Kite Glossary - Kiteboarding Closeouts

Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding: an adventure surface water sport that combes wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, snowboarding, skydiving, parachuting and paragliding into one amazing extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a some sort of board.

The boards range from kiteboards, wakeboards, surfboard, snowboards, mountain or landboards (large skateboards with oversized wheels), race boards, or hydrofoils. The terms kiteboarding and kitesurfing are farily interchangeable.

The term kiteboarding is used more commonly in the US where kitesurfing is more directed to the surf-style of the sport. There are a number of different styles of kiteboarding, including freestyle (most common and utilizes standard kite and board) or wake-style (flatter water using board with bindings) and wave-riding which is focused on big waves using a board designed for wave riding.

Kiteboarding can be performed on water, snow or land. A kitesurfer or kiteboarder uses a board with or without foot-straps or bindings, combined with the power of a large controllable kite to propel the rider and the board across the water. Riding styles have evolved to suit riders and conditions, such as wakestyle, waveriding, freestyle, freeride, jumping, and cruising.

Term	Definition
Airfoil (aerofoil)	A wing, kite, or sail used to generate lift or propulsion.
Airtime	The amount of time spent in the air while jumping. Airtime is also a brand name for a company that specializes in kite repair.
Angle of Attack (AOA) or Angle of Incidence (AOI)	The angle with which the kite flies in relation to the wind. Increasing AOA/AOI generally creates more lift.
Apparent wind (AW)	The wind speed felt by the kite or rider as it passes through the air. The apparent wind direction shifts towards the direction of travel as speed increases. AW can be increased or decreased by such things as current, water movement or movement of the rider/kite.
Aspect Ratio (AR)	The ratio of a kites width (span) to height (chord). Kites generally have a high aspect ratio or a low aspect ratio. Low aspect ratio kites usually fly slower, are easier to relaunch, and have a more grunty downwind pull. High AR kites travel faster and fly further to the front of the window. This gives you better upwind ability, higher jumps and bigger wind range.

Term	Definition
Batten	A piece of rigid or semi-rigid material (usually carbon, plastic or some form of metal) which adds stiffness or shape to the kite or sail.
Beam reach	Sailing in a direction perpendicular (at a 90° angle) to the wind. A beam reach is usually the fastest point of sail. A beam reach is a point of sail between a broad reach and a close reach.
Bear off (Bear away)	Change your direction of travel to a more downwind direction. In kiteboarding, this is acomplished by pointing the front foot downwind more and releasing the edge.
Beaufort	Scale of wind strengths from 0 to 12. Named after the English Admiral, Francis Beaufort, who invented it. 0 = no wind whereas 12 = hurricane.
Bladder	An inflatable inner tube in a kite or strut used to give the kite shape and floatation. Bladders must be pumped up by a hand pump or mechanical inflator.
Body Dragging	Being pulled through the water by the kite without standing on your board, usually on your stomach and often without a board. There is are three main types of body dragging; upwind, upwind with the board and downwind.
Boom	Another name for a control bar. Retained from windsurfing or sailing.
Brake lines	Flying lines attached to the kite to slow the kite or reduce its pull in strong winds. Brake lines lead to back attachment points on the trailing edge of foil kites.
Bridle	Lines that form the junction between kite and the flying lines. Bridle lines are sometimes called shroud lines.
Broad reach	Sailing in a somewhat downwind direction. A broad reach is a point of sail between a beam reach and going straight downwind.
Buggy	A 3-wheeled vehicle with large inflatable wheels designed to be pulled by a kite. Steerable by the feet, these buggies are usually used on hard packed sand.
Buggying	Using a power kite to pull a small land-based 3 wheeled vehicle. Normally the wheels are inflated and the rider is in seated position.

