Interesting kite! It looks homemade to me.
You can also place blame on the kite.
Smaller kites, Rev II sized, are harder to fly. Especially in reverse. People do learn on Rev II sized kites, but it's much easier on a 1.5 sized kite.
From the photo, it doesn't look like this kite has mesh along the leading edge. That screen/mesh allows air to flow through the kite when you fly in reverse. On my own experiments with home made kites, ones that don't have mesh are harder to fly in reverse. Add mesh and it works much better.
I can't tell what the spars are like in your kite, but the flexibility/stiffness of the spars also make a difference in how the kite flies.
Try contacting
thekitesite.netIt's a new startup by a great guy who's on the 180GO! kite team. So you know he's an expert on Revs. He'll sell you what you need, not just get rid of his excess inventory. He gives good prices to members of IKE--aren't you glad you joined?
If a new kite isn't in the budget, you an always borrow one of ours if you meet up at a club fly or festival.