Strapless jumps, backrols...

[jespin4845]

Why kitesurf? Why jump? Why ride strapped and mow the lawn...? Everybody is different, for me stomping a strapless air is 1000x more rewarding than dangling with straps

[ulx]

Is small wing or big wing a better choice for practice? Especially in the landing phase! Also how much kite power and lift?

I am pretty new at strapless jumping with my 108 pocket board. At normal small jumps I had the best chance to land it when I landed with the stabi first. I thought that might work even better with an even smaller stabi. Can anyone confirm that?

[jaros]

Backrolls take a lot, but learn the straight jump first, then add height, then add the grab...

There is a ketos video where Stephan goes over the regular strapless jump on vimeo

That is a great video, i only wish i could understand French...
Thank you all for great tips, keep them komming!

[jumptheshark]

Rough translation from memory, not exact but the main points were:

Moderate speed, especially at first.
Drop front hand from bar and gently raise kite to zenith while holding constant moderate speed.
When the kite is at zenith, bend both legs, edge the foil by doing a bit of an ollie (descend in height and then push down on back leg while bending front knee), Grab the board as it pops out of the water with your front hand on the rail at the position of your front foot.
Sheet in only mildly to give yourself a little lift.
When coming in for the landing, Place your front foot back in place and your rear foot a little forward of normal.
Sheet in hard to lessen the weight on the foil. Keep your weight on that front foot to avoid getting pitched over the front.
Loop the kite with that back hand on the bar behind you at the edge of the window. He stresses getting your balance over that front foot and timing the back loop to both soften your landing and give you the impulse to start back up. Looping the kite at the edge of the window will keep it from being too powerful.

[jespin4845]

Stabi size doesn’t matter, always try to land stabi first and rear foot pressure to engage the foil

[Flag53]

Google translated


1st step: The impulse
Let go of your hand before going up slightly to the wind and slowly raise your wing to the zenith.
Bend the legs, accentuate the lift to the wind by slightly dipping the foil.
Take off the foil by pushing down on the back leg and lifting the front leg.
Grab the rail towards the position of the front foot and slightly trim your kite to take a little height.
For the first attempts, do not take too much speed before starting the jump.
2nd step: Reception
For reception, first replace the front foot in its original position. Then replace your rear foot slightly forward.
Balance your weight on the front leg. If necessary, raise your back leg to avoid being ejected at reception.
Just before the foil touches the water, send your kite back to cushion the reception.
If you are well positioned on your board, finish with a kite loop at the window to start again.
Bend your legs during the jump and start straightening them as soon as the foil touches the water to fold the board.
The wing should gradually climb to the Zenith.
The kite loop will serve to dampen the reception and to regain speed.
The kite loop must be done at the edge of the window to limit its power.
Straight on the bar to complete the loop, it will prevent the wing goes full window and generates too much power.
Only send the loop if you are sure of your placement on the board, because if the foil leaves in front of you, you risk to hit it.

[elguapo]

Only one question, WHY?

Because it’s there!

yup... that is not strapless

(but still impressive)

[elguapo]

Step 1 - Pitch control
Before starting to jump, it’s wise to master the pitch control of the foil that will facilitate good take offs and landings of the jumps.
Practice raising and lowering the board by changing your weight distribution via the front and back feet.
Press down firmly on the back foot to raise the foil as quickly as possible.
Press down on the front foot to lower the foil.
Keeping the front hand free of the bar to balance more easily.

Step 2 - The Take-Off
Bend the legs whilst going up wind, then press down slightly on the front leg to make the foil dive.
Finally, press the back leg firmly to make the board take-off.
Drive the kite slowly upwards so that it is at the zenith at the moment of the take-off.
Sheet in during the take-off and keep the kite high during the jump.
When the foil comes out of the water, the board should be straightened with the nose of the board pointing slightly into the wind.
Bend your legs during the jump to stay in contact with your board.

Step 3 - Landing
As soon as you begin to descend, slightly unfold the legs to keep contact with the board.
As soon as the foil touches the water, place your front hand back on the bar to send the kite to maintain speed.
When the foil comes into contact with the water, it is necessary to equalise the distribution of pressure on both feet and as soon as possible apply pressure to the back foot to make the foil rise.
In the early stages of learning this manoeuvre land with more pressure on the front leg because, placing direct pressure on leg back is likely to eject the foil in front of you !

[jumptheshark]

That moses compilation is pretty amazing. Makes me want straps

[jaros]

Rough translation from memory, not exact but the main points were:

Moderate speed, especially at first.
Drop front hand from bar and gently raise kite to zenith while holding constant moderate speed.
When the kite is at zenith, bend both legs, edge the foil by doing a bit of an ollie (descend in height and then push down on back leg while bending front knee), Grab the board as it pops out of the water with your front hand on the rail at the position of your front foot.
Sheet in only mildly to give yourself a little lift.
When coming in for the landing, Place your front foot back in place and your rear foot a little forward of normal.
Sheet in hard to lessen the weight on the foil. Keep your weight on that front foot to avoid getting pitched over the front.
Loop the kite with that back hand on the bar behind you at the edge of the window. He stresses getting your balance over that front foot and timing the back loop to both soften your landing and give you the impulse to start back up. Looping the kite at the edge of the window will keep it from being too powerful.

Thank you for that! You guys are great!