Trick Tips: Hooked In Front Roll To Blind
The hooked in front roll to blind has been one of our favorite kiteboarding tricks. It requires finesse of the kite and control of your body. We will break this trick down into two key points. Before attempting this trick, make sure to be comfortable with these skills:
- Front Roll
- Pop to Blind
Front Rolls
Make sure you have complete control of your front rolls. You want to feel comfortable enough that you can do a tail grab. Doing a tail grab during a front roll to blind will help prevent you from over rotating.
Pop to Blind
Practice riding hooked in blind to the left and to the right. One side will feel more comfortable than the other, when learning front roll to blinds, practice on whichever side you feel more comfortable riding blind. Ideally you should be able to pop to blind, then ride blind for an extended period of time.
Hooked In Front Roll to Blind Key Points
We will break this trick down into two key points. One key point will focus on body position while the other key point will focus on kite control.
Key Point One: Controlled Front Roll
The key point to focus on here is body position. You should not over rotate. Go for a normal front roll. As you come around to spot your landing, wait until you’re about one foot from the water before making the motion to blind. If you’re over rotating, go for a tail grab during the front roll. The tail grab will slow your rotation and keep you level. The motion to blind is a simple 180 degree rotation. You do not need an excessive amount of speed to land blind. Focus more on committing to landing blind and traveling slightly downwind.
Key Point Two: Kite Control
The second key point will be kite control throughout the trick. Maintain the same kite control as a regular front roll. The key part to landing blind and getting the center line around your body when you land is to keep the kite high, 11 o’clock when going left and 1 o’clock when going right. If the kite is too low, it’ll be more difficult to swing the center line around your body. If the kite is too high, you’ll land but the kite won’t be in front of you so you’ll lose power and sink. Once you land, flick the kite down (in the direction you want to go). Push out on the bar and bring the bar around your head. At this point you should still have power in the kite to ride off!
