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Front Roll Hand Wash Transition

Yes another hand wash. These moves are always popular crowd pleasures and on clinics everyone wants to get involved in some water tickling. This is the front roll or front loop variant and it has its roots firmly placed in the more traditional popped front loop nose grab transition from yesteryear as featured in Issue 31! There is quite a lot going on in a short amount of time, so you’ll not have the luxury or hindrance to worry about flying the kite, it’s more pop and go and until you’ve nailed a few the kite will seemingly dictate when everything happens. This is another move that will be far easier to learn on a bigger kite and much trickier on a 7m.

The Approach Pic A.The Approach

Your approach into this is similar to that of a dark slide or back roll hand wash if you already have those nailed. If not fret not, your principal aim is to stay low whilst maintaining your edge. Normally to pop we explode upwards and naturally as you sit you will bend your knees and come up over the board. So get your cheeks down low whilst keeping your edge. This way you’ll have an edge to kick up and off, whilst being low enough to get your hand in the water.

You can see the rider approaching with his kite about 11 o’clock, bar trimmed out so that he can keep tension on the lines with an extended arm, plenty of speed and he is sitting low but still with plenty of edge. From here the rider takes his front hand off the bar, turns further into wind to check his speed and very gently pulls the bar in with his centered back hand.

Kick Edge Pic B.

Timing wise your moment to go is the same in all these pop trick transitions, you must go early, that is to say before you feel the kite lift. As long as you pre-empt the lift your kite is less likely to fly too far back in the window and you’ll be able to stay low.

In Pic B. The rider really kicking off and against his edge, not up. This fortunately is the standard kick off fees forward rotation but here you must exaggerate the action. The rider leans forward and stretches his free front arm out in front of him as he kicks. This will both initiate the front roll and plant his hand into the water. It is important to get your hand out in front as you’ll soon overtake it without the resistance and drag it’ll produce once buried in the water.

Hand Plant Front Roll Pic C

Not a delicious Ionian snack but your next port of call. If you get your hand down on a straight and stiff arm you will rotate no matter what, as your hand becomes the axis for your rotation. This means that you can try and concentrate your efforts on your kite or rather your other hand, the one holding the bar. You need to keep tension on the lines by holding the bar in on the sweet spot, whilst trying your best not to send the kite steaming off behind you. Three things will help: hand in the centre of the bar, sweet spot trimmed out and big kite…

Hand Plant Front

Here in Pic C. you can see that the rider kite has still not reached 12 o’clock and he is already well into the move. He has his hand in the water and is making an effort to resist by keeping his arm locked out. Simultaneously the rider keeps the bar in and as such the kite will be slowly drifting back whist The rider pendulums underneath.

Upside Down Pic D.

As mentioned earlier there is an element of just going with this move as you learn it. However if you can you should try and invert yourself as much as possible to get some extra style points. You’ll see some folk banging these moves out totally straight and stiff. As your head is down it is a matter of getting your hips, feet and board up, and the simplest method is to keep your hand firmly planted and straighten your legs. With the drag from your hand they’ll be forced up! You can see that the rider pushing his feet up in an attempt to get inverted. Worth noting though is that his hand is only just in contact with the water so he is about to lose resistance and his opportunity to get fully upside down. Whilst trying to straighten up the rider has to keep the bar in and be ready for the moment that he gets lifted and his hand releases from the water.

Is Dive & Land Pic E.

Once you feel yourself lifted, this is your cue to finish your front rotation as the kite has passed through 12 and is effectively jumping you up off the water. If you can get yourself around, then you’ll be able to see where you’re likely to land and balance yourself against any awkward pull from the kite.Upside Down

Looking at Pic E. you can see that the first two things that the rider has done are allow his legs to drop and get his free hand back on the bar, as both these movements will give him more control of the situation. By dropping his feet the rider has his undercarriage and landing gear down, and with two hands on the bar he can better control how quickly the kite is moving. The rider is also looking back and down wind, so that he can turn his body and board to where he should be landing. What he does now will depend on how far back the kite is and how far out the rider has pendulum. If the kite is still relatively high the rider will dive hard with his new front hand (the right one) to pull himself out of the move. If the kite is quite far behind the rider will have to dive it harder, aiming for a late kite loop, so that he’ll have the power to keep moving once he lands. Whilst learning this we recommend that you go for the first diving option, as it’s better to get wet and water start than get thrown around backwards.

Top Tips

  • It’s a good idea to start off with some gentle popped front loop transitions with both hands on the bar to ease you into the kite timing and see how far back the kite goes.
  • If it is going a long way back go earlier.
  • Once you feel confident get low and give it a go, not much can go wrong as you shouldn’t be more than an arm’s length off the water.

 sequence

Common Problems

  • Main problem that you’ll have is the kite ending up too far behind you, so go early and keep your edge whilst you get low, and let the bar out a bit to stop the kite drifting too much.
  • You may also have trouble getting the hand in and keeping it planted in the water. Really reach forward and throw yourself down into the water.
  • Once it’s in resist the pull against it. This may take a few goes to get your head around.

Keystones

  1. Get low but keep your edge
  2. Release your front hand and kick forward early
  3. Reach your hand forward and down into the water
  4. Resist and try to straighten your legs up
  5. As you lift drop legs and turn to dive

December 12, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Front Loop Grab

It was recently brought to our attention that we had yet to cover one of the first and potentially simpler of front loop (or front roll) variations – the grabbed sent front loop. We’ve talked you through the inversion, the one foot and all manner of transitions and pops, but this issue we’ll set the record straight and deliver an achievable and yet utterly stylish grab which you can add on to your much loved front loop. Adding a grab onto any move that you already have in the bag is a matter of both confidence and making sure that you have the basics right, so we’ll have a look at what is needed to secure a comfortable and safe front rotation whilst enabling the back hand to come off the bar and grab the board.

The set up and take off – Pit A.

To learn this, you’ll best keep everything as close to your standard default front as possible, so that you’re adding a grab, not learning a new move. However there are a few points in the set up that you’d do well to follow and we’ll look at the rider as an example. Firstly if you don’t already, you should centre your hands on the bar, so they are resting either side of the centre line. This will stop any unwanted movement of the kite when you grab. With your hands together, sending the kite may seem a little sluggish so be sure to use both hands in a push and pull movement.

Secondly don’t be afraid to send the kite as hard as you normally do. If the kite travels past and behind 12 o’clock, then pulling and supporting yourself on the bar with your front hand won’t result in an immediate diving of the kite. The set up and take off Thirdly do trim the bar at least down to half way, as this way you are less likely to stall the kite on takeoff and during flight, which hopefully means that you’ll execute an up and down jump rather than flying downwind at speed.

Finally, although you must complete your rotation, it will be easier to grab if you’re not spinning too quickly. So to slow your rotation down just a tad doesn’t use your head to turn you on takeoff but rather just your shoulders and the kick off. You can see the rider is still looking forward as she begins to throw her shoulders down towards the nose of the board and stamp away against her back foot edge.

