help my back rolls...

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

I've been trying these in light wind for a few days now. I get some speed, send the kite and then carve upwind to start the rotation.
Thing is, every time I rotate, my kite loops in the same direction. For a while, I couldn't figure out why my lines weren't twisted! Anyway, I sometimes land these loop-backrolls, but I'd like to just do a regular roll, too.
I have my hands close together, but I still steer the kite. It looks so easy when other people to it...
I've been kite-looping in light wind, too, which has been fun, but I actually cracked my plywood board!
Crying or Very sad

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

For a regular backroll you don't send your kite at all. Just get pop for your backroll.

stringer · Since 31 Jul 2007 694 Posts Chucktown Flying Tomato

Maybe try to not send the kite at all.
Just load and pop off the water.
This works really well off of a swell/chop/wave kicker.

Plus, this looks better than spinning all dangly.

If you're spinning quickly, its really easy to over-rotate if you send the kite.

(oops, you beat me phil!)

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

i guess i need to learn to pop...

stringer · Since 31 Jul 2007 694 Posts Chucktown Flying Tomato

Fo sho

Once you get better at popping, that opens the door to the magical world of wakestyle!
Plus if you don't, we get to call you "no style kyle"

Matt E. · Since 22 May 2008 318 Posts West Coast Sales Rep Obsessed

hey,

Buy the real kite joyride video, it teaches pops back rolls raleys all that stuff.

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

try taking your back hand off the bar, with only your front hand on the bar (right by the centerline) it will keep the kite from going over your head. This was the easiest way for me to keep from sending the kite.

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jul 14, 08 8:13 am

Yeah, you shouldn't be sending the kite at all. You need a bit of wind to pop well but at any rate, you should dedicate several tacks each way to learning to pop.

When your decently powered up set the kite about 45-60 degrees off the water. Look for a little chop about 30 feet in front of you. put your hands in the middle of the bar and bear down wind a little. This is where it gets tricky and I'm not Joe Pop so anyone else feel free to chime it.

its ALL about timing on this one folks. If you bear off too hard or too long you'll loose speed. So once you feel yourself accelerate downwind, you want to get yourself ready for the pop. Now look for that little piece of chop and then carve Hard up wind. You'll slow down a little bit but you will also notice the tension on your lines..this is where allot of the pop comes from. If you keep edging you will A. slow down too much and B. the tension in the lines will pull the kite back towards you and the tension will be reduced.
At the peak of this tension, pull your front foot up a little and EXPLODE with your back foot. I mean really stomp that fucker. If you can time it so your kitting the little chop at the same time you doing well. Look mom, I'm flying. Its a cool sensation and you will get more distance than you imagined. Go for a grab or something if you have the time.

You can hit about 10 pops per tack and then charge upwind for another go. Once you get the pop down the backroll is super easy, like comically. Just continue that upwind carve, look over your shoulder and stomp a wee bit later. If you have been practicing your pop,you will have PLENTY of time to come around.

As with anything the key is practicing. If you go out and convince yourself that maybe today is just a good day to mow the lawn, then you'll mow the lawn all day and low and behold, you had a good time but you didn't learn or progress. Took me a long time to realize this. "I suck at front rolls, hmm, nah, I'll practice next time" and then I would insert the appropriate excuse.
A. its too windy
B. ts not windy enough
C. its crowded,
D its really choppy
E. the kite doesn't seem trimmed
F. this board sucks for that
G. I don't want to hurt myself
H. I don't want to water relaunch
I. everyone is looking

For the most part, you don't need to beat yourself up to learn the basic moves. The harder moves, well, get an impact vest or time machine. If you ever wondered how some people got so damn good its because they sucked it up and charged it. I don't know how many times I saw Tucker beat the living shiet out of himself and he just kept coming back for more. Now look at him....

ok, I guess I have to work now. Sad

wylieflyote · Mon Jul 14, 08 8:19 am

Bettyboarder · Mon Jul 14, 08 8:37 am

Yeah it this a great post. I have been wanting to try them for a while now. I still need to work on my pop a bit more then I will try it.

Thanks for the tips.

pauls · Since 20 Jun 2005 564 Posts Northern Portugal Addicted

kyle i have the same problem with back spins as you i end up looping the kite or sending it all over the place. I've tried putting my hands on top of each other but then often don't get the whole rotation. I'll try spike and brian's suggestions. Also noticed that people do back rolls with pop going fast and they also do real slow ones - often into a transition are they all started the same way?

Vankiter · Since 24 Jun 2007 34 Posts Canvouver

Before throwing the roll, focus on remembering to pull on the bar with your front hand to bring the kite back…and consciously make sure you do this as you’re rotating. Of course, this is especially important if you send the kite a little rather than doing it wake-style. But it helps me to think about it either way, since I tend to send the kite a little even when doing more of a wake-style roll.

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jul 14, 08 9:56 am

For me, the speed of the rotation has to do with how much pop I can get. if the windy is shitty then I might not be able to really pop so I just do a low and fast roll (almost like a spin). If there is good wind then I can really pop and do a nice slow roll and really get the board over my head. You can control the rotation by extending or contracting your arms and legs. The don't send the kite thing, well, you just have to concentrate on not moving the bar...

Its really one fluid motion. Cutting, loading, poping and rotating.

I did not mention that you need SPEED to get good pop. You don't need to be screamingly on edge but you need to have enough water flowing rapidly under your board that you have some resistance to push off from.

Sound confusing? Thinking of trying to pop off the water when you are pumping your kite and barely staying afloat. Now think of popping when your super lit and bouncing off all the little chop.... It's not the pull of the kite, its the resistance of the water.

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

thanks pdxmonkeyboy,

you've got me wanting to focus on poping for now. Enough boosting and dangling! (even thought that is ridiculously fun). But poping seems like what I need to do to take it to the next level, so I'll focus on that.
For me, doing tricks is proportional to the amount of time I get on the water. If its just once a week, I'm going to go play and stick to what I know.
If its 3 times per week, then I get anxious to try new things.
Thankfully, I get to kite a lot right now!! Very Happy

thanks for everyone's tips.

snah · Since 27 Jun 2008 24 Posts

pop is so key! front rolls are really fun too, and they allow you to really accentuate the ollie.

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

Try some hooked-in silly little raleys to get the feel of popping down!