Hey guys,

Started lessons October last year and have become absolutely hooked on this fantastic sport! Picked up my gear in December and haven't looked back.

I'm currently at the stage where I can ride toe-side both directions comfortably, can carve turns, and can do small jumps comfortably. I am able to do bigger jumps but am probably landing them well 50% of the time. Once I'm right up in the air I'm not 100% on what to do with the kite so sometimes I end up swinging well under the kite, and sometimes I steer it down too fast and I hit the water HARD and FAST. I figured this is a lot to do with my technique, so I want to go back and get some of the core skills down properly.

Something I am struggling with at the moment is load and Pop... I've watched countless youtube videos (and have watched the progression DVD's) but I can't seem to get it down. I edge hard, and try to turn upwind hard but I seem to just put a lot of drag on the board and come to a stop, I just don't POP!

Would be great to hear how you guys got it down!

Hey Chris, this may be like the blind leading the mostly able sighted, but from perspective, you need a. good power with the kite stable at 45 and b. bear off down wind before your snap back up wind.

But I suck so don't listen to me.

May be on to something there Salty! I think I'm being to reserved going into it, just need to commit fully to it. A bit more speed and power.

Don't sell yourself short! That 'Newbies - lessons learnt' thread you started has been one of my best learning resources to date!

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chrisbchips said..

May be on to something there Salty! I think I'm being to reserved going into it, just need to commit fully to it. A bit more speed and power.

Don't sell yourself short! That 'Newbies - lessons learnt' thread you started has been one of my best learning resources to date!

Thanks Chris...

So silly question, but is your query about ascent jumping (as high as possible), or load-and-pop jumping?

I'm hit and miss with the load and pop. On a good day I've jumped as high as an ascent jump. On a bad day I do a 'chrisbchips' and run out of steam. I find it's helpful to load into a wave which gives more loading time...

The best advice I got on the ascent jumpbs is to get the ktie right over your head (from 1 to 11). you should find this pulls you more vertically rather than pinging you off down wind and overtaking your kite's travel down wind...

Good luck with it.

Hey Chris, IMO this is one of those progressions where you can read as much about as you want but unless you can get someone watching you and giving some feedback you will end up being frustrated for quite a while. My suggestion would be to contact your local kite shop or shops and see if they are doing any freestyle clinics and get along to one. I was having the same issue but went to clinic three weeks ago and now everything is nice and consistent and I know what I am not doing and how to improve it. Just some food for thought.

I think your edging up wind for too long.

Try this.

Fang at full speed. yes full speed. the faster the better.

Get some good pace and good edge against the kite.

Send the kite back with the bar out. from 11 to 1 or 1 to 11 depending on the direction your travelling.

At the same time load up the rail buy carving upwind hard.

As you feel the lift coming on pull the bar in and pop/ release out of the water.

Whamo, up you go.

Keep the bar in until you get all to max height.

Redirect the kite above you. let that bar out maybe halfway. above half way down or so redirect the kite hard down in front of you pulling the bar full in a couple of feet before you land.....

land softly and ride away grinning.

Plummet that is the best decryption of load and pop I have ever seen written...kudos man.

chur bro.

Check these out

&

Yep definatly about timing the pop before you have lost too much speed, pull kite up to twelve and pull te bar in and really push off with your feet!

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Plummet said..

chur bro.

Full respect on the tip MATE but please (pretty please) speak Aussie or come with subtitles

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Plummet said...
I think your edging up wind for too long.

Try this.

Fang at full speed. yes full speed. the faster the better.

Get some good pace and good edge against the kite.

Send the kite back with the bar out. from 11 to 1 or 1 to 11 depending on the direction your travelling.

At the same time load up the rail buy carving upwind hard.

As you feel the lift coming on pull the bar in and pop/ release out of the water.

Whamo, up you go.

Keep the bar in until you get all to max height.

Redirect the kite above you. let that bar out maybe halfway. above half way down or so redirect the kite hard down in front of you pulling the bar full in a couple of feet before you land.....

land softly and ride away grinning.

Think he's talking about powered pop not sent pop

^^^ No, he is describing a sent jump, which includes load and pop with butter soft landing.

Salty, don't bear off downwind at all, follow Plum's advice to the tee and u will find u will do the perfect jump every single time.

If u can, use the chop or any wave as a launch ramp for that extra high booooooooost It's ALL about the timing!

I think the load and pop jumping u are referring to is called chop hop.

Thanks heaps for the tips guys!

I should have clarified a bit - It is boosted jumping that I'm struggling with a bit (the landing - can't seem to get it consistently soft). But I figured I better get the individual elements down properly first, starting at the load and pop without using the kite for lift. I think you guys called it powered load and pop??