Grab Prep – Pic B.

The secret to getting a grab in during the short time you have is to go for it early. Looking at the picture you can see that the rider is wasting no time in releasing her back hand and lifting the back of the board up towards her as soon as she takes off. You can also see that The rider is looking towards the tail of the board where she intends to grab it, so she can cirri her hand at the target and bring hand and board together. This would not be possible if she had thrown her head around to look over her back shoulder in order to get the rotation. Having released her back hand so early she can already pull on her front hand a little bit, so long as she did send the kite back past 12 O’clock. In this jump the rider is aiming for a boned out grab, hence she just lifts her back leg, but you’re quite welcome to lift both knees if it feels more stable.

The Grab – Pic C.

The moment of truth! Your easiest and most reachable options for the grab are either the heel side edge by the fin, or the tail itself. It’s a great idea to practice this on the beach without your kite to find out where is most natural for you. Holding a grab, rather than a little tickle is a good game plan, as you’ll have more balance with both hands occupied, so literally grab the board and pull it towards you. Once again to bone it out you can straighten the front leg by pushing your front foot away from you whilst holding the tail in close. In the picture you can see that The rider is still watching her grab, which keeps her rotation slow, and she has the bar held in, which keeps tension on the lines and the kite under control as it gently moves it above her.

The Grab Landing Prep – Pic D.

If you’ve held the grab and controlled your rotation speed from the take off you will need to initiate and prepare for the landing by completing your rotation. The first and most important ingredient is your head. The rider has turned her head to look around towards where she will land. The old adage of where you look is where you’ll go has never been more true. As your head turns your shoulders will follow, and as long as at least one of your knees is held up so will your hips and board. With your body turning towards the expected landing strip you need to maintain tension in the lines so that you have enough float to get around, and as you can see The rider still has her bar pulled is From this point onwards as you drop slowly down the harder you pull on your front hand, the more the kite will pull you downwind toward a soft landing. Our suggestion here would be to release the grab and get both hands on the bar so that you’re confident with the dive and can then control the power on landing. As you drop the grab, allow your legs to straighten underneath you so that your landing gear is down and that you have a platform to land on. If you keep your knees up, you’ll land with the board in front of you, not underneath you and you’ll be unlikely to smoothly sail off downwind. And if you have boned out the grab remember to lift the front leg slightly as a tail first landing will be a lot more pleasant than a nosedive.

Top Tips

  • As already mentioned playing with the grab on land, whether rolling around on the beach, your lawn or in the lounge will train you to grab without too much thought.
  • Once you’re on the water start off by throwing down a few front loops without the grab so grab as soon as you take off – if you wait you’ll miss Now check out the sequence and videos – good luck’ that you’re feeling confident.
  • Your next step is to go the moment. For a quick tap of the board and then finally hold the grab.

Common Problems

  • If you’re struggling to find the time to grab, your rotation is too fast.
  • Practice some front loops, still using your rear leg to kick off and your shoulders to dip forward but keep your head perpendicular to your shoulders – this should help. Also go for the

Sequence

Keystones

  1. Good edge and positive send
  2. Kick hard but don’t turn head
  3. Go for grab early, immediately after take off
  4. Tom head to complete rotation
  5. Drop legs and dive to land

December 11, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

Kite Loop Handle Pass

The KL3 is a genuine pleasure to tame. Having a bit of pull from the kite and chucking a pass in to boot should get you cheering yourself on even without witnesses. Best bet before trying this would be to get your shifty 3 down, as that way you’ll be used to the rotation and muscle memory should prevail when you pull the trigger. For the more cautious amongst you, the progression step before this is the kite loop to wrapped, which we covered in Issue 21. It goes without saying, we hope, that at the very least you can comfortably and confidently stomp your unhooked fish polled kite loops!?

Approach and Pop

Perhaps a slight recap is necessary as your parting with water moment should be bang on to give you maximum hope of adding a pass and landing. Firstly you’ll need some height and therefore some up pull from the kite, not just some mad demonic downwind tug. Starting with your kite high, near as damn it to 12 o’clock will make all the difference. Trimming your bar down is also essential as not only will this make unhooking with your kite high possible, but it will also encourage your kite to loop, rather than spin on its axis. In Pic A. The rider has already set his kite at 12, flattened the board off to unhook with his hips up.

Lift Off

As you get launched into the air you must be ready for the put as the kite starts to turn. Having popped up hard you will be extended, but in order to take the power and still be able to rotate you must brace and balance yourself.

Pic B. As the rider explodes up off his back foot he puts all his effort into 2 things. Firstly he keeps his elbows in as tight as possible, so that his arms won’t extend too much as the kite pulls, which in turn will keep his body closer to the bar and ready for the pass. Secondly he pulls his knees up, making himself small, so that his legs and board don’t get left behind, and therefore have a chance of coming through and under the bar when he rotates into the pass. In short the rider is trying not to let his body extend into a Raley position. Flick and Kick those of you familiar with the shifty 3 will be aware of the spin that your back leg can create as it comes towards the bar for the pass. The KL3 is no different in that you’ll spin more quickly if you can “involve” the back leg. In fact here it is almost easier as rather than having to kick it out behind you, the whip from the kite will tend to flick your back leg out, so just concentrate on keeping the front leg in and your back leg will be poised and ready to strike.

Approach and Pop

Pic C. At this point the rider is watching the kite as it goes through the bottom of its loop and starts its journey back up. Keeping his elbows and front knee in the whip of the kite pulls him towards it, which conveniently flicks his back leg out, ready for the pass.

0 – 60!

As well as physical effort the timing of the pass will make or break this move. Although feeling is generally preferred, watching the kite during its loop is no bad thing as you need t “go” before the kite climbs back up in the window, as this will be the moment of least pull and the bar will be light and not pulling away from you. Pic D. As the turbo drops off, the rider pulls the bar down and back towards his trailing hip hard with both hands, so that his upper body comes up towards the bar.

Simultaneously he pulls and swings his back leg up towards the bar, which not only helps him lift the board but also generates the momentum for the pass. You can see how close his body is to the bar now.

The Pass

No rock& science here, as all the usual rules apply. Assuming that you went early enough the kite will not be pulling the bar away from you, so the key is committing. Therefore as your back knee comes through you must release your front hand and turn your head and shoulders so that you don’t block the rotation. Also you must hold onto the bar with you back hand until you can reach it with your free hand behind you. By holding onto the bar you can rotate around it, making the pass more achievable.

The Pass

Pic E. You can see that the rider has twisted the bar behind him, which allows his shoulder and therefore body to rotate further around, almost rolling around the bar. This makes the pass simpler as by rolling onto the bar, it places the bar easily within reach of the searching free hand. Hence the progression from wrapped, as realistically you are first wrapped in the air, before passing.

