Kiteboarding Terminology and Local Lingo

• Air Time:(also Hang-time) the amount of time spent in the air while jumping. This can be remarkably long; the current record is Jessie Richman's 22 second long jump. Five to ten seconds is not unusual, leaving lots of time for spins and board off moves. See also: Boost, Board Off, Getting Worked, etc.
• Angle of Attack: the angle at which the kite flies to the wind, which is adjusted by adjusting trim strap. Example: Pulling in depowers the kite and decreases the angle of attack. Increasing AOA increases lift and power.
• Apparent wind: The wind felt by the kite as it passes through the air. Creating more apparent wind is accomplished by diving the kite or steering further upwind.
• Aspect Ratio: The ratio of a kite's length to width. Higher aspect kites are narrower than lower aspect kites and offer more responsive performance than a lower aspect kite.
• Apparent Wind: the kite's speed relative to the surrounding air. When kitesurfing in a straight line, the kite's apparent wind is a combination of the wind speed and the speed of the kite and rider over the surface, but since the kite is highly steerable apparent wind can vary widely depending on how the kite is being flown. Most ways of increasing power from the kite involve giving it a higher apparent wind somehow, i.e. diving the kite, riding faster, or riding at a greater angle into the wind. Any of these raises the kite's apparent wind speed.
• Backside SW: West side of the Skyway North launch area, very small and not a place for beginners. Multiple hazards here and injuries are quite common. See: {launch sites} for more info.
• Bladder: an inflatable inner tube used on most kitesurfing kites, which give shape and structure to canopy. a popped bladder will ruin your day, do not over inflate
• Blind: Riding backwards or landing backwards riding toeside.
• Board Off: An air trick where board is removed from feet during jump. Very stylish trick!
• Board Leash: Not for kiteboarding. Will injure you by pulling the board back at you, knocking out your teeth or giving you a concussion. See: Body Dragging
• Body Dragging: Being pulled through the water without standing on a board. This is an early step in the learning process, and is recommended before trying the board after flying a trainer kite. Learning to body drag upwind is mandatory to become an independent kiter and prevent loss of board.
• Boost: BIG jump! What most people love about Kiteboarding.
• Bow Kite: A modern style bridled kite with a curved trailing edge, which offers larger wind ranges and better performance than some other styles of kites.
• Bridle: connecting lines from the leading edge to flying lines and are standard on SLE/Hybrid/Bow and "Foil" kites. They assist in keeping kite stable during flight and affect overall profile of the kite.
• Chicken Loop: a hard rubber loop attached to the middle line which has been fed through the control bar. It is used to attach the control bar to the harness so the kitesurfer can produce tension in the lines using their entire bodyweight instead of using purely arm strength.
• Chicken Bone/Chicken Finger: a hard rubber "tongue" attached to the chicken loop which the rider feeds through the spreader bar hook to prevent the rider from becoming "unhooked" while riding.
• Cowboy: someone who refuses to get lessons and is trying to learn on their own, which is not tolerated at most launch sites. (Please seek qualified instruction). See also: Kook
• De-power: to reduce the kite's power (pull), generally 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 up and down. Depowerability makes a kite safer and easier to handle. Some new kite models, especially "bow" kites, can be de-powered to practically zero power, giving them an enormous wind range.
• DP: Dawn patrol; a very early morning session, sometimes rigging before sunrise. Only for true kiteboarding addicts!
• Downwind: the direction the wind is blowing towards; to leeward. When a rider is facing downwind the wind is at their back.
• Downwinder: a kitesurfing "trip" where the rider starts at one point and ends up at another point downwind of their original position. The Gulf beaches offer a trolley system for 20 mile “downwinders”.
• Edge: tilting the board with its edge into the water. Used to control the direction of travel, adjust speed, and braking. Learning to edge properly is critical for learning to tack upwind.  Proper edging is one of the fundamental skills of kitesurfing. Riding downwind towards the kite can sometimes help shed kite power and control board speed as well.
• East Beach: “EB”, located at Ft. Desoto Park, is the prime spot for lessons and newer kiter activity. (Lessons permitted by certified instructors only.) Please review launch sites section of this website for more info.
• 5^th Line: The best safety system for a “C” kite. Immediately depowers kite with no spinning of kite. and is easiest to relaunch, especially in deep water.
