5 tips to JUMP HIGHER on flat water // SA Masterclass

Here are my personal tips to jump higher with kiteboarding.
This video is focussed on flat water, but most of the tips also work for take offs on waves.
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Filming: José Denis-Robichaud
Cover picture: José Denis-Robichaud
Recommended kite: corekites.com/us/kites/XR6
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[@Tobeon2]

No. 4!! Jump right before 12 O'clock!! Thank you... 😍

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Happy that you got a good tip out of it! Hopefully you can go and practise it soon

[@hugovolzoliveira6913]

Watched all kitesurfing jump tip videos on KZbin over the past weeks while training jumps, and this one has the most critical tips! Thanks!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Awesome to hear that! I'm very happy that you enjoyed the video.

[@tareklimem]

Thanks for the tipps! Absolutely true

[@stevenakkersdijk]

It's my pleasure man! Happy you can get something out of it

[@mishaz6030]

These are probably the best tips not just for higher jumping, but for jumping in general. Thanks a lot man!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you like them!

[@philounoname8909]

Excellent... correction, the most excellent video that explains the essentials about jumping high. Thanks so much. I watched 50 videos on jump tutorials and now I want to take my XR5 on the water and try again.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Awesome, thank you! That is really good to hear. Hope you get some wind soon to send it 🤙

[@andymoss4285]

Dude! Thanks for this video. I’ve beaten my previous PR 5 times today. Taken my best jump from 8.4m up to 11.7m I just needed a bit of that secret sauce, I think the most important part for me was the angle of my pop into the wind, it just sent me up like never before 👌 Still buzzing!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Awesome! Sounds like you had a 🔥🚀 day! The angle in to the wind is often what people forget. Up to new heights 🤙

[@vikingh3008]

Really enjoy your videos, your explanations are fantastic

[@stevenakkersdijk]

That's awesome to hear man! I'll keep them coming!

[@vikingh3008]

Steven Akkersdijk I’m 90kg and I’m looking to get a quiver of 3 xr6 kites, I’m currently on cabrinha switchblades have 7,9,12m and a 15m contra, 9 out of 10 sessions I’m on my 9m or 12m at the moment, 1 out of 10 sessions I will be using my 7m it 15m, I’m looking to scale down to 3 kites as I travel a lot, Which 3 sizes in xr do you recommend ?

[@gethighwithmike]

Sick video brother!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks bro! Need to do something in these times right ;-)

[@kitingholger9826]

Thanks Steven! Looking forward to trying out your tips soon - likely in Workum or Mirns...🏄🏽‍♂️🚀

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Awesome! Wouldn't be a better place to try them out. If there is some chop, try and jump between it and use the chop as the kicker. This will help you a lot to get even higher. You'll need to edge in to the wind very short and explosive for this though.

[@kitingholger9826]

Steven Akkersdijk Great! Thanks!!😄🤙🏼

[@lennardkite3264]

Nice! I always try to jump higher in flat water (because at my homespot I don't have big waves). Today I try some these tips 😉

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Nice man! Have fun and stay safe ;-)

[@pakorabako4515]

Dzieki czlowieku rozwiazales moj problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@stokedsender2142]

Thanks for that, especially for mentioning the 45° angle take off tip. Any plans to do a similar video with hints to jump higher in a chop? Don't get a flat water here and it's quite a mission to get the speed and kicker through the never ending onshore chop and waves, any tips from a pro are welcome :-)

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Happy it helps! The tips in chop are quite similar to these. The only thing you can do different is the timing of your takeoff. Try and place it between the chop and use the little chop as a kicker, it takes a lot of practise and your timing needs to be good, but that's the way I can manage the most height.

[@nicolasboudet9302]

My home spot is very very choppy with currents coming from several directions so it is quite difficult to get good edge, good speed and to adjust the steering time to get kite at 12 on a good kicker as there is less than 1m between the previous wave and the 1 you spot🥴. Any advice for these conditions?

