2020 marks the longest season for us so far. It also marks the season where we learnt the most tricks….or at least tried to learn.
Somehow we had thought that learning tricks is something super complicated or hard, but the reality is that the only thing you need to do is just start trying. Yes, you will fall quite a bit, but if you have even a tiny bit of sense, then you won’t hurt yourself. The only thing that can happen is a huge splash and faceplant 🙂
But here’s what we learnt. For pro-kitesurfers it’s easy breezy, but for us it’s like conquering Mount Everest.
Backroll with a grab
We have always thought that how the hell you let go one of your hands, when you’re backrolling, because it’s only like a second you’re up in the air. Yet, in the air it almost seems that the time stops and you have plenty of time to do everything. So the trick how to manage a backroll with a grab is actually pretty simple – you just need some courage to let one hand loose. When you do it for the first time and manage easily, then the next times you will have zero fear.
Double backroll
Learning double backrolls were the funnies of the season. So many splashes and so much screaming when something went wrong. But at least from the shore it was a funny sight.
The truth is that even if we know how to do it, there’s still 50/50 chance that we will mess it up.
Frontroll
Frontroll is actually easier than you think. It’s all in your head how to twist yourself the opposite direction from the backroll. The first few attempts ended up with huge splashes and slides downwind. But as with everything in kitesurfing – once you have a click in your head and all the puzzle pieces fall together.
Frontroll with a grab
Once you have learnt backroll with a grab and manage to do frontroll successfully, then frontroll with a grab is no brainer. Just let one hand go and enjoy the spin.
Downloop transition
Again something which seems hard but actually isn´t. Don´t remember exactly why but for us looping has always been something really “scary”. Mainly because of the power which you can create by looping. Learning it in normal (rather light) wind conditions is super fine. No hard splashes nor flying around like superman. First tries give just for looping to get it in hand and then add the transition. Again something which actually needed courage not rocket science.
