Unhooked kiteboarding for beginners - Complete course

Welcome to the unhooked kiteboarding training course. This is a complete course that will consist of your first moves, progressively working your way up to the most advanced tricks.

The goal of this course is to start with the fundamentals and work our way up. If you follow this guide you will:

• Unlock new moments faster
• Understand each trick completely in your mind so you can visualize it before you try it
• Learn how to do each move safely

Why did I create this kiteboarding course?

I want to lead in saying that I respect all disciplines of kiteboarding. The sport is supposed to be fun and what you make of it. This guide is for those who are interested in trying something new or want to improve their freestyle / wakestyle kiteboarding quickly. We are lucky to practice a sport that is all-season, all-terrain and blends every other boardsport into one. No other sport offers the diversity, community or thrills! So why did I make this course?

I've been kiteboarding for 10 years. I got into kiteboarding because as a youth I couldn't afford a wakeboarding boat. At the time, there was this amazing wakestyle movement in kiteboarding. Over the years, riders pushed the level higher and higher. At a certain point, the level got so high it became totally un-relatable. On top of that, the only trick tips available were lacking in detail. Sure, they got right to the point, but they left so much out that I always felt lost.

The culture on the beach was changing too. I noticed that the riding level was going down. Most people regarded unhooked kiteboarding with a sense of fear. Those who did practice it were often met with respect.

This is because first-year riders with an interest were discouraged by shops and friends alike. It's true a first-year rider must learn the kite skills and safety first. No one was telling second-year riders it's okay to learn powered moves. This lead to people misunderstanding the discipline and created a lot of fear. On top of that, if you don't know how to do these tricks safely it's easier to catch an edge or hit a plateau. With practice, unhooked riding can actually be very relaxed and fun.

It is true that the competitive level moves are high risk. The speed, power and height needed is intense. That said, the basic tricks like the Back to Blind, the Blind Judge or even Blind Judge Three are not that difficult for the average person to obtain if they know the way.

How to use this course

This is a progressive approach to learning based on deliberate practice and useful drills. You'll know what you are practicing and why you are practicing it. You'll be able to look ahead and see the end goal in your mind.

All advanced kiteboarding tricks are combinations of the fundamental moves. If you master the fundamentals, you can start combining them later once you have developed the muscle memory.

• Review the goals listed for each video
• Watch the video and master the move in your mind
• Visualize before your session & use the free PDF on you phone
• Practice it on the water
• Each video will lead into your next step

For each lesson, I'll explain why you are learning these skills and what they will do for your riding. With this understanding, the path is laid out easily for you.

How long does it take to master kiteboarding?

Have you heard of the 10,000 hour rule for mastery? Well, you can speed up the process immensely by knowing where you are going and using deliberate practice. You focus on one skill at a time. While on the water, try it. When you fail, think about what you did wrong and try again.

The videos will teach you how to visualize the trick. They each have a full written guide linked in the video and a free PDF for your phone. After reviewing the video a few times, download the PDF on your phone. Before your next session, review the PDF and visualize yourself landing the trick. Commit and believe you can! Next, get out there and try over and over!

Most importantly, have fun with it. Don't take it too seriously, and learn to love the process! Enjoy crashing, enjoy swimming in the water as you re-launch your kite. The joy of kiteboarding is the struggle! Knowing why you are doing something makes it easy and fun. Each lesson will take time but it will also keep kiteboarding fresh for you and give you something to be excited about. Having a mission for each session is fun and you will progress without hitting long plateaus.

If you need any help, add me and shoot me a message on  instagram.

Are you committed to progression? Let's go!

Lesson One - The Unhooked Pop

Building your foundation

Goals for this video

• Learning to unhook
• Learning the powered pop slowly and safely
• Learning how to land correctly
• Dealing with difficult conditions

Master the drills in this video before moving on to any other step. The only exception is Lesson Two: The Surface Pass. You can learn both of these at the same time. They will give you the fundamentals to progress into air tricks, spinning, and learning how to land blind or wrapped.