Claim it

Once you’ve passed the bar preparation for landing is key. You need the board underneath you and your head looking forward and held high, whilst keeping your arm in as close as possible so that you complete the rotation sufficiently to land with the board heading down wind. Pic F. The rider has dropped his under carriage so that he’ll land on the board. Chances are that this will not be the softest of landings, so he’s lifted his head so that he can stand up and take it, whilst his elbow holding the bar is bent so that his body will follow the kite downwind and complete the rotation.

Top Tips

  • As is so often the way the fundamentals are key, so hammering out a few unhooked kite loops first will acclimatize you to the wind and more importantly the kites arc.
  • Watch the kite and feel for the flick as the kite whips.
  • This way you’ll be able to anticipate the dead point, where you’ll have the slack to pass. If you it for it you’ll miss the moment.
  • It will make good sense to learn this with less power and build up from there. If you can nail a pass on a low fly by just before landing it counts and the consequences of it not working are just a splash.
  • We won’t be adding any common problems for this move, as it is a matter of concentrating on the relevant skills and putting them together – a comfortable kite loop with an explosive rotation.

Sequence

Keystones

  1. Pop early
  2. Elbows in, Knees up
  3. Pull bar and swing back leg immediately after whip
  4. Hold on with back hand to roll around bar
  5. Get upright for landing and hold in front arm


December 10, 2014 | Categories: Advanced | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Inverted Grabbed Front Loop

Funnily enough some of the most pleasant to watch and pleasing on the eye kiters are not necessarily the most radical, but simply the most stylish. Obviously there are the golden few who combine both and have as a result forged a decent career out of kite surfing. So with that in mind here’s another way of adding the mustard onto a move that you can already do, the glorious front loop. For this very reason we won’t be delving into the finer details of the front loop, as we’ll assume that you have them dialed, but rather concentrate on the required aspects of pimping your FL, polishing and adding to the bits that matter.

The Take Off

Your approach and take off should be as normal. Coming into the front loop you’ll need to be thinking ahead so it’s best not to change the way you get off the water, but for one thing…

In Pic A. the rider has already committed to her forward rotation as per normal, she’s sent the kite and kicked off her back foot to push into the rotation and has the bar in with tension on the lines to control the kite throughout the move. The important exaggeration is in her head movement. In an effort to create a more inverted rotation the rider has really thrown her head forwards towards the nose of the board. This will rock her weight and centre of gravity forward of her harness hook and literally tip her upper body forwards, lifting the board behind her.

This is in preference to turning her head back and spinning under the kite and around her lines. Also note that her bar is close to her and her hands are not above her. If your arms are straight and the bar is above you, you won’t be able to throw your weight forwards. The resultant tipping from your head on your front shoulder will give a more horizontal body rotation, but not an inverted one – for that we need more. On the way up get the kite close to 12 o’clock so that it is in position for the rest of the move.

The Take Off

Arch de Triumph

Getting your feet up once again relies on some head work. This is potentially the most confusing and disorientating part of the move, as it is very different from what you will have done before.

Pic B. Once the rider feels that she is rotating and has brought her knees up towards her body she initiates phase two of the inversion, most likely just before the 180° mark. To get the extra purchase on the inversion the rider now throws her head back, as if she were trying to see the water underneath her, in a back arching type of movement. It’s very important at this time to keep the bar in and tension on the lines, as you will need to apply some pressure through your hands to help. With her head on the way back and down, the rider’s knees, feet and board will rise further.

It is at this point in a front loop that you would most likely turn your head further to see where you are going, and it will take some concentration to override your muscle memory! Also as you throw your head back don’t be tempted to correct the kite, as strangely once you’re upside down you may well get confused as to which is your front hand. Not to worry though as the grab will sort that bit out.

Show Your Board

Pic C. As soon as the rider threw her head back she released her back hand and went for the tail grabShow Your Board . From this moment on you are committed. Holding the grab the rider has pushed and extended her legs to get the board up. By pushing her feet away whilst holding the grab with her back hand the rider is able to “bone” the grab out. You can see that the rider is looking up at her back foot, but with her head still back.

The good news is that because you throw your head back rather than look for your landing it should slow your rotation down so that you can hold the grab and inversion for longer. Do beware though that if you’re on a small kite, whilst you freeze in this pose the kite might well start to move forward and pull you downwind.

Coming Down

At first you’ll most likely prefer to come down the right way up, upright, and set up for your landing.

Pic D. To get the board down and her head up, the rider uses gravity.

Coming DownSimply by lifting her head, moving her chin onto her chest, she rolls forward as the weight of the board pulls her feet down. With this new view the rider can focus on where she’s going to land and act accordingly. Here the rider holds her grab whilst diving the kite with her front hand for touchdown. However if you feel that you’ve already over cooked it on the front hand you may have to let the bar out to avoid a super fast reception.
Once you’ve got this nailed and your confidence up, you can hold the inversion and grab for as long as you like, suddenly releasing and turning in time to land.

Top Tips

  • For your first attempts just site it all down, be gentle and don’t jump too high. Ideally we’d recommend leaving the grab out and just concentrate on getting the board up. It’s stunning how going upside down can and will disorientate you.
  • If you get it wrong taking it easy there’ll be no consequence. However once you have the movements and develop some special awareness we’d recommend sending the kite well on takeoff for two reasons.
  • With a front loop you are likely to release the edge early and therefore need the extra oomph to get the height. Secondly as you’ll be hanging off your front hand whilst you grab with the other, with the kite further back to start with you are less likely to overdo it and come in lit.

Following Sequence 1.

Sequence

Pic 1. The rider approaches with her kite at 11 o’clock, good speed, hands centered on the bar, a fine edge and the sends the kite as per front loop.

Pic 2. The rider kicks up and into her front loop off her back leg, but really concentrates on throwing her head forward towards the nose of the board to tip her forward into a more horizontal rotation.

Pic 3. As she leaves the water the rider brings her knees up, and gets the kite back up, with the bar held in to keep tension on the lines and aid with the inversion.

Pics 4 & 5. Coming around towards the 180 mark with the board rising the rider throws her head back, arching her back in an effort to get her feet above her.

Pic 6. With her feet up the rider releases her back hand and reaches for the tail grab.

Pics 7 & 8. Grabbing the board the rider pushes her feet up, extending her front leg to bone out the grab and get her sumptuous new board on display.

Pic 9. As she comes around the loop the rider drops the board down by lifting her head, so that gravity can take over and looks towards where she’ll land.

Pics 10 & 11. Releasing the grab on the way down the rider reaches up to get her back hand back on the bar.

Pics 12 & 13. With two hands on the be the rider dives the kite, drops her legs and sets up for a down wind landing.

