EQUIPMENT, FAQS, GUIDE, KITES, KITESURFING, TIPS, TRICKS, WATERSPORTS - 22 JULY, 2020
5 Kitesurfing Tricks for All Abilities
For most kite surfers, being able to achieve impressive tricks is the main attraction to the sport. Once you have conquered the basics, you will feel eager to develop your skills as soon as possible to accomplish more impressive skills and jumps. For more information as a beginner, you may find our guide to basic kitesurfing safety useful.
As one of the leading manufacturers for kitesurfing kites, boards and accessories, F-ONE has provided you with this simple guide to easy tricks that all abilities can achieve!
We take a look at how you can progress from entry-level to intermediate level and prepare riders to achieve more advanced tricks. We cover everything from simple grabs to air transitions and explain how you can use them to amp up your ability on a kiteboard. For some real inspiration, take a look at these incredible kitesurfing records.
Riding Toeside
This is one for those who are relatively new to kitesurfing. It is the first step to take when trying to advance into more tricks and is a basic necessity to improve and progress.
In a basic overview, riding toeside refers to shifting weight from the heelside of your board to your toeside. For example, heelside usually means your toes are facing the side of the kite, but the weight is in the heels, which creates an edge on the heelside. Toeside, means your toes face away from the kite, and thereby creating an edge toeside.
One of the problems many riders find when learning it at first is the decrease in speed when trying to switch edges. To help with this, it is essential to hold your kite up to maintain as much speed as possible. As you get more used to it, this problem will lessen, and your kiteboarding will feel much more fun and faster.
It is used for quick turns; slalom turns as well as surfing waves.
Carving Turn
This trick is one for the aesthetics as it creates lots of spray in the water. A carve is essentially a smooth, long turn. Instead of being quick and nippy, a carve draws out the change in direction and looks super sleek. It is a trick that will help you to develop your style and also establish that you have lots of control over your board.
Grabs
This is quite a vague one, as there are so many grabs you can do as you progress in kitesurfing. They look impressive and can be used in virtually any trick you master. A nose grab is one of the most basic ones and simply requires you to touch the front tip of your board with your hand. A melon grab also uses your front hand, but it reaches the middle of your board between your feet heelside. If you are just starting, give them a go!
Popping
In very basic terms, popping is a straight-up jump that lifts the rider up and out of the water. It relies on the power of the kite, but more advanced riders can also pop without the dependence of the kite.
It sounds pretty simple, but to pull it off smoothly, you need to ensure you have the correct balance on both your front and back foot to release the board with ease and stability.
It also requires the right amount of speed. Without this, it can be hard to lift the board out of the water. Similar to riding toeside, once you master this, it will make future freestyle moves more achievable.
It is used for quick turns; slalom turns as well as surfing waves.
Air Transition
Air transitions differ to jumps because the jump doesn’t continue in the same direction. For example, unlike a jump, an air transmission requires the rider to complete the jump and then to almost go back on themselves to then touch the water again.
A jump requires a heavy reliance on loading the kite. It relies heavily on timing, and once you get this right, you will find the rest comes more naturally. Transitions require you to dump some speed as you go to jump.
As your kitesurfing develops, riding becomes really fun as you begin to mix tricks up. For example, you can combine grabs with transitions and pops. Which one of our tricks are you eager to try out on your next session? Why not let us know on our social media channels? We would love to hear from you!