Club 38 is a training course and a community offered by Revolution Kites, the company that invented Revolutions. We invite you to :
- Discover Club 38
- Give you our opinion
- If you like, take a quick tour of the course!
What is Club 38?
Club 38 is a training program and a community of kitefliers. It’s free and run by Revolution Kites, the brand behind Revolutions. Club 38 is reserved for kitefliers who own a kite from this brand (Reflex kites, B serie, 1.5, SLE, ….).
The club has been designed so that every kiteflier with a Revolution kite can take full advantage of the possibilities it offers. The club offers a pathway for developing techniques from beginner to advanced level. This progression is structured by levels. New members pass 8 successive levels to earn the title of Master. Joe then proposes 6 levels for the Double Master title. These 6 levels include combos, i.e. a set of movements at different speeds. After winning the 2 titles, Club 38 offers to repeat the 14 levels with different challenges: “perfect” or with another Revolution, and so on.
The club requires you to complete each level one by one. Each level gives you access to tutorials hosted by Joe Hadzickie, a set of techniques to work on and a short choreography. After a little practice, you can film yourself performing these techniques and share the video. Joe gives you feedback, then validates your level and gives you access to the next level. On the club’s Facebook group, you can find out about other kitefliers’ performances, cheer them on and be encouraged.
We think Club 38 is a great solution for kitefliers who aren’t lucky enough to have a club nearby!
The advantages of Club 38
- Revolution Kites offers a course with progression stages. This can be reassuring for beginners.
- When the course is finished, members can repeat it with different challenges.
- We’ve seen good progress among club members!
- The videos show Joe Hadzickie performing the maneuvers, sometimes even in slow motion, and illustrate the mistakes to be avoided.
- On the club’s Facebook group, kitefliers can encourage you and show you their performances.
- Filming our kite flying gives us another, often useful, perspective on our skills and areas for improvement.
- Youtube videos offer subtitles for non-English speakers.
Disadvantages of Club 38
- You need a Revolution kite to join the club.
- Videos are in English. Fortunately, Youtube offers automatic subtitles, and Facebook translates the discussions on the Facebook group.
- The course focuses on individual flying techniques. It does not include team flying or freestyle techniques. Some elements are covered on the Revolution kites Youtube channel.
- Club members must validate each level before discovering the next. This can be frustrating, especially as a person’s progression is rarely linear!
- You have to film yourself validating each level.
- Joe shows how he does the maneuvers, but doesn’t explain why he does it that way.
- Club 38 makes a clumsy promise. Contrary to what is stated, the club does not train you to compete or even to an international level. For example, the club doesn’t teach compulsory figures or ballets. However, the members who have completed their course have reached a very high level!
- You need to use Facebook to benefit from the Club 38 community.
How do I join Club 38?
Club 38 is free. It is offered with the purchase of a Revolution kite.
The prerequisite for validating a level is that you fly a Revolution kite. You don’t have to prove it, but kitefliers know it when they see it! Your video will be accepted regardless of kite model, as long as it’s a Revolution, e.g. Reflex RX, EXP, or any older model with the Revolution logo (B series, 1.5, SLE, Revopolo, Detox, …).
To get started, simply go to level 1 of Club 38 and enter the password “thebasics”. You’ll find tutorials and a challenge to complete to validate the level. Once you’ve completed and filmed the challenge, you can post your video either on the Club 38’s private Facebook group or send an e-mail to Revolution Kites. Joe Hadzickie will give you feedback and tell you if you pass the level. If the answer is positive, Joe will give you the information you need to access the next level.
You can now join the Club 38 private Facebook group. You’ll be able to see other members’ performances, encourage them, ask questions and post videos. And if you post your level passes, you’ll get feedback from other members: advice and encouragement!
Levels and titles
Here we list the different levels, techniques and titles of Club 38. This part has been written for kitefliers curious to know more. This section is a cheat sheet.
Warning: this section contains numerous spoilers! We remind you that Club 38 is built on the idea that each member must pass each level to discover the next. If this is the way you want to learn, we encourage you to skip the rest and join the club to find out for yourself!
