Hi all
Anyone got any tips on how to land as soft as a feather? I like boosting high but my old knees don't like the landing. Very occasionally I'll nail it but can't work out what I did right.
Suggestions?
dive the kite as you land to get forward momentum or try turning the kite mid air
It's all about nailing that redirect. Get it right and you'll get a nice little horizontal tug and float right before you land, all about timing.
How I do it....
Jumping on a starboard tack
1. Blah blah jump
2. Send the kite back to 11, 1130
3. Leave it there!
4. On the way down, redirect the kite
5. Land with the board downwind and ride away, edging back upwind.
There are two key points - three and the timing for four.
If you redirect too early, you'll land heavy and fast. Ouch.
If you redirect too late, you'll splash down and sink.
Time it right and you'll have the kiite providing lift and forward speed on landing. The lift as the kite goes back overhead from 11 to 1 softens the landing and the extra horizontal speed lets you ride away smoothly.
A proper redireat begins much later than you think...
If you bring the kite back to 12 only, you likely swing under it and land like a rock (saying from past experience :-). What you do is to bring the kite back up to 1pm, and only then bring it back. The result is that (1) your kite is always somewhat downwind from you so no swinging under it; (2) as you bring it back forwards you get a slight extra lift; (3) if the timing is right you land with a speed not too fast, but enough to touch the water like feather even on the chops with the kite is between 10 and 11. It is not going to happen always quite like that in gusty winds... and if you have a dodgy knee, don't downloop on the chops...
The type of kite is key to a soft landing.... Think about getting a higher aspect kite that glides you longer and lands you softer.
That said you can get a soft landing with any kite with the right technique. But each kite/size likes slightly different technique/redirect point for a pillowy landing.
Yourl have to practice to find those points on all your kites.
But here's some ideas.
* Leave the kite sent back for longer then wang it past the zenith mid jump
* Let the bar out on the way down! then bar in and hard redirect just before landing.
* Down loop on just before the landing works well.
* Go faster! Have more board speed. Stalling mid air can mean your kite looses power and drops you.
* Let the kite breath! more bar out throughout the jump. A stalled kite can drop you fast.
Yep you guys are right, dive kite just before hitting water, on big landings my kite is usually close to hitting the water at the end of the dive.
Also you board position, angle, direction, soft legs. The first point of impact is important, try to get the inside edge of tail to touch first.
On starboard tack, take kite to 11, when you feel you are at the peak, keep turning it left so it loops and it will fling you up and propel you forward, giving you a smooth downwind landing.
Look at the way Len10 controls and directs the kite in this video (ffwd to 2.20), especially when he's just about to land. Kami is spot on.
Epiphany! Down stroke changes vertical motion to horizontal one, doh! Now why didn't I work that one out sooner. Now if I only had some wind to test it out....
Select to expand quoteflyingcab said..
Downlooping makes it super smooth!! just fast
I agree !
To get a smooth and soft landing from any height you need that little upward lift just before landing. People who have their kite already past 12 clock when landing a Jump will generally land harder. This example is how it works in my head. I don't know if anyone else can understand my dribble :)
When riding right to left (left foot forward) and boosting, I'll redirect my kite from around 10 - O'clock to 1 - O'clock and boost.
As I'm about to land around 1-1.5 mtr off the water I'll redirect my kite. My kite will be going from 1 O'clock back down to around 10 as I land. If you think of a clock face, In the direction that I am traveling, left foot forward, 12 OClock is higher then 1 o'clock. So As I redirect my kite from 1 o'clock at around 1-1.5mtr off the water and hit 12 o'clock i'll get slight upward momentum from the kite just prior to hitting the water giving you a butter smooth landing Everytime. If your kite is already past that high point of the 'clock' when you redirect you won't generate any sort of uplift and your landings won't be as smooth.
Did any of that make sense? It did in my head
Its easy to tell someone to just redirect the kite before landing. But knowing how it works helped me a lot.
Land with your front foot quite high- nearly equal with your back leg knee
The board is at least 45 degrees to the water. The back of the board will sink on landing and it'll automatically flatten out. You'll barely even feel the impact. This works at any speed. It's great for the knees
What kite do you have?
Some kites lift high then drop fast
Ozone Edge is a boosting master with feather soft landings every time
Select to expand quotedaggy said...
Land with your front foot quite high- nearly equal with your back leg knee
The board is at least 45 degrees to the water. The back of the board will sink on landing and it'll automatically flatten out. You'll barely even feel the impact. This works at any speed. It's great for the knees
What kite do you have?
Some kites lift high then drop fast
Ozone Edge is a boosting master with feather soft landings every time
When people land like that you know they are kooks.
You want to stomp your landings!
I land my Back Roll Kite Loops like this. How do you land yours?
I think you may have missed the point of the original question.
I stomp my F16's.
Stomping a landing doesn't mean falling from 5 metres with your knees and hips locked straight..
Select to expand quoteflyingcab said..
I stomp my F16's.
Stomping a landing doesn't mean falling from 5 metres with your knees and hips locked straight..
No one will actually take advice from a torso wearing budgy smugglers when the can take advice from a dog!
