By Julian Hosp/julianhosp.com
After you learn how to do a raley, one of the next unhooked tricks you should learn is the front roll. It is generally more difficult than the back roll, but is also one of the very important tricks to master on your way to becoming an advanced rider. It can be extremely stylish and also difficult if thrown inverted or with grabs. You can do the front roll either hooked in or unhooked, but the odd thing is that many people find front rolls easier unhooked.
1. To help get good pop off the water, don’t keep your kite too low or too high (keep it between 10 and 11 o’clock).
2. As you leave the water, initiate the forward rotation by looking under your back armpit. Always remember: Where your head goes, your body will follow.
3. As your body continues the rotation, a common mistake is that riders naturally tend to pull on their front hand during front rotations, leading to the kite shooting down towards the water. Focus on keeping the bar still through the move.
4. Continue the rotation with your head and spot your landing as you come around.
5. Stare at your landing and bring the board underneath your body.
6. Bend your knees on the landing, hook back in, and load up for the next move!
To spice this trick up a notch, throw in some stylish grabs, such as a tail, indy, or nose grab. It always helps to keep one leg bent while the other one is stretched out. This makes reaching the board a lot easier!