Handle Pass Training

So i’m here and the generator has broken, classic.

I’m trying to find a positive upside to waiting for a delivery of a new rip cord with the classic delivery time of 9am-9pm which if anyone has ever done before is the most frustrating thing in the whole world.

What kind of person has 12 hours to sit on their arse and and just wait.

A Long road to an Air Pass

Kitesurfing for me is about the journey, it’s about being able to look at yourself and say “okay, i’m here, i want to be there, how do I do that?” I live and work in a fantastic place for Kitesurfing but lets be honest it’s not a balmy temperature and very rarely do we get the ‘hairdryer’ winds of the thermal type. Down here we sail storm fronts. It’s super gnarly and to be frank there’s a whole bunch of people that come for kitesurfing lessons just to be able to cope with the conditions.

Moving forward at a steady pace can be difficult when the wind is not always readily available which is why I can be found from time to time hanging upside down on my practice bar. I would suggest for anyone who is trying to dial in their passes spending some time on a practice bar will tell you a lot about what you need to work on in a very short space of time.

Set yourself up for success.

  1. Check your knots. Make sure your bar will hold your weight
  2. Set a timer. 10 mins is great
  3. Warm up. Don’t break yourself before you hit the second minute.
  4. Just go for it!
  5. Film yourself.

My Latest Attempts

Here’s what I learnt.

  1. I am not rotating enough. If you look at my attempts a lot of them are landing backwards, no wonder I am catching so many back edges. I need to rotate more.
  2. I am not rotating fast enough. Some of my attempts were much better than others, the ones where my arms are kept in are much quicker when spinning. Keep arms in.

Next steps.

  1. Work on not using the legs at all for the dangle passes. This will hopefully build strength.
  2. Try to over rotate, i.e. aim for a full 360, not just a 180.
  3. Keep my arms in.
  4. If it’s windy, practice surface passes.