Stunt kiting
What to expect
Stunt kiting is a sport. It’s all about flying kites while performing tricks and loops. The kites are usually triangle-shaped and are made from lightweight materials to help them fly. They’re controlled by two lines, which allow the pilot to direct the kite and perform tricks.
What you’ll learn
Stunt kiting is a specific skill, but you’ll have to be willing to jump in and stick at it to develop other skills like coordination. You probably won’t be able to do tricks and stunts straight away, but there’s no rush; just pick yourself (and your kite) up and try again.
Flying a kite’s all about aerodynamics – there’s plenty to learn, so if you’re interested, ask the person leading the activity to explain how it all works.
Fun facts
Stunt kiting competitions where competitors are judged on their skills happen all over the world. In the United Kingdom, the Sport Team and Competitive Kiting (STACK) organise the competitions. People can take part individually, in pairs, or in groups (of up to eight people) and their performances are set to music.
Handy hints
- Check the weather. Kites need wind to fly – check the weather before you set off to make sure you’ll be able to get them up in the air.
- Get familiar with kites first. Before you get stuck into the adventure, spend some time in a usual meeting looking at a stunt kite and a standard kite. Can people spot any similarities or differences? Show everyone how they fly differently.
- Bring some spares. Sometimes disaster strikes and kites get lost or broken in the wind. A ball of string and a couple of spares can rescue a session if anyone’s kite makes a break for freedom.
Safety
You must always:
- Complete a risk assessment
- Have the right ratios of number of adults to provide suitable supervision
- Set up an InTouch process
- Know what to do in an emergency
- Share information with parents and carers with an activity information form
- Get approval from your commissioner
Be safe outdoors:
- Check the weather forecast
Other activities:
- Where an activity is not covered by any other rules members must follow rule 9.1 and assess the risk, ensure that members can be kept safe and that all equipment is suitable for its use.
Joint activities with other organisations:
- This activity can be run jointly with Girlguiding.
- This activity can be run with other organisations.
This activity can be led by you or someone else in Scouts
You can go to a centre or use an activity leader who is not part of Scouting:
You must find a suitable provider who meets the following requirements:The provider must have public liability insurance.
Guidance
Reflection
Stunt kiting gave you the opportunity to try something new and it helped develop your co-ordination skills. Flying a kite isn’t always as easy as it looks, it takes time and practice to complete simple movements, so don’t worry if you didn’t manage the first time. What did you find the easiest and the most challenging? Think about whether you managed to fly the kite, did you manage to do a simple figure of eight or was it putting the kite away after you had finished. Simple aerodynamics help the kite fly, what did you learn about how it works? What other things could you apply aerodynamics to that you do in your meetings? Think about paper aeroplanes, parachute games or building model aeroplanes.
If anyone’s struggling to control the kite or complete any stunts, get them to make their lines shorter so the kite’s closer to them. They could practise a simple figure of eight movement to give them more confidence and practise their control.
Stunt kiting can often be adapted so more people can give it a go. You could explore adapted equipment and find an experienced instructor to help everyone achieve their goals. Get in touch with your local provider to chat through the needs of people in your group – make sure you give them plenty of notice.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
If people enjoyed this activity, encourage them to look for a local club. They could even design and create their own stunt kite.
If anyone’s done this before, encourage them to share their knowledge with everyone else before you get stuck in. It’s up to them how they do it – they might want to do a fancy presentation or just have an informal chat.