A strapless backroll is a backward rotation off a hard upwind carve and the back foot, with wind pressure or a front-hand grab holding the board on the feet.
Also called: strapless back roll
Prerequisites
Schools teach this differently
Our sources genuinely split on two things. Board retention: Rondina and Flukes both grab with the front hand while the back hand stays on the bar, whereas Reo Stevens's steps never mention a grab and hold the board on with wind pressure on its bottom, gravity, bent knees and pointed toes. Landing: Flukes offers two options — kite driven forward and never behind 12, or a back-hand loop that deliberately goes behind 12 to about 1 o'clock — Rondina teaches only the back-hand kiteloop, and Stevens says nothing about the kite at all, only to land it as you would a normal back roll. Netsch states outright that there are more styles and different ways to do the same trick.
Ideal conditions
Medium powered on a 12–10 m kite while learning. Flat water works; chop or a small but steeper wave helps initiate the momentum and spin.
How to do it
1. Set up the carve
- Ride in at slow to moderate speed — enough pace to give you lift.
- Park the kite at 12, slightly in front of straight overhead.
- Sheet out as you carve, and edge hard upwind until the board points almost directly upwind; sheet back in once you have turned.
- Look for a bit of chop or a wave to go off. A small but steeper wave is what helps you initiate the momentum and the spin.
- Start turning the board into the wind before you leave the water, so its bottom is already facing the wind the moment you go.
2. Pop and rotate
- Load off your back foot and let the nose rise into the wind.
- Lead with your shoulder and open your chest, the same way you approach a normal back loop, then look over that shoulder and begin the rotation.
- Be patient on the grab: let the board come up to you, bend your knee, and take it with your front hand while your back hand stays on the bar.
- Fix your wrist. It is easy to accidentally steer the kite backwards into a loop here.
- Keep your knees bent as much as you can through the rotation — the amount your legs can still extend is your forgiveness zone for keeping the board connected to your feet.
- Bring the board up over you with its bottom facing the wind. That wind on the bottom, plus gravity, is what keeps it on your feet.
3. Spot and land
- Keep looking over your shoulder until you spot your landing.
- Straighten your legs and use your ankles to point your toes, keeping the bottom of the board into the wind.
- Complete the rotation and put the board back under your feet.
- Then pick one of two landings. Drive the kite forward in the direction of travel — done this way the kite should never go behind 12.
- Or loop the kite around with your back hand, deliberately taking it just behind 12 (about 1 o'clock), so the loop is gentle as you land, holds you, and gives you speed to lean against.
- Land as you would a normal back roll: knees slightly bent, head already looking forward.
Common mistakes and fixes
Mistake
Sending the kite back early — the classic error if you have never done a backroll
Fix
Keep it at 12, slightly in front, and maintain control of the bar by locking your wrist.
Mistake
Trying to send it too high before you can complete the rotation
Fix
Sheet in enough to get all the way around, but don't send it high yet. Start on a 12–10 m kite, medium powered.
Mistake
Accidentally steering the kite backwards into a loop while you reach for the grab
Fix
Fix your wrist, and stay mindful of the bar while your front hand is off it.
Mistake
Looping the kite for the landing in strong wind while you are still learning
Fix
Don't loop it in strong wind. Use the other sourced landing instead — drive the kite forward in the direction of travel.
Mistake
Rushing the grab and reaching down for a board that hasn't come up yet
Fix
Be patient and let the board come up to you.
If it goes wrong
- Don't be afraid to let go and slide the loop out on your stomach.
- Anticipate that you will change direction.
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 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
Do I grab the board, or can I do it without a grab?+
Our sources differ. Alby Rondina and the Flukes Kitesurfing tutorial both help the rotation with a front-hand grab while the back hand stays on the bar. Reo Stevens's four steps never mention a grab at all — he keeps the board on with wind on its bottom, gravity, bent knees and pointed toes. Evan Netsch says plainly that there are more styles and different ways to do the same trick and that he is showing what worked best for him.
What should I be able to do before trying it?+
Get the backroll done on a twintip first — the Flukes tutorial is explicit that this is better, and that sending the kite back early is the common mistake if you have never done a backroll. In Alby Rondina's 16-move strapless ladder the backroll sits at move 14, after pop, pop with grab and the backroll hand-drag.
How much wind and what kite size for learning?+
The Flukes tutorial says to try it on a 12–10 m kite first, medium powered, and warns against looping the kite in strong wind while you are learning. None of the sources we cite gives a range in knots.
Do I need a wave to do it?+
No. Evan Netsch shows it mostly in flat water but says it helps to find a small but steeper wave to initiate your momentum and spin, and that a small wave can make a huge difference. The Flukes tutorial also tells you to look for a chop or wave. Alby Rondina's note is to pull this one off the wave next — as the step after you have it.
What's the smoothest way to land it?+
There are two ways in the sources. Drive the kite forward in the direction of travel, in which case it should never go behind 12. Or loop it around with your back hand — here you want the kite to go behind 12, to about 1 o'clock, so the loop is gentle as you land, just enough to hold you and give you speed to lean against. Alby Rondina teaches the back-hand kiteloop for a smooth landing and speed.
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.