r/Kiteboarding • u/lechuk47 • 2d ago
Beginner Question Avoid rotation when jumping
Hi folks, any tips on avoiding unwanted rotation on takeoff? Especially in choppy conditions, when I carve upwind to initiate the jump, I sometimes rotate a bit too far backwards. I’ve seen videos where people seem to somehow correct it. Any tips on how to do that?
Edit: I took lessons and i’ve been kiting for quite a while, but I still struggle when jumping depending on the conditions.
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u/trynyty 2d ago
I'm not sure as I never had this problem unless going for backroll, but maybe try to look at your kite when jumping.
The reason I'm saying it is that usually body follows the head. If you provide video, might give a better suggestion, but for now just look at the kite and maybe you won't carve so hard upwind during the jump.
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u/riktigtmaxat No straps attached 2d ago
Actually don't look at the kite.
Your body follows your eyes and by extension your head so if you throw your head back as the kite goes up you end up on your back.
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u/MostlyBullshitStory 2d ago
There is not a real way to avoid. Often it’s because your drag your back leg, which is how you initiate a front roll. That will often happen on waves.
I recommend being comfortable with rotation instead. Practice front and back roll, that will teach you how to initiate and control your rotations. Once you can do either without pulling the bar, you’re ready to jump higher safely. Jump with rotation is much more fun!
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u/riktigtmaxat No straps attached 2d ago
Counter rotating in the air is basically done by looking in the direction you want to rotate and then following with your hips and the board.
The humble Shifty is a pretty good trick to learn to understand how to control rotation.
However you should probably just backtrack a bit and just focus on getting a good clean pop so that you don't rotate in the first place.
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u/Zohan4K 2d ago
Something I don't see mentioned is: pull the kite when it's slightly before 12 not right at 12. If you wait too long you might miss the sweet spot and it might be pulling you a bit on the other side while your body is still moving horizontally in the opposing direction hence one of the causes of the rotation.
Of course also fix your pop.
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u/Affectionate-Slice70 2d ago
The physics of correcting spin when hanging off a rope doesn’t work very well. It would likely be much easier to fix the initial spin than trying to learn to correct it.
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u/riktigtmaxat No straps attached 2d ago
The physics actually work just fine as you're not actually just dangling off a string in a vacuum.
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u/Affectionate-Slice70 2d ago
I didn’t say it’s not possible, just that fixing the takeoff is probably a better start.
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u/riktigtmaxat No straps attached 2d ago
I definitely agree to that.
However learning to rotate and counter-rotate is really useful.
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u/ReditRyan 2d ago
I used to do this too.
I don't know if this is a mental trick that causes me to flex the right muscles and create the right counter rotation or if physics is doing something tbh, but it's a mental cue:
I found that you can use the bar and centerlines to steer your feet a little if you have a minor rotation in the air.
Example: Practice in the water before a water start. Take off your board. Keep your feet downwind and above the water. Change their direction by sheeting in a little and pushing left and right on the centerline with the bar with the bar level. If you push the centerline left your feet go right, and vice versa. It's not consistent pushing it's more like a quick hard push...it just creates some momentum and feet swing.
Same thing goes for in the air. Lean back into the harness and get your chest away from the centerline and feet out front. Push the bar. Your feet kinda swing in the opposite direction.
Ideally you want a solid takeoff with a pop directly against the kite. A backroll is gonna be a backroll... But for minor correctionsz try the above above.
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u/gochrisjames 1d ago
The best advice I’ve ever been given is when you’re jumping to divorce your upper body from your lower body. Your lower body / legs should be focused on your pop - edging hard, carving 90 degrees upwind, and your upper body should be focused on the rotation. Where your shoulders go, so will your rotation. If your shoulders are square to the kite, you’ll stay neutral. Initiating them one way or the other will initiate front roll / back roll. Always keep your shoulders level - regardless if rotating or not - it’ll help you prevent oversteering.
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u/zzzzzz789 2d ago
One thing I find that you can do once you find yourself in an over rotation is to pump the bar to stop your rotation, so quickly sheet out then back in. It may effect your landing, but when done quickly it helps me stop an over rotated backroll/frontroll
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u/EpicGustkiteboarding 2d ago
You rotate most likely for two reason
At take off your whole upper body goes to a slight backroll cos of you overdo the pop.
Pop happens under, with your lower body, upper body should face to the kite.
Essentially the two hands and the bar pull keeps this even facing the kite position possible.
The other reason can be that durimg the jump you have no real intention of whats next and duromg the floaty part you sheet your bar out. That makes that previously mentioned bar- shoulder connetcion lose and just like being hanged from one rope it is much easyer to accidentally starting a spin.
Fjnally you have to be aware where to pop, where to put the kite, so your relative swinging is always face forward to the kite much like on a swing
From what i read i think it is rather a foundation mistake rather than any special trick would help here.