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Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:11 am
by Chickenwing504
Working on back roll transitions. I'm pretty sure I'm not diving the kite enough in the opposite direction, but once I'm facing backwards, I lose track of kite position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGwczY8X4nI


Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:55 am
by PVITfrumBYRAM
It would be easier to decipher if you posted a slow mo video, and rotated it.

First attempt, to me it looks like you sent the kite too early then waited for some lift from your kite to help you induce the back roll. It looks like you travel downwind during the roll in the same direction of your tack. Also mid roll, your left hand cranked the bar a little. Sometimes this helps when you get the next part down good. You can extend your lift but I think you should focus on a continuous slight pull on the back hand throughout the trick.

It will help you a bit if you can carve harder up into the wind. You start cruising along with the kite parked, maybe start to bring it up towards 12 but not quite, also progressively edge harder into the wind. Your lateral movement needs to come to a halt, and that energy needs to be transferred into the wind so that when your kite produces lift as it approaches 12, your board points up into the wind and you release your edge for that pop. Doing this your rotation may speed up or at least continue properly because this is the point you should start to spot your landing. Look over your shoulder to keep the rotation. This whole time you should be continuing to move the kite towards the other direction. Depending on your pop, hangtime, and rotation speed, you may need to send the kite hard or slow. Sometimes you finish the trick and the kite is still really high, and not in the power zone so when you land you just sink. This scenario requires you to pull hard on the new front hand, send the kite towards the water to keep you powered, you'll have to point the board downwind at first and then quickly return to edging the board.

Your regular transition is good. You bring the kite up slow, halt your lateral movement on the water and send the kite. You need to transpose that same kind of movement to when you are in the air. Turning up into the wind will draw you away from the kite while still keeping inertia and without traveling sideways. Also once your pop, the kite is more downwind relative to your body so you'll have more to power to work with for your landing.

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 4:07 am
by Chickenwing504
Wow thanks.

On the camera, I've already ordered a v2 camrig line mount.

Hopefully the wind gods come through this weekend and can attempt to put what you said into practice.

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 4:27 am
by sotheysay
Pretty good tips up top there.

When i'm just cruising and do backroll transition I almost come to a complete stop when initiating the spin. You don't want to drift downwind while in the air. This makes it much harder to create power in the opposite direction upon landing.

Good luck, keep trying!

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 4:39 am
by Sheep
all good info

what they said is pretty much how i do it

i dont know if this will help but i made a small vid of a DIY backpack mount and have a few transitions in there that show it

good luck with it... its a fun thing to do when u get it right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35lMnoargMM

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:18 am
by sotheysay
To add a little video contribution :).

1:40, how I like to do them. Slow down and edge progressively

1:54, once you get those down you can throw yourself into it a little more and toss a little hand drag in.

https://vimeo.com/52435188

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:56 am
by Kiteus Maximus
I see a lot of kiters not getting enough height so they edge really hard to the point where they almost stop in the water then they go into this massively fast rotation and end up with the kite at 12, stalled, in a squatting position with no forward momentum because they rotated quicker than they could think to send the kite.

The easiest way to remove the kite position issue is to send your kite to 12...slowly begin your rotation and sheet in at the same time as if you were doing a basic boost. The trick is not to feel like you have to do a really fast rotation. Don't whip your head around quickly. Sheet in...feel the kite start to lift you...and rotate slowly.

This will give you a lot more height and during your first 180 degree rotation you know your kite is at 12 so you don't have to think about it. As you begin to rotate out of your 180 degree turn send it hard in the original direction of travel and you will land it standing up and not sitting down.

However, if you are going to do a higher back roll, as what I am recommending, then you have to make sure you don't go into an unintentional back roll and a half or double back roll. As you come out of your first 180 degree rotation sheet out slightly and this will start your decent to the water at which point you need to send the kite in the original direction of travel. Sheeting out slightly while coming out of the slow rotation and sending the kite will pull you down towards the water and will straighten you out for a smoother landing. You will definitely have to work on the feel aspect a few times but it will come quick.

Big floaty slower back rolls are a lot more fun and ultimately lets you work up to double and triple back rolls with a transition. This will let you start to work on things like a back roll transition with a lien grab, tail grab, etc.

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:08 am
by Chickenwing504
Thanks for the video responses. Y'all are super helpful. :thumb:

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:19 am
by tautologies
Hey, so do not use the board to induce the rotation. Just go for a jump, then turn your head. You really do not need that much pop. If you use your head to rotate you retain control. So go for a straight up jump, send your head...do not look up like you do in the video. Just trust the kite. You have to spot your landing.

Once you have made the rotation, you can do a downloop into the transition, or or send the kite the other direction...if you let the kite glide all across you can finish with a kite loop. if you are not comfortable looping, then learn that separately. You do need a little more height to do the rotation transition than you do a straight up rotation.

Practice this in your head on land before going out.

So:

go, pull the kite across slowly, get a bit of height, but try to keep it straight up, turn your head over your shoulder, keep your eyes on your landing spot. Do not look at the kite.
Once you come around you can decide to either go opposite direction or continue or downloop...etc.

The harder you turn your head the faster you will rotate.

Re: Any advice is welcome

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:34 pm
by gonewiththewind
In response to the subject "Any advice is welcome"...

1. Don't post forum topics that are too broad and generic. It's rude to make other readers click on your thread before actually knowing what it is about. Do you want advice about new gear? How to do a kiteloop? Frontrolls? Backrolls? Put it in the subject line.

2. Don't take any job that only gives you two weeks of vacation per year.

3. Put your iPhone into a cup or bowl, and it will naturally amplify the sound of the speakers so you can hear your music better.

4. Let some air out of your tires before driving on the beach.

5. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

6. Don't date a girl that thinks "scrapbooking" is a hobby.

7. Don't mount a flatscreen TV above the fireplace, or it will be too high. The center of the screen should be only slightly above eye level when seated.

8. Get your news from multiple sources, but not Glenn Beck.

9. Don't post multiple clips from the same GoPro angle from the same kite session. 10 seconds MAX for any given view on any given day.

10. Avoid the use of emoticons. :nono: