Pull up handle pass/dangle pass

Although there is no reason why you can't just go for mobes, kgbs and slim chances right away, the danglepass can help towards these as you can go from having the kite right above your head (dangle) to lower and lower as you want to chuck it more powered and kite lower. The key to learing this is to have a bar hanging from a tree (or whatever) and to learn the motion on land first. Have a backup line attaching to the bar as it is not pretty when it snaps above hard ground. Maybe even a couple of matresses underneath to start with. Just keep on trying until you nail them on land then take it to the water. Technique is the key. It is not true that you have to be super strong to do them, the idea is to use your momentum as you swing up to get the weightless moment, then you can do it with minimum effort. Swing hard into it and keep the bar as close to your hip as possible.

Flat 3

To learn this the first stage is is learn a backside 180. This is hop/ollie to blind. First pass the bar after landing - then lauch off a ramp and pass the bar in the air. Make sure you head down wind as you take off so the bar does not get ripped out of your hand, also keep the bar as close to your hip as possible at all times so it can't get away. Now once you have this nailed just think about doing the backside 3, don't build it up too much - it is only another 180 degrees. For some the best way to learn this may be just to go straight for the 360, as some riders find landing the back 180 harder..

Flat 3 From toeside

A Flat 3 is a 360 backside spin but you pass the bar behind your back rather than go around with your bar. First master the backside surface pass. Then learn to do this with an ollie (hop) off a wave - that is now a backside 180. Now try to do the same thing but pass the bar in the air. Half way there. Once you have that down, look for a good ramp, hop to toeside and do a backside 180 with bar pass in teh air off a wave. After many of these rotating the extra 180 degrees to make the full 360 is not too hard. Tip: sideshore helps loads - and so does bearing downwind just before you take off, so that you are spining downwind - then you will have no bar getting ripped out of your hands.

Buttering

This is a cool trick when it is cranking and really kicks up a good roostertail spray in butter flat water. Hop to toeside and really jam the nose of the board in the water and ride on just the tip going kind of sideways but also pushing against it. You really have to lean back and pull with the foot out of the water and push with the one in the water- small fins are easier.

313

A 313 is a raily followed by a flat 3. The great thing about this is that railys depower the kite as you hooking into them. Work your way up. First go for a weak as raily and just float downwind a bit about 4-5 foot above the water, then when the bar pull is weakening use your arm to spin your body (you cannot use a wave ramp at this stage!)with the pulling motion and always keep the bar near as possible to your hip. Use a 5th line or bow and just go for it in waist deep water. Prentend it you are trying it above concrete to put the falls into perspective.

Back loop kiteloop

The kite you have will effect how easy a kiteloop can be nowadays - gone are the day of a kiteloop being hard out on any kite; however, you can still push it to whatever level you want, whatever kite you have, if there is enough wind. One secret when learning is to work from the bottom up - not to start out with a really hard slam that will put you off for life. To land without slamming hard - in light winds bear downwind just before you initiate the backloop (kills the power - believe me you do not need much once it starts to loop) - then loop the kite back hard once you just start to come DOWN from a smallish backloop(as you are swinging back under your kite). Then work your way up to a Ruben Lenten kiteloop by being 10 foot above your kite at 40ft and email us a video for a sponsorship deal.

Riding blind

The secret to riding blind is commitment. It is one of those trick many try 10 times then give up. It really helps to know how to do this for so many other blind takeoff (less popular today) or blind landing tricks. Hop or slide 180 degrees backside and twist your body much further than you would think you need to, also push down on your FRONT foot so you don't catch the tail that is actually now the nose of your board.. If you are exactly 180 degrees, there is no chop, and you push down on your front foot - there is no reason you should not be riding blind for a short distance. Just keep trying.

Corked toeside forward to toeside

Pull the bar back for a slight elevation jump with the lines slightly loaded, as soon as you take off spin a forward and PULL DOWN with your front hand and spot the toeside landing. The corked part just means rather than just spinning around the lines - throw your shoulders forward so you go upside down too. Adjust line/edge loading to keep the kite as low as possible for increased skill.

Back to toeside surface passes

The back to toeside is not too hard - again you just need to work your way up and not try it too loaded. The great thing about this trick is that the surface pass flow in exactly the right direction once you land toeside. It would help to land a surface pass before trying this.

Blind Judge (railey to blind -bar pass)

This is a tricky one to get consistant as a big railey has a tendency to bounce you off the water when landing to blind. Real commitment is need to stomp this one. Again if you land with the full 180 degree backside spin after your backloop and with front foot pressure you won't catch an edge in flat water. Make sure your kite remains as low as possible so you don't end up trying to pass the bar around your back with the kite 90 degrees above you.

Sbend (Raily with a forward rotation)

Load your rail hard by slighting flying the kite up, and as you take off flick your kite down (so kite does not end up above you in a big dangle). Kick out your body straight and try and get your board above your head, then spin forward. As much as kiteboarding is its own sport, the aim is to make it look like the wakeboarding trick because the skill come in when doing it well with the lines at a low angle.

Back to blind

OK so you have nailed blind. Back to blind is a great trick hooked in or unhooked. Unhooked it can be useful as the first stage to nailing a KGB. Once you come in to land you normal backloop, twist your body backside 180. Twist too much not too little and make sure you have back foot pressure. Unhooked - once landed - just reach around behind your back for the bar and ride away. Unhooked a little more power when railing up can help throw you downwind so the bar pass is slack and does not get ripped out of your hands.

Krypt to backside 180

A krypt is a fancy name for a railey to toeside. Plan to land your raily to your stronger toeside as that makes it easier. The great thing about this is that a raily is the perfect trick to depower the pull of the kite before you go for the backside 180. A backside 180 is simply a 180 backside surface pass except that you ollie/hop instead of sliding around. Try and catch the bar in the air which wil help you build up to flat 3s and is also way more styling..

Downloop landings

A few years ago transitions (jumping one way and ending up going back the other) were a big trick and involoved levatating upwards and then hooking the kite back the otherway with a spin - or no. - now it is more of a fill trick or just a comfortable way to turn around. Today this trick has eveolved into huge jumps that cover a big distance but end up coming back the opposite way to takeoff. Try this - Hook a big jump and as you are on the way down, rather than slamming the kite forward to land - wait, then slam it downward towards the water back the opposite way. If your timing it right you will come in lit the other direction without getting piledriven into the water. Work your way up to learn teh kite control then you can start adding this to any hooked in jump trick.

Back to wrap.

This can be descibed as a backroll to toeside (learn this first) but you twist anther 180 degrees further and land wrapped (ie bar wrapped right around your body). It is a double back loop but you pass the bar on the second rotation. It is quite a hard trick to get consistant as it is quite an awkward landing to start with. The key to landing it it keeping the kite lower still at the end of the spin and not going into it with too much power - you will probably want to kill off too much power by going downwind/edging/sliding downwind.