Learning from the BEST in 40 knots! // Kiteboarding SA Masterclass

The Big Air Kite League in Capetown was a mental competition where everyone went massive!
I filmed the riders to analyze their performance and see what we can learn from their take off, landing and crashes. Enjoy the video and don't be shy to leave a comment!
00:44 Take off
02:19 Landings
08:24 Rotations
09:52 Crashes
12:20 Double loops
Riders: Angely Bouillot, Francesca Maini, Cohan van Dijk, Giel Vlugt, Jason van der Spuy, Evan Klein and Jeremy Burlando
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[@Gielvlugt]

Legend!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

You are the legend here 😉

[@AdrianKerr]

Great video mate!!!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks Adrian! Glad you like it 🤙

[@carptackula7536]

More content like this! ❤

[@stevenakkersdijk]

I'll see what I can do for you!

[@willowsurfs]

Love the new format!! Definitely enjoyed it a lot 🙌🏼

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks bro! Your commentary in the background was great in this video. 🤙

[@joshvanstee-theTood]

Nice breakdown of tricks Steven…very helpful

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BenjaminLovelady]

Rotations mid-air are mostly a matter of angular momentum. If you want a visual representation, look up "Slow Motion Flipping Cat" but the explanation is: You start with a large moment of inertia, react against that, and then reduce your moment of inertia to spin quickly, increasing it again when you are done with the rotation. We do have a stable force vector from the kite, and we can contort our body so that it provides a torque around our rotation axis, but you don't need it, and even if you rely on it, you need to manage angular momentum to place yourself in the right orientation for the line tension to spin you.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Been a while since I last followed a physics class, but I think I understand what you mean 😉 Interesting to read the physics behind it and compare it to the real world. The easiest rotations is for sure the one where you initiate it on the take off, but there is certain rotations that are initiated by the way you steer your kite. Find those very interesting.

[@Baptiste_L]

Great video ! More of Angely, especially when she laughs 😃

[@stevenakkersdijk]

🤙

[@johnrossmacneill1123]

This video is perfect and well timed! Thanks for all your efforts Steven

[@stevenakkersdijk]

My pleasure!

[@alexcelli2545]

Steven Akkersdijk number one!!!This is a GREAT idea!!!more of these pls!!!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@johnravensbergen3324]

Steven, Love the content. Always look forward to your vids

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you like them!

[@kitesurfpro-wingfoilpro]

Thanks Steven, great video!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

My pleasure!

[@lyonmcleod6070]

Awesome, really enjoyed this one. Thank you!!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

My pleasure!

[@jhaslam2000]

Good job Steven! I love the analysis.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks! Much appreciated 🤙

[@tmotten]

Awesome format. Getting the insights is top

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@ilkcan17]

Thanks man 🎉 Good quality work

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thank you too!

[@cinzoghafri9146]

Amazing knowledge and videography bruuuu 🔥🔥🔥

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thank you 🙌

[@wrkwilli]

Immer Top und super Analyse

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Danke!

[@turntup4906]

Sick video bro!!!!! Jew them comming. Learned allot from the heli loop clips. Going to play with that more

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Happy that it was useful to you! keep on shredding 🤙

[@soulkiteaustralia1773]

Nice , thats a great break down , well thought through criteria and great analysis 🤙

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching and commenting 🤙

[@joannemclaughlin2615]

Steven, Love the analysis. Great perspective.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@guillaumecalvar3148]

Very interesting ! Thanks

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you liked it!

[@Roepstek]

Super nice video, taking it to the next level with reviewing the technical details 👍🏽👍🏽

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Much appreciated!

[@Periclesz]

best videos in the game

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thank you 🤙

[@OneLaunchKiteboarding]

As usual, pretty interesting to watch and listen. A very good way to confront our point of view with yours so as to see if we understand situations the same way. Thanks !

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Glad you liked the video. Was a bit of an experiment to see if it works out, but I do enjoy this format and think we can all still learn a lot from these riders!

[@andrebrink8043]

Brilliant content bro - thank you. I can only pull those tricks in my dreams / nightmares 🙂. I like the analysis and can apply to just a standard jump. Thank you!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

That's great to hear. I was hoping that people could apply this to their riding as well, so it's nice to have that confirmed.

[@kitingholger9826]

Well done Steven - so much to learn from - just need to get back on the water sometime soon🌊☀️😊

[@stevenakkersdijk]

There is only so much that you can learn from watching videos. At some point you need to apply it to your riding. Hope you get out on the water soon!

[@Elbarrito]

I like this kind of explaining videos. Your way of explaining the technical background including aerodynamics is great. Keep up the great work. Respect to your ground spiral 😉 I do paragliding for more than 20 years, do SAT etc., but never dare the death spiral.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks Martin! Glad you're enjoying the videos. I'm super stoked with the ground spiral, applied the same techniques as I do with learning a new kite trick. Break it down in small steps and start adding them together. It's still a big commitment though 🙈

[@sberemski]

Would love a tutorial on doing a late rotation on the way down. I have not been able to find one. Thanks for the great vid and footage.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Once I figured them out I'll probably work on a video. This is some very advanced stuff though

[@michellenesigurdson7081]

Per usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. You're an excellent communicator!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Yay! Thank you!

[@michellenesigurdson7081]

@@stevenakkersdijk Thank you!

