The Blind Judge 3 is a continuation of the Blind Judge. Rather than landing a 180-degree handlepass, the Blind Judge 3 is a 360-degree rotation. The rotation is a backside handlepass or a rotation that requires you to look over your back shoulder.
Progression Step 1
Unhooked Raleys. Click the link if you’re working on perfecting your unhooked raleys. Before progressing towards a blind judge, you want to make sure you generate enough pop to complete the rotation. Focus on your kite position, keep your kite at 11:30 or 12:30. Keeping the kite a little higher, (11: 30 or 12:30), will help generate a higher pop. At the apex of your jump, flick the kite downwards. This motion will help create slack making it easier to complete the handlepass.
Progression Step 2
Raley to Blind. Before going for the Blind Judge, get comfortable with raley to blinds. The raley to blind does not need much height. There’s two key points for this trick. The first key point is to pull the bar down towards your front hip. Pulling the bar towards your front hip will make it easy to complete the handlepass. This motion will also help create slack in the kite. The second key point is to commit to the rotation. The rotation is a 180-degree backside turn. Make sure to look over your back shoulder and spot your landing.
Progression Step 3
Blind Judge. You’ll have to pop higher to get the handlepass in the air or rotate faster. There’s two key points to making this trick easier. The first key point is focusing on the handlepass. To make the handlepass easier keep your elbows closer together for more leverage and exaggerate the effort to pull the bar in towards your front hip. The second key point is the rotation. To rotate faster, commit to looking over your back shoulder. As you look backwards, you also want to bend your front leg. Bending your front leg will make the rotation and handlepass easier for this trick.
Blind Judge 3: Key Points
By now you’re comfortable doing Blind Judges and want to get that extra 180 degree rotation for the Blind Judge 3. Two things to focus on is the pop and the handlepass. You want to pop higher and commit to the handlepass sooner.
Key Point One: Pop Higher
Two ways to pop higher, keep the kite high and ride faster. The kite should be positioned around 11:30 or 12:30 to maximize the height of the pop. Keeping the kite at 12 would make this trick more of a danglepass and decrease the amount of slack. Ride faster but in a way where the pop is still controlled and manageable.
Key Point Two: Chin Tucked Down & Look Over Back Shoulder
To help complete the 360-degree rotation, keep your chin tucked down and look over your back shoulder. This motion will help you to stay balanced as you make the handlepass. Once you complete the handlepass, continue to look over your back shoulder. Once you spot your landing, kick your front foot up and forward to land heelside.
