111 replies to this topic

[Felix Mottram]

<snip>

Good flyers do not necessarily make good teachers ... many times their skills are advanced enough they can't even remember what the hang-ups were when they were learning.

<snip>

They may also be able to compensate when trying to fly incorrectly set up kit and be able to make it work. <grins>

Felix

[Fraser]

Hold on we got a Jock running the country and look how that's going

Yeah, but only coz one of you soft southerners messed it all up for ten years first (and of course coz he's a tw*t).

[play365]

Yeah, but only coz one of you soft southerners messed it all up for ten years first (and of course coz he's a tw*t).

He He welcome back

[Sailor99]

He He welcome back

Who is he, this Fraser? Have I met him?

[Wobbly]

I cannot take credit for this idea as it came up in coversation with far more experianced flyers than me, during winter months and due to work commitments and bad weather I may only get to fly for a couple of hours every two weeks so when I do get the chance it is far to easy to just fly the kite around the sky, an item on what moves to practice if you are in this situation would be helpfull, maybe even a short routine, would be a great help in keeping your flying ability at the level it was at the end of the summer so that you don't go backwards.

[Kitelife]

Like an exercise routine, running through some basic skill building (and reinforcing) maneuvers?

[melnsct]

Great idea!!

[Mr Git]

Like an exercise routine, running through some basic skill building (and reinforcing) maneuvers?

That's the idea! Basically like the old 'How to fly the Rev' booklet/manual, but on video.

P in P is a must! I try to watch what a flyer is doing with their handles as well as what the kite is doing, but I end up going cross eyed! As although the SO sometimes says I'm an old lizard (or was that dinosaur?), I can't do the independent eye movement thing like they can!!!

[Felix Mottram]

Like an exercise routine, running through some basic skill building (and reinforcing) maneuvers?

It may appear pretentious but I would advocate small 'mantra like' self contained routines where a series of 'turns' are repeated many (many) times.

This can work for individual flying as a discipline but also helps when the flier is in a team or 'mega team' situation.

Figure 8/infinity with wing tip 180's, (dead stop at vertical or horizontal) would be an example.

Felix

Edit... PS I just remembered a reference to Piano Scales some time back. 180's 'wingtip' across or up the window....

[Wobbly]

Hello John, exactly that could not have put it better, I find STACK shapes too confusing, I have recently ( ie today ) been practising with a good friend and very experienced rev flyer flying the shape's of the capital letter's of the Alphabet A B C D E etc concentrating on smooth flight, position in the sky and constant speed, holding a controlled hover at each point of change of direction, you can also fly these letter's with the kite in any orientation, horizontal,inverted,vertical or any angle in between and forwards or backwards depending on skill level and sometime's changing the angle of flight half way through a letter, when under instruction both pupil and tutor know exactly what is being attempted and errors are easily highlighted, flying letters WELL is not as easy at it may sound at least that is what I have found, hope all this makes sense.

[Kitelife]

Felix has it right on for me... I practice with a "mantra method" as well, so to speak.

I take 1-3 specific turn styles that I'm wanting to work on, and make a 10-15 second series out of them, then repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, maybe in different parts of the window, altitudes, etc.

The routine is a good idea, but to really generate control, you may find the "mantra" method to be more effective in the long run.

[Love2fly]

Hi John-
I agree with the "Mantra thing". I think it should be stressed for a newbie to start with one thing, really learn that (the mantra thing) and then move on to the next move. That might be how you could structure the video. I recall, at the Rev Clinic, you explaining and demonstrating pretty much all the postions a rev could fly, hover and the clockwork. Then you had us try to launch and then we were off to try stuff. So, when I was sort of comfortable launching, I had no idea what to do next. I had seen many moves and had no idea how to do them or what I should be shooting for next. It was a bit overwhelming to say the least. If you could structure it where you stress learn this and next, this, etc. it will give each new item learned more of a stepping stone to the next and it will start to click much more easily (imho).

As for the more experienced flyer, Bazzer gave me a wealth of knowledge when he showed me the skills that you guys (iQuad) practice routinely together or alone. It's back to the mantra thing, on a much more skilled and disciplined level. Very cool, I might add and extremely helpful; thanks, again Bazz.

