HOW TO SET UP YOUR KITEBOARD PADS AND FOOTSTRAPS LIKE A PRO
Getting into kiteboarding is a boatload of fun (ocean pun intended!) Once you’re hooked on this exciting water sport, there’s no turning back… you’ll be a kiteboarder for life!
As a beginner, you have to learn different skills and techniques for you to enjoy your ride on the water, and one of the first few things that you need to learn before you start riding the waves on your own is how to set up your kiteboard pads and footstraps.
So today, we’re going to walk you through the setup and help you understand how these features will help you ride on your board comfortably and with confidence.
PAD DISTANCE
For your initial setup, you have to consider your height for the pad distance. In general, taller people with longer legs will have the pads a bit further apart, whereas the shorter surfers out there should ideally have them much closer together.
As you move into the later steps of your progression, there are a few things that you will need to think start thinking about, namely that now your footpad distance can actually be adjusted to fit the riding style you want to do…
PAD POSITION
Another important aspect to consider is the pad position in relation to the width of the board.
Ordinarily, the pads should be centered according to the length of the board’s width. Having the ability to change this side to side position will allow you to position the pad so that your feet will be centered on the board, with your heels and toes having a similar distance from the edges of your board.
Alternatively, you can try putting the pads closer to the heelside rail. This will help with edging harder, and will make jumping and carving on your heelside easier. However, the disadvantage of this is that you won’t be able to achieve good balance when riding, making riding toeside more challenging as you won’t have a stable ride on the water.
PAD ANGLE
Take note that you have to keep the angle the same on both feet, as with our kiteboard twintips, we usually ride on our heelside edge in both directions. This is totally different when you ride snowboards where you tend to put your front foot more angled at the back.
To start with, you can position your feet at 10 degrees, as this is the ideal option for most riders.
If you wanted to alter the angle, here is how it would affect your performance: if you position your feet parallel to each other, it helps very well when landing hard. This gives you more stable footing and minimizes pressure on your knees. The disadvantage though is that you won’t be that comfortable when cruising. When you had your feet at an angled position, you can easily maneuver the board and ride with comfort, but this advantage is lost when riding with your feet parallel to each other.
STRAP WIDTH AND FIT
In general, you should aim to have your feet comfortably snug in the straps; your feet shouldn’t slip out of the straps easily and you shouldn’t have to pull your toes up just to keep your board on. On top of that, if your straps aren’t tight enough when you try to jump there is a good chance your board will just fall off…
As a rule of thumb, your foot should be in contact with the strap on all sides and not just the upper part. Most new model straps or pads are adjustable, allowing you to make them narrower or loose to fit your feet. If you feel that it’s still hard to keep the board on your feet even if you tried to adjust the tightness of the strap, then it’s probably time to look for a narrow strap to use. During your kite surfing lessons in Dubai you will get the chance to try different kite boards foot straps setup to help you understand the differences.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So there you have it, you just learned a few tips on how to set up your kiteboard footstraps and pads. Knowing this will allow you to surf better and control your board with ease. If you’d like to get more advice, you can visit our kite surf shop in Dubai. We have a team of professionals who will guide you until you can ride on your own like a pro! For details, you can call us at +971 55 800 6363 or inquire through our email aloha@kitensurf.ae .
