This tutorial explains: -small practice jumps
-how to progress to medium jumps -and looks at common mistakes
First we look at the kite control for a small jump.
Raise the kite slowly.
At 12, pull in the bar to launch.
As you land, steer the kite back to its original position, to continue riding.
Let's review that with a jump to the left.. -Raise the kite
-At 12, pull in the bar for lift. -Dive the kite forward as you land
to continue riding.
Now, let's look more closely at the small practice jump.
To jump you don't need to ride quickly.
BUT, you MUST lean back and keep your upwind edge.
Keep hands close together to reduce accidental steering.
Raise the kite slowly. Keep your edge.
Pull in the bar at 12 to launch.
When you're about to land, steer the kite forward to keep you moving.
Point the board downwind and touch down with the back foot first.
The height of your jump is primarily controlled by how quickly you raise the kite to 12.
This is useful for training.
If you're new to jumping, raise the kite very slowly. You will barely leave the water, but
it's good practice.
As you progress, raise the kite to 12 slightly quicker.
When you're ready, steer the kite up to 12 quickly, and you will jump much higher.
Now we'll look closely at a medium jump, as there are some important differences in technique.
For medium jumps, you don't need to ride quickly, BUT you must keep your upwind edge.
Steer the kite up a little quicker.
At 12, pull in the bar to launch – and pop upwind if you can.
As soon as you launch a medium jump, you must immediately focus on the kite.
Make sure the kite is at 12 and the bar is in. This gives the most lift from the kite,
and stops you from falling quickly.
You only move the kite from 12, just before you touch down.
A late firm dive to 1 o'clock will keep plenty of lift, and give you enough sideways pull
to ride away.
Be careful not to dive the kite too early during a medium jump.
If you dive early, the kite will reach a low angle.
Which gives almost no lift, and results in heavy landings.
On the other hand, if you dive too late, you will sink ... as you have no sideways pull
from the kite.
Another problem with leaving the kite at 12 as you land, is a high chance of stalling.
As you descend, the kite can actually fly upwind of you. So when you land the kite drops.
This is known as a front stall, and can be prevented by gently steering your kite on
landing.
As you progress beyond small jumps, it is more likely that
accidental rotation will affect you.
Firstly, try not to panic. Keep the bar straight and avoid steering,
so the kite sticks near 12.
You can also fix minor rotations. Drop your legs and shoulders back and push the harness
forwards. The kite's pull on the harness, will then turn you to face downwind.
As mentioned, you must keep your upwind edge into the jump, or even pop upwind.
Riding upwind at take off, makes you launch vertically.
If you loose your upwind edge - you take off horizontally.
This makes a big difference.
When you take off without edging, you launch downwind, and the kite flies quickly upwind,
out of the power.
The best you can hope for is a long low jump.
Sometimes, loosing your edge is a result of pulling in the bar early. If you bring in
the bar as the kite climbs, the power drags you off your edge.
This is why we keep the bar out as the kite is raised.
Good luck learning to jump. In the 2nd part of this tutorial we focus on how to jump higher.