Looping, the Splendid Art
After having gone through the basic surfing operations and jump, you may like to go for something more complex and exhilarating. There are a wide variety of tricks performed by using appropriate technique. Looping is one such trick which requires adequate skill. It’s the skill in applying the right technique that makes the trick you wish to perform successful. But before going for these tricks you should have sufficient experience in kite surfing. Once you have gained enough experience and have acquired good skill in handling and maneuvering the kite, you can go for the complex tricks. It is the enhancement of the fundamentals of surfing that you see in the complex performances of experts. So, one should have excellent command over the fundamental performances of surfing, to graduate to the complex performances. If you are not confident of performing the tricks, make sure you go for a certified instructor’s guidance, until you are confident that you can go for it independently.
Let us have a look into some of the looping techniques. Attain sufficient lift and when you are standing on a level plain upright try to stabilize and maintain a consistent chop. Now try to increase speed of your board by performing a small dive with your kite. The rate of increase of speed should be rapid and steady. After maintaining a steady rate of increase in speed take a note of the distance in between wave break and the chops. When you get the feel that the board is lifting off from the surface of water, take a turn or make a flip using your body in the desired direction and rotate freely in air. That’s your loop.
Make sure you have held the bar firmly while rotating or you may end up swimming than surfing. Once you commit yourself for a full jump face forward to receive the next chop ahead of you in the right posture aiding you for a loop. If you could not finish it well and you bail out without completing the jump, you will end up hitting the waters. You need to have good concentration while practicing this trick, as there are many factors. For a successful and significant looping, right balances of those factors are vital. Losing the board or getting tangled may get you into an awkward situation. Again after you face forward on plain you can continuously go for the loops.
When you get going and you maintain the rhythm, it is easy to go for multiple loops, one after the other. Be in proper control of the release bar. Hold it firmly and make sure that your flipping does not interfere with the lines. Else you may again crash land in back waters. Make sure the release bar has not slipped of your hand when the kite turns overhead. There are many variations in the looping itself, which you will gradually learn .Your expertise in simple looping increases with greater number of surfing hours. Enjoy this looping which is the first step to many other complex performances.
