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Wave · Intermediate

Bottom Turn

See it in the Trick Tree

The bottom turn is the carve at the base of the wave that converts your speed into position for the next hit, and wave courses teach it first.

Also called: bottom carve

Prerequisites

Strapless WaterstartToeside Riding

Unlocks

Top TurnDown-the-Line Wave RidingBackside Wave Riding

Schools teach this differently

Schools split on kite height here. These steps follow the KiteKahunas line: kite low through the entire Bottom Turn. Naish teaches the opposite timing — bring the kite up before the Bottom Turn and back down before the Top Turn, keeping it stable at 45 degrees in off and side-off conditions.

Ideal conditions

For first directional-board sessions, Elite Watersports recommends a flat surfboard with a lot of volume or surface area, paired with a wave-specialty kite designed to drift in waves and turn fast; their example learning session is 10-11 knots on a 17 m kite. (Stated for learning the directional board generally — their article says nothing about the bottom turn itself.)

How to do it

  1. 1. Setup

    • Groove the carve on flat water first — practicing your carving turn on flat water or the flat sections between waves is the best way to get the feeling for carving a surfboard.
    • Come in on the long tack, approaching the waves from the open ocean behind them; pick out your wave from the swell and aim to do your toe side turn just before the peak as you drop into the wave.
    • Park the kite low enough to edge against — no higher than 11 or 1 o'clock.
    • Set your back foot right at the back of the tail pad before you start turning.

  2. 2. Initiate — kite first

    • Always turn the kite before the board; throw your weight back to create line tension so the kite responds faster.
    • Send the kite with one strong pull on your back hand into the other side of the wind window, towards the wave — fly it aggressively from a low position, right through the power zone, to a low position on the other side, keeping it low throughout.
    • Move the kite quickly so it cuts off the top of the window — a slow kite movement lifts you off your edge and loses the power.
    • Push the bar out as the kite crosses the power zone — it develops a lot of power for a second or two, and pushing the bar out stops that surge pulling you over while keeping some power in reserve for when you need it.
    • Watch your rear kite lines and hold your edge until the kite's leading edge starts travelling in the opposite direction — only then let off the board edge.

  3. 3. Carve the bottom turn

    • Shift your weight off your heels and put pressure onto your toes to carve the turn.
    • Turn your head towards the wave to initiate the turn, and extend your body as much as you can.
    • Commit all your body weight forward of vertical off the board: shin at less than 90 degrees to the board, hipbone, kneecap and foot stacked vertically over the board so your weight is over the front foot — the more you compress your body, the lower over the board, the tighter the turn.
    • Start compressed with knees bent, then extend through the carve, getting your head and body low over the water — the rapid change between body compression and body extension is what makes the turn dynamic.
    • Push your back hand onto the water surface during the turn — it gives you stability, creates a pivot point, and dragging it reduces your riding speed.

  4. 4. Drive out to the lip

    • Let the front foot create the drive and speed while the rear foot steers — the rear foot dictates the size of the turn and the acceleration through it.
    • As soon as the turn is complete, lift your rear heel off the board to force your weight forward over your front leg — the flatter the board rides, the faster it glides.
    • As you arrive at the wave, send the kite back into the other side of the wind window, away from the wave, before your top turn, and pull the bar in to build speed into it.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Moving the kite slowly or parking it at the edge of the window before the carve

Fix

Turn the kite quickly with both hands so it cuts off the top of the window — moved too slowly it travels up and over you, dumps the power and lifts you off your edge, leaving you leaning back, sinking the tail and pivoting the board to a standstill; a kite parked at the window's edge and then turned hard pulls you forwards over the board instead.

Mistake

Releasing the board edge before the kite has finished turning

Fix

Wait until the kite's leading edge is travelling in the opposite direction — if the leading edge is still facing up when you let off, the kite goes up; wherever the kite is in its rotation when you release is the direction it keeps travelling.

Mistake

Outrunning the kite on the wave

Fix

Make the kite cross the window quickly, and always steer the kite while edging to maintain line tension — if you outrun your kite in waves and it hits the water mid swell, all bets are off.

Mistake

Keeping heavy rear-foot pressure after the carve is done

Fix

Lift the rear heel as soon as the turn is complete so your weight moves forward — too much rear-foot pressure is why many kiters lose their speed and slow down before they can reach the wave peak.

Mistake

Riding with an awkwardly wide stance

Fix

A wide stance locks your hips in place and makes it very difficult to shift your weight during the turn — set your front foot forwards and across the centreline, and your back foot back far enough to straddle the centreline comfortably.

If it goes wrong

  • If you crash in the waves, don't worry about the board — your priority is getting the kite back in the air.
  • Commit to the turn enough that you can drag your rear hand in the water — the rear-hand drag doubles as a speed stabiliser and emergency balance.
  • If you lose the edge of your board, reduce your speed by dragging your back hand in the water — it stops you overtaking the kite, which could otherwise fly out of the wind window.

Learn this with a coach, not from a page

This guide explains what the move is and what riders get wrong, so you arrive at the session knowing what you are trying to do. It cannot watch your kite, read the gust coming, or stop you committing to something you are not ready for — a coach or instructor can.

Find a certified school

Educational reference, not instruction. Kitesurfing is a risk sport: the steps here describe what named schools, instructors and technique libraries teach, and the page lists exactly which ones, but real conditions involve wind, gusts, water state, traffic and equipment behaviour that no written guide accounts for. Schools also teach justified variations — where our sources disagree, the page says so instead of picking one. Judge your own readiness, use the safety systems on your kite, and do not attempt a move because a page made it sound achievable. KitesurfingOfficial accepts no liability for the use of this information on the water.

Questions riders ask

Do I need waves to learn the bottom turn?+

No. Practicing your carving turn on flat water or the flat sections between waves is the best way to get the feeling for carving a surfboard; then start on swells that have yet to form into waves or less steep waves before taking more speed into steeper, closer-to-breaking waves.

How high should my kite be going into the turn?+

Low enough to edge against — no higher than 11 or 1 o'clock — and then moved quickly with both hands so it cuts off the top of the window rather than travelling up and over you and lifting you.

What moves first, the kite or the board?+

The kite, always. Turn the kite before letting off the board edge, and hold your edge until the kite's leading edge starts travelling in the opposite direction — wherever the kite is in its rotation when you release is the direction it will keep travelling.

Keep reading

Sources

Every step on this page traces to the sources below. Where they disagree or stay silent, the page says so instead of guessing.