• Getting Worked: Crashing hard! Paying' your dues in windy conditions or learning a new trick, losing your edge. Usually associated with unplanned kiteloops. See also: yard sale
• Gulf: Gulf of Mexico, beginners should body drag outside the swim buoys to water start, especially in onshore winds. Please stay of of the swim areas in the Gulf.
• Harness: Used to connect kiter to kite using a spreader bar. Harness are available in seat, waist, and impact vest versions, but all  serve the same purpose.
• Helmet: Goes on your head and is also called Brain Bucket. Highly recommended for kiting, and also looks cool!
• Heel side: the side of a board on the edge where a riders heels are (opposite of toeside). "Riding heelside" is riding with heels down. Heelside is the normal and most comfortable riding position.
• Handlepass: while unhooked, passing the control bar behind a riders back while in the air. Considered an advanced move
• Independent Kiter: Something not easily achieved in kiteboarding. Must be proficient in self launch/land, body drag upwind, ride upwind, self rescue, etc. Becoming 100% Independent takes weeks or months of practice and will not happen on one day..
• Kite Leash: Mandatory piece of safety equipment. Keeps kite attached by one line to kiters harness upon releasing the bar. All kite leashes MUST have a safety release to kite at Tampa area launch sites.
• Kiteloop: is a group of tricks where a rider loops the kite while jumping. Kiteloops generate hard and fast landings and are not for inexperienced riders
• Kitemare: a kiteboarding accident or dangerous mishap. Kitemares can be deadly.
• Kook: A rider of any skill level who refuses to follow safe kiting guidelines, lacks regard for other kiters or beach-goers, or has zero common sense. Kooks and kooky activity should not be tolerated and are fair game for public ridicule, as they are a serious risk of accident and access for everyone.
• Lark's Head: standard knot in kiteboarding to attach flying lines to pigtails.
• Litt or Getting Litt: WAY overpowered, but still in control. Focused on nothing in the world but holding that edge.
• Lofted: to get lifted vertically into the air by the kite by a strong gust of wind. A very dangerous occurrence that has resulted in several fatalities when kiters on or near land have been dragged into obstacles. Can be avoided by minimizing time on land with the kite flying directly overhead, and by not kiting in overpowered situations. See also: Venturi Effect
• LP: Lassing Park, located in South St. Pete, beginner friendly.
• Luff : when the air flow stalls around the kite. It may then stall and fall out of the sky. Like sails, a luffing kite has rippling and flapping panels. When launching the kite, if the kite is luffing, the rider should move farther upwind, or the person holding the kite should move downwind.
• Mobe: This term has two meanings. It can either be used to describe a class of wakestyle tricks: any invert with a 360 degree spin is considered a "mobe." Also, this term can denote a specific trick: a back roll with a front side 360 handlepass (while keeping the kite below 45 degrees); this specific trick is also known as "the mobe." Other types of mobes include: mobe 540, mobe 720, slim chance, KGB, crow mobe, moby dick, Pete Rose, blind pete, crow mobe 540, etc.
• NP: Night Patrol, riding after dark, which is NOT recommended. Sharks feed at night and say kiters taste like chicken!
• Nuking: wind blowing at great speeds (30-40 knots). These conditions are very extreme and dangerous for most riders. Beginners should not ride when its “nuking”…
• Offshore: wind blowing at the water from the shore. Never ride in offshore winds without some means of recovery, i.e. a chase boat. 
• Onshore: wind blowing perpendicular to and directly at the shore from the water. Beginners should avoid practicing in onshore winds, especially in the Gulf or in crowded beach areas. The risk of accident is much higher in onshore winds.
• O-Shit Loop: Two loops on either ends of the bar that are attached to the kite lines and run through rings attached to the bar. A standard leash attachment point (rear line safety), and relaunch system for most bow kites.
• Overhead Waves: waves two or more meters (6 ft) from trough to crest;
• Overpowered: the condition of having too much power from the kite. Can be a result of an increase in wind, incorrect kite choice (too large for the conditions), incorrect adjustment, simply going too fast, etc.
• P.F.D.: Personal Flotation Device, a life jacket or impact vest.
• Pigtails: Very short lines with adjustment knots, usually on the kite.
