Easy 360 hand drag - Kiteboarding transition - Ride with Blake

Today we are going to go over how to do a 360 hand drag transition without a kiteloop. This is another fun and easy one that doesn't take much risk. A 360 spin is a back roll without any inversion. Dragging your hand through the water gives you more of a carving turn, whereas if you're standing tall it's more of a spin.

Free PDF will be available Friday 

Sorry about that! Visit MACkite's live chat for a (1) One time coupon code. 

- This code will expire as soon as the PDF is up. 

- Mention you are visiting the chat from this video. 

- There are somethings I can't apply it to but if possible, we'll hook it up. 

Cheers! - Rygo 

Prerequisites 

The prerequisites for this are not that many. It helps if you know how to do a back roll to do this one, but if you don't you can still give it a try. It's actually not a difficult trick since you are so low to the water, but it does require the rider to twist their body and redirect the kite.

• Back Roll (Optional) 
• Ride one handed 
• Ride Upwind 
• Relaunch the kite 

Ride upwind with one hand on the kiteboarding control bar 

Step 1: Remove front hand

You'll want to take off your front hand so that you can drag it through the water and use it for balance as you spin around. As you get more comfortable with this trick you can work your way up to backroll hand drags and the next video in this series, a back roll kiteloop transition.

This is a simple step but it will set up the entire trick. It will also make everything moving forward much easier 

It accomplishes a two things. 

• Opening up your body for the rotation
• Setting your back hand up for the correct kite movement 

Keep your kite at a 45 degree angle. You need to give your self some room before sending it to the apex later in the trick. Come in with good speed riding upwind and remove your front hand. Here is where you will initiate the trick by carving directly into the wind. 

Carve directly into the wind 

Step 2: Carve upwind and twist

Body and board movement 

Build up speed and, when you are ready, start carving into the wind while twisting and looking over your front shoulder. Try to stay on the water and keep your weight slightly back but still over and in control of the board. Carving into the wind and around your bar will spin you into a 360 and lead you in the other direction just like a back roll transition. As you carve into the wind, send the kite up to the zenith to lift you up as you make the spin around.

Kite Movement. 

As you start carving into the wind, you begin sending the kite up. Make sure it does not reach the apex until the next step. You will be holding your body up with your edge and this upward moment. 

Release your edge halfway

Step 3: Release edge and redirect kite

As you come around, halfway through the 360 release your edge so the board can transition around. You can do this either with a small pop or by sliding the board around. If you're used to doing a back roll you will probably start by catching a little air; this is okay, but work on your timing and try to keep the board to the water.

You should be spotting your landing by looking over your front shoulder. Once you can see downwind where you want to go, pull in on your front hand. Up until now your kite has been overhead, but now that you've made the rotation you can send the kite in the other direction to complete your transition.

Do this as you carve into the wind 

Step 4: Straighten front leg

Now that the kite is pulling you into the other direction you're going to want to weight the back foot. Do this by bringing the back knee to your chest and straightening the front leg. This will help you point the board downwind and keep your weight balanced.

The key is to maintain a small center of gravity and let the kite movement hold you up. Bringing your back knee in and applying weight is going to keep you balanced under the kite. The kite will be pulling against you at this point. Let your front leg straiten out and swing with this movement. You will be pivoting on the back leg. 

Bring the board all the way around and ride downwind

Step 5: Ride downwind

The final step in this trick is to ride away smoothly. In order to do this you're going to need to build up speed by riding flat and downwind. Just like on a water start, you ride slightly downwind and with your board flat to build up speed and get on plane before you start to edge against the kite.

That's it! Hope you guys enjoy this video, and please let us know how it goes for you and anything you learned along the way. The next trick after this one is a 360 back roll transition; stay tuned for the next video!

Kiteboarding Adventure Camps! 

Request information on Blake's adventure camps & lessons: blakemolsen@gmail.com

Need help on these tricks? 

Follow the guys on their adventures and shoot us a message. 

Blake 

Rygo 

Blake Olsen

A Michigan boy through and through (even though he was born in Saudi Arabia), Blake is a youth with a lifetime of experiences and adventures. Not only that, he's passionate about sharing his zest for life with others. He is proficient at many fields, including kiteboarding and acting as concierge to any who simply ask. Looking for an adventure? Well, Blake is your guy. From sailing the Gulf and the Caribbean to backpacking Hawaii and Southeast Asia, he knows his stuff and can make your vacation into an adventure.

Webpage: BlakeTheOlsen.com

Instagram: @BlakeTheOlsen

Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling the world and pursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people who pulled the trigger. A few years into a postal career, he decided to change everything and travel as a kiteboarder, freelance videographer & writer. His mission is to help people and share the stoke. Get out there and kite!

#Instagram

Producer of: Ride with Blake I Sessions I Versus I Destinations I Foil Fridays