Conseils kitesurf, comment s'améliorer en big air.

We've all been beginners, and making mistakes is a natural part of starting something new. However, the key to progressing from beginner to expert is the ability to identify your mistakes and continuously correct them.

Let's start with a visual tutorial featuring Gijs Wassenaar in Cape Town, the Big Air mecca of South Africa:

To make things a bit easier for all of us, and to help avoid long-term frustration and confusion, we've put together a short guide on how to prevent or correct common mistakes you might make as a progressing Big Air rider.

Tip N° 1 - Work on your pop:

We often see new riders jumping simply because the kite lifts them. If you want to go higher, you need to learn how to achieve a good pop so you don't rely solely on your kite's lift.

For a good pop, timing is crucial. Your kite should move as little as possible, and the edging should be intense and brief. Bear away, then make your board draw a nice curve and edge until the end of the movement.

Tip N° 2 - Edge to avoid going under your kite:

Edging is the action of engaging the board's rail by energetically leaning your upper body upwind and putting all your weight on your heels.

If you start your jump without enough edging, you'll move forward instead of up. A good way to practice correcting this mistake is to do unhooked tricks with the kite low and jump over waves. This gives a similar feeling to the pressure you need for a good Big Air pop.

The first ingredient for a successful jump take-off is speed. Avoid initiating your jump too close to the wind, as you won't be going very fast at that angle. When edging, you point the board into the wind, which causes a loss of speed. Before the jump take-off phase, position yourself at least on a beam reach. To gain efficiency, first make a slight bear away to pick up speed and extend your edging distance, allowing you to quickly move upwind while losing minimal speed. 

1. I bear away, I sheet in
2. I sheet out (but not too much) and I edge
3. I sheet in to get out of the water

Tip N° 3 - Send the loop at the right time:

If you loop right after your take-off, the kite will give you enormous pull, which will be very difficult for a beginner in kite loop to control. The trick is to wait a little after take-off, then pull your bar just before the highest point of your jump.

Also, start with small jumps to get familiar with the maneuver; it's important to progress gradually. 

Once you've improved and are more advanced, you can start looping earlier for more power!

Tip N° 4 - Lean into the kite during the loop:

This will cause you to move forward, in combination with a loop, and will prevent your kite from stalling and catching up to you. Make sure you are confident in the take-off before starting the loop.

Tip N° 5 - Adjust your loop:

You need to know how to adjust the rotation speed of your loop depending on the situation.

The higher you go, the more you can afford to perform a slow rotation and thus a large wingspan kite loop.

Initially, you will perform low jumps with a very fast kite rotation, then you will increase the height and size of the loop progressively as you advance, gain technique and confidence.

Tip N° 6 - Avoid loops in light wind with a large kite:

We often see beginners trying to loop in too light wind with a large kite. But, the bigger the kite, the slower it loops, which can make things a bit difficult when you're not yet sure about the timing of your kite loops.

The ideal for learning to loop is a medium-sized kite that will turn quickly, between 8 and 10m in winds between 15 and 20 knots so you don't get scared by taking too much power.

Tip N° 7 - Accidentally looping the kite during a rotation:

To avoid this, start with low rotations based on your pop and not on your kite's pull (see error 1). Remember to hold your front hand near the center of the bar to have as little steering as possible during your rotation, but still be able to pull to steer the kite when you land.

Tip N° 8 - Not keeping the kite at the zenith:

People often jump and then try to keep the kite at noon when they land. If you keep the kite at 12 o'clock during the descent, you will land catastrophically if the jump is really high.

As the kite is at noon and you move more and more under it, it ends up slightly behind you, and therefore out of the window where it can catch you.

To solve this problem, you need to pull slightly on your front hand so that the kite performs a downloop/heliloop, meaning it continues to move forward and can pass in front of you during the descent.

Tip N° 9 - Take the plunge:

If you really want to specialize in big air, don't hesitate to try short lines.

However, the kite will be much more reactive, so your technique and timing must already be spot on.

Tip N° 10 - Have confidence and commit completely #COMMITTOTHELOOP:

One of the biggest mistakes we see with Big Air beginners is that people start trying their first kite loops but doubt themselves halfway through.

When you start doubting yourself in the middle of a kite loop, you cause the kite to stop moving and crash very hard. If you decide to try a kite loop, you must commit to finishing the loop and trust your gear and your abilities. #CommitToTheLoop

One of the biggest mistakes we see with Big Air beginners is that people start trying their first kite loops but doubt themselves halfway through.

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Bonus Tip - Send a double downloop to protect your knees: