Upcoming Maven Session in Baja – Gear & Grabs

Check it out:

Add grabs to your riding for power and style

Adding grabs to your riding not only adds style, it strengthens your abdominal muscles, and they’re fun to do. The key to any good grab is to know exactly where you’re going to grab before leaving the water. If you are sending the kite, focus on your pop and release to ensure height. Once you execute a proper takeoff, you will have the time and balance to grab wherever you want.

When you first start to grab the board, practice pulling your knees up to your chest to bring the board closer to you. It’s a lot easier to grab with the board easily in reach then having to try and stretch down, over your harness, to get to it. In most all grabs, you will be pulling your board up to you for the grab.

Once you get used to bringing your knees and board up, start taking one hand off the bar and bringing it down to your side when you jump. You might just be touching or slapping the board at this point, but really try and GRAB it! This will be a lot easier if you get that board up to you.

For wake style grabs, be sure to load your edge and get as much pop as possible. As soon as you pop, bring your legs up, make your grab and spot your landing to ride away. This is a very quick and aggressive grab style that requires swing momentum of the board and a quick response!

For big air grabs, you will have more time to grab, but will also have to more efficiently control the kite more while you’re performing the grab. You will be using the kite to jump, as well as to smoothly land. First, send the kite to jump. Make sure you have your hands at the center of the bar, so that when you take one hand off to grab, you can still control the kite. Just at the apex of the jump, bring the board up, take your hand off the bar (making sure the other hand is centered on the bar) and go for the grab. As you grab, start putting forward pressure on the bar (turning it down or to the front) to start your descent and landing. Keeping enough front-hand pressure on the bar will keep you from landing bomb-drop style (dropping straight down into the water) versus a smooth forward-moving downwind landing.

Grabbing is the best way to make any of your jumps look smoother, add style and impress all your fans on the beach. Check out our master list of grabs to get started on!

Dallas girls represent at new XL Kites shop

Liquid Force took to the road in Texas recently, stopping for the Grand Opening of Dallas’ new XL Kites shop. Cool temps and gray skies didn’t stop locals from heading out for the Liquid Force demo at Lake Ray Hubbard just outside of Dallas. Who would think there is kiteboarding in Dallas?

The local gals showed up at Lake Ray Hubbard, all levels eager to pick up something from the demo. Liquid Force Maven rider, Tonia Farman, was on hand for tips and instruction assistance. I think the guys were a little jealous as no one was giving them tips to ride…. and they needed it!

LF Team Rider Julie Simsar hosts girls clinics

Ripping international team rider Julie Simsar is hosting women’s 3-day kite clinics on her home beaches of beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. Julie’s clinics are beginner, intermediate, and advanced clinics with a limit of 4 students per session. She teaches at her home beach of Puntas Las Marias as well as a remote beach in Ponce, the south side of the island.

Julie and her husband, Antoine, have a beautiful penthouse apartment in San Juan, just 4 blocks from the beach. Kite students can stay in their own private section of the penthouse with sweeping city views or Julie can arrange separate hotel accommodations.

For more information on Julie’s clinics, check out her website, JulieSimsar.com.

Go for the Grabs… a master list

Tindy: A natural grab between a tail grab and an indy that doesn’t get any respect in any boardsports. Try to avoid this grab.

Indy: Grabbing the center of the board, toeside, with your backhand. 

Indy Grab

Nose Grab: Grabbing the nose of your board with your front hand.

Tail Grab: Grabbing the tail of your board with your back hand.

Stalefish: Grabbing the heelside of the board behind your back foot, with your back hand. 

Crail: Reaching across the body to the opposite leg, grabbing the toeside nose.

Grabbing Crail

Melon: Grabbing the heelside of the board behind your front foot with your front hand (reaching between is a Roast Beef, see below.) 

Seatbelt: Reaching across the front of the body to grab the toeside tail of the board.

Method: Grabbing the center of the board BEHIND your front foot’s heel and turning the board 90 degrees to your backside.

Nuclear: Grabbing across the body and both legs with your backhand to the heel side edge of your front foot.

Roast Beef: Grabbing the center of your heelside edge, by reaching between your legs, with your back hand. 

Roast Beef

Chicken Salad: Grabbing Roast Beef with your front hand.

Bacon: With your back or front hand, reach behind, then through the legs to grab the toeside edge. Respect to any girl who can do this grab! You need long arms to get to that toeside.

For more detailed instruction on grabs, study one of the great styley grab masters — Jason Slezak — in the Bonus Section of Real Kiteboarding’s Joyride DVD – the Slezy J Grab Tutorial. And while you’re at it, be sure to check out the rest of the DVD. This DVD is a great step-by-step video tutorial that covers everything from basic back rolls to more technical unhooked maneuvers and multiple rotation tricks.

Join the Liquid Force Maven Team

Liquid Force Maven is looking for regional riders WORLDWIDE interested in being a part of the Maven Girls Kiteboarding Team. As part of the LF Maven team, you will be eligible to receive gear discounts and swag, plus invitations to private team riding and clinic events.

