Understanding event types and skill levels for competition consist of pair or individual. They will fall into classes or groups that are Novice, Experienced or Masters. In the good old USA your only requirement to compete is to be a member of the American Kite-fliers Association.

The event types you will hear referred to as a discipline like “individual ballet” or “precision”. There are 20 different disciplines recognized by the American Kite-fliers Association. When you get your program for a competition you will need to understand the three letter designation for the disciplines so here is a little chart to help in your understanding.

Discipline Abbreviations

First Letter            Second Letter              Third Letter
E = Experienced   I = Individual               B = Ballet
M = Master          M = Multi-line             F = Freestyle
N = Novice          Q = Quad-line             P = Precision
O = Open              P = Pair                      T = Train
T = Team

In a program you would see examples like the following:

MTB = Master Individual Ballet
OPP = Open Pair Precision
NMP = Novice Multi-line Precision

Note: When you see “Open” as a discipline it means that competitors can be Experienced, Master or Novice.

Where is the Best Place to Watch a Sport Kite Competition?

Always check to see where the judges are sitting. They will be positioned somewhere behind the competitors for the best view. Somewhere around this area will give you the best field of view. The competition field will always be roped off for two reasons. One for the safety of the spectator’s and two for the competitor’s because if they fly outside the ropes they are disqualified.

Why Music Sometimes and Sometimes Not?

One click to play one click to stop, while in play double click for full screen.

The two main types of competition include the Ballet and Precision. The Sport Kite Ballet is always choreographed to music and a routine will run from about 2 to 5 minutes. Watch The Mystery Ballet and Light Wind and don't forget to turn up the sound!

Precision Competition

With Precision competition there is no music used. The requirement here is for the competitor to fly three different figures and a technical routine of their own design. It is broken down into 4 classes of competition which are as follows multi-line individual, dual-line individual, dual-line pair and dual-line team. Each class has 12 possible compulsory figures that can be flown in Precision Sport Kite Competition. In this video see Stack Sport Kites Eurocup 2008.