Axel by Spence Watson
The axel outdoors, from an inverted slide. You see how to judge the slack: too little and the kite does not spin flat, too much and the leading edge hits the ground.
From the series Windy With Watty. Transcript by QuadKites.org.
What next?
Key takeaways from this video
- Starting from an inverted slide prepares your hands for the axel; once the movement is familiar, you can enter from almost any move.
- Give a small tug on one side then a big one on the other to loosen the kite, and take a big step forward to remove the air from the sail.
- The axel is a slack-line trick: too little slack and it does not spin flat, too much and the leading edge hits the ground before the turn is complete.
Transcript
This tutorial teaches you how to do an axel on a Revolution. To begin, I suggest starting from an inverted slide: it gets your hands ready for the axel. Once you're used to the movement, you'll be able to do it from just about any entry.
Coming in from an inverted slide to the right, I give a small tug on the left, then a big tug on the right. While sliding, your left arm is already pulled back: you just exaggerate the movement a little to loosen the kite and get it ready to axel.
This is a slack line trick: you need to give the kite slack to get a flat spin. Take a big step forward to get the air out of the sail. A common problem: too much slack, the kite goes too flat and the leading edge falls to the ground before it completes the turn. Find the right balance between too much and not enough slack.
Keep going
In the series Windy With Watty: outdoor Revolution tricks
- Bicycle spin
- Clockwork
- Toss and catch
- Axel — you are here
- Flic flac
- Falling leaf
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