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Inverted Backroll

See it in the Trick Tree

Inverted Backroll is a sent back roll where the rider throws the head back and kicks the legs up toward the kite, so the rotation passes fully upside down.

Also called: Inverted Back Roll · Inverted Sent Back Roll

Prerequisites

Backroll

Unlocks

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

Schools teach this differently

Our sources disagree on which knee drives the inversion. MACkite's unhooked back roll guide contradicts itself inside one article: one line says the closer you get the front knee to your chest the more you invert, another says throwing the head back and bringing the back knee hard into the chest is what inverts the roll. IKSURFMAG's inverted grabbed back roll lists a back knee pull among its keystones. The two IKSURFMAG pages also sequence the head differently: the inverted back roll tells you to throw the head back to get your upper body pointing down, while the grabbed version tells you to resist throwing your head around and keep it looking forward at takeoff, because that is what buys the slow rotation. Landing stance splits too, with the grabbed version calling for a tail-first touchdown with weight on the heels and MACkite's unhooked guide calling for a flat landing centred over both feet.

Ideal conditions

No source opened here gives a wind band for the inverted version itself. For the back roll it is built on, Elite Watersports calls 15–22 knots ideal with a side-onshore direction, and warns off offshore, gusty and overpowered days. Peter's Kiteboarding Handbook says good power helps and to skip it in light wind or when your kite is small for the conditions. IKSURFMAG's back roll guide prefers a bigger kite with gentle power for float and a less whippy feel, ridden with the coast clear and enough water under you.

How to do it

  1. 1. Set up and send

    • Come in on a decent upwind edge, the same as for any sent jump and rotation, with the kite parked at about 11 or 1.
    • Keep your shoulders and hips parallel with the board. Open them and twist into the wind and you lose the slow rotation.
    • Give it a meaningful send with both hands, quickly up and past 12. Only drift the kite slowly up and you will find it tough at the top to recalibrate once you are upside down.
    • Level the bar on take-off as you pull it in, so the kite stops travelling backwards.
    • If the kite still ends up behind you, steer it forwards a touch just before you stamp.

  2. 2. Pop and set a slow rotation

    • Stamp hard against your edge with the back foot and really extend that back leg so you go up rather than around.
    • Carve up towards the wind with all of your board. Leaning back and pivoting through the wind off the tail is what spins you too fast to invert.
    • Keep some weight on your front foot while the back leg stays solid, resisting against the edge.
    • Head stays looking forward and the bar stays level through the takeoff.
    • Ignore height while you are learning. There is no need to go huge, control is everything.

  3. 3. Get upside down

    • Rock back and lean into the rotation, letting the harness hook do the work. It is your fulcrum.
    • Push yourself away from the bar, extending your triceps so your arms straighten and your shoulders drop back.
    • Use your knees to lift the board while you tip your head back.
    • Throw your head back to get your upper body pointing down.
    • Kick your legs up towards the kite, presenting the bottom of your board to the sky.
    • Steer the kite slowly forwards with your front hand before you can see it, so you still know which hand is which while inverted.

  4. 4. Come around and land

    • Bring your head up to look at the bar and let your feet drop.
    • Look where you expect to land.
    • If you are high and rotating slowly, keep your knees tucked up longer.
    • Drop your undercarriage, dive the kite and aim for a soft downwind landing.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

The kite finishes way too far back and drops you out of the rotation.

Fix

It is time for more input. Put more into the send, and steer the kite forwards just before you stamp instead of levelling the bar on take-off.

Mistake

You lift the board and drop the head, but nothing happens and you never actually get upside down.

Fix

Check the harness. Too loose and the hook wiggles about like a wet fish instead of giving you a solid point to fulcrum about. Too high and you cannot see-saw your legs up, because there is not enough upper body above it to lever down.

Mistake

You lose track of the kite the moment you invert.

Fix

Gently steer the kite forwards with your front hand just as you are about to invert, so you have pressure on the front hand to tell you which one it is.

Mistake

No time to invert because the rotation is already finished.

Fix

You are spinning quickly rather than rotating slowly. Take a step back and work on your takeoff, carving up towards the wind rather than pivoting off the tail.

Mistake

Over-rotating and losing your bearings mid-air.

Fix

Over-rotation is a common error on back rolls. Try not to rotate too fast, because that is what leaves you disoriented.

If it goes wrong

  • Take it to deep water. IKSURFMAG's word on the inverted variant is blunt: deep water, please.
  • Make sure the coast is clear and that there is enough water in case it does not quite go according to plan.
  • Wear a helmet, especially in shallow water or crowded zones.
  • An impact vest adds float and softens the landings while you are working the move out.
  • Carry a hook knife as a smart backup when learning any new aerial trick.

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

What should I already be able to do before trying an inverted backroll?+

IKSURFMAG is blunt about it: as a precursor they strongly recommend your sent back rolls are in the bag. Being able to Stiffy is a bonus but certainly not a must. For the back roll underneath it, Peter's Kiteboarding Handbook wants you staying upwind, able to jump and able to ride toeside, and Elite Watersports adds consistent load and pop, soft landings off small boosts, and comfort riding in both directions.

How much wind do I need?+

The IKSURFMAG inverted back roll page gives no wind numbers at all. For back rolls generally, Elite Watersports puts the ideal at 15–22 knots side-onshore, enough power to pop but not enough to rip you out of control, and warns off offshore, super gusty and overpowered days. Peter's Kiteboarding Handbook says good power helps and tells you not to attempt it in light winds or if your kite is small for the condition.

Do I need to jump high to get inverted?+

No. IKSURFMAG's line is that for the sake of learning there is no need to go huge, control is everything. Height mostly changes what you do with your legs on the way down: if you are high and rotating slowly, keep the knees tucked up longer.

My legs come up but I never get upside down. What is wrong?+

Most often the harness, and IKSURFMAG names two ways it goes wrong. Too loose, and the hook wiggles about like a wet fish rather than giving you a solid point to fulcrum about. Too high, and you cannot see-saw your legs up because there is not enough upper body above it to lever down.

Is this a hooked-in trick or an unhooked one?+

The IKSURFMAG version is a sent, hooked-in move that uses the harness hook as the fulcrum. MACkite's back roll guide covers the unhooked version, where the inversion comes from throwing the head back and bringing a knee hard into the chest, though that article names the front knee in one line and the back knee in another.

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.