Théo de Blic's Tutorial - Basic Ground Handling : Cobra Launch/Throw&Go/Kiting... - Paragliding

Théo de Blic's tutorials is a free web serie where I give a few usefull tips on various aspect of paragliding. The tips I give are coming from an already long career as a professional pilot in acro paragliding.
In today's episode I will talk about basic ground handling technics and exercises. Ground handling is one of the most important aspect of paragliding and it's of the utmost importance to train it and to master it in order to fly safe. Unfortunately it's rarely done and many pilots lack a lot of ground control. Most of time because they feel it un uninteresting to ground handle. In this tutorial I am trying to give you a fun way to train ground handling through fun exercises that will both increase your ground handling skills and your general ground control.
Of course it is hard to give all the advices I'd like to give in such a small format. I would have liked to talked further about killing the wing, how not to get dragged etc but this will be for another video.
Due to some technical issue my sound recording system failed, therefore sometimes there are some wind noises and voice over. I apologize in advance for that!
Pilot : Théo de BLIC
Wing : Mentor7-LIGHT S
Camera : BimagineFilms - Augustin Binet
00:05 Intro
00:59 Basic notions
03:50 Cobra Launch
05:29 Sideway kiting
07:03 Precision kiting
09:14 Kiting
12:06 Moving along with inflations
14:20 Step and go
15:43 Throw and go
18:05 Conclusion

[@jonathancallewaert940]

Really nice to see that one of the best acro pilots is also making basic ground handling videos like this. Thanks, Théo 🙏

[@cumuluslibre]

Groundhandling is awesome.. love it even after 15 years.

[@insaninsano3607]

the video is perfect,thank u a lot I just finished the paragliding course, it took me a few days, I learned very little because most schools here teach the towing method,I'll try to learn on my own because I can't afford to spend more money thx again from poland

[@user-uj8sn9lc4l]

Thank you for sharing. Bravo! I enjoyed watching while in office at work 😜

[@BlaiseinSky]

High level fun!

[@MaEtUgR]

I definitely learned multiple things from this video. Can't wait to try out how it helps me in practise. You never stop learn- I mean groundhandling 😉

[@michaelkainbacher6696]

Merci beaucoup Theo..! 🖖🏻😎

[@fervillafuerte]

love you Theo thanks for these videos

[@neerajkulkarni6506]

More tutorials like this please. This is awesome.

[@gekill637]

당신은 정말 기술적인면도 쉽게 이해할수 있게 말해주지만 이번엔 정말 우리가 배워야할 효율적인 글라이더 운영법을 알려주네요. 고맙습니다.

[@alexsakon]

Good stuff theo

[@nathanjaroszynski6210]

Merci ! 😊 Très motivant!!

[@huepix]

The video producer in me needs two cameras so you can cut from mid shot, (showing hands on risers etc), to wide shot (showing the whole wing so we can see what's happening), and better sound. A lapel mic with radio transmitter costs a bit I guess, or you could do the voice over in post (as you did near the end). But I'm still grateful for the free advice and encouragement.

[@HasnatFlyer]

So Nice

[@ulfmarten]

Thx for these valuable tips- Groundhandling IS fun, now I have learnt some more to test!!

[@WalidOfNow]

Thanks Theo! I have been waiting for you to release a ground handling video and you definitely made a good!

[@markmcgoveran6811]

You make it look so easy I'm not sure you're from the same planet I am.lol (). Thanks for mentioning the difference between the large wing in the small weighing in the long lines in the short lines when you do these techniques. I'm flying heavy on and epsilon 9 on the biggest size they got and it would be very hard to throw that Wing hard enough to have it all puff up and catch wind like it should. It looks like a circus tent flying over you.

[@huepix]

I enjoy groundhandling. I sometimes take the wing for a walk between trees, down the beach etc. Lean forward until my nose is nearly touching the ground, then brake to haul myself up.

[@ujindaddy]

Thanks for the great tips you mentioned. You influence me a lot these days.😊

[@artunbayrak5176]

Greatttttt

[@user-ci8fl3vz9b]

Respect

[@Affenrotze]

Theo‘s first tutorial where even I can say that some of the maneuvers are „that easy“. 😄

[@afacxdx]

Thanks to this video,🙏 I succeeded to realise my first cobra launch 🖕 Surprisingly, it was not as easy as it looks to be on the video🤣 However, after several failures and few succefull launches, it started to be as easy as Théo said.... well ALMOST as easy😁 I'm stil not so gentle with the chair !!! Thank you very much for all your videos ! A question/suggestion, Could you plan a video about the buterfly landing ? Would you recommand to master the stalling point of the gliders before learning the buterfly landing ? I look forward for you answer

[@phillipmudge5152]

Thank you 👍🏽🤙🏽🪂

[@joshuaclark9831]

I think the Mentor 7 light is my next glider. I was torn between the PHI Maestro and the Mentor 7 light.

