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Hi folks, so it's about time I started kite looping but a bit scared at the prospect! Every time I think I should go for it on the water I bottle it.

What the easiest way to get the started, is it best to downloop and carve to toe or just loop and go downwind on the same tack? If it's the latter I am assuming looping the kite forwards is better than back but could be wrong?

Thanks all!

If you are not used to looping the kite, but relatively steady at hydrofoiling - then I would start looping the kite when not powered much of course.

But do it going straight, a bit downwind.

Go downwind, and loop the kite forward and around, and backward and around - this is a good way to practice.

You will get pulled a bit further down when the kiteloop "peaks". and you naturally turn up a bit more when lines are less loaded.

A really good excersize.

I often ride downwind like that for fun, looping the kite both ways over and over.
Can also be done on upwind and halfwind courses - but be prepared that you get so much more peak pull that you HAVE to bear downwind a lot, and if not, you might get pulled over/off.

Looping like that downwind, without carving/turning, you will learn how it behaves, as at some point of the loop you have to sheet out, to get the kite to climb again, depending on how deep you go.

When you feel comfortable doing this, you can start downlooping and carving at the same time - much more difficult at first, as there are roughly two very different ways to get the timing right, and loads of ways to get it wrong

PF

PS: I assume you are talking hydrofoiling here, right ?

Another way to get your brain to allow you to pull the trigger is just to go into shallow water with no board and have at it. Its fun. Teach your brain how to unwind the lines as well...something that my pea brain always got backward. You can also do it without drama during rests and sitting in the water with board out front. Start with the kite very high toward 12 and there is even less drama and pull.

Once you feel better with it, do the first one while riding on a down wind touch down....downloop and continue your arc ...its surprisingly easy once you get over the mental hurdle. I have noted that in lighter wind and with a foil kite (at least my Speed5's, you sometimes need to reach for the steering line and force even more input to get it around in time. Will not be an issue with tube.

neilhapgood wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 06, 2017 7:08 am

Hi folks, so it's about time I started kite looping but a bit scared at the prospect! Every time I think I should go for it on the water I bottle it.

What the easiest way to get the started, is it best to downloop and carve to toe or just loop and go downwind on the same tack? If it's the latter I am assuming looping the kite forwards is better than back but could be wrong?

Thanks all!

The most imporant part is that you carve the board downwind first before looping the kite. Also start with the kite pretty much at 12. Check out this video for the timing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVgOZP-OC2Q

--
Gunnar

I'd say learn it first with a surfboard if possible. It's highly unlikely you will nail all downloops without a bit of training, and without proper timing the kite will pull you quite a lot, resulting in some funny wipeouts and some serious speed after the turn since the foil accelerates really fast. It can also cause you to go deep into your lines if you don't finish the carve and you have a lot of speed downwind.

Anyways, it goes like this:

- Go in low to mid wind. You don't want to try it in the upper range of your foiling abilities as the yank of the loop will be much stronger.
- You can change your feet before or after, whatever is comfortable for you right now doing a normal gybe.
- On your preferred tack (port or starboard, whatever you nail the most 'normal' gybes), put kite high and start going a bit downwind until you feel the tension disappearing from the lines. Don't gybe, just do some S'es getting the feel of when the kite starts loosing power when you go downwind.
- When confident to try it, just when the kite starts loosing tension, pull hard with your front hand to dive the kite. As soon as the kite starts going down with a lot of angle towards the water, go even more downwind, and follow the kite until it travels to the other side of the window. Remember to finish the carve so you don't loose speed and you regain tension on the lines.
- If you feel a sudden yank from the loop or to much power, concentrate on finishing the downloop and just follow the kite downwind.
- Make sure you concentrate on the kite finishing the turn and going to the other side of the window.
- If the kite hits the water, fully carve upwind, if you keep going downwind with momentum and the kite's in the water, you risk a tangle and self rescue!

Good luck! Hope it helps! Downloops are fun and non-issue once you master them. Even if you don't do tricks with loops, loops are an essential part of progression and can really help you on many situations!

neilhapgood wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 06, 2017 7:08 am

Hi folks, so it's about time I started kite looping but a bit scared at the prospect! Every time I think I should go for it on the water I bottle it.

What the easiest way to get the started, is it best to downloop and carve to toe or just loop and go downwind on the same tack? If it's the latter I am assuming looping the kite forwards is better than back but could be wrong?

Thanks all!

Just do it!
Maybe do some on twintip first.
Within my 3rd to 5th session, I would downloop on heel to toe side turn and when heading deep downwind, as well as a big loop to get started in light wind. I mostly do them in light wind.

Actually from heel to toe, I couldn't do it until I downloop, I bring kite up a bit as I push upwind then I carve to toe side and right when I am carving i downloop, if you aren't too overpowered it won't pull too much. Since I am a beginner as the kite goes through window I am sometimes I feel unstable toe side when kite is too low after the turn.
When heading downwind as soon as you feel a bit of loss of power / tension just downloop it and S turn it's fun. it's also good to do those with kite that don't drift well to overcome it

Practice looping without the hydrofoil first, the loops are the same either way. Point your twintip directly downwind. Pull hard with your front hand. Now do the same pulling with your back hand, but for the kiteloop start at 12 o'clock so you don't accidentally lift off. Spend all day doing your loops. It's all about getting that muscle memory in, not really anything difficult in terms of technique.

cwood wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 06, 2017 12:03 pm

Another way to get your brain to allow you to pull the trigger is just to go into shallow water with no board and have at it. Its fun. Teach your brain how to unwind the lines as well...something that my pea brain always got backward.

This. It's a piece of cake when you realise you don't die from it. There's an inbuilt fear of it but in reality, unless you're properly lit, it's not that big a deal and you can shed the power with a bit of a downwind blip

Learn to loop! These kites are soooo expensive one needs to be able to use them to full potential.

There's a few things that you need to get used to with looping.
For me there was an initial tendecency to follow the kite around with my hands, which is disastrous. Just keeping the hands in the same place and letting the kite loop took some getting used to.
Then there's the somewhat counterintuitive fact that the harder you loop the less it pulls. So looping requires full commitment, pull it right in on the one side. The worst thing you can possibly do is loop tentatively then bail half way. That will end badly.
Once you get the hang of it, looping really opens up a lot of possibilities.
If you can get hold of a trainer kite practice looping that first on the beach. In an hour you will be a looping like a pro looping it twice in a row either way, and it will all be no big deal from there.
Then follow the other suggestions above, start by trying looping it in light wind without a turn, just let it pull you downwind a little.