Term	Definition
Camber	The curvature of an object such as a sail or kite usually used when referring its aerodynamic properties.
Cell	A parafoil is divided up into ribbed compartments called cells that are filled by the wind.
Chicken loop (trim loop)	The loop that connects to the spreader bar. This loop is used transfer the power of the kite to the body rather than the hands. It connects to the main line that travels through the middle of the control bar and attaches to the two front kite lines. Hooking into this loop allows the bar to travel up and down along the mainline. This changes the Angle of Attack (AOA) of the kite allowing the power (or pull) to be adjusted on the fly.
Chikara	A kite material. It is a nylon cloth.
Chord	A measurement of the kite between the leading and trailing edges.
Close hauled	Sailing in a direction as far upwind (toward the wind) as possible.
Close reach	Sailing somewhat towards the wind but not close hauled. A close reach is a point of sail between a beam reach and close hauled.
Closed cell (Ram Air)	These kites normally have a limited number of air intakes and a valve system to prevent the air to escape after a fall. The force of the wind fills the cells and flaps close off to keep the air in the kite. This allows the kite to hold some structure for easier relaunch (especially helpful on the water).These types of kite are called closed cell foil foils or ram air foils.
Coefficient of lift (CL)	A measure of how hard a kite pulls relative to its projected size.
Control bar	A single bar used by the kiteboarder to control the kite. The trailing edge kite lines are connected to the ends of the bar. The leading edge kite lines connect to a heavy mainline which passes through the center of the bar and is connected to the chicken loop. Bar length is typically 45cm-55cm.
Creep	The amount a line permanently lengthened when pulled. Also called Line Stretch. Loosely braided line has a lot of creep, tightly braided has less, linear core line has the least. If all the lines creep evenly, it’s pretty much unnoticeable. On ram-air and hybrid kites, the power lines creep more than the brakes, causing the kite to fly sluggishly.
Cross Venting	Holes cut into the individual cells of a parafoil to allow air to pass through between the cells.

Term	Definition
Directional	A kite board that usually looks like a windsurf board or surfboard that is intended to be ridden in one direction. It rides best in one direction and has definite nose and tail ends. Surfboards can be considered directionals. These can be ridden with or with out foot straps.
Depowering	Changing the angle of attack (AOA) to release pressure and reduce pull. This can be accomplished by pushing out the the bar or pulling on the depower strap.
Downwind	The direction that the wind is going toward, opposite of upwind.
Drag	The resistance to movement.
Drift	The sideways movement due to the action of the wind on the kite.
Dual Line, 2 Line	Kite which is flown using 2 lines of equal length which enables the rider to steer the kite right or left. These kites have a fixed amount of power. Often, trainer kites are dual line.

Term	Definition
Edge- verb*	To put pressure on the edge of the board to control the power or speed. Also used to control the direction of travel. To go upwind, a rider must edge hard. Skiers and snowboarders also use this type of edging to turn.
Edge of the Wind Window	Referring to the plane perpendicular to the direction of the wind. This is area is considered a neutral position as the kite produces little to no lift (pull) when placed along this plane.
Eye of the wind	The direction that the wind is blowing from.

Term	Definition
Flying lines	The main lines between the kite and the rider, usually made of Spectra.
Foil	One cell of an open-celled kite (Foil Kite).
Foil kite	A soft type of kite which is made up of cells that fill with air. Foils achieve their shape by inflating with the wind and have no rigid structure. Foils usually have a complex bridle system.
Footstraps	Straps used to keep your feet attatched to your kiteboard and on your foot pads.
Frame	The collection of carbon or fiberglass spars that form the skeleton of the kite.
Freestyle	The ratio of a kites width (span) to height (chord). Kites generally have a high aspect ratio or a low aspect ratio. Low aspect ratio kites usually fly slower, are easier to relaunch, and have a more grunty downwind pull. High AR kites travel faster and fly further to the front of the window. This gives you better upwind ability, higher jumps and bigger wind range.

