Jump kiteboarding: edging, pop and kite position

When you jump kiteboarding, getting more height starts with holding your edge, carving upwind and timing your pop just before the kite reaches 12. Then stay calm in the air and prepare for the landing. Practise on flat water with enough verified depth for landing, in a wind where you can ride upwind comfortably.

I jump with a WOO 4.0, and it mostly shows 2-3 m, sometimes 4, rarely 5. I only jump to the right. And when I try for more, it feels like I have to do 15 things at once, and the moment I focus on one, I forget another.

Break the jump down into 4 steps. On the water, focus on 1 step at a time and let the rest run as you've practised.

What actually makes a jump high

Height comes from 3 things: when and how you send the kite, how hard you carve upwind, and how fast you ride. More power on its own won't do it. When you're overpowered, the kite rips you off your edge before it's overhead and you fly long instead of high. The right amount of power is enough to ride upwind comfortably while staying in control.

Kitesurf College filmed its whole jumping-higher tutorial in 18-22 knots (9-11 m/s) to keep the focus on technique, and says you can clear 10 m even underpowered if you get it all right. Strong wind lifts you faster, but it also makes every mistake more expensive.

For a sense of what a "good" jump is: Akkersdijk says the perfect jump in 40 knots (21 m/s) with perfect kickers might be 30 m, while in 15 knots (7.7 m/s), which he counts as very light wind, it might only be 5 m. Compare your jumps with your own in similar wind.

The edge: where your height comes from

Edging means riding on the heel edge of the board so it cuts into the water and holds against the kite's pull. For a jump, it has to hold until you leave the water. Lose the edge even in the last fraction of a second and you lose height.

What helps: - more weight on the back foot, since a smaller section of the board cuts in more easily - heels down, toes pulled towards your shins, bum low over the water - knees bent, so your legs work as suspension and the board keeps contact with the water - shoulders over your hips, hips actively driving upwind into the harness

Leaning back with your shoulders behind your hips pulls the bar in without you noticing, and that uses up the reserve that should lift you at take-off. In his side-by-side comparison, Mike Mac Donald jumped 7.5 m with his shoulders behind his hips and 11.1 m with shoulders over hips, arms extended and the bar closer to the trim strap. Keep the bar out while you edge and pull it in only at take-off.

The pop, the explosive release off your edge, needs a patch of smooth water. In chop, the short messy wind waves, the board keeps bouncing and the edge is hard to hold. Look for a flatter stretch where you can build speed and edge pressure.

Sending the kite and carving upwind

Ride in across the wind at medium to high speed with the kite at about 45°. Then steer the kite up towards 12 with your back hand and, at the same moment, carve the board upwind. Aim to take off at roughly 45° to the wind. Leaving the board flat and making the kite do all the work costs you height.

Keep the bar mostly out during the send. Don't park the kite low and throw it across the whole window to the other side. It will get you up, but it launches you forward and leaves the kite behind you when you land.

If you ride to the right like I do, the kite is on your right, you send it with your left hand and bring it back for the landing with your right. Riding left, it's the mirror image.

The pop: when and how

Take off just before the kite reaches 12, pulling the bar in at the same moment. The kite makes the most power as it passes 12, and if you go late, that power is wasted. Push down through your back foot against the edge, extend your body and stomp hard just as the kite starts lifting you. The whole pop takes less than 1 second.

In the air and on the landing

Before practising, set the trim according to your kite manufacturer's instructions. In the air, hold the bar in only as far as the kite can keep flying without backstalling, and leave it roughly overhead. Accidentally pushing the bar away can let the kite drift behind you. But if pulling it in too far makes the kite fly backwards and lose lift, that's backstall: ease the bar out to let it fly again, and adjust the trim before your next attempt.

Steering the kite back and forth in the air looks great on big jumps, but on smaller ones it puts the kite far in front of you and makes the landing harder.

For the landing, redirect the kite towards your riding direction just before you touch down. Akkersdijk usually does it about 2 m above the water. For bigger jumps, Kitesurf College recommends a double movement: a firm back-hand input about 4 m above the water, then dive the kite across 12 with the front hand at 1-2 m. It's tempting to steer early and gently, but that creeps the kite lower and away from the zone where it gives the most lift. Point the board downwind, touch down tail first and bend your knees.

Once you're landing consistently, the next steps are your first tricks after jumping and, later, the kiteloop.

How to tell you're actually jumping higher

The WOO sensor measures from the board at water level, and jump height is the board's peak vertical displacement after take-off. For accurate numbers, the sensor should sit in the centre of the board with its long edge along the board. Watches that estimate height themselves use wrist movement, a different method that can give different results. A watch displaying data from a paired WOO is showing the board sensor's measurements. For every jump you get height, airtime and landing g-force. Alongside your best jump, watch the typical height across a set: in comparable conditions it can suggest progress, but it won't tell you what caused it.

During video coaching, look at whether you really carved upwind, where the kite was at take-off and what the bar was doing. The footage needs to show those details. Video or an instructor watching you can help identify a mistake; a higher WOO reading alone doesn't prove that your technique has improved.

Staying safe on bigger jumps

In a study that followed 194 kitesurfers through a season, about 49% of injuries happened while attempting a jump or trick. Across all recorded injuries, 31.8% affected the foot and ankle and 14.1% the knee. Every recorded fracture occurred in shallow water or on shore. Flat water alone isn't enough: before the session, check the depth, bottom and current water level throughout the area where you might land and ride away. If you can't confirm enough depth, don't practise bigger jumps there.

Your gear needs to be in good condition; check your lines, bar and quick release before the session. You need open space downwind, away from people and obstacles. Think about a helmet and impact vest too.

Jumping on snow

You can jump snowkiting too, and the steps stay the same: edge, send, pop. On snow, the edge comes from your skis or board.

Where to practise higher jumps

Jumping takes repetition and feedback. On the Red Sea kite safari, which I've been on several times, the programme includes morning and afternoon sessions, with evening video coaching on days 3-6. Spots are chosen according to conditions, which also determine whether you can practise jumps. Check the specific area with an instructor: you need enough depth where you might land and ride away, plus open space downwind.