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Trick Kites / Freestyle

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Louise Carr

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Jul 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/6/98
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Hello everyone,

I've been plowing through lots of ads for kites and I've noticed that kites
are categorised as precision, trick or freestyle, or a combination of them.
I was wondering what the difference between a trick kite and a freestyle
kite is.

Also, as the bigger kites pull quite strong for me (there's always seems to
be a lot of wind around here), is it better to go for a vented kite or a
smaller kite.

Thanks

Louise


Andy Wardley

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Jul 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/6/98
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Louise Carr <lou...@usa.net> wrote:
>I've been plowing through lots of ads for kites and I've noticed that kites
>are categorised as precision, trick or freestyle, or a combination of them.
>I was wondering what the difference between a trick kite and a freestyle
>kite is.

A trick kite is very tricky.

A freestyle kite is a good all-round kite that's just as tricky.

The first is easy to design - it's easy to make a kite do tricks.
The second a lot harder - you've got to try and make it stable as well.

BUT.... in the sense that many adverts use it "freestyle" probably means
not a lot more than "somewhere between precise and tricky". :-(=

There are lots of kites now being described as "Freestyle Kites" but by
my definition of the term, they're really not. To many, it's just the
cool new word for "Trick Kite" or "Trickable Kite". To others, it's a
cool new word for "Does a bit of everything". But then we all take such
descriptions with a pinch of salt, right?

Freestyle flying is Trick Flying And More [tm]. You need a kite that does
Trick Flying And More [tm].

Here's my post from last year where I describe the term. This might shed
some light on what I think it means. It doesn't specifically answer the
question about freestyle kites but it might give you a sense about the
kind of direction that trick/freestyle kites are going.

Full post is at:
http://www.kfs.org/~abw/kitesrec.kite/freestyle.html

A


Subject: Freestyle/Trick Flying (Re: Low vs high aspect)
From: a...@peritas.com (Andy Wardley)
Newsgroups: rec.kites
Date: 24 Feb 1997 08:27:57 -0000
Organization: Peritas Ltd.
Message-ID: <5erjed$m...@aoxomoxoa.peritas.com>

[..deletia...]

There is a big misconception about Trick Flying or at least, the way that
I see Trick Flying going.

Let's use precision flying as an analogy. There is nothing interesting or
exciting about watching someone perform Square Cuts or a Clover Leaf figure.
It's like picking your nose - it can be interesting to do, but it's nothing
much to watch. But put together a precision routine that demonstrates superb
control of the kite and combines an interesting and varied program and you
have a winner. Even non-kite fliers are able to appreciate the skill and
artistry in a well constructed precision routine.

Now take Trick Flying. An Axel by itself is, well, as John says, it is
pretty cool, but once you've seen a few (or a few thousand), the novelty
wears pretty thin. After a while we become desensitized to it, just as we
become bored by another square corner or straight line. What Trick Fliers
must do to push forward the discipline is to extend the concept of isolated
tricks into a style of flying that contains expression and character as well
as definitive control of the kite. Just as the precision routine is built
from basic elements into a complex and structured performance, the Trick
Flier must also use the basic building blocks to create something new and
structurally complete.

These days, I rarely refer to myself as a "Trick Flier" or what I do as
"Trick Flying". It has this negative aura that conjurs up images of someone
standing in a field doing Axels and Flat Spins all days long. This is not
where I'm at and not where I'm going. "Freestyle Flying" or "Freestyle
Trick Flying" is the term I prefer and for me that means the evolution of
tricks and more traditional flying techniques into an expressive and
technically outstanding artform. It's more radical and more trick-oriented
than precision or ballet flying but it shares in the same philosophy that
any trick, figure or element in isolation is nothing without the structure
that encases it.

Now who was it who said "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it"?

A

--
Andy Wardley <a...@kfs.org> Signature regenerating. Please remain seated.
<a...@cre.canon.co.uk> For a good time: http://www.kfs.org/~abw/

John Ponti

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Jul 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/7/98
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I've found that there seems to be some relation between a kite's sail
loft, and how hard the kite pulls: trick/freestyle kites tend to have
shallower sails because the type of performance they have demands it.
also, a heavy pulling trick kite would simply wear you out.

I'm assuming that you're somewhat new to this "thing of ours" soooooo...

Think about getting a kite that has a standard size sail but has a
moderate pull.

A word about vented kites: Don't buy one (just yet) I have yet to fly
a vented kite that was very responsive: they tend to be sluggish and as
I said in an earlier posting, you spend most of your time flying in
light to moderate winds, anyway.

Glad to see you're doing your research.

A bad day of kiteflying is better than a good day at work (unless your
job is flying kites).

JOHN


Mike Emery

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Jul 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/8/98
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In article <Evo3y...@cre.canon.co.uk>, a...@cre.canon.co.uk says...

>Freestyle flying is Trick Flying And More [tm]. You need a kite that does
>Trick Flying And More [tm].

Let me add this: flying one, single, disembodied trick is sort of clever and
is Trick Flying. Flying a kite in a seamless flow of movements, using all
possible axes of rotation and all possible control inputs is Freestyle
Flying.

Whilst we rec.kiters often post new tricks as stand alone items the real aim
(IMHO) is to fly them as part of a whole performance wherein you cannot
cut out individual tricks as each one blends into the next and forms part
of the next move as much as it is part of itself. This, for me, is Freestyle.

Kites that are described as Freestyle are often, as Andy says, neither fish
nor fowl but all round, "not bad at X, Y and Z" kites. Most kites *can* be
flown in a Freestyle fashion, I believe, just some are more capable than
others.

>Now who was it who said "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it"?

Bananarama. :-)

Mike.

Chris Matheson

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Jul 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/8/98
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Mike Emery wrote:
<SNIP>
> >Now who was it who said "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it"?
>
> Bananarama. :-)

There goes your cred' right out the window ;o)

Oh, nice post on the spars by the way.

Whatever,

chris.
--
mailto:ch...@kites.org.uk
Website: http://ds.dial.pipex.com/chris.matheson/

Andy Wardley

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Jul 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/8/98
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Mike Emery <michae...@stack.inet.fi> wrote:
>Let me add this: flying one, single, disembodied trick is sort of clever and
>is Trick Flying. Flying a kite in a seamless flow of movements, using all
>possible axes of rotation and all possible control inputs is Freestyle
>Flying.
>
>Whilst we rec.kiters often post new tricks as stand alone items the real aim
>(IMHO) is to fly them as part of a whole performance wherein you cannot
>cut out individual tricks as each one blends into the next and forms part
>of the next move as much as it is part of itself. This, for me, is Freestyle.

Me too! [ Darn! I hate "Me too!" posting ]

Everything Mike said with one more thing:

Freestyle flying is flying a kite in a seamless flow of movements, using
all possible axes of rotation and all possible control inputs BECAUSE YOU
CAN!

A "Trick Flier" can do tricks. Maybe many, maybe few. A "Freestyle Flier"
doesn't measure things by what tricks he can or can't do. A Freestyle Flier
can do whatever is necessary to move the kite from <current state> to
<next state>. The quality of a Freestyle Flier is measured by how
well they can do it, not necessarily by what they can do.

Mike Emery

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Jul 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/9/98
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In article <35A3B1...@kites.org.uk>, ch...@kites.org.uk says...

>
>Mike Emery wrote:
><SNIP>
>> >Now who was it who said "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it"?
>>
>> Bananarama. :-)
>
>There goes your cred' right out the window ;o)

I had cred ?!? Why did nobody tell me this earlier ? :-)

Mike.

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