This tutorial looks at the pop. Popping is a kind of jump, except
you don’t raise the kite for lift. The pop can be difficult to master.
This is because it combines 2 different movements. The first movement that creates pop
is an upwind carve. Using your board speed, you turn quickly upwind.
Turning sharply away from the kite, like this, builds a lot of tension in the lines and
pressure under the board. This helps swing you into the air.
You can practice this carving-to-build-tension movement on its own. If you do it correctly,
you should be seeing an arc of spray a meter high or more.
The second element that creates pop, is stomping down on the board.
You start with knees bent. Then kick down on the board, especially hard on the back foot.
Pressing down on the board, pushes you up
AND pressing harder on the back foot, angles the board upwards, for a clean launch.
You can practice this movement on its own. This movement, should give a small but very quick pop from the water.
A large pop combines both the carve and stomp movements.
The carve movement uses your speed to build tension.
Then, the stomp movement gives the best launch.
Begin with medium speed, or more. Head downwind slightly.
Then lean your whole body back - dig in your heels to carve upwind sharply.
As you feel the tension rising, kick down on the board, especially the back foot.
This may seem simple, but it’s easy to make mistakes.
If you’re overpowered or riding too fast, for example, your board will skip over the
water as you try to edge. On the other hand, if you are under-powered,
edging will kill your speed. Another common mistake is to accidentally
lift the kite. Then, you don’t know if you popped or jumped using the kite. As you tense
for the pop, the back hand tends to pull more. Reposition your hands lower on the bar, and
the kite won’t climb by mistake. Pops are an excellent opportunity to improve
landings. For a smooth landing, point the board downwind
- trying to match your direction of travel. Also, let the back of the board touch down
first … then bend your knees, this softens the impact significantly.
With some practice, a strong pop can be used to improve your kite jumps.
AND, there are many fun tricks build onto your pop technique.
Good luck learning to kitesurf, subscribe for more tutorials.