If you have decided to take kitesurfing lessons in Tarifa or any other place, it is interesting that you take a look at this small kitesurfing dictionary to familiarize yourself with the terms the instructor will use.
B
- Back lines: steering lines.
- Back roll: maneuver consisting of a 360-degree rotation backward in the air.
- Bindings: foot straps.
- Bladders: inflatable tubes inside the leading edge and ribs.
- Blind: blind riding stance. Riding with the edge of the tips and the body position opposite to the direction of navigation.
- Bridles: all the lines of a kite intertwined by knots and/or pulleys.
C
- Choppy: rough sea, uncomfortable water peaks for navigation.
- Chicken loop: loop that connects the kite to our harness.
D
- De-power: the kite’s ability to lose power.
F
- Front roll: maneuver consisting of a 360-degree rotation forward in the air.
- Front lines: leading lines.
- Footstraps: foot bindings.
- Flex: flexibility of a board.
- Foil: kite resembling a paraglider with self-inflating cells.
- Freestyle: a style of riding that involves performing tricks in the air.
H
- Hang time: time a kite stays in the air during a jump.
- Hooked: connected to the kite. Unhooked: disconnected from the kite.
K
- Kicker: ramp, either natural from the wave or manufactured with materials.
- Kiteloop: performing a full loop with the kite, making it pass through the entire power zone (warning: very dangerous).
- Keel or fins: fins on the board that improve stability and turning response.
O
- Off-shore: refers to the wind blowing from land to sea.
- On-shore: refers to the wind blowing from sea to land.
- One pump: refers to kites that inflate from a single valve.
P
- Pigtails: ends of the lines and bridles for connection.
- Pre-lines: the segment of the line from the bar to the lines. They usually have floats.
- Pads: foot pads.
- Pop: the board’s ability to facilitate take-off from the water.
R
- Raley: maneuver involving jumping with the kite at a 45-degree angle, throwing the legs backward to achieve a horizontal position. It forms the base for most freestyle tricks.
- Re-ride: safety system that releases the kite by connecting a single sliding line to our harness.
- Rocker: curvature of a board.
S
- Strapless: Riding style without bindings on the board
- Strutless: kite without struts.
- Sables: plastic rods used to provide tension, stability, and rigidity to the kites.
- Spot: locations for practice.
- Setup: adjusting the position of the pigtails or connection knots to the lines for different riding styles.
T
- Toe side or fakie: riding with the edge of the board opposite to the heels, i.e., sailing with the tips.
- Transitions: various ways of changing direction.
- Trim: adjusting the kite by tightening or loosening the front lines.
- Trainer: smaller foil kite for training.
W
- Wavestyle or surfkite: a style of riding focused on surfing the waves.
- Wakeskate: a type of board similar to a skateboard without bindings.
- Wakestyle: a style of riding that involves navigating and performing tricks on modules, rails, ramps, etc.