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This week's tip is going to be short and to the point. It’s a stylish variation of the pop and an important movement pattern that builds on many things for later on in your progression. This will be your first 180, and a good introduction to landing toeside with power. Remember, landing blind is just toeside with the kite behind your back. Aside from that, you'll be learning how to rotate frontside. This is important for tricks like the rally to wrapped or the back to revert. Later on, this i …

Today we are going to cover a 360 Kiteloop Transition. This is an advanced trick and it builds on the 360 video we did in this playlist. This is an extremely fun kiteboarding transition and is not as scary as you might think. You simply pop into a light backroll with no inversion. Like a hand drag, the kite swings across the window to keep you aloft. You then pull a kiteloop-and-a-half on the edge of the window. This pulls you the other direction. Nail this one and you’ll turn some heads …

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 safelyWhy did I create this kiteboarding course? I want t …

Today we're going to break down a heelside back roll. 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 …

This is going to be another quick, information-packed blog. I wanted to cover a question we get almost daily: How do I pick the right size kite? This video is aimed at new riders, but I will address intermediate riders at the end of this blog. When picking the correct size kiteboarding kite, there are four things to consider: How much do you weigh? Is this your first kite or are you adding to your quiver? What kind of conditions will you be riding in? What style of kite are you looking at? …

Last time on Sessions, we were in Portugal catching up with Christophe Tack in his home lagoon. It's been a busy summer since then. Blake and I were able to check out the 2020 Cabrinha products in the Florida Keys. From there we made our way to Spain with Duotone and eventually Morocco for the new North product release. Normally I'd release our Sessions chronologically but I wanted to introduce a couple of new faces to the team. This week we're visiting the heart of North American kiteboardi …

I get asked all the time, “How do you keep progressing” or “How do you stay motivated”? These are completely valid questions. Most kiteboarders will experience plateaus in their progression or times where it is difficult for them to get to the next level. Whether this is working up the courage to send a first jump or bringing it all together to land that first handlepass, we all face similar challenges holding us back from our next big progression breakthrough. A lot of …

Today we are going to go over how to do a backroll to toeside with a downloop transition  This is one of the most stylish kiteboarding transitional-based tricks you can do. It's also probably one of the easiest.  You only have to do a half backroll; the loop timing can be modified for skill and the grab comes very naturally. If you watched and learned from our Jump with Style playlist, we filmed a couple backroll videos like the backroll stalefish and the backroll tail grab. We also …

Today we are going to go over how to do a Kiteloop Front Roll. This trick is a fun one. People call it a front roll kiteloop and Ruben Lenten coined this trick as a Boogie loop. I would call a massive mega loop front roll a boogie and an average one a front roll kiteloop. It doesn’t really matter what it’s called because it’s the same thing so call it what you like. This trick feels strange at first because you and the kite are rotating in opposite directions. However once …

Last time on Sessions we explored Key West and the Canary Islands with our team rider Blake Olsen. We were filming for our  kiteloop playlist and just enjoying the islands with good friends. It was so much fun visiting what has become one of my favorite cities for kiteboarding in the USA. The only downside was that I had just injured my knee snowboarding and I had to sit out on most of the riding on both of these trips!  Testing the Liquid Force NV V9  Getting back on the wa …

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 …