Good luck with it, John.

[david ellison]

Much as it pains me to admit it, I think that the STACK figures can be used as a great precision training aid. Forcing yourself to fly a predetermined shape (and repeating until your internal judge scores you at least 90% ) is a good way of making the transition from "flying around with style" to really controlling the kite.

I frequently go back to flying Diamonds as a way of warming up. There are a lot of control elements in a figure like that one. And no session should be without having a go at the worst figure ever invented Camel Back just to remind myself that I'll probably never fully conquer controlled reverse flight

One of my 2009 flying resolutions (as it was also in 2008 ) is to improve my right to left rolling bicycle turns. Left to right ones are OK, but I continue to find it tough to smooth out the circles travelling back to the left. Any chance John of including a secret hidden chapter on the DVD?

[Kitelife]

I'm better right to left, the other way requires way more focus for me, not always smooth.

For stuff like that, I find it useful to think in terms of the edge of the window, and less of the vertical (hover up/down) aspect... Just perspective, but it seems to help me.

I also practice mid-size octagons, diamonds and squares, but in a smooth and continuous bicycle rotation, reversing direction (window/rotation) 1/2 the time... This helps me out a lot too.

[FortFlyer]

One exercise I do with my sons when we are flying is follow the leader in reverse only, Small figure 8's to full window 8"s box's, diamonds, circles you name it they think we are goofing around and have no clue they are actually learning ultimate control.

Sometimes the best way of learning is not realizing that you are.

[Felix Mottram]

<snip>
Sometimes the best way of learning is not realizing that you are.

That is the best way in my estimation. Piano scales, repeated patterns, no challenge; but learning all the way.

Then we move on to the Team/Mega Team environment and the fun starts all over.

Felix

[Wobbly]

Hi I do not think that flying letter's is not to dissimilar from having a mantra, if you fly the letter E with kite in normal launch position throughout you perform horizontal side slide's and hover's 6 times combined with vertical forward and reverse flight in different parts of the window,these moves were used at the start of the mega grid at Portsmouth, if you fly an X with a 180 rotation at each outer point combined with a hover and then forward flight (with nice 90 degree turns in the middle) this skill set is the same as used when flying a starburst, the benfit move to me would be a series of S's on top of each other, controlled turns with vertical hover's up and down the window, so my mantra would be EEE, XXX,SSS, so when trying to fly a specific move or moves I try to find a letter that incorporates it, as I can see in my mind the exact shape I am trying to fly and therefore have a reference point, is there a series of letters or maybe a word that would incoporate the basic skills needed to fly a Rev well, you could have a series of letters or words going from begginer to expert that could be used as stepping stones as your flying improves, and the first word is ........ ?

[lasapcheong]

Hey JohnB,

This might come a bit too late in your planning for the tutorial DVD but I'd like to suggest adding the advantages of heavy brakes you and iQuad uses and how to maximize and use it to your advantages. This has been raised a few points on the forums before and though good explanations were given, it'll be nice if you could do a video tutorial so everything becomes a lot more easier to comphrehend and digest with visuals.

The pros and cons of heavy brakes, how you need to compensate and adjust your technique and "fly different" from a kite with equalised brake lines. Why heavy brakes make more sense in lower wind and probably most beginner's struggle using them and how to overcome them.

Might add a bit more to your table but something I guess some fellow forum members would like to see as well.

-Darryl

[Felix Mottram]

Felix has it right on for me... I practice with a "mantra method" as well, so to speak.

I take 1-3 specific turn styles that I'm wanting to work on, and make a 10-15 second series out of them, then repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, maybe in different parts of the window, altitudes, etc.

The routine is a good idea, but to really generate control, you may find the "mantra" method to be more effective in the long run.

Curiously, whenever it was we set up the Decs website I drew out 180 degree wing tip turns in every variation I could think of with horizontal or vertical axis! More recently I have been working on the diagonal variations.

They should be flown very slowly, as if in treacle!

http://www.felixmott...pages/moves.htm

[Kitelife]

Aaaargh, too many good ideas!