cabron wrote:Hi,
I have been watching several really good strapless riders doing the 360 back rotation without grabbing the board. In the latest video featuring Jon, he does it really nicely. I have been tryin that, but in the middle part of it, the board get blown from my feet.
Could you point me in the right direction, with perhaps a short step by step critical pointers, please?
Thanks and good wind & waves
Carbon,
Sorry it took me so long to reply. This is a completely manageable trick.
You need...
1. a small kicker
2. a decent amount of wind (16-20knots is best)
3. a wide stance
Steps.
1. as you're about to hit the kicker, take your front hand off your bar and make sure your back hand is split over the center. Your fingers should be slip over the center line.
2. hit the kicker with only a slight edge and knees fairly bent. You don't want to throw the board too hard. Try to just shove the tail around for the first half.
3. Let the kite float you for a second. You want to start the 2nd half (the second 180) on your way down.
4. As you can feel the kite getting lighter, pull your back hand in and the should help with the last part of the rotation.
5. When you are learning, you should land with almost no speed at all. When you hit, pull the kite hard to let it loop to hopefully keep you on the board and moving. You might need to let you back hand shift to the bar end at this time (to loop the kite)
Please let me know if you need more details in any specific part of the rotation!
-Jon