How to kitesurf: Front – Strapless – North Kiteboarding Academy

 

If you want to dive deeper into strapless freestyle the “front” has to be on your list.

 

 

Taking a closer look at kite control during the trick:

The kite steering is similar to most strapless jumps. Bring the kite back and up to generate lift and then back down again to regain speed after the landing. It is important not to send the kite beyond 12 O’clock. This will lift you up and away from your board.

Let’s have a look at the move in detail:

For the first half of the trick you need to initiate the rotation. Step your back foot to the tail of the board. With a wide stance, pop the board upwards with your back foot similar to a backside air. You need to pop as much as you can in order to generate enough height. Pull down on the bar with your front hand to generate extra lift. When you leave the water, initiate the rotation with your back hand, head, and back foot. Immediately use your shoulders to start twisting your upper body in the direction you want to spin. Kick the tail of your board up into the wind. Throw your back arm out to stabilize your body and accelerate the rotation. It is important not to lean your body too far off axis. The initial urge is to lean over horizontal. This makes it very difficult to get back over your board for the landing. You need to rotate vertical over your board and use your feet to keep the board pointed into the wind.
With the bar still sheeted in with your front hand, try to pull it across your body to your front shoulder. Look over your back shoulder and continue the spin.

For the second half of the trick, you should have rotational momentum with height. Quickly sheet out on the bar and rotate around your center line to complete the spin. Pull back in on the bar for landing. After you get the tail of the board around 180 degrees it should naturally fall around under you. Focus on re-engaging the fins to get the board facing in the direction of your momentum. Try to land flat and pointing downwind. Don’t try to land on your rail.

Now let’s take a closer look at keeping the board stuck to your feet:

While popping the board up you need to bend your front knee and lift the bottom of the board up into the wind. Immediately after takeoff you shift the weight to your toes which will bring the windward rail up. With the weight on your toes, kick the tail upwards transferring weight to your front foot and steering the nose down. Bend your back knee and rotate around your back hip – Remember to not go too off axis!. Use your back toes to lift the tail and keep the bottom of the board facing into the wind. The wind is what keeps the board pressed firmly to your feet. After you get the tail rotated around try to flatten the board off. Bring the board from your toes back into the ball of your foot. Now focus on bringing the tail down to the water first to engage the fins. Land centered on your board and facing downwind.