Strapless kitesurfing with Willow

A solid pop is the foundation for all future strapless tricks, so make sure you know what you’re doing.

For your first easy pop, ride crosswind; to “take off,” keep your back leg straight and front leg bent. To avoid losing the board, edge it into the wind with your toes. For landing, steer the kite down and touch down downwind. That’s your first strapless pop done.

Time to learn your first strapless jumps.

For the jump, send the kite to 12 o’clock, bend your front leg and extend your back leg. Don’t forget to point your toes into the wind. Keep the kite at 12 until you land downwind. Nice—your first strapless jump is in the bag.

For this trick it’s key not to reach for the board, but to pull your legs up after takeoff and bring the board close to you.
If you try to grab with straight legs, it takes longer and is much harder. So keep your knees bent and bring the board in. Then go for the grab.

One of the most important points for a kite-powered grab is to jump high. Feel the hangtime and float when you go for the grab. Send the kite up quickly and sheet in firmly to get full lift.
The biggest mistake people make is reaching for the board instead of bringing it to them. Bend your knees and pull the board toward your body. It’ll come into range by itself and you can grab it with ease.

To land a clean frontside 180°, focus on your board’s movement.
If you rotate it wrong or don’t use wind to control it, it’ll drop away. As you land on the nose, shift most of your weight forward.
If you load the tail, the fins will catch and you’ll lose control.

Once you’ve nailed the “frontside 180°”, the step to “frontside 180° to wrapped” isn’t big. As before, focus on board control. Land nose first with fins forward and bend your knees for stability. Next, take your front hand off the bar and use your back hand to pass the bar behind your back. As you pass, add slight pressure on the fins to start the spin. Once you’ve rotated, steer the kite down and ride on.

Tip: If you put too much weight on the tail, the fins catch and you lose control.

For a stylish one-footer, start with a normal jump. As you leave the water, tuck your back knee and grab the board near the tail. Then lift your back foot off and kick it forward. For landing, pull your leg back in and place it on the pad.

Tip: You can kick your leg forward or back away from the board. Try both—it’s easier than you think!

The “toeside 180°” is quite simple. Ride toeside, then pop aggressively into the wind and release your front hand. Letting go with the front hand makes initiating the spin much easier. Land with fins forward and most weight on the nose so the fins don’t catch—then cruise away.

Tip: For extra style, try adding a front-hand board grab!

Once you’ve stuck the toeside 180°, try the next step: toeside 180° to wrapped. As with the toeside 180°, shift your weight to the nose on landing. Also try switching the hand on the bar at landing: start with the back hand, then swap to the front. If you forget, the second rotation gets tough. Aim to pass the bar around your body at the same time as the second spin.

Once you’ve passed the bar and ride away toeside, you’ve nailed it.

A little teaser of what’s ahead: one of the most stylish yet demanding tricks—the strapless front roll.
It’s the queen of strapless moves. Make sure you’ve got enough speed before taking off. Rotate on your vertical axis; for faster rotation, turn your head and push your hips forward. For landing, bend your front leg and extend your back leg.
Voilà.