Training for Kite Surfing By Sam Gerson MD

Introduction• Sam Gerson, MD, has focused his professional efforts on

diving and hyperbaric medicine and emergency care at the University of California-San Diego Medical Center, where he recently completed a fellowship. In his off hours, Dr. Samuel Gerson is a devotee of kite surfing.

Also known as kite boarding, kite surfing entails standing on a small board similar to a wakeboard and being pulled across the surface of the water by a power kite. Here are a few tips for newcomers to this extreme sport.

Instruction begins on land, as beginners drill with a small training kite.

Kite Surfing Training• Students then move into the water, but prior to using a

board, they simply maneuver a kite as it pulls them through the water in a process known as body dragging.

Once individuals are ready for a water start, they position the board about 45 degrees downwind with the kite at a neutral 12 o'clock position. From there, surfers slide their feet into the footstraps, turn a little downwind, and move the kite down while shifting their weight to their feet, legs, and torso. Once they are standing upright, surfers dive the kite a second time to speed themselves up so that the board rides properly.

Conclusion• While leaning back at a 45-degree angle, surfers

guide the kite to an eleven o'clock or two o'clock position. Steering involves pushing one end of the control bar and pulling the other. Moving upwind involves moving the kite low, then swiveling to the new direction from the hips and torso while looking in the desired direction and keeping the back foot down.

All of these techniques should be practiced under the supervision of a trainer. Kite surfing can be dangerous to the unprepared.