Term	Definition
Gale	A storm or squall that may produce strong gusty winds or wind shifts.
Gale Force	The U.S. government’s National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots (63–87 km/h, 17.5–24.2 m/s or 39–54 miles/hour) of sustained surface winds. Other sources use minimums as low as 28 knots (52 km/h) and maximums as high as 90 knots (170 km/h). Through 1986, the National Hurricane Center used the term gale to refer to winds of tropical storm force for coastal areas, between 33 knots (61 km/h) and 63 knots (117 km/h). The 90-knot (170 km/h) definition is very non-standard. A common alternative definition of the maximum is 55 knots (102 km/h).
Grab	Using your hand to hold the board while performing a trick.
*Types of grabs*	See Below
Canadian Bacon Grab	Rear hand, toeside grab, between feet, through legs
Chicken Salad Grab	Front hand, heelside grab, between feet, through legs, arm is twisted, lead foot is boned out
Crail Grab	Rear hand, front toeside grab, back leg is boned out
Indy Grab	Rear hand, toeside grab, between feet
Indy bone Grab	Do a nosebone or tailbone with an Indy grab
Japan Air Grab	Lead Hand grab in front of front foot while board is brought up so it’s perpendicular to the water
Lien Air Grab	Lead hand, heelside grab, board pushed in front of rider, back leg boned out
Method Grab	Lead hand, heelside grab, between feet, board is brought up to waist
Mute Grab	Lead hand, toeside grab, between feet
Nose Grab	Lead hand, grabs on tip of the board
Nuclear Grab	Rear hand, front heelside grab, back leg boned out
Palmer Grab	Lead hand, front heelside grab with a twist
Roast Beef Grab	Rear hand, heelside grab, between feet, through legs
Seatbelt Grab	Rear hand grabs the nose of the board across the riders body
Slob Grab	Lead hand, front toeside grab, back leg boned out, board rotated 180 while in the air
Stalefish Grab	Rear hand, heelside grab, between feet
Stiffy Grab	Board is brought out flat in front of the rider and typically done with an Indy or Roast Beef grab
Tai Pan Grab	Lead hand, toeside grab, between feet through legs
Tail Grab	Rear hand, grabbed on tail of board
Gun	A tall pointed surfboard used for surfing large waves.
Gybe (or jibe)	To change direction by turning down wind and then continuing to turn until you are going in the other direction.

Term	Definition
Handles	Used to control a foil kite in replacement of a control bar. In 4 line kites, two curved handles are used. One side (top) of each handle hooks to a power line connected to the main bridle of the kite on one side. These lines control the steering and hold the down the power of the kite. One brake line connected to the bottom of each handle runs along to a smaller bridle on the trailing edge of the kite. This allows the kite to be stalled or braked. A “link line” or harness line runs between the two handles to allow a harness to take the load of the kite and for one-hand or short-term no-hands flying. These can allow for more precise landing, better luff recovery, quicker handling and better sensitivity, but less tendency to automatically return to a neutral position, less solid-feeling, more “fumbly” and usually twitchier. Not used with inflatable kites.
Hangtime (Airtime)	The amount of time spent in the air while jumping.
Hard rails, soft rails	The rounder the edge of the board the softer the rails are said to be. Hard rails means a sharper edge and allow better upwind performance.
Harness	Worn by kite pilot around the waist or hips to transfer the energy of the kite to the body and remove the load from the arms. It has a hook in the front known as the Spreader Bar. The chicken loop hooks into the spreader bar allowing the kite power to be adjusted on the fly. Similar to a windsurfers harness but usually consisting of a handle or line around the back for the kite leash to attach to.
Heelside	The side of a board on the edge where your heels are (opposite of toeside). To ride heelside down is normal.
Hooked in	The act of being connected to the harness through the chicken loop to the spreader bar.

Term	Definition
Inflatable	A kite with bladders that must be pumped up with a hand pump or compressor for structure prior to flying. The bladders give the kite its rigidity and performance. The kite can be deflated and fit into a bag the size of an over-sized backpack. Inflatable kites use bladders in the leading edge and ribs (struts). When the bladders are inflated by pump, the kite forms the flying shape.

