Take unhooked backrolls to the next level with a backroll to blind. To learn how to backroll to blind, you want to be proficient at unhooked backrolls and raley to blinds. A backroll to blind is an unhooked backroll where you stop your rotation and rotate 180 degrees the other way. This is a fun trick since you have to stop your rotation midway in the air and rotate the opposite direction. Here are our key points.
Backroll to Blind Pop
Go into this trick with slightly more speed than a normal unhooked backroll. The key point will to stomp off your back foot to create a higher vertical pop. Creating a vertical pop will give you more slack in the kite and time in the air to rotate. Before attempting this trick, practice an unhooked backroll with more height and more slack.
Extend Your Body
You do not need to keep the bar in your hip as you pop off the water. Extend your body out and up. The reason behind this theory is to focus on creating as much of a vertical pop as possible.
Pull the Bar
As you approach the apex of your jump, pull the bar in to your front hip as hard as possible. Keep your elbows close together to increase your leverage and strength. When you feel the bar begin to get “light” or slack, let go of your back hand. As you let go of your back hand, look over your back shoulder. Looking over your back shoulder will help you commit to the rotation. Keep looking over your back shoulder until you spot your landing. The two key points to this trick are to let go of your back hand and to look over your back shoulder.
Land Slightly Downwind
Land with your weight slightly back and the board traveling slightly downwind. Hook back in and continue to edge back upwind.
Backroll to blinds are a fun trick that feels good to land. As you get better with this trick, go for the handlepass sooner. Focus on pulling the bar in harder and sooner for the airpass. Once you get the airpass, the next progression will be a KGB or a backroll with a backside 360 airpass. Another fun variation to the backroll to blind is to add different types of grabs.