Also worth noting: for each level, we feature a video of a kiteflier. These examples are of a very good or even “perfect” level. You can also go through the levels at a beginner’s level, for example, with less precision. Joe’s videos clearly show the minimum level expected.
You can also discover many videos by searching directly on the Club38 Facebook group.
The 8 levels to become @Master
Situating yourself on the levels
Joe Hadzickie shows you where you stand on the different levels:
Joe also details his 10 favorite of the 38 techniques: video 1, video 2 and video 3.
Level 1
The first level is designed to give you the basics:
- Assembly and disassembly your kite.
- Wind window: staying in the wind window.
- Left and right turns: turn your kite left and right.
- Reverse to landing / land your rev: lower your kite in reverse until you land.
- Stop your kite: stop your kite in the sky.
- Turn your rev over: when the kite is upside down (leading edge down), turn it on the ground to bring the leading edge up.
Level 2
This level enables you to develop these movements:
- Upright hover: stabilize your kite (leading edge up).
- Side hover: stabilize your kite on the side (leading edge to the side).
- Left / right spins: complete left and right turns.
- 180° turn up: 180° rotation from the top.
- Dive stop: dive to the ground and stop the kite.
Level 3
This level 3 exercises these movements:
- Tip landing: land on a kite tip and swing the kite.
- Horizontal slide: slide horizontally.
- Multiple spins – left and right : make several complete turns, without worrying about losing altitude.
- Advanced reverse launch: when the kite is upside down (leading edge down), launch it in reverse, spin in the air and fly.
- Add wind: in light winds or at the edge of a wind window, load the kite by stepping back or using your arms.
Level 4
Level 4 focuses on these techniques:
- Inverted hover: stabilize your kite upside down (leading edge down).
- 360 snap-turn from a side hover: do a very fast 360° turn when the kite is stationary and sideways.
- Slide up from tip landing: when the kite is landed on a tip, slide upwards.
- Reverse flight – left and right.
- 180° bottom turn: do a half-turn (180°) from below.
- Inverted slide: slide horizontally when the kite is upside down (leading edge down).
Level 5
This level includes:
- Slide turns: rotate while sliding.
- The figure 8: do a figure 8.
- Circles, large and small: do an increasing spiral or the opposite in forward motion.
- Float left, right and downwind: float your kite left and right (with Reflexes) and float your kite downhill to gain ground.
- Reverse flight up: fly your kite up in reverse.
- Fly and slide box: fly your kite, then slide into a square.
Level 6
Here are the techniques for this level:
- Facet turns (4 points and 8 points clocking) / Clockwork: turn your kite around the center with stops on 4 sides or 8 sides of a clock. Also known as clockwork.
- Advanced snap-turns and snap-spins: turn your kite around the center from any orientation.
- Bottom turn to float: go to the edge of a window, rotate your kite downwards, then float and complete the rotation to return to the wind window.
- Reverse flight in all directions: reverse in any direction.
Level 7
Level 7 techniques are:
- Float hover and foot work: stabilize your kite in flight, then walk to gain ground.
- Slow motions / Speed control: fly your kite slowly, especially during rotations.
- Slow-motion spin: slow rotation in the center.
- Circle slide: slide the kite in a circle (leading edge to outside of circle).
Level 8
Level 8 includes:
- Bicycle spin: rotate around the center, without losing altitude.
- Slow motion spins: slow rotations around the center.
The 6 levels to become Double Master
The “M levels” have been designed to explore the possibilities of the Revolution kites. Joe offers combos, a set of advanced moves that combine speed and clean stops to amaze spectators. Most of these combos were created by Revolution kites, but are rarely used by the kite community. They have the merit of being innovative and pushing the limits of your kites and our flying techniques!
Level M9
Here are the level combos:
- Shock snap: bring your kite down quickly, then just before touching the ground, do a quick rotation in the center of the kite and stop it dead in its tracks.