Term	Definition
Jibe (or gybe)	To change direction by turning down wind and then continuing to turn until you are going in the other direction.

Term	Definition
Kevlar	A very strong fiber sometimes used for kite lines. Has some characteristics which make it somewhat less desirable than Spectra.
Kitesurfing, Kiteboarding	Also called kite sailing or flysurfing. Using a kite to pull you across the water with a board under your feet. Kitesurfing is specific to water. Kiteboarding includes kitesurfing, landboarding and snowkiting.
Knot	Speed of one nautical mile per hour. It is 1.852 Km per hour or 1.15 mph.

Term	Definition
Larks head	Knot used for attaching flying lines.
Lay line	An imaginary line on which you can sail directly to your target without tacking.
Leader Lines	Short thicker lines from the control bar to the flying lines. Used to keep the pilots fingers away from the flying lines.
Leading edge, LE	The windward side of the kite, (the forward side that the wind hits first). This is the big inflatable tube on an inflatable kite. Or the side that has the opening for the cells on a foil kite.
Lift	When flying, a kite generates lift or upward force like an airplane wing. Lift is proportional to the square of the apparent wind velocity.
Lift-to-drag ratio, L/D, LDR	A measure of the efficiency of a kite. High L/D means the kite has a high top speed and flies at a greater angle to the wind, which results most noticeably in better possible VMG to windward and faster possible board speeds. Kites are not as efficient as sails, their L/D rarely exceeds 4.0 while a good yacht sail manages 10 and sailplanes (gliders) get over 50.

Term	Definition
Mine	Something in the water that you may hit while riding. (ex. Manatee, crab trap)
Mylar	Mylar is an extraordinarily strong polyester film that was developed in the early 1950s. Mylar tape is sometimes used to repair kite canopies.

Term	Definition
Naish	A Kiteboarding brand based in Hawaii. Robby Naish is a legendary windsurfer and an early kite surfer.
Nautical Mile	Distance at sea is measured in nautical miles, which is 1852 meters, 6067 feet, or 1.15 miles. Measurement of speed at sea is done in knots (nautical miles per hour).
Nuking “Nukin”	A term referring to super strong wind speeds when small kites are needed. Ex: It’s Nukin right now!

Term	Definition
Off the wind	Sailing with the wind coming from behind.
Off-shore wind	When the wind is blowing from the shore towards the water. This condition can be dangerous for kiteboarding unless there is shallow water, boat support and no large obstructions upwind.
On-shore wind	When the wind is blowing from the water towards the shore. This is an ideal condition for landboarding on a straight beach.
Outhaul	Part of the bridle which can be adjusted to move the tow point toward the wing tip or toward the center. This adjustment affects turning speed of the kite.

Term	Definition
Parafoil	Invented by parachute designer Domina Jalbert in 1963, this is a kite which is based on the aerofoil wing shape and does not require any rigid frame for flight. Can also be called ram-air, wing, ram-jet, and paraglide.
Peter Lynn	A New Zealand manufacturer of kites including the ARC and various other Twinskin kites.
PFD	Personal flotation device, lifejacket.
Planing	Is when the board is going fast enough to skip across the surface of the water, as compared to pushing its way through the water.
Point of sail	The direction of a kiteboard or sailboat relative to the wind. When you are sailing as much toward upwind as possible, your point of sail is called close hauled. Other points of sail are called: close reach, beam reach, and broad reach.
Pointing	Going in a direction as upwind as possible. A board that points well is one that goes upwind at a better angle than others (more directly into the wind).
Port	The left side of a boat, from the perspective of a person looking forward. The opposite of starboard.
Port tack	Sailing on a tack with the wind coming from the port side (left side).
Power Zone	The downwind center lower portion of the wind window where the pull is strongest… (straight downwind).
Profile	The side view of the foil or kite.
Projected area	The apparent area of a kite while it is being flown, as opposed to lying flat on the ground. The amount of area that presents itself to the wind.

