Passing the Control Bar on the Water

     Surface handle passes are very easy to do, but inevitably you will land on your back and butt for the first few tries.

Prerequisites:

     Unhooking mastery.  Slide transition mastery; right, left, toeside, and heelside.

To the Point:

     Unhook, let go of your back hand, rotate the bar down and pass the handle at the base of your back, and follow through.

The Detailed Explanation:

     Start learning this trick in flat water by letting go of the control bar with your back hand and buttersliding on your toeside edge, perpendicular to your direction of movement, while you are hooked in.  Once you get that down, go from riding your heelside, to toeside butterslide, quickly, then back to heelside.  If you do this fast enough, you will have some momentum when you slide your board to toeside butterslide.  When you unhook and try it, you will be able to spin all the way around easily. We recommend rotating by letting go of your back hand first, since it's the easier rotation.

Step One:
Unhook

Step Two:
Rotate your body and board to a toeside butterslide

Step Three:
Pull the bar in to your hip quickly to continue your momentum, let go of the bar with one of your hands, and twist that end of the bar down towards the water, right next to your hip and behind the small of your back.  Keep your knees bent and your weight over your toes.

Step Four:
Keep your head down and twist the end of the bar into your other hand.  Contact with your new hand should be made behind your back at your hip.

Step Five:
Let go of your old hand and keep looking down, with your weight still over your toes.  The kite should pull you automatically into a toeside riding position.  Keep your weight on your back foot.

Step Six:
If you want to go back to heelside, do a toeside to heelside transition by straightening your back leg, tucking your front leg under your hips, and shifting your weight vertical and then to your new back leg.

Words of Wisdom:

     Just before you pass the handle behind your back, your weight should be over your toes and you should be leaning over your toes more than you think; if you don't, welcome to another unhooked, butt and back splash.

     When you pass the handle, pass it a low as you can, under you butt if you are still having problems.

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