The Kiteboarding Manual: The Essential Guide for Beginners and Improvers

by Andy Gratwick

Publisher:

Adlard Coles

, 2023

Overview

Your complete practical guide to this fast-paced and addictive sport.

Kiteboarding has gone from strength to strength over the last few years, and interest is only set to increase with its inclusion in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In this book, Andy Gratwick (Head of Training for British Kitesports) gets you started with the kite and takes you through to flying it on the water, jumping, tricks and racing, as well as covering weather, wind and tide theory, and helping you select the right kit. Sections cover:

- The origins of kiteboarding and massive rise in popularity in recent years
- How a kite flies and basic weather principles as well as background on tides and currents, waves, and wind vs tide
- Getting started on land – LEI rigging, assembly, launching and flying, body-dragging
- How to master your board skills – turns, stopping, rules of the road
- Going upwind, riding toeside, turning and transition
- Moving fast and riding waves; learning to tack and gybe
- Details on all kiteboarding disciplines from speed kiting to kiting on land
- How to improve your performance and enjoy incredible airtime!

For this second edition there’s a new chapter devoted to all things foiling, as well as new text on latest kit, more effective techniques, tips on higher jumps, and new photography throughout. Packed with step-by-step photo sequences explaining the basic moves all the way through to more advanced tricks, and including information on competitions and becoming an instructor, this is a book no kiter will want to be without.

Key Features

Kiteboarding is a fast-growing sport, with roughly 1.5 million people taking part globally
The author is the ISAF technical expert and director of the ISAF kiteboard training scheme internationally, and is also the head of the BKSA training scheme
New colour photos and diagrams throughout, with useful summary and tip boxes, make this a user-friendly and attractive reference
Second edition includes a new chapter on foiling, as well as updated text on techniques, higher jumps and latest equipment

Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART 1
Need To Know
01 The sport: a brief history
02 Air
03 Water

PART 2
The Journey: Becoming A Kiteboarder
04 Getting started
05 The kite
06 The board
07 Safety, breakages and self-rescues
08 Advanced techniques
09 Points of sailing
10 Going upwind
11 Airtime
12 Equipment

PART 3
The Future
13 Kiteboarding disciplines
14 Competitions
15 Governance
16 Taking it to a new level

INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND PICTURE CREDITS

Product Details

• Title: The Kiteboarding Manual: The Essential Guide for Beginners and Improvers
• Author: Andy Gratwick
• Publisher: Adlard Coles
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781399401289, 9781399401296, 1399401297, 1399401289
• Resource ID: LLS:9781399401289
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T09:55:42Z

About the Author

Andy Gratwick is Head of Training for British Kitesports Association and the first ISAF technical expert for kiteboarding in the world. He has written the training and exam syllabus for national kiteboarding authorities in the UK and Australia, as well as working with ISAF on the standards and rules for the 2024 Olympics. He is also an RYA Yachtmaster; trainer and examiner for kitesurfing, snow and land kiting; and BSUPA Head Coach for SUP in the UK. Easyriders, his kiteboarding and stand up paddle school, is based in Sandbanks, Poole.