This guide will help you get started with the unhooked backroll.
First let’s walkthrough the trick.
The kite should hold position during the unhooked backroll.
We do NOT steer the kite up for lift.
Center your hands on the bar to avoid steering.
Ride downwind, to reduce line tension, and unhook.
Carve upwind.
Edge so much that the nose is pointing approximately upwind on take off.
This will start your rotation.
With unhooked rolls, you must also throw your head and torso into the roll.
This will get the bar around early in the trick, then your line tension will pull your
body to face the kite.
Turning your upper body and head into the rotation also helps you spot the landing.
Bend your knees and hips to absorb the landing.
Hooked in rolls can be done without throwing your head and body into the rotation. But
with unhooked rolls you really need to lead with your upper body.
Let’s review that riding the other way.
Ride downwind. Unhook.
Edge hard, even as the kite pulls, and carve far upwind.
Allow your legs to swing back and throw your upper body into the rotation.
Bend your knees and hips to absorb the landing.
To reduce risks, you can gain experience with the following steps.
Start with hooked backrolls, but don’t steer the kite up for lift.
Park the kite, then use more pop and body rotation to complete the backroll.
Next, you can try unhooked backrolls, in light wind, with the kite sitting a little higher
for support.
With a higher kite you won’t need as much pop or rotation.
With a lower kite you will need more board speed, more pop and a more aggressive rotation.
It’s important that the kite holds position, or drops slightly.
You definitely don’t want the kite to steer up and launch an accidental unhooked jump.
Steering up is common, as people tend to pull harder with the back hand while unhooked.
To avoid this have your hands close to the center, or slightly shifted down, the bar.
Being unhooked gives less control over the kites power, of course, but it does give you
the ability to control rotation using line tension.
As mentioned, you can increase rotation speed by twisting your upper body and bringing the
bar around early. Line tension will pull you through the backroll.
But you can also slow or stop rotation.
Once you are facing the kite, if you are still rotating too much, pull the bar to your side,
and use line tension to stop the rotation.
Thanks for watching. Open our playlist for more unhooked tricks.