Common Problems

  • If you’re not getting enough inversion don’t look for the grab with your head, but rather lift the board with your legs until you can see it once you’ve thrown your head back. Remember to keep your bar in as you throw your head forward.
  • If you’re under rotating and not completing the front loop, drop the grab and board sooner, and then turn your head hard to bring your shoulders around.
  • If you’re landing with too much speed and the kite diving hard. Make sure that you send the kite enough, that your front hand is butted up to the chicken loop and that you’re not trying to pull yourself around the site front loop on your hand.

Keystones

  1. Bar in on take-off
  2. Throw head and weight forward
  3. Lift knees
  4. Throw head back and arch
  5. Push feet up

December 9, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Blind Judge 3

We’re expecting that you can already stomp the blind judge, and therefore we’ll tweak what you have to move you towards the full monty. In tech terms, considering that you should land a blind judge pretty much down wind, you’re only going to have to turn just over another 90° to claim this one, but that’s a bit like saying you only have to pass the bar in the air to convert the blind landing into a judge, only. It may not sound like much but it’s worth the effort, as it will quite literally feel stunning to land back on your heels – boom! We’ll walk you through the bits that we think make the difference and get you all the way around.

The Approach

Yes once again if you don’t start this right you’ll be emptying your bladder into the wind, whilst banging your head on the proverbial brick wall. First things first, where you start is where you’ll finish, so if you want to land heel side pointing downwind you better bear away so that you’re pointing very downwind before takeoff to help your chances. If not even if you rotate all the way you’ll land on an edge and butt check at best.

Finally and looking at Pic A. you’ll need to get your body and weight into the right position to control the speed and pop. This should be nothing new but you can see that the rider has his hips back over the back of the board, his front leg extended, his shoulders behind his hips and his elbows is This is only possible if you bear away in this position so don’t carve off the wind and bend your front knee!

The Approach

The Carve

You need to be super aggressive here to get maximum pop, so fight for it if this was a close up you’d see the rider’s rather pained kite face, there’s some effort involved.

Pic B. From the good approach position the rider was able to quickly carve back onto his edge by turning the board back up wind. To resist sufficiently the rider does not allow his back leg to bend more than it was before he carved – you can only use the bend that you have to pop. At the same time the rider’s front leg remains fairly straight which keeps his hips back and low. The final battle is to keep his front elbow in to stop the kite rising as he carves against it

Pop and Flick

This is definitely one of the most influential moments in learning this move, the flick which follows your pop.

Pic C. By resisting hard, carving hard and popping hard but late, the rider’s board flicks around behind him, turning his waist and shoulders upwind, so that the board is more vertical than horizontal behind him.

To prevent him from rotating the rider keeps looking forward and keeps his arms in, but he doesn’t resist this movement as it is the coiling of the spring! In this position the rider’s legs are straight, he doesn’t let his knees bend and feet lift. If you’re used to letting your knees bend your feet up behind you, you need to work on this straight flick. From here you can use gravity to gain maximum speed to spin effectively. If the feet go up you only have your knees travelling a short distance, as opposed to the weight of the board coming from far behind and one side to the other.

Pull and Turn

The flick is only transient, because no sooner is your board behind you than you need to get a move on and throw the 3.

Pic D. As soon as the rider can, he pulls hard on the bar to get his head and shoulders above it and swings the board forward. With the board and his body coming from that turned upwind position, it starts to turn the rider as soon as he moves. Worth noting as well that as the rider pulls on the bar with both hands he is already twisting it around ready for the pass. In comparison to a blind judge the rider does throw himself into the rotation, committing to a full rotation from the off. Think of it as a full flat rotation as opposed to a blind judge with a heel side landing. The basic difference here is that if your board is horizontal it swings forward and down as you pull. From the flicked position, as soon as you pull you automatically start to turn and therefore build up momentum for a full 360°.

Pull and Turn

The Pass

Hopefully the extra pop and direction of spin created from your flick will allow you to keep two hands pulling on the bar for longer whilst still allowing you to turn. This should then allow you to pass the bar nearer to you, whilst you remain more upright with the board underneath you. If you’re comfortably landing blind judges, then concentrate on passing the bar later, allowing your body to turn further before reaching for the bar. Pic E. You can see in the picture that the rider’s hips are over the board, so he is rotating with the board. The rider achieves this by keeping his head more upright, so don’t tuck your chin into your chest. You can also see that at the moment of passing the rider’s head is turning to look forward, keeping the rotation alive. Finally the rider’s trailing leg is bent.

You must keep this leg, your front landing leg bent so that it doesn’t drop down away from you, preventing you from completing the full 3.

Getting it round Pic F.

The final hurdle. You can see that as the rider releases his front hand he keeps his back arm bent and the bar close. This will keep him moving towards the kite and prevents him from dropping down. The rider’s  head is still turning to look for the landing, bringing his shoulders with if now whilst holding the bar in close the rider lifts his front knee through with the rotation and twists the bar around in front of him, so that the bar will lead him as he comes around, bingo.

Top Tips

  1. They’ve all been mentioned, but start well off the wind, go for the flick and pull early. Really spin into the rotation, committing for the full 360 and pass the bar late so that you turn further, leading with your head held high.
  2. Once you pass the bar keep your knees and board up, and the bar in close, so that you can roll your front shoulder towards the bar waiting in front of you…. To get yourself in the mood and your head around it, try to get the full 3 without passing the bar, so let go when you should pass but aim to get your body and board around.
  3. Don’t however practice this method too much as you don’t want muscle memory to remember the letting go.
  4. You will need time and height to land this, so as well as going early you can sneak the kite up a fraction as you pop, but don’t wait to see if it’s enough, as then you’ll be its late.the sequence

Keystones

  1. Flick from take off.
  2. Immediately pull and turn.
  3. Head and knees up.
  4. Pass later in your rotation.
  5. Keep bar in close and lift

December 7, 2014 | Categories: Advanced | Tags: , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Beach Start From Two Feet

Many moons ago we covered the beach start where you anchor the board by putting one foot in a strap to stop it misbehaving and running off whilst you fly the kite. As effective a method as that may be, the launch can often be preceded by a game of hop scotch as you hop around on one leg waiting for the moment. Enter stage left the solution to a hopefully more dynamic and picturesque entry into the blue yonder, the beach starts from 2 feet. All the principals are much the same, bar the hopping, so let’s look at the ingredients separately.

