Jumping : Edging and Popping

Jumping : Edging and Popping

With bow kites now the dominating force, the mechanics of boosting have changed from the "send it and hang on" technique to a more technical method that is more equally divided between board and kite skills. While jumps are possible from either of these techniques alone, combining the two is what leads to the monster air. In this section, we will focus on the board skills of edging and popping.

The Theory

The theory of edging and popping is that by loading the lines of the kite and then pushing hard off the water, you can give yourself the initial momentum to launch a monster air. We bear downwind, then edge hard upwind putting as much tension on the lines as possible, then push straight down with our back foot, popping the board out of the water and releasing the drag, letting the tensioned lines pull us up.This also will become the basic technique behind a ralley.

Practice

Ride along with good power and speed. Park the kite at 45 degrees, or 10/2 o'clock, and slide your hands toward the middle of the bar to minimize any accidental kite movement. Flatten the board out by rolling off your heels, then immediately roll hard back onto you heels and edge hard, loading the lines. Lift your heels up to flatten the board and you should pop off the water a few feet. Practice this over and over by rolling on and off your heels, until you can comfortable edge and pop three or four feet off the water.

Now try adding a back foot stomp to help kick the board out of the water and add some extra height. As the lines load, stomp down hard on you back foot before flattening out the board. Once airborne, push the front foot down and tuck the back leg up. This should help you clear an extra few feet.

In Use

Combine this technique with your current boosting technique. Remember to give that extra "push" with the back foot right before you get pulled off the water. With the initial momentum from your edge and pop, when you pull the trigger and sheet the bar in, the kite will accelerate you into the air like never before.

You can also use this technique with a strapless board to get some air! While you can't send the kite on a strapless without doing a board grab, it is possible to use and edge and pop to ollie the board into the air.