Strapless Jibe with Downloop is a downwind turn on a strapless surfboard where the rider spins the kite through a fast downloop and the pull drives the exit.
Also called: downloop jibe · jibe with downloop · strapless jibe with down loop
Prerequisites
Unlocks
Nothing in the tree needs this one yet — it stands on its own.
Ideal conditions
Learn the jibe itself well powered; the downloop version pays off in light or marginal wind, where the loop's extra pull stops you sinking out of the exit.
How to do it
1. Set up the carve
- Fly the kite a touch higher in the window and bleed off speed before you commit to the turn.
- Slide your back foot up to the middle of the board, close behind your front foot.
- Transfer your weight onto the foot you just brought forward, then swing the other foot back into the new stance.
- Steer the kite toward the new direction first and let the board carve around after it.
2. Throw the downloop
- As the turn begins, dive the kite down into a loop instead of floating it back over the top of the window.
- Keep the loop out at the edge of the window.
- Pull the bar all the way in and commit to the rotation without a second thought.
- Spin the kite tight and fast — the slower it comes around, the more power it dumps on you.
3. Power out of the turn
- The instant the loop closes, push your hands straight out so the kite flies forward instead of back-stalling.
- Drive against the surge from the loop and carve harder through the exit.
- Ride away on the new tack with the extra speed; that pull is what stops you sinking out of a slow exit.
Common mistakes and fixes
Mistake
Looping the kite slowly and tentatively, which lets it swing wide and pull hardest.
Fix
Commit and spin it tight and fast; the quicker the rotation, the less power it releases.
Mistake
Keeping the bar sheeted fully in after the loop, which back-stalls the kite.
Fix
Push your hands straight out the moment the loop closes so the kite flies forward again.
Mistake
Charging into the carve at full speed instead of setting the turn up first.
Fix
Start by flying the kite higher and slowing down a bit before you commit to the turn.
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 need a solid basic jibe before adding the downloop?+
Yes. It is taught as an intermediate upgrade for riders whose standard jibe already works but who keep losing kite power at the exit.
Is the downloop scary or dangerous in the jibe?+
No. Coaches describe the downloop in the jibe phase as neither scary nor dangerous, and a tight, fast rotation releases less power than a slow one.
When is the downloop worth it instead of passing the kite overhead?+
When you exit turns with too little speed and start to sink, and in lighter wind where a standard jibe leaves you underpowered — the loop feeds you power right at the exit.
Does a faster loop mean more power?+
The opposite. The tighter and faster the kite turns, the less power it releases; the slow loop is the one that pulls hardest.
What conditions make learning easiest?+
Jibes in general come easier when you are well powered; the downloop version then earns its keep on lighter days when you would otherwise sink out of the turn.
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.