1 Preparation Pic A.

How deep you need to start will depend on wind direction and space. Ideally you don’t want to be any deeper than just below the knee, with half way up your shin giving you a good balance between a soft landing if you get it wrong and an easy enough spring onto the board. We’d highly recommend not learning this in onshore conditions unless you have a lot of space down wind, and avoid rocky bottoms, sea urchins, mussel beds etc. and a crashing shore-break, you get the picture. We can see that the rider is carrying the board in her back hand whilst controlling the kite with her front hand. This way she can position the kite just behind her, in this case around 12.30 to 1 o’clock before she drops or places the board down, so that the kite is primed and she has the bar in with tension on the lines – this is your ready position and if you adopt it as you enter the shallows you’ll avoid all sorts of fifing around, swapping hands, repositioning the kite, dropping the board and generally getting out of shape as you rush to get ready. Also if there are waves, with the board in your back hand you are not in danger of getting hit by the board as the waves push against it.Preparation

2.  Drop It Pic B.

Before dropping or placing the board on the water, make sure that you have your back into the wind, so that you know the wind is coming from directly behind you, as this will help get the board in the right place.

You can either drop or place the board in front of you. Dropping it has the benefit of being quicker and you can get the board further away from you. In the photo the rider has dropped the board in front of her so that it lands heel side edge first, which means that it’ll stay at the same angle whilst not stopping right in front of her. The board should lie across the wind, or ever so slightly up wind, but definitely not pointing off the wind. This means that you’ll have a solid platform to land on and the board will not be right next to you so that you’ll trip over it or fly past it whilst learning this if the board does skew off at the wrong angle you can push either the nose or tail to get it positioned correctly. However once you’ve got it sassed you’ll want this to be quick and dynamic.

Here the rider has already started to pull on the bar with her front hand to get the kite moving as soon as she has dropped the board. This way there is no time for the wind or is wave to move the board before she’s on it.

3. The Jump Pic C.

The idea is that you use the lift from the kite to float you up the few centimeters and support you whilst you slot your feet is You are not trying to launch yourself up and acrobatically land on the board from a great height. By moving the kite across the window from behind you, 1 o’clock to 11 o’clock, the principal is the same, but gentler than a water start – the kite will lift before pulling you forward. Now with two hands on the bar and tension on the lines, the rider keeps pulling forward and waits to feel the lift from her kite. As the kite lifts the rider pulls the bar in more and springs up with the emphasis being back foot up first, as this one should be the first to land on the board to keep the nose up. The whole time the rider is looking at her straps, so that she can aim her feet into them.The Jump

4. Contact Pic D.

When landing on the board, although the rider will get her back foot in first to stop the nose from sinking, she aims to keep her weigh central, as this way the kite will support her and keep her balanced. If she was to lean back against the kite or towards the back of the board she will slide the board away from her and dip her derriere in the water. You can clearly see that she has not gone for height, as she still needs to lift her knees to get her feet into the straps. As is result her feet, knees and board are in front of her and between her and the kite, so she can dive the kite with her front hand and use the pull to move forward and not get catapulted over the board.

5. Accelerate Pic E.

The final piece of the jigsaw is to casually ride away without sliding or tripping. For this you will need power, so as soon as you know/feel that your feet are in you will need to dive the kite harder from the previous lift stage. It’s almost two separate moves, the 1 to 11 movement to lift and support you, and then a dive from 1 to drive you out. To take this power you’ll need to drop your weight both upwind and back whilst pushing the board off the wind so that you can then carve onto your edge with power rather than sliding sideways with your weight on both feet.

You can see that the rider has dropped her weight low, moved her hips back over her back foot and pushed her front leg out so that the board can accelerate on is flat surface whilst her kite dives. Once she is balanced the rider will it’s her head, shoulders and hips to look Upwind and drive against her back foot to carve the board up onto its edge.

Top Tips

  1. The best way to learn this beach start is to break it into 2 parts, firstly the lift, spring and get your feet in. The emphasis here should be to land comfortably with both feet in the straps and the kite supporting you.
  2. Without the dive you’ll then drop slowly back into the water, and as you do you can dive the kite to pull you back up. Once you’re comfortable with this you can then anticipate the drop and dive the kite earlier and earlier until you exit dry and relatively powered.The sequence

Common Problems

  1. The most common mistake is to start with the kite too high. If you start with the kite at 12 o’clock, the power will not come on until the kite pulls low and forward. The result is to get pulled across the front of the board, whilst manically attempting to lean back against the power, so you’ll either catapult over the front or have the board tea tray out in front of you as you fly off the back.
  2. Remember you need the lift to support you getting on, and then the power to move off.
  3. If you are getting the lift but still seem to be sliding off the back of the board, it’s the result of the board pointing too far off the wind.
  4. And finally if you keep dropping back into the water, regardless of what you do, make a point of focusing on what your arms and harness do. Your arms are just for steering the kite, and your harness should be taking your weight. If you hold onto the power through the bar you’re both unable to steer the kite or sit back into the power.

Keystones

  • Kite just behind you
  • Bar in front hand, board in back hand
  • Drop board across the wind, pull kite up and over
  • Go up with lift, back foot first
  • Once in dive hard


December 5, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

Twin Tip Duck Tack

A rather fun transition, the love child of two moves! You could look at it as the twin tip variant of the directional duck tack, but equally it is essentially an on-water, or un-aerial back loop transition. In its own right a smooth way of changing direction and a possible method of learning the key movements to the duck tack before venturing out on your surf or race board. Technically on a twin tip with straps, the mechanics of this move are not overly complicated, however the timing is crucial so once you get the movement, pasting it together piece by piece will deliver the goods. The end result should be a carve up and through the wind of almost 180° degrees, so that your board is across the wind with you facing upwind, followed by a pivot on the nose of the board to turn you and the board the remaining 180°, before you ride off back from whence you came – simples!

The Carve

You need to get the board a long way up into and through the wind so you’ll need some speed. However don’t come blotting into it like a bat out of hell, rather start on a good upwind edge, kite just above 11 or 1 and then momentarily sit down slightly so that your board flattens and picks up a little bit more. To be able to carve all that way you don’t need anything fighting you, whether it is the kite pulling you back downwind or the board dragging through the water. Therefore you need to get your weight, think hips and shoulders, more forward so that you use all the board to carve – the sitting slightly helps with this. If you’re low and have weight on both feet, the board won’t bog and drag, but instead whizz around. To go all the way you must get the kite up to 12 o’clock, so pull gently on your back hand as you approach. And finally to prevent the kite from holding you back you must let the bar out to get rid of the power as the kite moves up.

Pic A. The rider is carving into the wind whilst drifting the kite up to 12 o’clock with his back hand. He has taken his front hand off the bar, which allows him to twist his head and shoulders further upwind and let the bar out as the kite lifts. His front knee is slightly bent, and as he pushes his back foot away he breaks at the waist to keep his body upright. With weight on both feet you can see that his entire edge is in the water.

Half Way

Carving all the way until you are literally across the wind will place you in the perfect position to complete the move. As you can imagine once you’re here you won’t have any time to think before you gracefully sink back into the drink. The good news comes from 2 things. Firstly if you have got the kite up to 12 o’clock with the bar sheeted out, it will have flown all the way to the edge of the window, so therefore be right above you, waiting to support you. Secondly if you have carved hard, there will still be resistance against the board as it turns back towards you. This means that you can pull the bar in and push against both feet for support.