Anyways, wind is on so I'm on my way to try your tips!! Thanks heaps!

Progress today, but still not feeling it. A little frustrating to be stuck on this seemingly simple move.

It takes all my concentration to get it right, pick up as much speed as I can, edge hard, back foot pressure to turn the board up wind but just not really popping. Had a few successful attempts but it felt like the pop was coming more from me jumping. It didn't feel like a springboard.

On the upside, I was becoming slightly more consistent landing jumps!

Bring on some more wind! Thanks for the tips guys.

find some flat water if possible. Heaps easier to try when you don't have to worry about chop.

also its more of a slice out of the water than a springboard effect.

I suck at this too darn load n pop

I really struggled with this too until just recently. I feel like I'm finally getting it and getting some good pop (but being unable to see myself I probably just suck less than a week ago).

I found riding powered up and on flat water helps ALOT, especially the flat water. Being on flat water will let you get a bit more speed without feeling like you're out of control and being powered up will let the kite pull you harder off the water. What I started doing is pulling about an inch of depower off so that when sheet the bar all the way in it feels like I'm cranking. Made a huge difference. After that it's a matter of timing the load and pop right.

tl;dr so I hope this isn't a repeat but...

Are you bearing off (going downwind) a little first, too?

Ever been on a trampoline or a diving board? Think of your load n' pop as jumping like that - you gotta load up the trampoline and wait for it to sag, then spring back before using your legs to increase your boing.

Steps...
riding with the kite parked at 10 = standing on the trampoline
bear off a little = first jump up into the air
edge upwind = sinking into the tramp
release your edge = springing up when the tramp starts to rebound

That last step's timing will depend on your board, your kite, your body etc - it's something you have to get a feel for.

As others pointed out, sounds like you're digging into your edge too long - like landing on a tramp with your knees bent like a gorilla and refusing to straighten them using them to bounce...

Also I think don't watch wake style vids - unless that's what you're planning on doing... it's my opinion that they load up harder and longer than regular folk need to for popping jumps, doubling little waves etc.

Kami and Plums have it right.

I found at first that I was actually scared of jumping thinking of the worst - being lofted, not enough room, etc etc.

Kite jumping is really a leap of faith - I am sure even the pros get butterflys. Especially if you mega loop.

Personally, I don't even look at the kite, I "know" where it's at and simply do what Plums said - bring the kite from 1 to 11 and aim up wind quickly. The lift comes naturally after that.

I've found the best way to learn any new trick is just to find some one thats doing it well and get schooled by them, lucky for me my mates way ahead.

Agree to follow behind have them do the trick once or twice what ever take note of every thing they are doing, then you take lead give it a go while they trail behind you, if you didn't pull it off you stop and generally the other rider will have a bunch of pointers of what your doing wrong set out again and keep trying, or go back to watching again and so on. The view you get from trailing behind seems far better than watching youtube vids shot form the shore or some thing.

I found this works mint normally do it on the 2nd or 3rd time, then just need to fine tune it to look stylish.

I was having a lot of trouble with this one aswell until just recently I have made a bit of improvement. I used to send the kite too far back and crash horribly or send it smashing down in front of me and crash horribly. What I was doing was holding the bar out at the ends and using only the kite and not the board to jump. I was also practising in choppy water which made things harder. I then managed to luck into a couple good powered uncrowded sessions on butter flat water :) and could adjust technique. I started to hold the bar in close to the center and instead of yanking the bar and catapulting I would build up speed, carve hard upwind and at the same time pull the bar in and send it up gently and bring it back gently keeping it pretty high for a softer landing. I then went out next session on a really powered up choppy day and completely kooked everything so if you can find a good spot of Flatwater without too many people that is where the breakthroughs happen

Chop can be useful for boosting off but get the load n' pop down first.

After reading this thread last time, I wondered if you could load n' pop THEN send the kite. You can but it's too weird and you'll get better height doing it properly.

I might be wrong but... I find that smooth works best for height, both with the bar and the board. Get too aggressive with either and you're wasting energy by drag.

You can survive sending the kite way the hell back - you get a wicked YOINK up - but you gotta be quick getting the kite back over your head for a clean redirect...

Thank you all, i have just been jumping on my nugget using waves as ramps, but all this discussion about pop, loading and shooting the the kite to twelve oclock has started me down the big floaty air path.

I ran all the suggested tips through my mind a few days ago and achieved 'controlled air time' on the nugget and a 17 metre blade first go, and it was a lovely soft landing....... And now i can't stop!!!!!!! Except for when I screw it up badly and fly the kite way past 12 oclock (have inverted the kite twice now doing this).

Thanks for all the suggestions, flying time has arrived!