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Unhooked · Advanced

Unhooked backroll

Also called: wakestyle backroll

See it in the Trick Tree

The unhooked backroll is the backward rotation off pure pop, kite parked low — taught as the easiest unhooked rotation because the loaded edge starts the roll for you.

Prerequisites

Unhooked riding & pop

Unlocks

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Ideal conditions

Kite parked at 1 or 11 o'clock, good speed, riding heelside — then carve back upwind to load.

How to do it

  1. 1Unhook and load

    • Park the kite at 1 or 11 o'clock and come in with good speed; bear away briefly to unhook, then carve back upwind and lean against the lines.
    • Lock your hips and keep chest and hips facing the sky — the body works as one unit while the tension builds, a touch longer than for a raley.

  2. 2Release and rotate

    • Pop hard and release the edge before the roll starts — then look over your back shoulder and let the head lead the rotation.
    • Keep the bar pulled close like you never unhooked, bring the knees toward the chest and swing the hips around.

  3. 3Spot and land

    • Keep looking over the shoulder until you spot the landing, then pull the bar hard into your lead hip with the front hand to bring the kite down and forward.
    • Point the nose at the kite, land flat and centered over both feet with bent knees, and hook back in before you lose board speed.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Arms extend the moment you unhook

Fix

Keep the arms in close like you never unhooked — extended arms let the kite wander and kill the pop.

Mistake

Soft edge, bending at the hips

Fix

Hold a hard edge and lean back with the body as one unit, chest and hips to the sky.

Mistake

Rolling before the pop (late edge release)

Fix

Pop hard and release the edge first — the rotation only starts once you've left the water.

Mistake

The kite creeps to noon during the roll

Fix

Keep your hands close to the center of the bar so the kite stays parked.

Bailing out safely

  • Falls stay relaxed on this one: throw your legs up and take it on your back rather than forcing a landing you've lost.

Questions riders ask

Should I learn the raley before the unhooked backroll?

The source calls raley experience helpful but not required — scoop-and-pop technique is the actual prerequisite, and some riders learn the backroll first.

Sources

Every step on this page traces to the sources below. Where they disagree or stay silent, the page says so instead of guessing.