[@andymoss4285]

@@nicolasboudet9302 for me it’s about a good string posture and using the spring in your legs to absorb the lumps, then apply everything in this video. Good luck landing on the moon

[@lennardkite3264]

Thanks steven today I tried these tricks with my 6m Nexus again. I jumped my First time 11 meters 🥳 ✌ (before I jumped around 7/8 meters) 🤙

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Awesome man! Rocking it

[@fysalides1]

Great tips! Thanx Steven. My problem is that i ride too much upwind -ex windsurfer- (when i see the tracks other kiters follow on the field) so i have lesser speed and i dont know how to correct that...

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Stelios I never heard that someone is riding to much upwind 😉 Luckily for you that's easier to correct than riding to much downwind. Try and put a bit more weight in the middle of the board (don't lean back to much). Like that you should be able to build up more speed and therefor jump higher. Do make sure that you edge properly in to the wind at the last second before the jump though. Cheers Steven

[@lazarostheodosiadis1263]

Very nice video 👍🏼 Can you make a video with the right movement on your feet in slow motion?🙏🏻😁🙏🏻😇

[@stevenakkersdijk]

I think I'll do a full breakdown of the jump in one of my upcoming videos. Still getting quite a couple of questions in here that I would like to include in that video.

[@deeearnshaw9551]

Hi Steven, thanks again for this, I’ve found it really helpful. A related question please- I see you use carved boards- which one is your “go to” for jumping big?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Dee. Sorry for the late reply. I ride a custom Carved Tantrum, as i like a very stiff board. The imperator is a really nice big air board though and the new fusion or choice are also good options. Just need to see what you want in a board.

[@brenthayward852]

Thanks for the tips you legend! I have been riding XR6s for half a year now and am jumping 13m. I really want to be able to go 20+ but I find the kite pulls me so hard when I'm loading up line tension. Really hard to keep the edge on my 137x41 Core fusion 4. I feel like something needs to change in my preload to be able to control the forces and go up not downwind. The XR6 pulls me hard constantly and even with my bar out completely I still struggle to get it to 12 without losing the edge.. I'm going to keep practicing but some advice would be cherished!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Brent. It sounds like you're riding in with too much speed. Try to slow everything down a little. (riding speed and the steering of the kite towards 12) Start really slow, you'll probably jump less high, but focus on the technique and upwind carve / pop. If this is right you can start increasing the speed again.

[@sophientlch]

Hi Steven, thanks for all the videos you make. I have a problem, on flat water, it is easy for me to carve, edge and jump. As soon as I am on choppy water or some little waves, I can't do anything anymore. And I can't find any video on that particular subject. Any advices?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Riding and jumping in chop definitely is a lot harder. Try and find the little gaps between the chop and focus on taking off in there.

[@lifeofgarrick]

Thanks Steven! Great content and awesome video to watch. My 2 questions about jumping on an (XR4) for you is: 1) When I'm approaching my jump - will having my kite lower to water and then yanking it up to zenneth give me a higher jump? 2) When sending the kite to zenneth do you have your bar pulled all the way in while sending it OR is your bar sheeted out while you steer it to zenneth. (My understanding is when its sheeted out it will ensure your kite flies straight above your head?)

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Garrick. Thanks for your feedback. - When you approach your jump the lowest you should have your kite is 45° (between 1 and 2 or 11 and 10) Personally I would even suggest to keep it higher at 1 or 11 as this will make the kite pass above you more and less in front. - When steering your kite up to 12 and edging in to the wind it's important to feel the power in the kite. Personally I mostly jump with the bar halfway sheeted in. Like that it sits a bit more at the edge of the wind window as you said yourself. Hope this answers your questions :-)

[@lifeofgarrick]

@@stevenakkersdijk thanks! Yes it does! The reason I asked about having kite low to water as this is what another kite video suggested as you get more power from speed of kite. I have tried it and felt like it worked- but then again I have had issues with kite flying too far in front of me... I'll give your tips a go when this lockdown is over and when the wind blows! Keep up these videos - they are really easy to watch and content rich 👍

