When riding strapless on a surfboard, the position of your feet is vital but there is more to consider than most people may first imagine. Though the lack of straps leaves us susceptible to suddenly losing our balance and board, it also allows us the flexibility to position our feet in the optimal position for the task at hand. This video will explain the fundamentals of where to place your feet and the underlying reasons why different positions are important for different aspects of riding a kite surfboard. If you'd like to find more help with learning to ride a kite surfboard please check out our Progression Riding & Control Collection which contains videos covering: - Waterstarts & step-on beachstarts, - Stance, control and speed - Getting out over waves These are part of the Kitesurfing Volume 1 Collection which will take you to all forms of carving turns on flatter before you start riding waves with frontside and backside turns.

We are back with a new The Reider Decker Show!

In this episode, Reider shows how to do your basic air, a staple to the progression of riding strapless. 2016 World Champion, Bruna Kajiya, takes off her boots and gets the 101 directly from Reider to show you how easy it is to learn!

If you haven't watched the first video, check out How to ride fins first!
https://youtu.be/7dDmhzlda6Y?list=PLa...

The Backroll is a good place to start if you want to learn strapless rotations.

The motion with the kite is similar to a transition, with medium speed from 1 to 11 or 11 to 1 o´clock. To regain speed it helps to add a kiteloop at the end.

Let's have a look at the Back Roll in detail:

Start with good speed and the hands placed close to the center of your bar. Send your kite up and make a tight carving turn upwind.

With the kite nearly at 12 o´clock, pull down on the bar and kick down with the heel of your back foot to initiate the take off. At the same time bend your knees fast so the nose of the board can rise up.

Once in the air, your back foot should be used to push the tail of the board in the desired direction. By bending the front knee, you direct the nose down and under your hips.

The key to this move is to make sure that the bottom of your board always faces into the wind. This way the board is pushed to your feet which gives good control.

Once in the air, bend the hips and try to keep your body in an upright position.

If you need to balance yourself, let go of the bar with your front hand.
As you approach the landing, start to pull in with your back hand. Sometimes it helps to add a kiteloop after landing to regain speed. Landing with the nose of the board first will ensure a smooth landing.
If you’re having problems keeping the board on your feet, try grabbing the board with the front hand directly after take off. Stay upright with your body and try grabbing the front section close to the nose.

Let´s remember the key elements:

fly the kite up
to initiate take off push down on the heel of your back foot and bend your front leg
push down on the tail with your back foot and bend your front leg to direct the nose of the board up.
try not to rotate too off axis as this will make it hard to get back over the board
land on the nose first and and in a kiteloop to regain speed.

The Ollie is your first step into the world of strapless jumps.

There’s not a lot of movement with the kite except sending it ‘up’ before takeoff, and redirecting it back ‘down’ for the landing.
The main focus is on the board and your feet.
Start by carving a small turn upwind and kicking the heels of your back foot into the water. Now comes one of the key points: while kicking the tail of your board into the water, shift the weight from the heels, to the toes - this will lift the windward rail of the board which is essential for most jumps with your strapless board.

When the windward rail is higher, the wind presses the board to your feet.

The second thing that helps to not lose contact with the board is the fact that the nose of the board is facing into the wind and higher than the tail - to get into this position it's important to quickly bend your front knee during takeoff.

After takeoff, use the toes of your back foot to pull the tail of your board up and into the wind. Directing the tail upwind will turn the nose downwind - this is exactly what you want: carve upwind for takeoff, turn during the jump, and land downwind.

And finally for the landing, try to shift your body weight slightly onto your front foot.

Let´s remember the key elements:

During takeoff shift the weight from the heels to the toes of your back foot to get the windward rail higher
After takeoff, use the toes of your back foot to direct the tail of your board up and against the wind.
Turn downwind and shift your weight to the front foot for landing