How to Jump kitesurfing Ride with Blake

In this video, we break down the five fundamental steps to jumping. Whether it's your first time jumping or you already know what you're doing, these steps will help you jump the right way without having too many falls.

I remember learning to jump for the first couple of years and rarely having a consistent landing. Now that I know how to land most of my jumps, here's the easiest way I could think to break it down!

Step one: Send the kite with the bar sheeted out.

Sending the kite with the bar sheeted out gives it time to lift without pulling you off of your edge. If you pull in on the bar as it rises up, it will scoop the kite in the power zone and pull you downwind.

Step two: Edge into the wind

As the kite is rising up, edge into the wind rather than staying in a straight line. This will create tension in the lines and give you more of a vertical lift. If you find your jumps are pulling you downwind, it could be that you are not edging against the kite enough.

Step three: Pull in on the bar

Right as your kite is reaching the zenith, pull in on the bar, and release your board from the water. Weighting the back leg and pulling up on your front knee will help get a stronger pop. The timing of this is key and takes some practice before you get the muscle memory down.

Step four: Sheet out

As you've reached the peak of your jump and start the descent, sheet out on the bar and re-direct the kite back down. If the kite stays at the zenith, it will swing you under it and drop you out of the sky. This is probably the most common mistake we all make when learning how to jump.

Step 5: Point downwind

The last and final step is the most crucial for landing your jumps every time. Simply keep your front knee to your chest until you are nearing the water and point the board downwind for landing. You want to have a flat board coming down on the water, rather than trying to land on an edge. Having the board flat allows for it to catch you with the most surface area on the water without sinking in or falling on your back. Get all of your weight centered over the board as you land and then pull in on the bar. If you need to do a few power strokes to get back on plane that is okay. It's better to lose some ground downwind and ride away than crash and have to reset.

So that's it for this week! I hope this video helps you get your first jumps or simply jump a little better.