A strapless pop shove-it is an ollie off the tail of the surfboard with a kick that spins the board 180 degrees underfoot, landing fins first.
Also called: shuvit · shove it · pop shove it · shovit · strapless shove-it
Prerequisites
Unlocks
Nothing in the tree needs this one yet — it stands on its own.
Schools teach this differently
The two tutorials part ways on the catch, and it is worth knowing why. North's 180 tells you to touch the board with your feet before landing for control. Reo Stevens, writing about the 360, says the opposite — you do not stop the rotation with your feet, you aim to have the tail and fins hit the water to stop the board. Different amounts of rotation to kill; the 180 instruction is the one that applies on this trick.
Ideal conditions
Learn it on flat water. Alby Rondina frames all 16 basic strapless moves, the shovit included, as flat-water preparation for the days you take the surfboard into waves. For the take-off itself, Reo Stevens teaches slow to medium riding speed and timing the pop off a small wave or chop when one lines up. No source we cite names an ideal wind range.
How to do it
1. Set up the approach
- Ride in at slow to medium speed, but do not go so slow that you have no forward momentum left to ride out of the landing.
- Place your hands at the center of the bar and step back onto the tail of the board.
- Steer the kite up and carve the board upwind, setting a rail and edging against the kite so tension builds in the lines.
- If a small wave or a piece of chop lines up, time your take-off off it. Reo Stevens treats this kicker as an if-possible bonus, not a requirement.
2. Pop and spin the board
- Kick down on the tail to pop, and shift your bodyweight from your heels to your toes. That shift lifts the heelside rail, which is what gives you control through the whole move.
- As you pop, quickly bend your front knee so the nose of the board comes up and out of the water.
- Once the board is airborne, use your back foot to kick the tail up and into the wind while your front foot simultaneously pushes the nose down and downwind.
- Scale the kick to the jump. Reo Stevens teaches that spin speed depends on the height and distance of the jump: too fast and the board over-rotates, too slow and it under-rotates.
3. Catch it and land nose first
- Pull down on the bar for some extra lift if you need it, and steer the kite back down as you come in to land.
- Try to touch the board with your feet before landing. That early catch is what gives you control.
- Land on the nose of the board first and shift your weight onto your back foot, which keeps the fins out of the water.
- Use your front foot to push the tail downwind, which keeps the board running straight.
- You have landed fins first. To switch the board back, flatten it off and shift your weight onto your front foot; that shift initiates the rotation.
Common mistakes and fixes
Mistake
Trying the shove-it before your pop is automatic.
Fix
Get the pop dialed first. Alby Rondina's instruction is to have pop at 100 percent before you go for a shovit, and Reo Stevens wants you proficient at a straight air before you add board rotation.
Mistake
Kicking the board around at one fixed speed no matter the jump.
Fix
Match the spin to the air. Reo Stevens ties spin speed to the height and distance of the jump — spin it too fast and it over-rotates, too slow and it under-rotates.
Mistake
Letting the board come back at you fins first.
Fix
Touch the board with your feet before you land. If you can see you are heading for the fins and not the deck, tuck your feet up and keep sending the kite in the opposite direction.
If it goes wrong
- If the board lands fins up, or you can see you are heading for the fins instead of the deck, tuck your feet up.
- Continue to send the kite in the opposite direction and do your best to get away from the board and avoid injury.
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
What should I be able to do before trying a strapless pop shove-it?+
Have your pop dialed. Alby Rondina lists the shovit as the 15th of his 16 basic strapless moves, after the jibes, the tack and the basic pop, and tells riders to make sure they have pop at 100 percent. Reo Stevens, teaching the 360 version, says you should be proficient at a straight air before attempting it.
How fast should I ride in?+
Reo Stevens teaches slow to medium travelling speed for the shove-it, with the caveat that you must not go too slow — you need forward momentum left to ride out of the move. If a small wave or piece of chop is there, time your take-off off it.
Which way does the board spin?+
Your back foot kicks the tail up and into the wind while your front foot pushes the nose down and downwind at the same moment, so the board turns 180 degrees under you and you land fins first.
What if the board flips and the fins come up at me?+
Tuck your feet up and keep sending the kite in the opposite direction to get away from the board. Alby Rondina's warning is blunt: take care you don't end up with a fin in your bottom.
Where does the trick lead from here?+
It is the entry point to a rotation family. Alby Rondina points at riders like Keahi and Airton pulling 720 shovits, and says to start with a single shovit. Reo Stevens teaches a 360 version in which the tail and fins hitting the water stop the board's rotation.
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.