professionals will allow you to learn about all the different basic topics such as everything regarding your equipment. Ranging from how to set it up and use it properly, to how to choose it according to your proficiency level. Quality classes like ours will also teach you how to analyse the environment and improve your decision-making taking into account your skills. Things like recognizing the characteristics of the body of water you might be looking at and how your kite will react to different winds. Winds that you can expect beforehand by being taught how to read wind forecasts. With that skill alone, you will be able to enjoy an entire afternoon kiting without worrying about sudden storms where the wind could pick up suddenly.

Of course, being safe is not only about learning how to use the equipment or how to interpret your “playing area”, it’s also obviously about practicing and learning how to kite properly and consciously. There are a lot of steps in the learning process that must not be skipped. Starting from the very basics, how to fly the kite, how to set it up safely, how to perform the self-rescue process, floating and going back to the shore if something happens, etc. Some places might skip this last step because it isn’t fun and most people don’t enjoy learning it, however the point of the lessons is to teach people so they become independent and for someone to be independent they need to learn all these safety tips. These are the type of things riders will never learn by their own. It is also highly discouraged for anyone to learn with uncertified instructors such as friends, since they will most likely skip these steps and might even not know how to perform them themselves. At a proper kitesurfing school one can learn this step staying motivated and without feeling frustrated. Be careful, be responsible. Guarantee that the school you choose is certified (IKO, Portuguese Sailing Federation, VDWS, etc.).

Safety definitely isn’t the only reason as to why you should learn kitesurfing at a certified school. An equally enticing reason is that it’s way more efficient to learn with professionals. If you value your time at all, you’ll notice that it’s a far better investment to pay for classes. It’s much more dangerous and time-consuming to learn by yourself, it isn’t effective nor is it safe. It can take ages and you may end up skipping steps that are crucial for your development as a rider and that will make you go all the way back and relearn a bunch of stuff.

Not only will you save heaps of time, you’ll also probably save money by not damaging your expensive equipment. With schools you use their equipment, that also why we are taught so meticulously. Lessons are cheaper than destroying equipment and hours of trial and error. Not to mention that you can save money even further by taking advantage your student equipment discounts.

Lastly, learning in a good course is immensely fun. We offer kite camps and an overall sense of community where the word of the day isn’t only “learning”, but also “connecting”. You can meet all kinds of riders, from professionals to beginners, which will certainly help avoid frustration from the long and arduous learning curve. Those who opt for learning with our school will also get post-course follow-ups and tips. When our clients finish their course, we make sure they become independent. We follow-up by helping our clients buy the right equipment. We send them emails with tips and recommendations, and they can always get back to the school and ask for anything, as we will always be eager to help. This also allows for the sense of community to continue, arranging trips with other beginners.

So, to wrap it up, if you care about your safety, the safety of others around you, if you value your time and money, and if you want to have the most fun possible while learning, don’t think again. Come take some lessons with us, at Kite Control Portugal.