[@PolyActif]

Some people stay for the total video, including acknowledgment and bonus 😉 Excellent tutorial ! More groundhandling tips and exercises please ! 😃 Question : If I practice a lot of backfly on the ground, will it help me for stall, backfly and helico maybe (one day...) in the air ? I haven't try in the air for now but I can keep a long time my wing in backfly on the ground.

[@theoflies]

Thanks for staying :) Yes it definitely helps ! I won’t lie it won’t be solve all the issues of the stalls cause there are several moments in there. But being able to hold a stable backfly on the ground will help you do the same in the air!

[@PolyActif]

@@theoflies Thanks ! 🙏

[@pope_skymaster]

Hi Theo, is it possible to do SAT and/or B Stall wit the M7?

[@franckpascal3238]

Merci

[@Vl7248]

What is the location? Very beautiful background.

[@redhawk9883]

👌👍

[@candidoalcantara6718]

REALLY NICE VIDEO, GRACIAS AMIGO

[@tropikaldrone]

Wow amigo, un video muy interesante, me suscribo a tu canal 😊😉👍

[@jumpleadsx2]

Good work! Nice tall grass to fall into

[@kkongga]

thanks😊😊😊😊 i will practice a lot!!🎉🎉🎉

[@CFMET]

🙏🙏

[@PURPL_beats]

💯

[@tobiasfeil1993]

I wonder why the glider wasn't filmed most of the time?

[@edwardbeuerlein2768]

What was wind speed during this day?

[@theoflies]

It was changing a lot from 10kph to 40kph ! A storm was growing so we had all kind of wind which was challenging. Better to stick to a steady 20

[@PhilippeBatoux]

génial tous ces autos mais c'est jamais facile pour un pilote normal !

[@ripmanridin7092]

Everyone should watch this video!

[@franzkienesberger9552]

The cobra "lunch"😅 Theo, best man OK!

[@theoflies]

😂😂😅

[@amirhobabi]

Thanl you Theo I love your tutorial videos18:09

[@stst9121]

No need to let the breaks go. NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Never.

[@chrisstevens4680]

100%!!!

[@amartin7197]

Salut Théo ! Quelle est donc ta sellette ?

[@theoflies]

C’est la dernière sellette d’acro woody valley qui devrait sortir en 2023

[@amartin7197]

Elle a l'air super shaped !!! 🤩

[@MinhNguyen-ov6qe]

This guy alway say easy 🤣😜

[@KusAza-vx1lb]

Yol

[@chrisstevens4680]

I totally disagree with your methods, you should always have your brakes in BOTH your hands BEFORE you attempt to launch. Right hand for right side of the glider and left hand for the left side of the glider ready for flight, none of this changing hands and taking the brakes after you have turned round. What happens if you are gusted/picked up off launch by a strong thermal without your brakes in your hands? You are out of control if you can’t put in an immediate brake response. You are demoing in light conditions, when it gets stronger the people that you are mentoring are going to be serious trouble!

[@alexsakon]

I agree with you but he was talking about just ground handling. Listen to him at the end when he does a throw and fly he said to have your brakes in hands to take off. I thought that it was weird when he said it at the beginning so I watched again.

[@chrisstevens4680]

@@alexsakon All I would say is that you should practice the same way you intend to fly. If you adopt his methods and flew in the UK or Spain, where it is generally windy or extremely thermic, you would be an accident waiting to happen.

[@action-nerd]

Then your decision to launch at all is bad. Having hands free has benefits of pulling whatever line is required at the time - this is called active kiting, without intention to launch, as opposed to 'getting ready to launch immediately'.

[@parikshitde3147]

‘Eazzie’?!!!….Theo’s smile and that word insinuates a feeling of queerness!

[@turkeyphant]

Theo is obviously incredibly talented but unfortunately he's not a good teacher. A lot of this is much easier if you think about it in other ways and a lot is just explained really badly.

[@boknowsdivorce]

Well please produce a video for us to watch. I am always up for making things easier to learn.

[@cecilemagnier7113]

I think it would be more helpful if Théo was explaining things to a newbie (in the video). Here things go quite fast, and we do not learn any correction for when things do not go as planned :D !

[@bendoherty3129]

I think hes a good teacher. Watching his other videos he explains things well.

[@action-nerd]

If it's so obvious why are you not producing / linking alternate videos? What specifically are you referring to

[@bluedun48]

Quel dommage de na pas parler en Français , je ne suis pas persuadé qu il y ai plus de vue en parlant en anglais 😊

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Lui il est persuade puisqu'il a accès aux stats dans KZbin Studio, y compris le pays de ceux qui regardent. A noter également que le revenu par mille varie suivant le pays de la personne qui regarde, avec les Etats-Unis loins en tête.