These two drills are going to set your muscle memory for every other trick. Practice as long as it takes to get the form correct. You'll thank yourself later.

Lesson Two -  The Surface Pass

Introduction to passing the bar & blind / wrapped landings

Goals for this video:

• Pass the bar safely
• Practice for the first air pass
• Develop muscle memory for blind and wrapped landings

This move will teach you how to pass the bar in a low-consequence environment. You'll also be spending a lot of hours riding in the blind and wrapped position. The movement is almost identical to a blind landing or even an air pass. Not only are you building the muscle memory for all of these tricks, you are learning how to ride downwind to take the power out of landing.

The biggest fear in kiteboarding is catching an edge while powered. This drill will teach you how to control the power and become comfortable with powered moves.

Lesson Three - The Raley

Your first powered air trick

Goals for this video:

• Learn fundamentals of air tricks
• Become air & body aware
• Develop the muscle memory for shiftys

The Raley is an exciting point in your kiteboarding. This is the first powered air trick and leads into all the others. You will be building on the skills covered in our popping video and taking them to the next level. The goal of this video is to help you develop air and body awareness.

I've included variations of the Raley, too: the late release and shiftys. These two techniques will help when you move on to mobes, or late back rolls. The shifty will prepare you for adding style to this basic trick or to make actual rotations look bigger later on. Working on these basic skills and developing control now will pay off in droves later when you do advance.

Lesson Four - The Back Roll 

Your first powered Roll

Goals for this video:

• Learn fundamentals of off axis rolls 
• Become air & body aware
• Develop the muscle memory for rotations 

This might be the most popular trick in kiteboarding. This is actually even easier than the raley. This will be your first roll in kiteboarding. It's going to open the door to many other more advanced tricks that begin with this rotation.

The back roll is often a misunderstood trick, not because it's overly difficult but because people often mistake it for a flip. While you can invert your back rolls into a flip, more often than not they look more like an off axis 360. This is where you want to start, and it leads to a lot of fun progressions. Pair this with a front 180 and you have a back to revert. Add a back 180 and you have the back-to-blind. Take that a step further with the backside 360 and you have the KGB.

Lesson Five - The Front Roll

Your first redirection 

Goals for this video:

• Learn fundamentals of off axis rolls
• Become air & body aware
• Develop the muscle memory for front rotations 

Of all the basic moves, this might be the best looking and will give you the most bang for your buck as far as style. This is usually learned after the back roll and, while it's not difficult, it can be harder to learn if you don't have the right technique. Speaking of technique, there are two ways to initiate the front roll.

Two variations

While learning, I struggled to get this right and it always felt a bit off. In this video, I'm going to cover two different techniques for you to try while learning. Chances are, one will feel more natural and help you learn faster. At the very least, these two variations will help you develop your own style and build your air awareness.

This is a fun move, not only because it's the best looking of the basic tricks, but also because it's going to unlock all the tricks that require this initial rotation, like the Front to Revert, the S-Bend or the Front to Blind. Personally I think that's the best-looking trick in kiteboarding. The main goal of this playlist is to show you that all the advanced moves in kiteboarding are fundamental moves combined. The best way to progress is to practice the basics until they are natural. From there, you can start combining the fundamentals for more advanced progressions. Get these on lock and you are on your way to some advanced riding.

Lesson Six - Raley to Toeside 

Your first rotation 

Goals for this video:

• Learn fundamentals of pairing tricks
• Learn fundamentals of rotations 
• Develop the muscle memory for front rotations

This is a simple move that will make your raley and landings look better. If you add a grab, it will make you look like an advanced rider. This is a fun easy trick and one you should practice often. Landing toeside will also prepare you for blind and wrapped landings later on. 

Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling the world and pursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people who pulled the trigger. A few years into his career, he decided to change everything and travel as a kiteboarder, freelance videographer & writer. His mission is to share the stoke & help people put the boarding into their kiteboarding. Get outside and kite!

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Producer of: Ride with Blake I Sessions I Versus I Destinations I Foil Fridays