Term	Definition
Quad line, 4 line	Kite flown on four lines. Having 4 lines has the advantage of not only being able to steer left and right like a dual line, but you can also adjust the AOA.

Term	Definition
Rail	The edge of the board is the rail. A rounded edge is a soft rail and a sharp edge is a hard rail.
Ram Air Kite	Ram air foil kites have no rigid structure. The shape of the kite is formed while flying. These kites have shapes that are very close to airplane wings and therefore are the most aerodynamic kites. These kites normally have a limited number of air intakes and a one-way valve system to prevent the air from escaping, and are also called closed cell foil kites. Concept Air, Windtools and others make Ram Air kites.
Reaching	Sailing with the wind coming from the side (sailing across the wind). If the wind is coming from directly from the side, it is a beam reach. If the board is pointed more into the wind it is a close reach. If the wind is coming more from behind, it is called a broad reach.
Relaunch	To start the kite flying again. It is desirable to have a kite that the kitesurfer can relaunch from the water after a fall.
Right-of-Way	A right-of-way boat has precedence over others on conflicting courses and has the right to maintain its course. Usually a boat on starboard tack has right of way over a boat on port tack.
Rigid kite	A kite such as a speedwing or delta whose shape is mostly held by means of a rigid frame, eliminating the need for a complex bridle. Most rigid kites are not water relaunchable.
Ripstop	Ripstop refers to the squares of reinforcing fibers in the fabric which make it resistant to tearing. A rip in this fabric will stop at one of the reinforcing fibers.
Reel bar	A combination winding reel and control bar used to wind up the kite flying lines.
Rocker	The curve along the bottom of the board. The amount that the nose and tail of the board are turned up. A board that is relatively flat doesn’t have much rocker.

Term	Definition
Scudding	Making the kite drag you along the beach on your feet.
Shaper	A board maker, who designs and constructs boards.
Sheeting out/in	Sheeting out decreases the tension on the lines that lead to the edge of the kite to decrease the angle of attack (AOA) and lower the kite’s power (Depowering the kite). Sheeting in has the opposite effect (Powers the kite up). Sheeting is not possible on a 2 line kite.
Shroud Lines	Bridle lines are sometimes called shroud lines.
Side-Shore	When the wind is blowing parallel to the shore line (along the beach). This is most desirable for kitesurfing.
Sine wave	Flying the kite up and down at the edge of the wind window to generate more power with apparent wind.
Sining	Sining the kite means moving it in a sine wave pattern (up and down) to generate apparent wind and increase it’s power.
Sleeving	Short protective sleeve which covers the ends of a line and helps to preserve strength and prevent wear.
Slogging	Moving along slowly with the board not fully planing.
Snap shackle	A metal shackle that can be opened by pulling on a release mechanism.
Span	The kite width, the size of the kite measured at right angles to the wind.
Spar	The sticks used as the frame of a kite. A batten is a spar.
Spectra	Also known as Dyneema in Europe. It is the standard for flying lines. It is slippery and will allow multiple line wraps without loosing kite control.
Spinout	When a board’s fins lose “grip” on the water or stalls, causing the tail to slide sideways.
Splice	The place where two lines are joined together. A splice usually refers to a smooth join of two lines without using a knot. The end of one line is interlaced or runs through the core of another.
Spreader bar	The metal bar that is on the front of a kiters harness. It usually has a hook for holding the harness line or chicken loop.
Stall	Air is said to stall when it becomes detached from the surface it is flowing along. A stalled kite loses lift and falls from the sky. There is also a back-stall where the back lines of the kite are too tight. The kite begins to create lift in the opposite direction and flys backwards from the sky. This is a common mistake for beginners.
Starboard	The right side of a boat, from the perspective of a person looking forward. The opposite of port.
Starboard tack	Sailing on a tack with the wind coming from the starboard side (right side).
Stretch	The amount a line momentarily lengthens when pulled. Spectra has very low stretch, kevlar has slightly more, nylon has a lot. Stretch affects responsiveness and size of control movements.
Struts	Term used to refer to the inflatable battens in an inflatable kite. Inflatable kites normally have 1-7 struts.