- Shock snap tip landing: similar to the shock snap and finish with a landing on a kite tip.
Level M10
The combos for this level are:
- Walk it off: when your kite is on the ground, make it walk while moving backwards.
- Launch snaps: includes the various movements below.
- Snap launch: launch, then rotate rapidly around the center, then fly.
- Snap reverse launch: launch upside down, then rotate rapidly in the center, then fly.
- Snap tip landing: fly, rotate rapidly around the center, stop vertically and land.
- Snap standard landing: fly, rotate quickly around the center, land the kite backwards with the leading edge up.
Level M11
This level includes these combos:
- Show slock snap: bring your kite down quickly, stop short, do the clock with stops every 90°, do a fast rotation in the center.
- Go snap back vslide: side hover, move forward quickly, rotate quickly around the center, reverse, turn quickly to finish with the leading edge down, then slide horizontally.
Level M12
Here are the combos for this level:
- V snap V: stop your kite with leading edge down, slide horizontally, do a quick 360° turn, continue to slide.
- Don fox snap box:
- Set your kite side hover,
- move forward, stop, do a quick quarter-turn,
- Repeat this sequence 3 times to draw a square.
Level M13
The combos are:
- Snap clock snap: fly sideways, do a fast 360° rotation, do the clock with stops every 90°, move forward.
- Shock circle slide snap: dive the kite rapidly, stop short, make a circle by sliding the leading edge outwards, make a rapid rotation around the center, move forward.
Level M14
This special level asks kitefliers to reuse the 10 combos learned in levels M9 to M13 to compose a filmed choreography!
Levels beyond Double Master
Club 38 offers additional challenges for members Double Master:
- Perfect Master: redo the levels with perfection. For example, nice straight lines, impeccable rotations, clean stops, etc. Joe will give you a perfection score out of 10.
- Team Master: complete levels in a team, e.g. 2-up.
- Speed Master: pass levels with a “speed series” kite, e.g. a Revolution Supersonic.
- Eagle Master: pass levels with the Revolution Eagle.
- Stack Master: pass levels with a kite stack.
Members can earn the title of Triple Double Master by achieving the 6 titles: Master, Double Master, Speed Master, Double Speed Master, Perfect Master and Perfect Double Master.
Some kitefliers have documented their journey:l
- Louis McCloskey’s videos on Youtube
- Hughie’s animations, which we have updated: club38.quadkites.org
- Hughie’s blog entry for each challenge:
Thanks Louis and Hughie!
Movements list
Club 38 is so called because the program to become Master includes 38 moves. We’ve described them by level and in detail above. If you’re still curious about the 38 moves, here they are:
- Wind window
- Launch
- Left and right turns
- Reverse to landing / land your rev
- Stop your rev
- Turn your rev over
- Upright hover
- Side hover
- Left / right spins / full spins
- 180° turn up
- Dive stop
- Tip landing
- Horizontal slide
- Multiple spins
- Advanced reverse launch
- Add wind
- Inverted hover
- Snap-turn from a side hover
- Slide Up from tip landing
- Reverse flight left / right
- 180° bottom turn
- The inverted hover
- Slide turns
- The figure 8
- Circle, large and small
- Float left / right / downwind
- Reverse flight up
- Fly and Slide Box
- Clockwork / Facet turns (4 point and 8 point clocking)
- Advanced “snap turns” and “snap spins”
- Bottom turn to float / Float control
- Reverse flight in all directions
- Float hover and foot work
- Slow motions / speed control
- Slow-motion spin
- Circle slide
- Bicycle spin
- Slow motion spins
Here are the 10 combos to become Double Master:
- Shock snap
- Shock snap tip landing
- Walk it off
- Launch snaps
- Show slock snap
- Go snap back Vslide
- V snap V
- Don fox snap box
- Snap clock snap
- Shock circle slide snap
Did you like this content?
Do you like this content? Consider becoming a supporter! We’re actively looking for supporters to help us develop QuadKites.org: support our server costs, distribute our content, offer your skills…