[@stevenakkersdijk]

@@lifeofgarrick yup some people say it's better. If you manage to get everything right I guess you could start doing it. But in general I would never send it from lower than 45°

[@lifeofgarrick]

@@stevenakkersdijk awesome! Thanks again for tour advice - I'll keep trying to go higher 👌

[@SteveHofsaess]

@@stevenakkersdijk The above answer is priceless,,, you like to keep the kite at around 11 or 1 before jumping, and you keep the bar sheeted out about halfway.. When do you fully sheet in the bar? at Zenith or around 1/2 hour before? My bucket list is kiteloops , while in the air,, Which Duotone kite is best for this trick. Would you say the Dice or Evo?

[@lennardkite3264]

Can you explane in a Video what the effect of bouncing before a jump is and how can I bounce?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Sometimes I love doing it, especially when there is some chop. You can for instance hop over the chop and then its easier to keep your rail when edging upwind. But it's hard to do perfect, so I would just stick with a normal way of edging in to the wind.

[@giu.kitesurf]

hey Steven, how its going? I'm working so hard to getting up my jumps. but its too dificult, I have a couple question! 1- How avoid loose the edge while it sending? 2 - Which position is better to ride before sendit? parellel to wind(it means, wind is hitting my full back?) or totally against the wind , like maximum upwind, where the wind is hitting my forward shoulder? tks mate

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Giuliano, Sorry for the late reply. Completely missed this comment. Hope you had some good sessions in the meantime. Not loosing the edge is a mix of feeling the board and carefully balance your foot pressure. Tail slides out? more front foot pressure. Rail slides out and doesn't cut through the water? More pressure on the heels. Riding direction would be parallel to the wind. (cross wind) When riding upwind it's hard to gain speed. When going to much downwind it's hard to keep line tension and take off in to the wind. Hope this helps.

[@strekke1986]

My issue often is that while edging upwind right before take-off, I slow down way to much and lose all my speed/momentum, resulting in a less explosive take off and overall lower jump. Any tips on how to prevent that?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Most likely because you're edging for to long. If you don't make it short you will slow down a lot. You could also try entering the trick with a higher base speed

[@coregts3504]

for big air is it more preferable to use 22m lines or 24m. and whats the advantage. ive heard the 24,s will get cleaner wind and a bigger window more power, however 22,s will turn the kite faster past 12 also to gain more power on the xr5/6 you ant tips on this?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey, have you seen my video about the Line lengths? This should answer all your questions 😉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXm3Zaemg9iEeKM

[@stcattc]

Hey question on the 45 degree take off. Is it fine to ride fully upwind before carving hard? Or is it best to ride crosswind and then the take off of the board (after the carving motion) is the same angle you would be riding when fully upwind? So essentially, the 45 degree take off, is that applied when riding cross wind , or when riding upwind?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

It is best to ride cross wind before you initiate all your steps for the jump as that is the best course to gain speed for your jump. So the 45 degrees also counts from a crosswind course.

[@nailujollober]

Amen.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Oh yeah. How are you doing man? Also locked inside in Spain right?

[@nailujollober]

@@stevenakkersdijk yeah duude, so hard to be locked down while nature is delivering us good conditions (don't watch our forecast) but what about you? I heard you still have the chance to go out, isn't it? I really hope this shit doesn't hit your country like this one buddy... I hope to see you soon around my friend. And I wish you and your family and friends to stay healthy. 💪🏽💪🏽

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Yeah it sucks big time. The Netherlands is actually doing pretty good, but I'm in Mauritius where we're on full lockdown. Sucks big time, but I'm having some hopes they'll ease up on the rules.

