Learning how to pop is a fundamental skill to have. If you have the proper technique you can jump higher. Popping doesn’t require much use of the kite, but primarily involves the timing between tension in the control bar and board that needs to happen. Once you have the timing you can progress quicker and safer for everything from boosting to learning new tricks.
The most fundamental part to jumping is learning how to pop, or how to jump without the kite. Once you get your technique and timing down then you can add the kite in.
The Pop
There are a couple of different ways to conceptualize the pop. Before you pop, you need to make sure that you’re going upwind. Maintain your edge and build tension in the bar. Once you have your “sweet spot” in the bar you can initiate the pop.
You want to swing or drive the front of the board into the wind. It has to be in one clean motion. If you slowly drive the board into the wind, then you’ll just come to a stop or skip across the water. Get low, bend your legs and turn your hips into the wind or away from the kite. When you feel the tension build in the bar, slightly push down on your front foot and then spring off your back foot. As you progress, you can “swing” away from the kite faster and focus more on heel pressure and tension in the bar.
Kite Control
You do not need to do much with the kite. If you’re riding to the left, keep the kite parked at 11: 30/ 12 o’clock. If riding right, keep the kite parked at 12:30 or 12 o’clock. Your focus should be in the bar. With a comfortable edge, make sure your “sweet spot” is 4-8 inches from you. You can pull in on the bar as you’re about to release from the water but your focus should be more on balancing tension.
As you edge or swing the front of the board away from the kite, you will have to slightly push out on the bar. The second you release from the water is when to pull in on the bar. Focus on your timing and tension in the bar. Keeping a relaxed grip will help to feel the tension better.