Term	Definition
Table top	A flashy move that can be done while jumping. Hanging more or less upside down with your board out flat above you like a table top. Also a type of Slider with flat top section.
Tack	The direction which is being sailed, normally either starboard tack or port tack. Also: To change direction, by turning upwind. As opposed to a jibe which is done by turning downwind. This maneuver is usually done when the rider is trying to go upwind because less ground is lost in the turns as compared to jibing.
Teabagging	The rider is frequently falling back into the water due to light or gusty wind, like a human teabag being dipped repeatedly.
Thermal wind	Cold air over the ocean and warm air over the land result in a pressure differential that causes wind.
Toeside	To ride a board on the edge where your toes are (opposite of heelside). This is the same technique as in snowboarding.
Traction kite	A kite big enough to pull a vehicle on land, snow, ice or water. This type of kite is called traction kite.
Trailing edge, TE	The back edge of the kite running between the wing tips. Can also be called a leech. The trailing edge may have a leech line sewn in.
Trim line	In a 4 line inflatable kite is a the line that goes from the front of the wingtips to a loop at the center of the control bar. Adjusting its length adjusts the “trim” or angle of attack (AoA) of the kite. Changing this adjustment can increase the AoA for more lift or decreasing the AoA for less lift.
Trim loop	A loop used in most 4 line kites located at the centre of the control bar and used to adjust the kites AoA, thereby depowering the kite. Also called ‘chicken loop’.
True wind	The wind as felt by something that is not moving.
Twin tip	A board that rides equally well in either direction, like a wakeboard. Usually refers to a board that is between a wakeboard and a directional board in size. A twin tip is typically 125 to 190 cm in length.

Term	Definition
Unhooked, hooked out	The control bar is not connected to the harness, the rider is bearing the full force of the kite with his arms.
Upwind	Opposite of downwind, in the direction that the wind comes out of. Experienced riders can ride upwind when they have enough power

Term	Definition
VAOAS	Variable Angle of Attack System. An adjustment system for foil kites.
Vari	A kite company named after Martin Vari (a kite designer)

Term	Definition
Wakeboard	A wing, kite, or sail used to generate lift or propulsion.
Water start	Starting in deep water by lying on your back and letting the kite pull you up onto your board. Like a water ski start or a windsurfer water start.
Whip	To bind strands of a line with a small cord.
Wind range	Used to describe the range of winds that a kite will fly well in. Usually given in knots or Beaufort scale.
Wind Window	The air space in which the kite can fly, shaped like a quarter of a sphere. For all practical purposes, the wind window is the area you can see with your eyes when you are facing straight down wind (90 degrees to the left, 90 degrees to the right, and straight overhead).
Windward	In the direction toward the wind. Opposite of leeward.
Wing	A term used sometimes for a kite.
Wing Span	The widest measurement of a kite often taken from wingtip to wingtip
Wipika	A French manufacturer of the original inflatable (bladder) kite developed by the legendary kite boarding pioneers, Dominique and Bruno Legaignoux.
Working the kite	Making figure eights or sine patterns with the kite to generate more power by increasing apparent wind on the kite. In light winds it helps to really work the kite.
Wrist Leash	A safety leash attaching to your wrist to allow you to depower the kite by letting go of the control bar. Then you can retrieve the control bar and your kite. If the control bar gets ripped out of your hands, the wrist leash pulls on one line causing the kite to flatten out and depower. The end of the wrist leash is often attached about several meters up one flying line. Wrist leashes are obsolete and dangerous because they may be impossible to release if the opposite arm/hand is incapacitated and the kite does not depower for some reason.

Term	Definition

Term	Definition
Yank	The act of being pulled suddenly very hard by the kite.

Term	Definition
Zenith	The highest point in the sky directly overhead or the top center edge of the wind window.