Has comp riding changed?
A lot of people ask me what I think of double handle passes and how freestyle has progressed in the last years.
Looking back through some old footage I saw a small video I put together 3 years ago in Brazil in Sept/Oct 2006.
It was never released at the time because of footage rights but here it is now to ask the question if competition riding has developed over the last few years.
I know my own free-riding has changed quite a lot but I find that the vibe on tour is still ‘double handle passes to win’. In some cases I can agree, they can be harder, but the kite has to be at a decent angle.
For instance is a Low Mobe 5 with the kite next to the water harder than a Mobe 7 with the kite above your head? Yes, I think it is.
In my eyes a lot to do with double handle passes is strength when you are talking about these kite angles, almost a pull up, is this good for our sport?
Once the kite comes down and people use body movement and speed opposed to dangling and time, then we are talking about the next level of difficulty, until then I don’t agree.
I know I helped bring these to the table a few years back, but for me they fizzled out and I tried something different, I didn’t see them progressing much further at the time and that lead to a change in my riding, adding technical difficulty in different ways. Lower kite, different grabs and movements, etc.
These days I don’t do doubles so much, I’m sure it shows, when I see one I generally think they portray a bad image for kiteboarding but despite not seeing them develop much in the last years I do think there is room for improvement, it just takes someone to do it. Sometimes I think maybe I should give them one last chance, but is it worth it?
I don’t think that people or judges notice kite angles that much, it is hard to tell the difference.
The thing is kite angles always rise in comp, the chances of landing gets better and better the higher you put your kite, I have seen kites at ridiculous angles, but I think it is still viewed as the same trick and difficulty anywhere in the region from 40 degrease – 70 degrease, only when one rider has it at 30 and another at 80 do people really notice.
For me I want my riding to look as good as possible thats why sometimes I’d rather not do them or I will pull a Front Mobe Blind instead of a higher kite and an air-pass.
I know I have done a lot of competitions with doubles, even in the recent few years and I will continue doing what I have to do to win events but it just shows me that tricks in a heat have not moved on that much and more needs to be done to progress the competitions scene.
Nice vid Aaron! as always. Keep doing your stuff, your style is unique and to be honest, freaking awesome!
Speed and strength is the way the sport should go. Not dangling like a paraglider…
IMO, double handle passes are getting rinsed of their worth. People need to move on and make the judging haard for the judges. People need their own style and shouldn’t be rewarded for just going with the flow. I totally agree with you, we should be looking towards the speed and stength aspect of the sport more.
Sickkk
its all about style, if double handle passes are performed with style, then its still a trick to be performed as part of your repetoire. If judges automatically give points for it and thats what you need to do to win….then its wrong. I also don’t think its all about difficulty level. Its about aesthetics/style. Obviously you could argue thats just big jumps but of course it is judged by those with an interest/knowledge of the sport so they understand technicality/difficulty and can consider that also.
Just keep doing what your doing, every clip I watch of your riding is totally different to what others are doing and you certainly make the sport impressive and push it that little bit more and thats what its about!
chow
I personally think that nothing looks better than a massively powered, stretched out raley. I’ll be happy when i can do that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR_ZD-5FaKA&feature=related
37 seconds into this video of yours is an example. I would love to do that….that is one incredible location too.
why not try low backmobe 7 or low front mobe to blind if you want to try something new, super power d. if your kite is below 45 kiting looks sik, in metropolis they don’t have their kites high and they dont have them super low yet the riding is timeless and can be appreciated by wakeboarders.
Thanks for the great vid. Been doing doubles for some time now. Thanks for taking kiting to the next level.
Its actually much nicer reading what you have written than listening to your voice dude : )
Stoked on this Aaron. Keep riding how you like to and show the guys on tour what its about.
You talk about legitimizing the sport yet you continue to talk about “low mobes”
There is mobe 5 and then there is pull up variant.
There is no such thing as a Low mobe.
There is no such thing as a Late mobe.
Ali B. Did you proud on this exact subject at weekend but was unfortunatley overlooked by the judges in favour of the more favourable angle of dangle.He did in the end get recognition for a well deserved best trick.Low as you like!
Didnt see any dangles in your double passes in the 06 vid, still had heaps of forward momentum throughout your manouvers. BUT alot of people do hang below the bar. its like any other sport, you cant decide the future, For example watch the skateboarding comps, some guys do really slow tech tricks and others go powered and large, its the same all over Sports, do tricks that feel RIGHT for you as an individual and everyone will bring something new to the plate, we need to recognize and respect the style and creativity of shinn, vari, hadlow, dre, wainman, reuben. All different, it will never be judge properly, and comps have always been that way. nothing more to say.
what a post
kitehooks is a prat more more mobe 7 spin faster etc etc clueless prat
yeah foothook does not get it yes there is SUCH THING AS A LOW MOBE AS IT IS BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE U WE HAVE THE GAY MOBE so we have to try and seperate the 2.
I like this stuff Aaron for sure we would not see things like this on BIG kev’s website. I believe he is happy to please the judges in anyway they say forever
steve
There is mobe and there is pull up. That is all there is, you cant just make up lingo as you like for tricks you did not invent.
So Foot Hook as you can’t go making up the “lingo” when did you invent the “pullup” PRAT
Really good words Aaron, good that you push for the lowkite-style.
Good luck with the pushing of lowkite-style and comps. Actually I believe you would gain more cred from pushing your lowkite-style moves and give up higher angle moves for winning comps. Bear your head high! The Lagos video is the sickest and hardest kite-video ever.
Rob Flexi Sweden
PS! Hope to see you in Sweden some day.
here you are even better then in 2009
maybe you can try making power one foot’s moves?
like back roll grabb one foot mobe ha ?
possible ?