[@TheSmokingace]

I LIKE IT ;)

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Awesome! Glad to hear that

[@carlitosboss]

The best!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Those riders sure are 🤙

[@carlitosboss]

@@stevenakkersdijk the lesson as well 👌

[@KITEFORUMcom]

Great video, thx! But Heliloop is heliloop, not a downloop. Can be forward or backward. Maybe one can say there is a kiteloop (backhand), downloop (front hand), Megaloop (high kiteloop backhand) and Contraloop (high downloop fronthand)

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thanks Toby, appreciate this comment. I do agree with you in hindsight, guess I'll have to address that mistake in a different video 😅

[@KITEFORUMcom]

@@stevenakkersdijk please do, I am sure many would appreciate a video like that, since so many things are named differently. Same with tricks, getting very confusing. Looking forward to it 👍🏻

[@BenjaminLovelady]

I worry that at this point we've lost the battle. For some reason dutch guys like to call them downloops, and with so many of the best riders from the netherlands, it's spread to most of the other pros too... 😂 I do think that how we've defined a kiteloop as backhand is kinda weird, as I think that should be an umbrella term. I also like to differentiate between a "helli-loop" and "landing loop" as a helli-loop gives you vertical lift or slows you down and a landing loop is for maintaining line tension on landing.

[@McNether]

03:03 following this definiton some "double loops" you see are not actually two kiteloops because the second one is initiated after the apex of the jump. I really like this definition because some people tend to call everything "double loop" where the kite goes around twice. And I also saw in competitions that the rider was letting the kite fly a little towards 12 before pulling the second loop which looks boring compared to a real double loop down in the power zone.

[@stevenakkersdijk]

There is a big difference in the way that riders pull the double loop. Personally I really enjoy watching Giel his double and S loops as he flows straight in to them. Where other riders let te kite recover before initiating the 2nd part as you mentioned.

[@christophhering8204]

Danke

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Bitte 🤙

[@MrViolity]

Cool video, Steven! Could you maybe explain how to do a backroll/frontroll when already having a decent hight. Basically is it possible to do a 'late" roll without a kiteloop in the air?

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Thoma, it is possible but not really easy. The loop gives you energy to initiate a late rotation, without the loop you would have to steer your kite quite hard to the other side.

[@miguelrothes7]

The type of content everyone is waiting for 👀

[@stevenakkersdijk]

I hope you're right! There is some good feedback though, so I think this will be repeated

[@miguelrothes7]

@@stevenakkersdijk keep them coming! Learning with the pros is probably the best way, and great analysis of the videos!

[@JeanPaulRais]

great content as usual, they make it looks so easy though....during a jump, do you look more at your kite or downwind? the timing on the heli loops is more out of feeling of the kite or because you watch its position? when I jump over 8-9 meters I totally lose track of the kite cause I freak out watching down XD - thank you

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Most of the higher level riders will not watch their kite because it's more important to know where you are going and they feel what the kite is doing. This is a skill that develops over time and many hours on the water. I would suggest that you try and feel the kite, but look up for very shorts moments to know which direction its headed and to make corrections.

[@Danieldaniel-gz8fe]

Thanks for your video! I would like that you make a video specific about the heliloops for jumps without kiteloop. In my case, when I jump more than 10 meters but less than 15, i feel that i need it. But I like to land in the same direccion and same foot beheind as jumping. So, I have the feeling that pulling the front hand heliloop is not good idea. Sometimes and step by step, I try to move first the kite to the other side of the jump and then the heliloop with the back hand. Problem? Scares me a bit the feeling of moving foward the kite ajajajaajaj specially if I think that I will not have enough time for a soft landing. Probably with experience and good advices can I progress. I hope I have explained good my feelings. And could be great to recive your advice. Thanks!!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Hey Daniel, it's for sure a video that I would like to work on. It's true what you're saying that helilooping with the front hand makes it harder to land in the same direction with the board as you took off. Sending the kite forward and to the opposite side is your best option, ill include that in the heli loop video 🤙

[@javiguerrero22]

Sent jump ONE footer tips please!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

I'll add it to the list 🤙

[@truthhurts3896]

Should you let out the bar abit when helilooping when I do it I get a loud whooshing sound not sure if it helps or makes it worse

[@stevenakkersdijk]

All depends on your trim. If your kite is on the edge of stalling with bar down, it definitely helps to let the bar out a little when doing the downloop.

[@Andreas_K_]

Teach us late backroll kiteloop please

[@stevenakkersdijk]

It's on the list, but on a low priority as it's not a trick that most people want to try 😅

[@olegta4581]

красава

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Thank you 🤙

[@mikoajsitarz603]

Isn't it Luca at 6:30? Just want to be sure ✌

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Pretty sure that it's Cohan as this was filmed during the final. If I'm correct Luca rides with a helmet and Cohan does not.

[@juliusznowakowicz9382]

Great knowledge sharing like always. Your name is missing in "iksurfmag best vlogger of 2022" but you have my vote anyway

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Much appreciated 🤙 Think I'll have to write them a message to change that 😉

[@OneLaunchKiteboarding]

definitely !

[@davidallessie893]

Welcome to the roast of Cohan

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Don't really think I'm roasting Cohan here. He has put down an incredible performance and definitely deserved that first place! But... he often had hard landings with a lot of speed which require an immense amount of skill and commitment. These were caused by some steering movements that could have been adjusted for softer landings, of course it's super hard to execute these tricks without any mistake, especially because they have a very high degree of difficulty. Anyways, not trying to roast anyone here. Just giving examples of situations where the watchers hopefully can learn from.

[@davidallessie893]

@@stevenakkersdijk Awesome that you respond! Haha was just a bit of a joke - but agree with you from a technical perspective. Even with a lot of improvement potential he is already so good - looking forward to seeing him grow!

[@stevenakkersdijk]

Oh yes! His riding is amazing to watch!