Are you into kitesurfing? Is this your first extreme sport and are you willing to progress and reach your boundaries within the sport? Or maybe you have been riding for a time and you want to start including fun and not so aggressive tricks to your routine. This short post might interest you and give you some guidelines to start with the basic theory to approach your tricks or your basic movements. Remember, always be safe, respect the ocean as it can be a dangerous one at times.
We give you 4 of the first and most simple tricks every rider should know to have fun, feel better about yourself and show off a little bit with your friends and family. Sometimes a high performance kite is needed, but for these following tricks, a standard kite will do just fine.
We give you 4 of the first and most simple tricks every rider should know to have fun, feel better about yourself and show off a little bit with your friends and family. Sometimes a high performance kite is needed, but for these following tricks, a standard kite will do just fine.
Image courtesy of Ines Hegedus-Garcia at Flickr.com
1. Floaty jump:
This trick comes after you have mastered the skills of slightly jumping and landing properly. You need to gain speed and go on a beam reach. Then, place your kite at 10 o´clock to get some air and then beware of your kite being at 2 o´clock relative to your new position, this is where the kite will start to pull you up and you will be able to “float”. Wait 2 seconds until the kite maxes out and pull forward. In order to go higher, push the kite forward so you can feel the second lift from the kite which will give you the float altitude to go over the power zone. Then, enjoy the view and prepare to land in a calm and easy way. Always remember to have the proper speed and fully commit to the trick. If you are a little bit scared , it could pull you down and take you to the water
2. Grab:
Originally seen in skateboarding and snowboarding, but it is the most stylish thing to do in extreme sports. Once you have mastered grabs, you can introduce variations and style to look even more pro when you show them to your friends. Your reaction time needs to be quite fast, if not you need to be at your 10 o´clock to get it done properly. After this, it is easy to continue. Take your back hand off the bar and compress your legs against your chest or pulls them up so you can hold the board with your back hand. If you keep the board on your hand your reaction time could not be enough. Be sure to know your air and reaction ration to land properly
3. Spin:
Spins have different degrees. It could be a basic 180 or a full stylish 1080. It depends on how many times you spin. It is better if you have a spinning bar so you can untwist the line when you are done with the tricks. This is all about head and shoulder rotation. The body follows the head. When you are air-born turn your head and shoulder the way you want to spin and you will see the body following that same movement. When you are finished, look the other way to stop spinning and extend your legs to get ready to land. Remember to turn the kite forward and to put pressure on your front hand. Careful, don’t over spin and beware of your commitment to not underspin.
4. Board-off:
After you have done and mastered the huge jump and the grab, you can move on to the board-off trick. This trick is a little more complicated than the other, but still very possible within your skills as a beginner. Don’t be afraid and really commit to it or you are going to hit the water. Go first for a huge jump. Once you are in the air, go for the grab trick and take out one foot out of your and grab the tail of the board. You can take out both feet but remember that it requires more air so you can put them back in. first start with one foot and depending on your skills, move to the both feet trick. Again, air time is essential in this trick, so be sure you know how to huge jump before you attempt this.
This trick comes after you have mastered the skills of slightly jumping and landing properly. You need to gain speed and go on a beam reach. Then, place your kite at 10 o´clock to get some air and then beware of your kite being at 2 o´clock relative to your new position, this is where the kite will start to pull you up and you will be able to “float”. Wait 2 seconds until the kite maxes out and pull forward. In order to go higher, push the kite forward so you can feel the second lift from the kite which will give you the float altitude to go over the power zone. Then, enjoy the view and prepare to land in a calm and easy way. Always remember to have the proper speed and fully commit to the trick. If you are a little bit scared , it could pull you down and take you to the water
2. Grab:
Originally seen in skateboarding and snowboarding, but it is the most stylish thing to do in extreme sports. Once you have mastered grabs, you can introduce variations and style to look even more pro when you show them to your friends. Your reaction time needs to be quite fast, if not you need to be at your 10 o´clock to get it done properly. After this, it is easy to continue. Take your back hand off the bar and compress your legs against your chest or pulls them up so you can hold the board with your back hand. If you keep the board on your hand your reaction time could not be enough. Be sure to know your air and reaction ration to land properly
3. Spin:
Spins have different degrees. It could be a basic 180 or a full stylish 1080. It depends on how many times you spin. It is better if you have a spinning bar so you can untwist the line when you are done with the tricks. This is all about head and shoulder rotation. The body follows the head. When you are air-born turn your head and shoulder the way you want to spin and you will see the body following that same movement. When you are finished, look the other way to stop spinning and extend your legs to get ready to land. Remember to turn the kite forward and to put pressure on your front hand. Careful, don’t over spin and beware of your commitment to not underspin.
4. Board-off:
After you have done and mastered the huge jump and the grab, you can move on to the board-off trick. This trick is a little more complicated than the other, but still very possible within your skills as a beginner. Don’t be afraid and really commit to it or you are going to hit the water. Go first for a huge jump. Once you are in the air, go for the grab trick and take out one foot out of your and grab the tail of the board. You can take out both feet but remember that it requires more air so you can put them back in. first start with one foot and depending on your skills, move to the both feet trick. Again, air time is essential in this trick, so be sure you know how to huge jump before you attempt this.
Image courtesy of Neville Nel at Flickr.com
There are many more tricks which are variations of these first simple and beginner ones. Or they are just more difficult and more pro and require more pull, more air and more speed. Be sure to know your abilities and boundaries so you can enjoy and get the best of your ride. Always remember to play it safe and have your first aid kit near and somebody looking after you if you don’t feel confident enough or you are just starting with these movements.