QuadKites.org

Hand throw: starting without a support

This lesson is part of the Cramayailes indoor 4-line school, restored by QuadKites.org. The text is Thierry Bressure’s, in the first person, translated from French. The video commentary is in French.

Prerequisite: 360.

The figure

Section titled "The figure"

Start the flight by throwing the kite away from you.

Watch the figure: hand throw

The lesson

Section titled "The lesson"

To start when you have no support such as a wall, you can throw the revo by hand.

Hand throw lesson by Cramayailes

Key takeaways from this video — Hand throw lesson

  • The rotation method gives a high linear speed without much effort; the revo must stay perfectly horizontal throughout the rotation.
  • Holding the handles separated by one or two fingers, and horizontal, avoids mixing up left and right and keeps the lines from wrapping around them.
  • As soon as the revo leaves your hand, step back a few steps and spread your arms with one handle in each hand to tighten the lines as quickly as possible.

Transcript — Hand throw lesson

  1. Starting without a support

    0:00

    In this lesson we will cover the throw, which lets us start a flight when we have no support, such as a table or a wall.

    With the kite in your hand, we are going to throw it so that it moves away from you, tighten the lines and start the flight.

  2. The rotation method

    0:45

    I recommend the rotation method, which gives a high linear speed without too much effort.

    Hold the revo gently by one edge and check that the lines are not tangled around your feet.

  3. Keeping the revo horizontal during the rotation

    1:27

    The revo must be perfectly horizontal throughout the rotation.

  4. Separating the left and right handles

    1:57

    You have to be careful not to mix up the left and right handles. When both handles are in the left hand, as here, I always keep them well separated by one or two fingers.

  5. Keeping the lines from wrapping around the handles

    2:39

    I keep the handles horizontal so that the lines do not tangle around the handles themselves.

    I tap the revo on the ground a few times to free any lines that might be caught on the revo’s ends.

  6. After the throw: step back and spread the handles

    2:56

    As soon as the revo leaves my hand, I take a few steps back to tighten the lines.

    I take both handles and spread my arms to separate the lines from each other as much as possible and keep them from tangling. The goal is to really get the kite into a flying position, with the lines well separated and taut, as quickly as possible.

Video page: transcript, series and other uses

Movement

Section titled "Movement"

None.

Control

Section titled "Control"

The simplest hand throw is to throw the kite like a javelin. Another technique spins the kite at arm’s length to use the rotational inertia gained, which the pilot turns into throwing force. More attractive and less effort, this is the one covered here.

Take both handles in one hand, separating them with one or more fingers so that you do not mix up right and left.

Above all, check that your feet are not in the lines and that the lines are not tangled in the ends of the kite.

Hold the kite gently by one end with your other hand and tap its feet on the ground to unhook the lines from the elastics and wingtips. Then hold the kite at shoulder height to make sure the lines hang perfectly. Then spin around once or several times with the kite held flat. Once you face the chosen direction, stop spinning and guide the kite’s tip in that direction. A small push is needed to cancel the rotation.

The kite then flies straight in the chosen direction. Ideally, throw it perfectly horizontally or, failing that, slightly upward.

At that point, do not waste time watching the kite move away. Take the handles in each hand again and spread them to help the lines separate. As soon as the kite moves away, get ready to fly by moving back to tighten the lines as quickly as possible.

If the throw was not energetic enough, the kite will not go far enough. Likewise, if the launch angle was too low, the kite will head to the ground too quickly. In both cases, step back quickly to tighten the lines!

What comes next

Section titled "What comes next"

We have covered the basic figures needed to reach the autonomous level on the Revolution Indoor. Only the backward flight is missing before you can really say you fly quad-line.

Last updated: — restored Thierry Bressure's hand throw lesson, with the figure reference