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Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 6:01 am
by John_A
You're welcome, hope you'll like it!
61 copies downloaded so far, still a couple hours to go I think so go grab your copy!

/John

Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 6:58 pm
by WindMuch
Hey John,

I read the first couple of chapters, just to get a sense of it. Thanks again for passing it on to the crew here on BAK!

Based on a recent thread here on BAK from someone who was considering teaching himself (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10752) , I'm a bit concerned about the "Should I take lessons" section in the Introduction of your book.

I can see evaluating the pros and cons of taking lessons vs. not, but my read on the topic in the book is that it doesn't come down nearly as heavily on the side of 'take lessons' as I'd consider safe.

Pardon any copyright infringement, but here's the text for others to chime in with their feelings on how this comes across:

"Should I take lessons or learn by myself? Whether to take kitesurfing lessons or not is a matter of personal preferences. As with most other things, taking lessons is a shortcut to getting up and riding faster. However, if you have previous experience from other related sports such as wakeboarding, snowboarding, paragliding, windsurfing or sailing your learning time will likely be shorter and perhaps you’ll feel you won’t get as much value out of the lessons.

There is also the notion of safety which is incredibly important should you decide to learn by yourself. If you don’t take any lessons, be certain that you understand and practice the safety functions and don’t take any chances. It’s better to take an extra training session on land and reading through all safety tips one more time than ending up hurting yourself or someone else.

Advantages of taking lessons: + Less risk for damaging your own gear when starting out + Learning faster + Less risk that you miss out on or misunderstand safety

Drawbacks of taking lessons: + Cost + Lots of Kite training time in the first lessons which you can do on your own + May have to travel

Anderson, John; Weismiller, Rick (2012-03-10). Kite Surfing Essentials – Learn how to Kite Surf Safely and Easily NOW! (Kindle Locations 192-196). Independent 5 Books. Kindle Edition."


If I read this, I *might* be encouraged to try to teach myself...What do you guys think?

Kirk out

Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 8:08 pm
by spvone
WindMuch wrote:
Pardon any copyright infringement, but here's the text for others to chime in with their feelings on how this comes across:
I wouldn't worry about copyright infringement:

Long Quotations

For quotations that extend to more than four lines of verse or prose, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing. Only indent the first line of the quotation by an additional quarter inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

Or did you meant to chime in about the language in the passage?

Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as thanks!

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 10:01 pm
by sc-surfer
Guys, haven't we already settled the lessons/no lessons debate?

Yes, in the beginning people did teach themselves. There was little choice. And yes, some will still teach themselves or learn from friends. We can't change that. But seriously, encouraging people to try learning on their own is like handing the keys of a car to a non driver and telling them to go figure it out on the highway. A few will pull it off but many will get hurt or hurt others.

I don't see any way we as an industry can rightfully encourage self-teaching. We have progressed to the point where it's no longer necessary. There are great instructors out there (some of them are professionals and some just great teachers). Not only do they teach kite skills but they (should) teach etiquette, safety, etc. All as important as just flying the kite.

As more people enter the sport and ride in more crowded places it's important to everyone to keep the accident and injury rates low. No question that great instruction can aid in that.

Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as thanks!

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 12:31 am
by tomerp
Well i wasnt gonna say anything but...: I think it's crazy to think that someone can learn kiting just from a book. Most people learn through doing not through reading. not to mention the need for supervision . And a buddy to be with you at all times watching u at the beach? Really? Who would that be? Sancho?

I think the book belongs to a written section of a certified kiting school before the actual lessons start. Kinda like we did for scuba diving

Otherwise some good info in the book !(despite some grammar and spelling errors - another proof Read would be useful)

Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 8:37 am
by CdoG
Thanks for the book john
I like it
Wish it was around when i tought myself.

Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:11 am
by John_A
Hey guys, thanks a lot for the opinions.

We have actually decided to change the "should I take lessons" part so that we are 100% clear on that it is strongly adviced to take lessons, a book or DVD just isnt good enough if you're starting from scratch.

Thanks again for the input, I guess we didn't really see this one so clearly.

//John

Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:22 am
by Greg
Hay Sancho!!!
Who taught you to kite????
=D>

Re: Free Kitesurfing eBook giveaway on Amazon Kindle as than

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 pm
by WindMuch
John_A wrote:We have actually decided to change the "should I take lessons" part so that we are 100% clear on that it is strongly adviced to take lessons, a book or DVD just isnt good enough if you're starting from scratch.

Thanks again for the input, I guess we didn't really see this one so clearly.
Wow. Right on! Good on ya.

I was feeling kinda bad for taking you to task about that section after you kindly offered up copies of your book for free. I'm glad you saw it as the constructive criticism it was meant to be!

Kirk out