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Dual line tricks - Groundwork


Start with the kite on it's right tip... leaning back slightly, pull lightly on your left line, as the left tip starts to lower to the ground pull sharply on your right line, letting out your left line at the same time. Step forward a couple of steps just as you pull the right line. The desired result is a "reverse
coin toss", the kite should "hop" from it's right tip, go into a clockwise flat spin, then land back on the right tip.


From a
wing tip stand, lay the top hand back a little. Then just push both hands forward, the kite will lay back on the lines (leading edge laying parallel to the ground, but the tip still in the ground). Then you just pull back in to the tip stand. The laying back of the top hand in the tip stand makes for a very powered up kite. This is quite important as it keep the tip in the ground and puts the nose in the right position to be able to pull it back. There are many ways that put you in a position to get into this. One of them is getting the coin toss wrong...

Broken yo-yo with half a twist

If you ever nose plant your kite try this:
Let someone setup the kite by wrapping it up from this position, leaving it wrapped, standing on its tips facing away, with the lines coming out from under the kite, and try to get out of it.
Here's what to do: drop the kite down so it is in the
belly landing position, as it gets to this point give a sharp flick on one line (timing is important for this bit, you have to flick at just the point it reaches the belly down position). Take a step back and the wind should do the rest. In low winds you will need to do more work and in heavy winds you will need to be very fast with your reactions.

Coin toss

A coin toss starts with the kite in a
Wing tip stand. Next perform an axel-pop on the wing that's in the air by gently pushing it back a small way and then popping it towards you. Now extend your arms forward to give slack in the lines and allow the kite to rotate. After the kite has rotated, try and land on the opposite wing tip by walking forward. This move can be done from standing on one wing tip but can be performed out of a side slide as well. Take care the slide is a little downward. When the kite touches the ground with it's wingtip, immediately do the axel pop on the wing still in the air. Take a look at the axel take off description as well because the description of the "Miguel Rodrigez coin toss" is there.

Flip over/Cartwheel

The kite is flipped over from a side or nose down position on the ground. From a nose down or side position, tug on the wing that is pointed up in the air. This will rock the kite to the opposite side. Let the wing that is up fall back a little by extending that arm. Now sharply tug that side and release with the other. The kite should flip over onto it's wing tips. Always try to flip toward the center of the window. Be careful, you may break a leading edge rod learning this essential move. The move is very useful getting out of crashes during competition (or avoiding walking down field any time!).

Floating backturn/Otis

Put the kite on its back, nose towards you and lines over the leading edge. Pull gently on the lines and rock the kite forward onto its nose but not far enough to stand up. Then release the lines quickly, the kite falls back and floats up and away, still on its back (but leaning *slightly* backward so the nose is high) and nose towards you. Walk quickly backward to keep the kite flat. It will keep going up as well. When it is far enough up, snap the lines and the kite is back into flight, heading down (gulp !). A quick 180 degree spin and away you go! Tip: start the launch at the center of the window, wind velocity plus 10 mph bring the kite up perpendicular to the ground...nose down and tips parallel to the ground push both hands evenly and firmly to initiate the momentum necessary to rock the kite back, let the wind do the work....leave a little slack in the lines. Once the kite is 5-10 feet off the ground, tug on either line. Don't use a wind tamer; opt for heavier lines

Ground Zero

Starting with the kite on it's belly with the nose away from you, pop both lines hard and then release. This takes the kite into the first stage of the Ground Zero which is a
French Toast - the kite jumps up and the nose swings up into a Fade position. Immediately pop both lines again, as if starting a Flic-Flac, to get the nose to swing back down so that the kite is once again on its belly with the nose away, but this time a few inches above the ground. The final stage, the "Zero", is a 360 degree Flat Spin. From this you can pop back into a Fade/Flic-Flac, Flic-Flac to land, recover, or whatever takes your fancy. The combination should be done very quickly without any pauses between the elements.
You can also do the Ground Zero from a Headspring launch rather than flat into a French Toast.


Start with a ground pass from the right side, lower the kite into a tip drag and ease the nose down. Relax your hands and let the kite roll over from the left edge to the right edge and immediately launch the kite from this edge. Continue pulling your left line to complete the kite's rotation and finish off with the kite flying to the left.

Kite walk

With the kite in a left
wing tip stand, pull gently on the right (up) wing and release the left. The kite should be on the ground with the right wing toward you. Now pull on the left wing and release the right. Now you're walking !

Now you see it, now you don't

Give a sharp flick (not pull) on both lines, push both hands forward. The kite should be nose toward you belly up. Hold for a second and give an other sharp flick, push both hands forward. The kite should be back on the ground. You can do this as many times as you like. In fact this is a
French toast launch/landing done very fast and repeatedly. The kite jumps up in to the air, pauses, then promptly disappears again onto the ground. When you get bored, let the kite rise a bit in the belly up position, flick again, but this time stunt one hand as you push out and 540 flat spin out of it.


Fly a ground pass right to left. Perform a
full stop such that the kite has rolled back into a turtle just above the ground. Now pull back with both hands firmly with emphasis on the right hand. The kite should slam both wingtips onto the ground simultaneously and immediately take off now pointing towards the right edge of the window.
Beware ! The failure mode for this fast maneuvre can be expensive.


Fly across the window in a low pass and lower the kite down until you have contact with the leading edge on the ground. You should have almost all of the leading edge touching the ground, but keep the nose slightly off the ground to avoid it "snagging". Keep most of the pressure on the upper line and fly the kite across the window with the leading edge in constant contact with the ground
An excellent combination move is to start with a very low
540 flat spin at the edge of the window and come directly out into a Leading Edge Drag.


The kite is forced into a
wing tip stand. Fly right to left, very close to the ground. Pull right, push left, then push left even further. This movement is done in a blink of an eye. The first combination turn serves to stall the kite. The second push drives the tip into the ground. This move works best with higher aspect ratio kites and in higher winds.

Tip drag

Basically a ground pass with one wingtip in contact with the ground. Slightly more tension should be maintained on the upper line throughout the move. try to maintain even kite speed across the window by walking backwards when at the edges and forwards when at the center. Kites with relatively long bridles can be more easily balanced and, naturally, rough and/or abrasive surfaces are less favorable. It does, however, look fabulous across water.

Twisted Sister/Half Sister

Even with a trick line, most kites will get a wing wrap every now and then. The Twisted Sister starts with such a wing wrap but turns a potentially difficult situation into a cool trick. When you've got the hang of it, it becomes fun to intentionally get into a wing wrap just to recover it. Start with a line wrapped under the trailing edge and running around the tip and back over the leading edge. You also need to have the kite balancing on the opposite tip, leaving the wrapped tip in the air. Push the wrapped tip forward, flattening the kite out almost onto its belly (nose away from you). As the kite almost touches the ground, pop the wrapped tip HARD, and immediately drop your hands (crouch down, even). The kite
540 Flat Spins and in the process (if you dropped the lines down low enough), unwraps the tip wrap. Very flat and very fast Flat Spins are possible. You can also let the kite lie down flat on the ground (belly down, nose away) before popping the Twisted Sister, but it occasionally leads to ground snags. If you don't get the pop just right, you can still get a 180 Flat spin. This is called the "Half Sister" for obvious reasons. This trick has some resemblance with the G-Whizz.

Wing tip stand

With the kite on the ground, just to the left of the center of the wind window and the right wing about one foot closer to you than the left wing, pull slightly on the right line. When the left wing lifts, stop pulling on the right line and use the left line to balance the kite on the right wing tip.

Remarks, additional info ? mail
Peter Peters ( <pp@win.tue.nl>).