[@nailujollober]

@@stevenakkersdijk aah shit.... I didn't know it. Here it seems like things are improving little by little, so, at least hope shines a bit. I wish you all the best buddy ;-)

[@stevenakkersdijk]

@@nailujollober Same to you man! Hope all this flies over relatively quick

[@izmirfication]

Hi, wanna know that 45 angle tip more.while flyin kite from 1 to 12 clock kite pulls very fast, no time to move front leg otherwise it can effect my body position and kite will pull to wrong side, and crash water.Can we say its better to back foot follows the front while take off from water, any tip to visualize this movement '45 angle' tip.. Thanks so much

[@stevenakkersdijk]

I'm not sure if I understand you question correct. But you don't have to steer fast in the beginning. Start by steering the kite slowly so you can get the timing in better. If you then steer harder you will need to speed up the process

[@izmirfication]

@@stevenakkersdijk my english is not good, sorry🙂 Ok, I get what you mean about steering the kite, I focus on board control while taking off from water, tip 2,I dont think that much about my board having a 45 angle towards the wind, maybe I am missing that part while taking off,thats what I tried to make clear,Thanks for your interest.. ✌🏻

[@jondeur2686]

Hey Steven. Great instructional video! I need help! I’ve been kiting for 8 years and I’m about ready to give it up if I don’t start jumping better. I’m just not jumping nearly high enough. I think it’s partly not loading and popping enough but also timing. I’m just not nailing it. I have three videos on my KZbin channel that I wish you would look at and tell me what’s wrong. They’re all dated September 14, 2020. The pink kite is a 12meter in 30mph winds. The green kite is 14meter in 20-25. I’m 6’4” tall and weigh 220 pounds. Help!!!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Jon Sorry for the late reply, I missed this comment. I think it's time to start and really put some effort in that jump because you're timing seems pretty good 😉 Looking at your videos I can see that you're hanging in your kite at the take off and not really pushing on your board. In order to go high it's important to build up line tension and resist to the power of the kite, this means building up speed (on the green kite you're not riding fast enough) and then really lean back with your bum as close to the water as possible whilst digging in your heels. This should make for a way bigger spray as you try and edge towards the wind. This should help a lot!

[@jondeur2686]

Steven Akkersdijk Thanks so much Steven. That is very helpful advice and I will definitely try to do that. I know what you're saying is the key to jumping higher. But in my mind I don't know the feeling of the perfect timing of the jump. I send the kite to 12 but I just don't feel the moment to push off. Edge hard upwind, bum to the water, and push off with the back foot. I know it all happens in a second but I wonder what tells you it's now time for liftoff. There has to be something that tells you it's time to fly. The whole sequence takes more time for a 14 meter than for an 8meter.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

@@jondeur2686 It's a lot about feeling and looking back at what you did. For me it's ust feeling at the moment and it needs a lot of trial and error to get there.

[@jondeur2686]

Steven Akkersdijk thanks so much Steven. That's what I was afraid you would say. Unfortunately, my errors are are starting to catch up with my trials. But your advice is good and encouraging.

[@hugovolzoliveira6913]

Tip 3 is key and very few people talk about it

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks, I'm happy that it helped you out!

[@jimmyjames1411]

I think that when I jump around 11 and keep kite moving to 12 I get a floaty feel. Maybe I’m wrong

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Floaty but most likely far instead of high. Try and take off a little bit after your kite passed 11. Best is around 11:30

[@sks-nz6mz]

water is flat?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

😅 depends where you ride I guess

[@happyhippy3391]

Sweeet....

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks!

[@GizmoChinaRu]

Thanks for the tips, seems helpful and inline with my own thoughts, however disliked the core product placement. Want to be non-biased - do the homework and present at least a bunch of others. From the top of my head: -Airush lift -Duotone rebel -Cabrinha velocity -Blade trigger -Ocean rodeo rise

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Sorry to hear that you disliked the product placement. I was just stating a fact, the top 5 riders at that time in the Woo leaderboard all did their jump with a CORE XR. But I'll try and offer more examples from other brands in my upcoming videos

[@adrianhart367]

Height isn’t everything......all about the loop

[@stevenakkersdijk]

I guess there's many ways to look at it. For me the loop is also more important, but height is still one of the easiest things to measure and achieve when you first start jumping