prastis said..
I am not an expert in physics etc. but can't we argue that in the tree example as well as with kite, there is a chance that instead of going into the air in an arc, you just kill the speed and come to a complete stop?
Definitely, in fact a slide turn is pretty much exactly that; a slow change of direction upwind until your speed drops sufficiently enough to transition the other way.
Recall the first point to focus on:
The more sudden the change of direction, the more like an anchor the kite is going to be. If you turn slowly, the kite will have time to react and dump the power by slipping to another part of the wind window. You need to be going away from the kite super, SUPER fast.
The thing is if you look closely in most hooked in videos, most riders don't even stomp their foot that much and they still get a decent pop.
It's a bit like pumping a wave or tic-tacking a skateboard in that experts make it look effortless. They may not even be thinking "sink in the back foot, load up the lines, release the power upward", but they are doing it on autopilot.
As I said in my first post, one of my major problems is that as soon as I try to stomp and edge hard, my body comes into a squatting position close to the water butt position, my board almost comes vertical to the water which has the result of me loosing the connection with the water, and I choke the kite with my waist harness cause I pull it as I lean back.
edge hard - yep.
body into a squatting position - that's fine (see woosports ep 4. Body Position below)
board almost vertical - if you mean the front of the board, yep. If you mean the edge of the board, Ok, but only to really carve upwind.
choke the kite - yep (this is making sure it stays where it is and acts like an anchor to pull against)
The problem I am referring that I am loosing contact with the water is as Lewis describes from 1.23 to 1.31 min into the video.
I think Lewis covered that pretty well. If the board is skipping in front of you, the back part of the board has slipped. Work on your edge and drive that back fin into the water to keep the board turning (not slipping).
I can't think of myself leaning forward from the squat position I get into in order to release the edge, but then again, in most hooked in load and pop videos, most riders don't even get into the hard edging position that you see in the unhooked videos so I may try to have a more upstand position for hooked.
This may be the main cause of your troubles.
Here's another thought experiment:
Imagine if you're having a tug-of-war with your mate. You are leaning back a lot to hold the strain of the rope. Now what will happen if you give in and stand upright, but still hang onto the rope? You'll get flung forward fast!
When you are loading up all the power from heading away from the kite, you then need to stand upright to 'give in' and allow the pull of the kite to start taking you upwards rather than holding the power until it eventually fades.
The timing of this 'give in' is critical too. You want to keep practicing hard carves upwind and find a point where the pull was the most, then time the release at that point.
The speed of the 'give in' is also important. Remember that you are expecting to leave the water heading away from the kite (at 40 degrees in the above example), so when you feel that the pull is the greatest in the lines you want to make sure that your weight is now moving upward quickly and the front of your board is pointing upward quickly. The transition is so fast it feels more like you are throwing yourself forward rather than just standing upright.
Yes, you can start practicing with a more upright starting position and not lean into the carve as much, just focus on heading away from the kite as quickly as possible. The more you lean back the more scary the release will be, but you will also hold more power for a higher pop. Just remember that the load and pop effect gets amplified by the speed and timing of all these elements, so don't expect anything over 50cm when you are starting to put it all together.