• Pop: height gained above the water using only the board and tension in the lines to get lift, with the kite usually positioned at 45 degrees. Used as a basis for many tricks and regarded as an essential skill for progressing in wake style moves.
• Power Up: when the kite's power increases (suddenly), because of wind gusts or the kite's movement.
• Power Zone: is the area in the sky where the kite generates the most lift (pull), this is generally between 0 to 60 degrees arc from the center of the downwind direction.
• Q.R.- Quick Release: Allows kiter to ditch the kite in an emergency situation. There's a QR for your kite, and a QR for your LEASH. 2 QR's are standard for kiting in most areas.
• Rocker: The curvature of the board from nose to tail
• Schlogging: This is riding extremely underpowered. A rider has no power to plane and definitely not enough to jump. A rider and their board bounce from planing on the surface to being dragged in the water.
• Sea-Breeze: Wind created by rapid heating of the land. When hot air rises, it is replaced by cooler air from the Gulf, creating an opportunity for some great summer sessions!
• Send It: To move the kite aggressively up through the power zone, resulting in a big jump. Make sure to redirect the kite after sending it or you may find out what “ getting worked” means.
• Sheeting in/out:  Increasing or decreasing tension on back lines by moving control bar in or out. Pulling in will increase power and is called sheeting in.
• Side Shore, winds blowing parallel to the shore. Usually the most desirable direction for kitesurfing.
• Side Onshore: wind blowing between side shore and at a 45 degree angle towards the shore.
• S.L.E.: Supported Leading Edge, similar to a Bow kite, but has a straight trailing edge.
• Spreader Bar: A stainless steel bar that attaches to the rider's harness. It has a hook that holds the "chicken loop" when riding hooked in.
• Starboard Tack: Sailing on a tack with right hand forward. Riders on a starboard tack have Right of Way
• Strapless: Riding a board with no foot straps, such as a surf or skim board.
• Stalling: when the kite exits the wind window and falls. Usually caused by over-sheeting the kite when its at 12:00. To prevent stalling, sheet out on the bar, depower the kite, or check line lengths. The kite may not be “tuned” properly if it keeps stalling.
• Suicide Leash: attaching the kite leash to the chicken loop instead of to a line. This is done to prevent kite from depowering completely and crashing into the water, and is VERY DANGEROUS. All kite leashes must have a quick release within reach from any angle.
• Tack: The direction which is being sailed, normally either starboard tack or port tack. In a starboard tack the wind is coming in from the rider's starboard (right-hand) side, similar to sailing a boat. In normal riding, the kitesurfer takes a heading which is as close to into the wind as possible, and in any event leads at some angle slightly upwind, sometimes as much as 45 degrees; jumping or wave riding usually results in traveling downwind, so the net result is to maintain relative position. Alternately, see "Downwinder".
• Tea-Bagging: popping out of and falling back into the water intermittently due to light or gusty wind, overpowered, poor flying skills, etc.
• Toe side: the side of a board on the edge where a riders toes are (opposite of heel side). "Riding toe side" is riding with toes down, facing away from the kite..
• Underpowered:(Schlogging) the condition of having insufficient power from the kite. Can be a result of insufficient wind, choosing a kite that is too small for the current wind, rigging incorrectly, board too small, water current in the same direction as the wind, not riding fast enough, etc. A rider who is continuously diving the kite and sending it back up in a sine-wave pattern is usually underpowered.
• Unemployment: result of too much kiteboarding, fairly common in the kiteboarding community. Kiteboarding is an addiction and can be detrimental to your income! (you have been warned!)
• Unhooked is a term used to describe when a kitesurfer is riding while the chicken loop is not attached to the rider's harness.
• Upwind: the direction from which the wind is blowing; windward; into the wind.
• Venturi effect: changes in wind speed, quality, and direction due to trees, buildings, landscape, etc. Examples: updrafts around mangroves, trees, or roadways. Funneling effect of wind traveling between two buildings (increased wind speed).
• Wind Window is the area downwind and 90 degrees to the left and right of the pilot where the kite flies. If the kite exits this area, it will fall out of the sky.

• Yard sale: Crashing hard and "plowing the field" for an extended distance
• Zenith the location in the wind window directly over the kiter's head. This is the neutral position where kiteboarders can place the kite to stop moving or prior to movement. This places the kite in a more vulnerable to "Hindenburg" in this position than any other.