THE REQUIREMENTS:

Send 4 photos:
• 3 riding shots that show us your riding level
• 1 lifestyle photo
• Bonus: If you have video of you riding, even better!
Riding photos should portray your level, including 3 factors: Technical, Style, and Power.

Email a link to your photos and/or video to info @ womenskiteboarding.com. If you are emailing actual photos, please make sure photos are under 1MB each. No video files will be accepted through email.

Girls come get your Stilettos

They’re here, but they won’t be around for long. The 2008 Stiletto Interface System is the first pad and strap kit for women that actually fit! And they’re finally in the LF house! The Stilettos will get you out on the water in comfort, keep you out on the water with performance, and if you choose to ever come back in… will get you back without sore knees, ankles, and feet. In fact, you might as well be slipping into your favorite sneakers, because that’s what these feel like…. 100% comfort with shock-absorbing air pockets in between layers of cushy rubber goodness.

This was the first deck system that I actually purchased separately from a board years ago when Liquid Force came out with the Luxury Straps. After two knee surgeries from skiing bumps and gates ages ago, it was well worth the $125 for the kit. In fact, I would probably pay a lot more for them because they save my entire lower body! They are snug and coosh, and absorb the impact of hard landings… especially for those wake-style riders out there. The Women’s Kiteboarding Association did a review on the Stiletto Luxury Pads & Straps as well… check it out.

Were you at a Maven Session where we had Stilettos but they were not yet available? As far as I know, Air Padre Kiteboarding has them in stock and will ship them to you same day. If you haven’t yet tried them, go into your local Liquid Force Kiteboarding retailer and demand that you try a pair! Better yet, try them on one of the new 2008 Aura boards… the 127 or 130.

Baja Mavens in La Ventana

One of our biggest Maven Sessions so far, the La Ventana Women’s Clinic was the highlight of day 5 of the La Ventana Kite Expo in Baja Sur, Mexico. Packed under the shade of the Liquid Force tent, over 30 girls came to learn about the women’s-specific kiteboarding gear, harnesses, and tips for riding. Even some of the girls busted out notebooks to take notes! Wow, we’re not that tech, are we? Nonetheless, there was no quiz at the end of the kite clinic, but lots of trying on of harnesses and boards.

The women’s-specific Liquid Force kiteboarding products at the Maven Session were the Aura Harness, the Aura 127 and 128 Comp, The Aura 130 and 131 Comp, and the favorite…. the Stiletto footstrap Interface System, made specifically to fit our dainty (yet strong!) feet. Liquid Force Havoc and Session kites were available for demo, but there was no wind. Regardless, everyone seemed to have a good time checking out all the new 2008 LF gear.

At the end, Maven rider Tonia Farman led a grab clinic for the more advanced riders looking to add some style to their riding with grabs. “Bring your knees to your chest and grab! Don’t slap!”

Ho down in South Texas

Liquid Force Maven had a great turnout for the holiday week South Padre Island Women’s Kiteboarding Clinic. The women came from Oklahoma, Washington, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, California, British Columbia, Oregon, and Texas. They ranged in age from 16 to 50 and covered all levels of kiteboarding.

Dakine provided 2008 harnesses, Liquid Force provided kites, bars, harnesses and the new Aura board, and Mother Nature provided perfect warm winds and sunny skies! Tonia from LF Maven went over all the new Liquid Force kiteboarding gear and Dakine harnesses.

The biggest hit of the day was the revelation of the new Stiletto Interface Kit, a footstrap & pad set that fits women’s feet better than anything I’ve ever put my feet into. No surprise there, as most of us have struggled with straps too big for years!! The cushy pads soften hard and fast landings, and are great on the knees. No more impactful pain-inducing hits on the water. These pads have an air pocket in between two layers of rubber cushy goodness that give just enough to soften those big raleys, but provide enough stability that you don’t slide around. Tonia points out the new Stilettos:

After going over the Stilettos, harnesses, and the LF Havoc bar, half of the girls went out and flew the Havoc 4m with Tonia and the rest went kiteboarding. Be sure to check out the Stilettos review on WomensKiteboarding.com.

Maven Session in Hood River Oregon

The girls of Hood River are almost famous for being hard core, ripping women in all of the sports that you can take on in this recreation mecca. So, when we rocked up for a Maven Session for intermediate riders, we had the biggest response of the summer! The session, which was targeted at intermediate riders, focused on transitions, small jumps, and starting rolls.

With 5 meter conditions, the day brought some big swell and big air, perfect for learning how to jump. Tonia Farman from LF Maven coached one-on-two kiters at a time. Maven set up lunch and beverages, and even coordinated the boat for wakeboarding in case the wind didn’t happen. Here’s our professional boat driver, Tom, behind the wheel:

The intermediate maven session was definitely a hit. I guess that means more girls are progressing. Sweet!! More girls that ride means more fun for all of us. The girls at the “Secret Spot”: