Front Roll Kiteloop is an inverted forward rotation thrown off the pop while the kite is driven through a full loop, so rider and kite turn opposite ways.
Also called: front loop kiteloop · kiteloop front roll · front roll kite loop
Prerequisites
Unlocks
Nothing in the tree needs this one yet — it stands on its own.
Schools teach this differently
Our sources genuinely disagree on when to pull the loop. IKSURFMAG says start it as soon as you feel yourself rotating under the kite. MACkite says loop at the apex and warns against looping too early and getting pulled. Peter's Kiteboarding Handbook says pull before the top of the jump, while the kite is still on its way up, so it carries enough speed through the loop. They also file the trick at different levels: IKSURFMAG lists it under Intermediate, MACkite calls it one of its more advanced tutorials.
Ideal conditions
No source we cite gives a wind range for the front roll kiteloop itself. For kiteloops in general, Soul Kite Australia puts first attempts at 14-18 knots, building to stronger wind of up to 25 knots as height and loop timing improve, with a small 7-9m in 28 knots and up for going big. MACkite says learn this trick on nothing bigger than an 11m and ideally a 10m, since larger kites still loop but are much slower, more difficult and not very effective; Soul Kite Australia likewise would not recommend big loops on anything bigger than 11m. No source we cite specifies water state, depth or downwind space.
How to do it
1. Setup and send
- Come in with speed.
- Send the kite back positively, but less aggressively than you would for a standard jump. Park it too far back and it ends up close to the edge of the window without the speed to finish its loop.
- Carve hard against the kite off your back foot and drop your weight against the upward pull.
- Slide your back hand down to the end of the bar for leverage. If doing that mid-move feels like too much, move the hand before you go into the jump.
- Level the bar as the kite lifts you, then sheet it in and keep it on the sweet spot.
2. Throw the roll, pull the loop
- Throw yourself forward and down as the kite lifts you, dropping and twisting with your shoulders and head.
- Bring your front knee to your chest and keep it tucked. Extended legs let the loop throw you off axis and disorientate you.
- Start the loop as soon as you feel yourself rotating under the kite.
- Pull in hard on the back hand and push forward with the front hand at the same time. Pull it half-hearted and the kite never completes the loop.
- Keep both hands on and keep the bar in. If it creeps out you lose tension on the lines, and even if you are tugging on the back hand the kite just won't turn.
- Pull that back hand through your hip throughout the move.
3. Spot it and land
- Spot your landing over the back shoulder with your front ear tucked into your armpit, waiting for the pull of the kite.
- Hold that look through the rotation, then as you get most of the way round shift your focus to where you will land.
- Let your feet drop beneath you as the power decreases and point the board downwind.
- Sheet out as you fall so the bar acts like a parachute and catches you, then pull in on the front hand so you don't outrun the kite.
- Land tail first onto a level board so you soak up the speed, heel side with your toes downwind, then once steady carve back onto your edge.
- Stay soft in the knees. Block them and you land on your butt.
Common mistakes and fixes
Mistake
You come down fast with the kite still pulling hard.
Fix
You stopped pulling with the back hand partway through. Really pull that hand through your hip throughout the move so the kite gets all the way round.
Mistake
The kite crashes into the water even though you were tugging on the back hand.
Fix
The bar crept out and you lost line tension. Keep it sheeted in with both hands on, or it just won't turn however hard you pull.
Mistake
You land with the board facing across the wind.
Fix
Usually you are trying to land on your weaker side, or you took the front hand off for balance on the way down. Keep both hands on and put the nose downwind.
Mistake
Your legs run out straight in the air and the loop throws you off axis.
Fix
Keep the front knee tucked to contain the rotation. A tweaked back leg gives you control and correction.
Mistake
The loop never closes and the kite crashes with you attached.
Fix
Either you sent the kite too fast or too far, so it sat near the edge of the window without the speed to finish its loop, or you didn't pull hard enough to complete it. Send softer, pull harder.
If it goes wrong
- Make the call early. Soul Kite Australia says you have a big window at the start of the loop, until about 3 o'clock, where you can still decide to abort.
- Once it is turning, both tutorials say commit. IKSURFMAG reckons committing to the full rotation is the better bet than trying to wriggle out halfway, and MACkite warns that if you don't pull hard and complete the loop the kite just crashes on the water and brings you with it.
- Once the loop is round, push the bar away from you and let the kite come back to the zenith. Do NOT continue pulling the bar.
- Always land with the board pointing downwind.
- Wear an impact vest while you are learning and performing loops. Soul Kite Australia names rib injury as one of the most common injuries when looping.
Learn this with a coach, not from a page
This is a high-consequence move. The sources it is built from describe riders getting hurt on it, and every one of them teaches it as a step you earn rather than attempt. Get coaching, build up in stages, ride with people who can help you, and give yourself deep water and clear space downwind.
Find a certified schoolEducational 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
What should I already have dialled before trying a front roll kiteloop?+
MACkite wants kiteloops, front rolls and back roll kiteloops on lock first, and says you need serious muscle memory and to be a true master of the front roll before adding the loop. IKSURFMAG wants a solid front loop transition and says this should not be the first kiteloop you attempt, because you really need your fast and sometimes hard landings down.
What kite size should I learn it on?+
MACkite's rule of thumb is nothing bigger than an 11m, even a 10m, because larger kites still loop but are much slower, more difficult and not very effective. It lists the Duotone Evo, Cabrinha Moto, Slingshot RPM and Naish Pivot as faster freeride kites, and also names the Duotone Dice, Cabrinha FX, Liquid Force NV and Naish Dash. Soul Kite Australia would not recommend big loops on a kite bigger than 11m either.
How much wind do I need?+
None of the sources I could open gives a number for this trick specifically. Soul Kite Australia's general kiteloop guide puts first attempts at 14-18 knots, has you building to stronger wind of up to 25 knots as the jumps get bigger, and saves 28 knots and up on a 7-9m for going properly big.
When do I actually pull the loop?+
The sources split on this. IKSURFMAG says start it as soon as you feel yourself rotating under the kite. MACkite says loop at the apex, with a bit of height and control, and warns you don't want to loop too early and get pulled. Peter's Kiteboarding Handbook says pull before you reach the top of the jump, while the kite is still on its way up, so it has enough speed to get through the loop.
It feels completely wrong the first few times. Is that normal?+
MACkite says the trick feels strange at first because you and the kite are rotating in opposite directions. The same tutorial adds that kiteloops can be scary and, like any kiteboarding trick, frustrating, and tells you to take your time and learn to enjoy the process.
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.