Kiteboarding Glossary

Techniques and skills:

Body dragging - Body dragging involves being pulled through the water without a kiteboard. This is an early step in the learning process, and is recommended before even trying to use a board. It later becomes an essential skill for recovering lost kiteboards while in the water.

Depower - The ability to reduce the kite's power, or pull, generally done by adjusting the angle of attack of the kite. Most kites and control bars now allow a rider to rig a kite for a number of different power levels before launching, in addition to powering the kite up and down "on the fly" by moving the bar closer and further away. Depowerability makes a kitesurfing kite much more safe and easy to handle. Most new kites can be depowered to practically zero power, giving them a huge wind range.

Powered-up - When the kite's power increases because of wind gusts or the kite passing through the "power zone".

Power zone - The area in the sky where the kite generates the most pull, this is generally between 0 to 60 degrees arc from the center of the downwind direction.

Water start: is the critical skill to learn when you have mastered controlling your kiteand body dragging. It is the move that gets you out of the water. 

Wind-related:

Downwind - The direction the wind is blowing towards, or to leeward. When an individual is facing downwind, the wind is at their back.

Power Zone - area within the wind window downwind of the pilot that generates greatest force; 

Sideshore - Winds blowing parallel to the shore. Usually the most desirable direction for kitesurfing.

Side onshore - Wind blowing between sideshore and at a 45 degree angle towards the shore, also quite desirable for kiteboarding.

Upwind - The direction from which the wind is blowing; windward; into the wind.

Wind Direction - wind is described from its point of origin, i.e., a north wind comes from the North and heads South; 

Wind window - The area in which a kite can fly in relation to the wind direction; If the rider somehow puts the kite out of the window , for example, by riding downwind very quickly and sending the kite directly overhead and behind , the kite will stall and frequently fall out of the sky.

Equipment:

Bridles: a colored line system located on the port and starboard sides of the LEI that keeps the kite balance in the air;

Chicken loop - A rubber loop attached to the middle line which has been fed through the control bar. The chicken loop is used to attach the control bar to the harness so the kitesurfer can produce tension in the lines, utilizing their entire body weight instead of purely arm strength. 

Control Bar - steering bar used to control the kite in flight; 

Leading Edge - the front edge of the kite that meets the wind first; 

Leash - bungee cord used to connect the pilot to the safety line of the kite; 

Struts: the rigid air chambers that provide the shape and structure to the kite. Most kites come with between three and seven struts depending on the weight of the rider, and the use given to it (wave, race, speed, free ride);