Pic B. You can see that the rider has carved all the way on the edge. With the board banked over and the kite high the tail does not slide, which would move him away from the kite. As Christian comes around past the 180° mark he pulls in on the bar and moves his weight forward, bending his front leg and pushing his hips towards the nose of the board.The Carve

Dig In

Assuming that you’ve got this far now is the time to get dynamic. Your sits is to dig the nose of the board into the water, throwing your weight over it and your front foot, whilst pulling in on the bar and turning your head and shoulders. As the power comes from the kite the resistance from the front of the board should be enough that the kite will pull you around.

Pic C. With the kite above him, the rider pulls down hard on his bar hand whilst throwing his weight forward onto his front foot. At the same time he turns his head down and around to sink the nose and lift the tail – the rest depends on the kite.Dig In

And Around

When the power from the kite arrives you need to be in the previous picture’s pivoting position. If so the kite will lift you up from the water and then pull you off downwind. If however you don’t get your weight forward and therefore have too much of the board in the water the kite will lift you off the water and you hopefully land a couple of feet downwind and sail away.

Pic D. With the bar held in tight, the kite has lifted the rider and he is now up and over the board. With all his weight pushed over what was his front foot, he leans back against the pull of the kite and allows it to pivot him around the sunken nose. To stoke sure that he doesn’t get pulled onto his face, the rider locks out his front leg, which will force the board to follow the pull from the kite.

Top Tips

  1. It’s worth trying to learn this in two stages. First work on getting your carve; as once this is in the bag you’ll be able to think ahead and throw yourself forward into the pivot.
  2. The carve must be just that, a carve any sliding and it’ll be goose over. So practice carving as far as you can, moving the kite up to 12 o’clock and letting the bar out as it drifts.

Common Problems

  1. Best start with the problem of sliding the tail out, as we’re all too proficient at this. If you are “loosing” the tail as you carve up it’s because you’re subconsciously going into slide turn mode.
  2. This means that as you carve you are bending your front knee so much that all your weight is over the front foot, which results in the tail sliding as you push the back foot away.
  3. Try to move your hips into a central position in between the foot straps, but no further forward. Also concentrate on edging the board so that you push through your back heel against the board, not your foot over the board. If you’re falling in downwind of the board, it will be because the kite is pulling you.
  4. Be sure to drift the kite up to 12 and let the bar out as you go. Also try to break at the waist as you turn so that your upper body stays upright. If you are falling onto your side as the kite pulls and board pivots around, make sure that you turn your head and shoulders to lead the pivot.
  5. Finally if you hop up and out of the pivot, it is because you have too much resistance, too much edge in the water. Make sure you get all your weight over the foot and roll back against the pull.

 The sequence

Keystones

  1. Drift kite up towards 12
  2. Release front hand
  3. Good solid carve off both feet
  4. Pull on bar, throw weight forward
  5. Lead pivot with head and shoulders

December 4, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Double Back Roll Kite Loop

Hey guys! This week lets rock with double back roll kite loop and find all the possible way to complete this trick.

This one harks back a bit, watching some of the early adopters pulling the trigger on one of these back in the day was a sight to behold, large kite, no depower, heavy mutant strapped to their feet, and serious landings! Fortunately things have moved on and tricks like this are open to anyone and everyone, so certainly worth a bash and a lot of fun – possibly feels better than it looks.

As a prerequisite we would advise that you have a decent back loop, so that you can control your rotation and you know where your kite is, and some experience with looping the kite as you’ll be happier if it turns. Other than that as long as you’re not maxed it’s game on as this move is more about commitment and timing than finesse and technique

The Approach

Pic A. This is a sent back loop, so you’ll need to come in with good speed on a solid edge and your kite no higher than 1 or 11 o’clock. With a good edge you can confidently send the kite hard enough to get sufficient height, happy in the knowledge that it won’t drift too far behind you because the lift will come early. For this same reason you must keep the bar in on the sweet spot when you send the kite. If you let it out the kite will drift further back before taking you up, and the result will be a low and slow kite loop – not ideal.

You can see in image that the rider has speed and is low on as much edge as possible, driving through his back foot to resist the extra pull from his send. This will give plenty of up and keep tension on the lines during the back rotations – important for the moment you pull the bar to loop the kite. As for a normal back loop you should aim to take off with a bit of upward stamp off the back leg as this will also keep the kite above you.

The Approach The Rotation

Pic B. Although this is a double back loop, you don’t want to be throwing a super fast spinning rotation. For those of you who can already pull of a single back loop kite loop, it’s a similar theory. In the single version you only perform half a back loop and the kite does the rest.

Here for the double if we can get one and a half the kite will do the rest. Otherwise you run the risk of over rotating when the kite pulls, which won’t be the most comfortable of landings. Your aim is to rotate at a speed that will get you around 360° by the time you get to the apex of your jump, the higher you go the slower you need to spin. So give the take off a bit more than you would for your normal back loop. Even though you don’t want to overdo it, you do need to get yourself into a position from which you can rotate and maintain balance. Here the rider is already half way around his first rotation. He’s tucked up small, knees up, board close, so that he doesn’t stall or slow down. However his head is still looking through his arms, he’s not thrown it into the rotation. And he has the bar leveled and pulled into the sweet spot, to keep the kite from drifting back and also keep tension on the lines, so that the kite is primed.

Do It

Turbo

Pic C. Assuming that your kite hasn’t drifted too far back you should still feel it supporting/floating you as you come around your first rotation. This is the moment to pull the trigger and loop the kite. If however you feel that the kite is way behind you and that you are already starting to fall, it’s best not to pull. The rider’s momentum is taking him into another rotation. He still has the bar in and is tucked up, so all he has to do is pull in hard on the back of the bar and push away with his front hand. As fun as it is to get as much power out of the • loop, when learning you want it to get around fast so be positive with your bar movement. You can see that the rider has his back hand slightly down the bar, whilst his front hand is near the centerline. This means he can pull easily on the back, and keep the bar on the sweet spot with the front.

Turbo

Pic D. Once you pull be ready for the kite’s power to pull you around. Here the rider has now turned his head to look over his front shoulder. This will help him “go with” the kite as it loops, meaning that he’ll turn slowly as the kite pulls him around. Once you’ve got here you are fully committed, so keep pulling and don’t let the kite pull the bar out and away from you.

Around to Land

Pic E. As the kite goes through its loop and starts to climb, keep the bar in and the kite turning. As long as you keep looking, keep the bar in and keep the kite moving you’ll come around. Once you can see your landing as the rider can here you know you’ve made it. Only thing left is to land downwind and then get back on your edge quickly to get tension on the lines and get the kite back under control.Around to Land

Depending on your height and the speed of the loop, you may need to dive the kite hard to prevent it from overflying behind you!

