In the Unhooked Frontroll you unhook the chicken loop, edge hard upwind to load the lines, then pop and throw a forward rotation, landing tail first.
Also called: unhooked front loop · unhooked pop front loop · unhooked popped front loop · unhooked front roll
Prerequisites
Unlocks
Helps to know first
Schools teach this differently
Our sources genuinely split on the rotation throw: MACkite teaches a compressed initiation (front ear tipped to the front shoulder, front knee driven hard toward the forehead) and names a look-under-the-armpit alternative, while IKSurfMag teaches an extended one (chin up, look up and over the back shoulder as the back leg extends) and warns that throwing the head down and compressing neutralizes the pop's upward momentum. Both agree the head leads and the eyes stay over the back shoulder until the rotation unwinds.
Ideal conditions
No wind-range numbers appear in any source we cite. IKSurfMag says the unhooked pop front loop practices well even on underpowered summer days, advises moderate entry speed rather than full pace, parks the kite at 11 or 1 o'clock (a touch lower and held still as you progress), and describes the ideal landing as tail first on a flat board slightly off the wind.
How to do it
1. Set up and unhook
- Trim the depower strap so the sweet spot rests just above the chicken loop; the bar goes light and the kite flies forward while you stay powered and in control.
- Park the kite at 11 or 1 o'clock and come in with moderate speed on a clean upwind edge; that height lets you edge hard without getting lifted.
- Bear away and stand a touch taller to flatten the board, then pull the bar in and push it down so the chicken loop slides off the hook.
- Keep your eyes forward while you unhook; looking down moves your hips back and makes unhooking harder.
- Hold both hands centred on the bar with a soft bend in the elbows, as if you never unhooked.
2. Load the edge and pop
- Carve hard back upwind against the kite before you lose speed: weight low and back over the tail, front leg extended to hold the edge.
- Dig your heels in and don't point your toes; lean back like you're balancing a chair on its back two legs, hips and chest up toward the sky.
- Stay locked at the hips and keep the bar in close with a slight bend in the arms; stretched arms or a folded hip hinge bleed the load straight out of the lines.
- Really stomp down on the back foot and explode up off the water by suddenly extending your back leg.
- Leave the water completely before you do anything else; change your momentum too early and you get no height and drop onto your back.
3. Throw the rotation
- As you start the rotation and open the back shoulder, pull hard on the front hand; you should feel the kite pull you forward into the roll instead of pulling you up.
- Tip your front ear toward your front shoulder and look over your back shoulder; your body follows your head the whole way round.
- Drive the front knee up toward your forehead to swing your hips through, back leg poked out with a slight bend, body semi-tucked.
- Keep the bar pulled in near your chest with elbows slightly bent, as if you were still hooked in.
- You will feel somewhat blind until the rotation is almost done; hold the knee tuck and the head turn until your body unwraps, because releasing either one stalls the roll and puts you on your back.
4. Spot, land, hook back in
- As the rotation opens, spot your landing and untuck a little to slow the spin.
- Bring the nose of the board back around and aim it at the kite.
- Pull the bar down to your lead hip with the front hand; it can even be a good idea to let go with the back hand, because it's easy to send the kite up with it right at landing and stop the rotation.
- Touch down tail first on a flat board, slightly off the wind, knees soft to absorb the hit, eyes forward instead of down at the water.
- Ride downwind at the kite to control the power, check the kite isn't steering down toward the water, then hook back in and ride upwind.
Common mistakes and fixes
Mistake
Sending the kite to noon while spinning, so it lifts you and kills the forward pull.
Fix
Keep both hands close to the centre of the bar and pull on the front hand as you spin; the kite then pulls you into the rotation instead of up.
Mistake
Throwing the rotation before the pop has finished.
Fix
Get fully off the water first, then redirect. Rotating early costs all your height and drops you on your back.
Mistake
Stopping the roll halfway by lifting your head or letting the front knee drift away from your chest.
Fix
Keep looking over the back shoulder and keep the knee pinned until your body unwraps from the roll.
Mistake
A soft load: arms stretched out, body folded at the hips, toes pointed.
Fix
Treat your body as one unit. Bar close with slightly bent arms, heels dug deep, and hold a strong edge with a big spray as you scoop into the release.
Mistake
Carrying too much speed into early attempts, so it feels like there's no time to pop, let alone rotate and land.
Fix
Come in with moderate speed; the move practices just as well on underpowered days.
If it goes wrong
- There is no clean mid-air abort taught in the sources: MACkite states that trying to bail mid-roll means falling on your back, and that keeping your legs up and sending the kite high makes the crash 'not bad at all' — so once thrown, ride the rotation out.
- Only attempt unhooked rotations with a modern safety system that lets you both rotate and unhook without endangering anyone nearby (IKSurfMag prerequisite).
- After landing or crashing, check that the kite is not steering down into the water and head toward it on a flat board before hooking back in (IKSurfMag recovery step).
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 already have on lock before trying the unhooked frontroll?+
A solid pop and confident upwind riding are the hard prerequisites per MACkite, which also recommends learning the back roll and Raley first because the frontroll takeoff counter-rotates against the board's natural scoop. IKSurfMag additionally expects a confident front loop, a basic unhooked Raley, and a modern safety system that allows rotating and unhooking safely.
How hard is the unhooked frontroll really?+
MACkite rates it about 2.5 on a 1-to-10 scale among unhooked fundamentals and says it's learnable in a session or two once the odd-feeling takeoff clicks. IKSurfMag files the same move in its advanced technique section, so treat it as mid-pack: easy rotation, awkward takeoff.
Where do I park the kite?+
Both MACkite and IKSurfMag say 11 or 1 o'clock: low enough to edge hard without excessive lift, high enough to give some bounce off the water. IKSurfMag adds that as you progress you should start with the kite a touch lower and keep it still during the move.
How much wind or power do I need?+
No source we cite gives a number in knots. IKSurfMag says the move works well on underpowered summer days and warns against carrying too much board speed at first; MACkite's advice is to load power into your lines with a hard carve and release it with your scoop.
Why do I keep landing on my back?+
The sources name specific causes: rotating before the pop has finished, letting the head turn or knee tuck go mid-roll, and sending the kite up with the back hand near landing. MACkite adds that half-committing guarantees a back landing, so once you throw the roll, keep the legs up and finish it.
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.