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Big Air · Intermediate

Downloop Landing

See it in the Trick Tree

Downloop Landing loops the kite forward, the way the rider is going, on the descent from a jump so it comes back up to the zenith and softens the landing.

Also called: down loop landing · landing loop · downloop · down loop

Prerequisites

Basic Jump

Unlocks

Nothing in the tree needs this one yet — it stands on its own.

Helps to know first

Downloop Transition

Schools teach this differently

Our sources disagree on two points. Naming: IKSURFMAG runs "heli loop / downloop / landing loop" together as one move, while MACkite separates them, describing the heli loop as a vertical loop rather than a directional one with no power, and saying a heli loop catches you softly whereas a downloop more so pulls you into the other direction. Timing: MACkite's downloop article says a downloop can be pulled at any moment during your jump, while its own heli-loop article says to wait until after you have reached the descent and pull right as you reach the apex, and Duotone's Nathalie treats the timing plus a kite already drifted off to one side as the whole trick.

Ideal conditions

No source we cite gives a wind range for the downloop landing itself. For the jump it hangs off, Elite Watersports teaches jumping in steady 15 to 20 knot side-onshore wind, calls steady 18 to 22 knot sessions the ones worth waiting for, puts a 12m at its best in 15 to 25 knots, and wants you in the higher end of the kite's range so it lifts you with less effort. MACkite says learn the loop on nothing bigger than an 11m or 10m, because larger kites are much slower and not very effective. Duotone's Nathalie notes a trick's timing is different at 40 knots than it was at 25 to 30 knots.

How to do it

  1. 1. Earn the loop first

    • Get your jumps consistent before you add a loop to them. Elite Watersports wants you riding confidently with spun lines, carving clean heel-to-toe transitions and controlling the kite through a basic loop before you go near a downloop.
    • Practise downloop transitions on the water so the front-hand pull stops feeling foreign. MACkite calls them the perfect way to get used to looping and suggests throwing them right after you land a jump, or even halfway through a rotation.
    • Rig something small. MACkite's rule of thumb is to learn on nothing bigger than an 11m or even a 10m, because larger kites still loop but are much slower, more difficult and not very effective.
    • Know which hand does the work. Downloops are front hand, kiteloops are back hand, and MACkite is blunt that the back-hand version pulls you hard downwind.

  2. 2. Send and pop

    • Edge and load the lines first. Elite Watersports breaks the takeoff into edge and load, sheet out and send the kite, then pop off the water as the kite reaches 12 o'clock.
    • Send with the bar out. Elite Watersports calls sending the kite with the bar out crucial — you are setting it up for the perfect lift.
    • Pop off your edge instead of muscling the jump. MACkite says steady, reliable loops always come from your edge and pop, and Elite Watersports names muscling it the number one mistake: you do not need to Hulk your way into the air.
    • Before you pull anything, let the kite sit a little off to one side rather than dead overhead. Duotone's Nathalie says the bigger downloop this creates catches you better and makes the landing softer.

  3. 3. Pull the loop on the way down

    • Wait until you feel yourself coming down. MACkite's heli-loop guidance is to pull right as you reach the apex and feel yourself descending, because that loop is a tool for soft, smooth landings and has no power in it.
    • Pull in hard on the front hand and hold it. MACkite says hold until the kite has looped around and is travelling up towards the zenith.
    • Pull it at the edge of the wind window, not deep in the power zone. MACkite says that placement is the key to not getting pulled hard downwind.
    • Commit to the pull. Elite Watersports puts it plainly: loops are all about commitment, you hesitate you crash, and half-pulls lead to wide, slow loops with unpredictable power.
    • Stay compact through the rotation. Elite Watersports wants the core locked and the knees bent, and warns against going loose or soft mid-loop.