Top Tips

Before bashing on with this, definitely bang out a few back loops to work out how hard you should send the kite and how fast you should rotate, then you can amp up the rotation a little bit and add the loop.

This move is all about timing. As long as you don’t let the kite drift too far back on takeoff, and pull for the kite loop as you start your second rotation it will work. We’d recommend not trying this too powered up to start with, work your way up in steps, both height and power, as you don’t want to be coming in on your side or back!

Common Problems

  1. Kite drifting too far back during first rotation. Chances are that you let the bar out as the kite started to lift, and/or you didn’t send the kite hard enough.
  2. If you want to tone it down it is better to give a hard but short yank on the bar than to slowly drift the kite.
  3. If you’re over rotating and starting a third back roll you are either pulling for the loop to late, or spinning yourself into the first rotation with too much energy. The quick his is to make sure you pull on your back hand as soon as you start the second rotation as the kite will pull you out of it foss down wind landing.

Keystones

  1. Approach as for a jump
  2. Good send with bar held in
  3. Make yourself small
  4. Pull hard as soon as you start 2nd rotation
  5. Keep pulling and turn head as power comes on

December 3, 2014 | Categories: Advanced | Tags: , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Dark Slide 1 Hand

The Dark Slide is definitely one of those tricks that appeals to a lot of folk, whether kids in boots or the more laid back lady and gent usually content with some boosting. Maybe there is an element of show boating that lies concealed in all of us, and who can argue that gliding effortlessly over the water with but a corner of your board resisting doesn’t look at least vaguely cool – rest assured a glimpse of a Dark Slide can bring out the exhibitionist in any of us.

We’re going to reach to the one handed variation here in this article. As you know already there are some pros and cons to executing any trick with all your weight potentially committed to one side of the bar. Concentrating on the positive, using one hand to grab can really help you get your body and board into the correct position. Hence although we’ll take you all the way through to the landing (and there are many, deliberate or otherwise), consider this article as much as how to learn the position and gain confidence without even sailing away and claiming it.

The Approach

Pic A. First off let’s consider kite position. We’ll opt for our usual 1 or 11 here. If your kite is too low you’ll plough straight into the water as you “flip” the board, if it’s too high you’ll get lifted either as you commit or as soon as you’ve got into position. So your best bet is a happy medium where you’ll have enough lift to stop you falling into the water, but enough pull that you can stay on your flipped edge and resist for longer. Next question is trim. You do need some power in the kite to less this, as it’ll support you better.The Approach

Hence we won’t be going straight into the looping part. You also want to be able to release your front hand without the kite sending back. For this having the sweet spot trimmed out away from you will help. If you have your sweet spot dose you’ll have to pull on your back hand to keep the lift and this will rooks the kite move quicker – not ideal. You need some speed on your approach so you don’t want to be hacking upwind on a huge edge, rather a relaxed across the wind. This will also allow you to turn up into the flip, without losing all your speed. So check again on picture number –A . On entry you can see that the rider has speed and has already taken his front hand off the bar, which is trimmed out and away from him. He has turned up onto his edge, hence the spray, with his front leg extended, so weight back over the tail of the board. His back hand is centered on the bar so as not to move the kite too quickly as he’s on a 9m.

The Sit & Hang

Pic B. This is where it starts to get more dynamic. You need to get your weight off your feet and hanging off the kite, fully committed into the harness. This is because you will flip and trip the board into the slide, you won’t be popping. When you do this you must get your hips back over or behind your back foot. The simplest way to commit is to suddenly bend your knees and sit into the harness. As you do this you must keep the power on in the kite, so now having your sweet spot trimmed away from you really helps. By un-weighting the board you will be able to move into the next stage without having to pop the board off the water which would make it difficult to resist against the edge when it digs in.The Sit & Hang

Toe Edge Trip

Pic C. The previous two stages allow you to get here – this is the moment that you’ll move across. Before thinking about what you must do, take note of the rider’s position in this image. His weight is way back, lifting the nose of the board into a wheely. His shoulders are leaning back over his back foot too. His bum is down low over the back of the board. And his knees are now across downwind of the board! At the moment however his body is still upwind of the board.

Your sits here is to trip over onto your toe side edge, but with the front of the board lifted so that only the rear toe side will be left in. This means that you’ll only have a bit of resistance, which is manageable to hold. If you don’t get your weight back, you’ll roll onto most off your toe side edge and come to a rather abrupt halt! Being fully supported in the harness here is key. The rider has dropped his weight lower and lifts his feet to completely un-weight the board, thus he can move his weight across the board by pushing his knees and hips across and literally tripping himself on his toe side edge. If he still had weight on the board, he would end up carving downwind – so if your board starts to carve take more weight onto the harness and if need be your back hand.

Flip & Grab

Pic D. You can see here how the back of the board digs in as the rider rolls across the tail and this trip the board onto the other side – the Dark Slide side! At the same time the rider pulls the front of the board up towards hiss with his front leg and grabs the heel side front fin. This will make it easier to hold the “slide” position as he is pulled by the kite. Once you’ve got the grab hold on tight and the rest should be fairly automated. It is worth noting here that he has not thrown himself forwards towards the kite. He is using the edge of the board to trip him, and from there the kite will pull him.

Hold and Pull

Pic E. This is the moment that the hand comes in handy, if you’ll excuse the pun. If you’ve got a good hold on the fin then you have two points of resistance. You’ll be stretched here, with the kite pulling you, whilst the board will be dragging behind you. Using your hand to keep the board pulled in close will keep the minimum of board in the water and make the whole trick simpler to control. On your first attempts it is quite likely that you may pull too much on your back hand and thus the kite will go up quickly and you’ll either loose power or get pulled up off the water. In both cases your best bet is to just let the bar out and drop softly into the drink.

You can of course loop the kite, but if it’s gone a long way back it may come through very slowly and with a lot of power. So bailing by letting the bar out until you know where you are is a good way to start.

Enjoy the RideFlip & Grab

Pic F. If however your kite hasn’t drifted too far up you now need to relax and go with it whilst supporting yourself on the bar. You can see that the rider has been pulled over and extended into the slide with just the tail of the board edging through the water. He’s pulled the bar in for support, which will speed the kite’s journey up and across the window. This will hold him up but there is a point when he’ll feel the support go. This then is the escape stage of the dark slide.

What to do next?

As we mentioned when you’re learning this there is no need to go straight for a loop, step by step will give you the feeling and timing, and with practice you’ll be balanced and ready to loop. So to start enjoy the slide and see how long you can make it last and as you feel the support go sheet the bar o. and drop. As you get more confident you can get the front hand back on the bar and redirect the kite forward, so that you get lifted out of the slide and land going in the same direction. Crikey with more practice you can even add a front or back rotation. However for the classic bona fide Dark Slide you’ll be gagging to add the kite loop I pull you up and out. It’s the timing and your wrist that will benefit you here. Timing wise it’s that moment you feel the support going. Too much after that and the kite will go a long way back and can lead to some fruity loops!

