You’ve seen kiteboarding on the news, on RedBull TV, on the waters of Tampa Bay, and pretty much all over the internet. Being the fastest growing sport in the world, kiteboarding is hard to escape these days, but why would you want to?! If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!! But where do you start?
Getting Starting in Kiteboarding
LIFESTYLE
The first thing we advise you to consider when getting starting in kiteboarding would be to think about your lifestyle. Are you happy with your current lifestyle? Are you searching for that little something extra to kick it up a notch? Will a new, addictive sport fit into your lifestyle? Whatever your answers may be to these types of questions, we believe kiteboarding will always fit into your life and bring you the type of happiness you may not have even known you were missing.
Whether you’re taking on kiteboarding as your new passion and addiction, or you’re just trying something new and exciting to have the experience, we are here for you every step of the way. Kiteboarding is fun, thrilling, freeing, and challenging. Are you ready?!
TAKE LESSONS
“Take kiteboarding lessons” is the most sincere advice anyone could give someone interested in getting started in kiteboarding. We too stand behind that advice and think (know!) the benefits from your lessons will stick with you throughout the entirety of your kiteboarding adventures. Of course, safety is our number one concern when suggesting someone should take lessons, however, the reasons why lessons are beneficial far exceeds just the safety aspect.
Even though you may be an avid sailor, snowboarder, skier, wakeboarder, runner, or athlete of any kind, you still need lessons. We hear it all the time, “I am a wakeboarder, so I probably will be a natural”. Well, this may be true, however, during your lessons you’re learning way more than just the physical requirements of the sport. You’re learning about the gear, about the etiquette on and off the water, the safety regulations at different launch areas, and of course the proper way to fly your kite. If you decide to just buy random gear online and ‘teach yourself’, chances are it’s going to end badly; trust us, we wish we could, but we can’t count how many people have gone this route and immediately regretted it, swallowed their pride, and called us to start over by taking a proper lesson from an Elite Instructor.
If you truly want to learn something new, invest the time and money into learning how to do it correctly. You’ll be glad you did!
For more detailed information on our kiteboarding lessons and their layout, click here.
Buy Gear
Once you’ve taken your lessons and you feel confident and capable enough to be independent, it’s time to buy gear. One of the many perks of learning how to kiteboard with Elite Watersports is that you have a connection to the kite community already and you get the support from all of the staff. So, when you’re ready to buy gear, which can sometimes be a daunting task for a novice, we will be there to assist you in picking out what is going to fit your needs, budget, and preferences. One of our Elite Instructors will come with you to our shop and, along with a shop associate, walk you through all the gear. Your instructor will remember all of the gear you used during your lessons and will be able to help guide you toward with they know worked, or didn’t work, for you. Our shops are loaded with all of the industry’s leading brand names with both new and pre-owned gear to meet anyone’s budget and preferences.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Now that you’re trained and equipped for success on the water, it’s time for you to get out there! The saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is incredibly true and the more time you’re able to spend on the water kiting, the better, more tuned-in you’re going to be on your gear. Just keep trying new things! Feel confident in the structure and techniques you learned with your Elite Instructor and take that and run with it. If you want to progress but are hesitant to try new tricks/moves on your own, no worries! We offer progression lessons for anyone seeking to improve their kiteboarding skills. Call the shop to get more information or to book your session.
Looking forward to assisting you with this exciting new chapter and helping you as you get started with kiteboarding!
St. Petersburg Location:
4100 34th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
(727) 800-2202
click to email us
Tarpon Springs Location:
935 E. Klosterman Rd.
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
(727) 318-0391
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