Learn to Fly
You should feel the board’s motion in the air if you ride strapless. This is similar to standing on the shore on windy days and guiding your board towards the wind so that it hangs at your fingertips. Find a balance point on your board. Next, you will need to start making little waves in the air and “floating” in the air. Do not ollie, just let the board rise slowly. Do not grab the board. This is not balance. This will teach you how to ride around on the board and help you to learn airs. Jon Modica
Keep Growing
It is not a good idea to get too comfortable or stagnant. You can do one trick to your left and another to your right for months, but you will never attempt anything else. This can be countered by looking outside the box and visualizing a new move. Then, make it happen. We can get too focused on the tricks we know and stop learning new moves. — Damien LeRoy
Visualize Success
Visualization is key to pulling off any trick. Visualization is key. If you don’t visualize yourself pulling off a trick, it will be harder on the water. Visualization has been a tool I have used for many years. To understand the person and the kite, I will watch slow motion replays and study the videos. Once you are able to see everything clearly, practice the trick on the ground so that your body can feel the motion. — Damien LeRoy
Upwind Anchoring
To stay upwind, you must set landmarks so that you can always see your position on the water. Before you start your session, evaluate the wind direction and where you are riding. You should look for points on land and water that you can see while riding. These points should be your goal for each of your tacks. Matt and Keegan Myers
Spin Control
It is important to keep your kite in control when learning spins. Many riders will attempt the trick, but lose control of their kite. First, think about how you will control the kite. Second, consider which hand you’ll use for the landing. Nearly all tricks require you to use your back hand and lead hand to guide the kite down to land. Matt and Keegan Myers
Geared up
Before you go out on the water, make sure that you are 100% confident with your equipment. It’s important to know how to tune your kite so that it is fully powered up with the bar reaching the chickenloop and it’s not too sheeted. This refers to where the rear of the kite is pinched together. Kites that are too heavily padded can cause serious damage to your session. You’ll get the most from every session if you understand how your kite works.
This post was written by Aaron McClearnon, Owner of Elite Watersports. At Elite Watersports, We strive to provide exceptional service and genuine interactions with those interested in watersports. We hold dear our passion for being out on the water and maintain this as our foundation for all business practices.
