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Tuck Knee Indy to Blind or Wrapped The Indy Grab is the easiest of all the grabs in boardsports. You grab the board with your back hand on the top side edge between your feet. The Tuck Knee variation takes this basic and makes it look stylish. You can see the difference in the two photos here. The Straight Leg Variation The Tuck Knee Variation I just did a simple tutorial on the Tuck Knee here. But the key is to first learn how to load your lines and pop with the kite at 45 degre …

We're kicking off a fresh series of trick tips with Chris Bobryk and myself. We'll be covering the lost art of kite low line tension tricks. In an era of sent jumps and big air, it seems many have forgotten all the other aspects of the sport that make it unique. Kite low line tension tricks are the friendlier version of unhooked freestyle. We actually covered a lot of line tension tricks in our Ride with Blake series, but we never put the emphasis on keeping the kite low and not sending the k …

The Back to Revert, aka Backroll to Toeside, is actually a very natural and easy trick. In this video, we'll break down how to do this powered with the kite low, so no sending the kite to noon. It will stay at 45 degrees and you will use board speed and edging to load the lines. This is the same loading technique as an unhooked freestyle trick Keep the kite at 45 and come in with good speed. Come off your edge and quickly ride downwind to go even faster. Now lean back like you are sit …

This video is for riders who have experience with basic loops and are looking to take things up a notch. Remember to start small and underpowered when learning loops. You might spend months practicing these or longer, slowly working your way up. These tips should help those of you who want to take your loops higher and harder. The first step is to watch Shaun's advanced jumping tips video. To summarize, the key is to load your edge and sheet out a little so you can load more power into th …

The Non-inverted Sent Hooked-in Front Roll Tail Grab is a super easy beginner trick. Keep your hands close to the middle of the bar and get some speed with the bar sheeted slightly out. Come in with good speed and send the kite up to noon. At the same time, sheet the bar in and pop off your back leg. As you leave the water, look over your back shoulder and swing your hips. Bring your back knee into your chest at the same time. Since this in a non-inverted roll, your body will automatica …

Hey guys, for this video we're going to cover a new angle on a basic freeride trick. I've done frontroll and backroll videos before, but I wanted to take the angle of a brand new rider attempting their very first backroll. The Light Wind Pop Learning to Backroll in Light Wind I've always advocated that it's best to learn new tricks in light wind because the falls are super chill and it's easier to build muscle memory. Thing is, with the exception of our kite loop tutorials, I rarely film …

This video is for riders who can jump bit would like to go higher. It was fun speaking with Shaun because in a way we both kiteboard but we’re practicing completely different sports. Big air riders do things very differently and they have one goal. Go high and loop the kite! You need to be proficient with the basics and a solid free rider before going for maximum height. That said, Shaun had some great tips to help you take your jumps to new heights. Load those lines up with the bar all th …

Whats up guys, this week, I’m going to cover a fun and easier kiteloop based trick. With hooked in kiteboarding there’s three things that take a trick to the next level, a loop, a rotation and a grab. Moving past down all the download variations, the Bankroll Nose grab kite loop is probably the easiest powered loop trick. Its a little intense but one you can start underpowered and work your way up! Let’s get to it. Get simple Backroll kiteloops dialed first Before attempting this I want t …

This is the most basic trick and is derived from skateboarding. It's also the easiest because you can basically ollie or ride up in the same direction you were traveling. Eventually you can take this to a nose press or try to spin into it or out for more technicality and style. This is the first move you should try and it's going to open a whole new world of kiteboarding for you. Let's get to it! Prerequisites  You should be able to do all the basic unhooked tricks comfortably. Frontr …

In this video, we break down the five fundamental steps to jumping. Whether it's your first time jumping or you already know what you're doing, these steps will help you jump the right way without having too many falls. I remember learning to jump for the first couple of years and rarely having a consistent landing. Now that I know how to land most of my jumps, here's the easiest way I could think to break it down! Step one: Send the kite with the bar sheeted out. Sending the kite with the …

After years of riding, I've made a lot of mistakes along the way. The funny thing about kitesurfing is no one wants to show themselves riding bad or crashing. It occurred to me I can think of hundreds of mistakes I've made along the way. I'll be dropping these mistake videos along the way and I may even start intentional filming the right way vs the wrong way in future videos. This is going to be a fun one so lets dive right into it.  Mistake One - Riding Overpowered Kitesurfers often …

This video has been on my mind forever. I know it's going to drive some of you crazy but it must be said. Different Rules of Navigation should be observed in flat water spots. Like a slick behind a sandbar, an island or a jetty. A buddy of mine Leo Chen put it best. It's not about possession of the spot. It's about thoughtful use of a rare resource. Flat water is hard to come by and sought after for riders who are pushing their progression on the water. Love or hate this idea, I think we ca …

Today we are going over toeside to heelside transitions. Before trying this, you should know how to ride toeside and make a transition. Always remember to visualize a trick before trying it. Get these 5 easy steps in your head and see yourself doing it before going out and giving it a try! Step One: Send Kite Send the kite slowly across the wind window with the bar sheeted out, keep your hands in the middle of the bar. Step Two: Follow the Kite Twist with your shoulder and hips following …

Step One - Park your Kite Park the kite around a 45 degree angle. This applies whether you are going to your right or left. Keep the kite stable partially sheeted out. Park it high but not too high. If the kite is near noon, It will pull you off your edge. Step Two - Edge and Twist Twist into the wind so that your chest is facing upwind. While doing this, engage your heel edge and shift your feet so that your toeside edge is now digging in. As you twist you should naturally feel the need …

The Frontroll Kiteloop is one of the most exciting and scary tricks in kiteboarding. The key to learning this move is to start doing kiteloops… a lot of them! Thing is, those are kind of intimidating too! The trick to learning this is to start in extremely light winds. I'm talking about the kind of conditions where you're riding and the wind gets so light you can kind of stay upwind, you can kind of jump and you're ready to put up a bigger kite or get off the water. When this happens, you can …