To get the kite looping a tight arc to reduce power you need nest only pull hard on your back hand, but also twist your wrist. Imagine that you’re trying to push down with the outside of your palm and push up with your palm – this way you’ll get some good leverage on the kite. If however you are very powered up it can be a good idea to get the front hand back on the bar to help. Whether you transition or keep going is up to you! To transition loop the kite a moment later and keep the kite looping for longer so that it pulls you back. To carry on stop pulling as the kite comes through the loop.

The sequence

Top Tips

  1. It’s all been said but we’ll add flat water and space. This won’t work without speed so you need power in your kite, hence work on the first steps and forget the loop until later.
  2. Also work on the balance of where you start your kite, as if it’s too high you’ll be lifted too early and stop very quickly. Now have a good look at the Sequence and Videos.

Common Problems

  1. If you’re falling onto your chest, chances are that you’ve got all your edge catching in the water, pull that front foot up and get your weight back on the approach. If you net trip the board. You are standing on the board, so sit back into the harness.
  2. If you start to rotate into a back rotation, you’re either turning too far into wind or your looking upwind – look down to where you’ll be going. If you get pulled up into a large kite looping too early.

Keystones

  1. Speed across wind
  2. Sit back and edge up
  3. Drop into harness and se-sight board
  4. Push knees across board and trip tail
  5. Grab board and support weight on bar AND
  6. Either sheet out or loop


December 2, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Nose Grab Pop Front Loop transition

It’s again wonderful feeling to have you guys again here. We are all set go for today’s trick, however have close look on video first and then follow below instructions carefully.

Here’s one for the purists among you, harking back to the days of no de-power, no leash, no donkey dick and the silkiness of riders like Mr. Shinn (although admittedly he’d probably spin the board around a few times for good measure). Pop transitions were all the rage – the pendulum feeling of swinging out under your kite and then floating bock in with enough speed to carve straight out was intoxicating.

These can’t be seen so often these days, and without wanting to get too sentimental here starts out campaign to get them back on the beaches, and our forthright apologies if you’re already an Swiftly let us consider what a pop transition is. The general idea is that contrary to the name you will use your kite, not a lot, to get some lift and float. However you’ll also use your back leg to get up off the water, way before the kite would normally I. you. The idea behind this combination is that you’ll take off whilst still carrying some forward speed way before the kite gets to 12, and therefore by the time you land the kite won’t be too far on the other side of the window and you’ll have plenty of momentum to plane out.

Compared to a normal transition where you send the kite sharply but for a short period of time, a .p transition requires a gentle drifting of the kite!

Pic A. is all about the take off the rider has her back hand very much centered on the bar to slow the movement of the kite down and this is on an 11 m! She approached with a bit of speed, carved up towards the wind and drifted the kite up by gently steering it. Timing wise, as soon as she feels the first sign of lift on her harness she pops into the move. It’s very tempting to wait and/or let the bar out a touch, but don’t. She’s holding the bar in on the sweet spot, to keep the lift throughout the move and prevent the kite from flying to the edge of the window and you can see that she’s popping pretty hard, extending her back leg completely to get as much height as possible because the kite is merely supporting her whilst lifting her front leg both in anticipation of the grab and the down and round movement of a slow front loop. If she rotates too quickly she’ll over rotate as the kite is pulling from behind.take off

Pic B. and the front rotation have started from the impulse of her .p and her shoulders going forward and down. To make sure she gets enough rotation the rider has added in the”Timotei Flick), throwing her head around, looking over her back shoulder. She’s grabbed the nose of the board and pulled it right up to her derriere, bending her front knee. This will help with her rotation as well as adding some style. Also note the position of the kite – because the rider popped early (before the kite got to 12 o’clock) the kite is now above her. She has also pulled the bar in with her much centered hand. Not only does this give her the Float and time to complete the move, but if the kite stalls/flares a little bit it will pull downwind, giving momentum for the landing and keeping it away from the powerless edge of the window.

Pic C. The rider stayed in the position of the previous picture until she rotated around enough to spot her landing. positioningDuring that time she will have swung out under the kite a little bit, but with the bar pulled in and tension on the lines she has now started to swing back in. As she do. The rider focuses on her landing spot, releases her grab so that she can get her board down ready for landing, and pulls hard on the bar to dive the kite down for some extra power to pull her out of the move, complete the rotation, and forward onto the new tack.

Pic D. A blink of an eye before landing and you can see that the rider has extended her legs to get the under carriage down, she’s now got both hands on the bar and is diving the kite hard. Most importantly though she’s looking towards the kite and where the pull is coming from. Ono of the many great things about this move is that landing because of the pendulum effect you’ll be able to come out with speed and land on o carving edge, so following the kite and it’s pull is vital – don’t try and set up for your usual downwind landing.

Top Tips

We will keep it simple and just recap two points. Drift the kite up, keeping the bar on the sweet spot AND go early, as soon as you feel the kite pull on your harness.

Your aim is to land this moving the other way without having to loop the kite for power, so finding a balance between speed, drift and timing is the key.

Other than that we would recommend learning this on bigger slower kites, with the sweet spot trimmed further away from you.

This combo will be more forgiving than a rapid 7m trimmed for unhooking. For the sequences we won’t take you through each individual picture but rather focus on what’s important for take-off, in flight entertainment and landing!

Sequence 1

This group of picture demonstrates the drift, timing, pop, grab and front loop. Although the pictures are spread out you will actually keep moving forward as you swing out. This is not on up and down elevator transition. The rider drifts the kite from 11 o’clock and as soon as she feels the pressure in her harness pops up hard into her rotation and grab. From that moment onwards she holds her position and keeps the bar pulled in, watching over her shoulder -looking for where she’ll land once she’s facing the other way.

Sequence

Sequence 2

Here is all about balance. To finish her rotation and land smoothly the rider needs to get the power on by pulling hard on her front hand. She needs to do this as soon as she can see bock the other way, otherwise she could over rotate and land facing upwind. This will feel strange at first, as you’ll be pulled back towards the kite whilst your body is still twisted away from it. However patience as the pull has will straighten you up and almost magically set you up for the landing.

Sequence-1

Common Problems

  1. Dropping from your rotation into the water whilst you kite flutters down like a leaf to the side.
  2. Assuming You’re rotating but very low. Two key fadors her, one 2. pop ear, that you did edge and pop the two most likely being the pop
  3. Come in too slowly and even if you kick off hard, you’ll just slow down too flying back once you pop, and it will fly to the edge of much and get no reward, read as pop, for your efforts.

Keystones

  1. Drift kite
  2. Pop early
  3. Keep bar in
  4. Watch for landing
  5. Dive hard

December 1, 2014 | Categories: Intermediate | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

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