Latest News, Blog & Videos

Today we're covering one of the most sought-after tricks in kiteboarding: the backroll kiteloop, also known as the F-16. This doesn’t have to be a scary trick. Actually, most people accidentally do backroll kiteloops as they are learning their first backrolls because it is natural to pull in on your back hand as you throw the rotation.  The only thing that makes this trick scary is when you don’t know what you are doing and it gets out of control. If you can follow thes …

Today Rygo and I are going to be covering a very important topic, one that will change the way you transition forever. The reason downloops are so cool is because they're basically a shortcut to more powered transitions, used for riding waves, carving turns and riding in light winds. Make sure to do this while slightly under-powered to minimize risk of injury. This is one of our more advanced videos. The good news is that we have three tutorials you should master before attempting this trick. …

Unhooked Back Roll Basics Difficulty 2 Today we’re going to breakdown a heelside back roll. Learning the back roll is going to open the door to many other more advanced tricks that begin with this rotation. Tricks like the Back to Blind, the KGB or even Back Mobes. Like all sports, it comes down to repetition and practicing the basics.  The Back Roll is often a misunderstood trick. Not because it's overly difficult but because people often mistake it for a flip and while you can …

Down Loops are the first step in learning kiteloops. Today we are going to be going over how to land with a downloop. A downloop is different from a heli loop because they are more of a transitional loop used at the end of a jump, trick or transition. A heli loop will catch you softly, whereas a downloop will help, but more so pull you into the other direction. You may land hot, but it won’t be the same amount of pull as a kiteloop, Make sure always to land with your board pointed downw …

The Raley Level: Basics Difficulty: 2 of 10 Today we’re going to break down the raley. This is usually the first trick aspiring freestyle or wakestyle riders learn. It’s a must if you hope to progress into any other air tricks as they all stem from this basic maneuver. Best of all, it’s a lot easier than you think. While not overly difficult, the raley is at the heart of most freestyle tricks. Loads of tricks start with the raley and incorporate rolls or spins. For example, a B …

This blog will eventually be made into a complete beginners' unhooked playlist. Stand by while we film this spring. This week we're going to break down the most fundamental move in kiteboarding: the pop. In freestyle kiteboarding, all advanced kiteboarding tricks can be broken down into smaller tricks. That means you have to master the basics, and it doesn’t get any more basic than a good pop. Think of this as your foundation whether you want to progress into air tricks, the park or just g …

In season three of Ride with Blake we decided to focus on producing themed playlists. Blake and I took an RV road trip along Michigan's west coast to produce a "Jump with Style" playlist. Our aim was to teach kiteboarders how to improve the way they jumped and to help them develop a large bag of easy, yet awesome-looking kiteboarding tricks. For season four we decided to build on that idea. We'll be producing the ultimate kiteloop playlist- a progressive kiteloop playlist starting with the b …

The roast beef is arguably the best looking grab you can pair with a back roll, especially if you follow the tenets of style from our first video in this playlist. It might look like a difficult grab, but it’s actually really easy if you learn the muscle memory of the grab first. This is a trick you can master hooked in and cross over to your unhooked riding if you really want to up your game. The secret to making this trick look good is keeping the kite low and letting it pull you throu …

The foot drag is an entry level hydrofoil trick that feels amazing and doesn't take too long to learn. If you know how to sit on your foil, you're already halfway there.   We recommend you download the attached PDF on your phone. Check it before your next session! Step 1 – Practice getting low Just like our sit on a hydrofoil video, you'll want to work your way into it progressively. You can start by building muscle memory and squatting while riding. In fact, this is the exa …

If you can do a backroll and you know how to pop toe-side, then you are ready for this trick!   4 Printable Steps for the Beach Step One: Pop Harder You are going to want to edge a little harder so that you can pop harder.  Fly your kite a bit higher (around 11 - 1 o'clock) for this as well. This will help offer you a little more time in the air to finish that full 180* rotation into a back roll.  Make a tight, arching, smooth, carving turn and pull in on your bar right a …

Living in Key West Florida has it’s perks. You know, perks like kiteboarding off  of a friends boat in shallow blue water. In Episode four Blake gives you five simple tips for learning how to pop to blind. Believe it or not, riding blind is a simple progression you can learn once you are adept at riding toe side in both directions. It’s a cornerstone to spice up the landing in literally any trick you can imagine. Best of all you can learn to do it hooked in or unhooked! We're …

Today we are going to be learning a really fun, scary and feel good trick. This trick takes it to the next level in kiteboarding, and whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced rider this is a trick you should learn someday. The feeling of going up and then flying horizontally through the air is something you can’t do in any other board sport. It gives you a pure and ultimate adrenaline rush and it’s what pushes the limits in our sport of kiteboarding. I’m sure you& …

If the calendar says you're past your "expiration date", but you're still feeling a bit spry, maybe you should try some basic unhooked tricks! What is riding unhooked?  This means that you disconnect (or unhook) your control bar from your harness. Don't freak out—it's all about technique. Yes, you will be getting out of your comfort zone. Yes, you will be crashing more. Yes, it is totally worth it! If you're a wakeboarder or a snowboarder, then riding unhooked is an obvious choice fo …

How to Jump Higher Kiteboarding - Ride with Blake: Vlog 17 So you can jump, that's great! Now, you're wondering how to get more air. In this episode, Blake has 5 tips that will take you to the moon and back! So here it is, five steps for you on how to jump higher with your kiteboard. Step one: Have good board speed, a lot of people think that being overpowered will make the jump higher but that’s a common misconception. If you have to much power, you will get a lot of lateral jumps but no …

An Exploration of the Death Loop You've watched the wipe-out kiteboarding videos, right? Where we see people crashing into the water, followed by a surrounding, "oooh" from your coworkers who have huddled over to your monitor? Unfortunately, some of those kiting videos end in tragedy and it can happen because of the "death loop". Anton Chernyshov has released a video on how to "survive the death loop". We've transposed it here to increase the knowledge and safety of our riders.  What is th …