Paula Novotna talks us through her favorite trick of the moment, the new disciplines she has enjoyed learning with the Duotone Academy App and how you can further your progression!
Hi Paula, do you have a signature or favorite trick?
My favorite trick now and always has been the grabbed KGB and to go big!
Do you have a preferred grab or do you mix it up?
I like to mix it up, I like the KGB as it’s a super stylish trick, and adding the grab it looks even cooler!
It is a stylish trick, especially with the revert in the trick!
Yes, that is cool! I sometimes like to over-rotate 540 into the back-roll and then start the counter-rotation but it’s kind of hard to do.
What did you find were the challenges of learning the grabbed KGB for you?
You need to go high and big, you need to go into the trick fully powered. What helps me is thinking about what exactly I need to do on each step of the trick, come in with the kite low, edge properly, and manage to land.
When you were learning the KGB was there a breakthrough moment or something about this trick that everything clicked for you to begin to land the trick consistently?
Yes, with the KGB, I found that edging harder and having the kite lower helped to be able to pass the bar smoothly.
For people who would want to learn this trick, what building blocks do they need to learn first?
It’s quite a journey to land the KGB, first, you need to be able to unhook, then learn an Unhooked Backroll, then I would say learn a Raley to Blind, then Backroll to Blind, and from there Backroll to Blind Airpass where you pass the bar in the air before landing and from there you are ready to try the KGB.
And to get that last rotation the key is quite a lot more commitment and speed into the trick?
Yes for sure! Going step by step and trick by trick is the easiest way to learn this trick properly to land it all the time.
Is there one trick in the Duotone Academy App that you would recommend everyone learn?
It depends on what discipline you are into as there is so much in the Academy. I also use the Academy to try strapless freestyle tricks or when I was learning foiling and jibes. In Union Island I got to witness the Academy being shot on the spot then I would go to the spot to try and learn some moves for myself! I was also there with friends and they were trying basic tricks on their twin-tip boards and also learning to ride on a surfboard. The Academy was so helpful and they were learning a lot. They enjoyed watching the Academy being filmed at the same spot they were kiting.
What is the next thing you are looking to learn?
I would like to improve my kiting skills in waves as I really enjoy it. I’ve also started surfing to improve my level on the surfboard. I’ve been winging a lot lately, I have enjoyed surfing in the waves with my wing but I would like to learn some freestyle tricks with this too. It hasn’t been windy enough recently to try but the wind is coming back soon! I really enjoy the wing foiling, it’s a similar feeling to when I began kiteboarding, I had this passion that I couldn’t stop and now I have this same feeling with wingfoiling!
What lead you to try wing foiling and how does it complement your kiteboarding?
I am a freestyler and we are constantly looking for perfect spots or perfect wind to do our freestyle tricks. I recently started to ride waves as I have been in some incredible wave locations and I have always wanted to give it a try and when wing foiling began to become popular I saw you are able to have a lot of fun in small or not even breaking waves and you can ride the swell for 500 meters or however long the wave goes, but it’s so fun! you can share the wave with friends! It opens up locations that would not be appealing for kiteboarding but for wing foiling it’s awesome! It great to have different toys in the car to see what is best to take for each session!
This article first appeared on the Duotone website here.