the epistemology of kiting. . .

shastadogs2 · Since 28 Mar 2005 336 Posts Obsessed

or: "what was it that flattened your learning curve?"

been thinking about this since i learned to kite, about the instructors i had and the lessons i received and why it took so long for me to learn to do basic stuff like stay up wind, do simple tricks, etc.

my lessons were taught by good kiters; some took the time to show their stuff DURING the lesson. once i heard a teacher in a group lesson in ventana tell a student:"if you do that again i will bitch-slap you." Shocked

and this guy is an integral part of the nw kiting scene, i would not buffalo you.

like all children, i was sure the problem was in me, that i was just a slow learner or perhaps even incapable of learning this sport. however, i had always been pretty athletic, and so i just ate the frustration and pressed on.

looking back, i wonder. do the people that put together kiting lessons know anything about the science of learing? do they care enough about their product to study learning styles? think about it: the first of our breed were self-taugt; teaching kiting is even younger than kiting itself.

so i wonder what your experiences were like, what specific examples of teaching skills were employed that created breakthroughs? that accelerated your learning curve?

for me, it as will brady at floras lake, behind me on a ski. a very cool but also very encouraging guy. he first took me downwind and showed my the haul-out point, where to fire my safety, how to guide my kite into a little lee shore, and where to walk back up wind.

the fact that he took the time to show me how to complete the down-wind circuit was critical, as was his attitude.

finally, a note to kiting instructors: you can be a good kiter, but may be just another pompous self-absorbed asshole as a teacher.

jimmi

windslayer · Since 30 Apr 2007 153 Posts Stoked

who said bitch slap? I heard a story of a male instructor who is here in the gorge this summer, slap a ladies hand while instructing her in La Ventana this past winter. She cryed and if it werent for her husbands kindness, she would not have wanted to continue in the sport. And lord know that we need more chicks in the sport.

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

Wow, so how many of the NW schools are in La Ventana over the winter? I know of at least one, are there more?

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

I don't
think you will find
ANY better people
than the
BRADYS
of course he's a great instructor
he's a great person

and thats no
shit
Burma Shave

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

Will Brady = living legend