Skip to content
KitesurfingOfficial

Wave · Intermediate

Strapless Tack

See it in the Trick Tree

Strapless Tack is an upwind turn on a strapless surfboard where the rider carves the nose through the wind and swivels the board 180 degrees with the feet.

Also called: upwind tack · surfboard tack

Prerequisites

Strapless Jibe

Unlocks

Duck TackStrapless Backroll TackStrapless Upwind 360

Schools teach this differently

Our sources split on which foot turns the board: IKSURFMAG teaches a two-foot scissor, the back leg pushing the tail away while the front foot pulls the nose underneath you, while Tabula Rasa Team teaches kicking the rear foot to spin the board through the 180.

Ideal conditions

Flat water for learning, between waves or in a sheltered area, with enough power in the kite to carry speed into the carve; chop slows the board too quickly for the scissor action, so keep the move out of rough water until it is dialed.

How to do it

  1. 1. Set up and carve upwind

    • Come in with power in the kite and the board moving with speed; without it the board stops turning before the nose gets through the wind.
    • Spread your feet wide, back foot on the tail pad and front foot up around where a front strap would sit, so the carve loads the whole rail instead of just the tail.
    • Drop your weight low and carve hard into the wind while your back hand steers the kite up toward 12.
    • Let the bar slide out as the kite climbs; less line tension lets the board keep turning up underneath the kite.

  2. 2. Scissor the board through the wind

    • Pull the bar in gently, just enough that the kite holds your weight and relieves the pressure on the board.
    • Shift your hips forward over your front foot and push the tail away from you with your back leg until it practically slides.
    • At the same time pull the nose underneath you with your front foot; back leg pushes, front leg pulls, like closing a pair of scissors.
    • Stay balanced over the board while it comes through the full 180; the kite overhead carries your weight while your feet do the steering.

  3. 3. Swap stance and ride away

    • Turn your head and shoulders to face the new direction and let your hips follow.
    • Bring your old back foot forward next to your front foot, then step your new back foot onto the tail pad and move your hips back over it.
    • Dive the kite into the new direction to power up and get the board moving again; its pull will try to drag you over the nose, so drive your weight back through the tail pad against it.
    • Press through the tail so the fins grip, then push the nose off the wind with your front foot and sail off on the new tack.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Hesitating into the carve, so the board runs out of speed and never turns far enough through the wind.

Fix

Carry more speed in, carve harder and let the bar out so the back lines go slack; be dynamic and go for it instead of waiting for the turn to happen.

Mistake

Getting pulled over the nose as the kite comes across and powers up.

Fix

Get your back foot and your hips onto the tail pad, and keep enough wax back there that the foot actually holds.

Mistake

Sinking mid-swap: the board has too little volume to hold you up on its own while your feet are moving.

Fix

Keep the kite above you and pull gently on the bar so it carries your weight through the foot swap; the move comes down to dialing in the timing between kite and board.

Mistake

Learning the move in chop.

Fix

Chop kills board speed before the scissor gets going; drill the tack on flat water between waves or in a sheltered corner first.

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

Is the strapless tack harder than the jibe?+

Yes. Schools teach it after the jibe and the jibe with downloop, and pros call it much more challenging than it looks; the whole move hinges on syncing the kite timing with the footwork. Expect a training period, but once it clicks it becomes repeatable every time.

Why learn the tack when I can already jibe?+

Ground. A jibe arcs the board downwind, while the tack sends the nose through the wind and turns practically on the spot, so it is the fastest way to change direction and the one that loses the least ground upwind.

What conditions should I learn it in?+

Flat water with enough power in the kite to carry real speed into the carve. In chop the board slows quickly and the scissor action never gets going, so start between waves or in a sheltered area.

Do I have to switch my feet?+

In the standard strapless tack you swap your stance as the board comes through the wind. Riders who can hold toeside upwind can tack in both directions without moving their feet at all, which is worth building for wave riding.

Can I practice it without a kite?+

Yes. Draw a board shape in the sand pointing into the wind, stand on it with one shoulder to the wind, then rehearse the three-count: back foot steps up, head and shoulders turn to look down the board while the new back foot steps to the tail, and the hips move back so the new front foot faces forward.

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.