  4. 4. Sheet out and touch down

    • Keep the bar in until the kite has finished the rotation you asked for. MACkite is emphatic: do not sheet out until the kite has made the complete rotation, because sheeting out early with the kite in the power zone loses you total control.
    • Once the kite is climbing back towards the zenith, sheet out. MACkite's picture for it is a parachute — opening up the canopy gives you more lift rather than downwind pull.
    • Point the nose of the board downwind before you touch down. MACkite says always land with the board pointed downwind, and Elite Watersports frames it as what lets you absorb the impact and ride away.
    • Landing toeside gives you options. MACkite says you can land toeside and let the power of the downloop pull you into a turn, so pull in on the bar as soon as you land — that powers up the kite and pulls you round.
    • Landing heelside, land with the board pointed downwind and be ready for the kite to pull you the other way. MACkite says the biggest thing is to have your hips already adjusted to the other direction.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Sheeting out before the kite has come round.

Fix

Hold the bar in until the kite has completed the rotation you wanted. MACkite: if you sheet out too early and the kite is in the power zone, you will lose total control of the kite.

Mistake

Pulling the loop deep in the power zone.

Fix

Pull it at the edge of the wind window. MACkite says that is the key to not getting pulled hard downwind.

Mistake

Half-pulling the front hand because you are unsure about it.

Fix

Pull all the way and hold it there. Elite Watersports says half-pulls lead to wide, slow loops with unpredictable power, and that hesitation is what causes the crash.

Mistake

Landing with the board across the wind.

Fix

Get the nose downwind before touchdown. MACkite says always land with the board pointed downwind, and Elite Watersports lists landing flat or off-angle as a cause of crashes and strain.

Mistake

Learning it on a big kite.

Fix

Drop to an 11m or even a 10m. MACkite says larger kites will still loop, but they are much slower, more difficult and not very effective.

If it goes wrong

  • If you can see the landing is not going to happen, kick the board away rather than fighting to save it. That is Duotone's Nathalie: she kicks the board away when she realises it is impossible to land a manoeuvre.
  • Going in hard, prepare for the crash by diving with your feet straight down. Nathalie rates chest impacts as the worst in big air — you lose all the air in your lungs and can barely breathe for a few seconds.
  • Remember the downloop is itself a save. Nathalie recommends always thinking about possibly saving yourself with a downloop to land more softly.
  • Do not hold your edge against a powered loop. MACkite says be ready to follow the pull of the kite and never hold an edge against a loop.
  • If the kite crashes during a loop, Elite Watersports says point the board downwind and let it follow the pull, let the lines tension back up and steer the kite gently back up, then reset and try again.
  • Peters Kiteboarding Handbook says wear an impact vest while learning and performing loops, and watch out for gusty conditions where the kite may suddenly lose power.

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

Which hand pulls the downloop?+

The front hand. MACkite's rule is that downloops are front hand and kiteloops are backhand, and that looping the kite the same way you are already going on the way down is what makes it a downloop.

What kite should I learn it on?+

Nothing bigger than an 11m, and a 10m if you have one. MACkite says larger kites will still loop, but they are much slower, more difficult and not very effective.

What wind do I need?+

No source we opened gives a wind range for the downloop landing itself. For the jump underneath it, Elite Watersports puts learning in steady 15 to 20 knot side-onshore wind, calls steady 18 to 22 knot sessions the ones worth waiting for, and rates a 12m at its best in 15 to 25 knots. Duotone's Nathalie adds that a trick you could do in 25 to 30 knots has different timing at 40 knots.

What should I be able to do before I try one?+

Elite Watersports asks for riding confidently with spun lines, clean heel-to-toe transitions and kite control during basic loops. MACkite says kiteloops can be intimidating while downloops are relatively easy and you can apply them to your comfort level, with downloop transitions as the warm-up. Peters Kiteboarding Handbook lists 'learn how to downloop' and 'learn how to jump and land' as preparatory steps before kiteloops, so downloops come first in that progression.

Is a downloop landing the same thing as a heli loop?+

Not in MACkite's language. They call the heli loop a vertical loop rather than a directional one, a short loop at the top of the window with no power, and say a heli loop will catch you softly whereas a downloop will help but more so pull you into the other direction. IKSURFMAG bills heli loop, downloop and landing loop as one and the same move. Worth knowing both usages before you take advice from a stranger on the beach.

What happens if I land before the loop has finished?+

MACkite says of the heli loop that even if you accidentally land before completing the loop, it will soften the impact. The thing they warn against is the opposite error: sheeting out with the kite still in the power zone, which loses you total control.

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.