Fractured Axel

This is a question concerning how you use your arms, especially when doing horizontal flying.

Imagine you are flying the kite horizontally, LE parallel to the ground, kite facing upwards. You push one hand, and pull the other to let the kite have horizontal motion. I find that the hand which is pulling, I pull up towards my shoulder, and there comes a point where I can't pull any further (and the other arm is full extended). I've noticed that you can do the same manouver, but instead of pulling towards your shoulder, pushing that arm behind your back, past your hip. This way you have more potential for distance between the two handles, thus more potential for speed or extremity of the kties movement. However, it is much harder to keep the kite steady, and I flip a wing a lot.

Should I be learning to fly the kite in the latter way? Or just getting as good as I can with moving my hand to my shoulder technique?

I'd like to learn this the right way first time - when flying dual line I learnt to "cross-pop" first, which is not appropriate for many modern tricks, and I had to re-learn to pop down by my hip.

Yep - go with pulling your hand behind your hip. If you also move your feet so that your body is sideways on you can get even more slide. Senior Ellison (Top 4 line egg) advised me that most fliers don't move their feet anywhere near enough - which just goes to show how lazy we are.

Over on www.revkites.com you will find a number of good videos which should go a long way to helping with your learning. There is also a rev clinic in August which may be of interest to you.

I agree with Sailor 99 - go with pulling your hand behind your hip

In the videos I've seen, Barresi rotates his whole upper body/lower body when he's holding sidways hovers or sliding. Kind of like shooting a bow and arrow.

~Dan

Yep, rotating the whole body is the ideal. Although you can slide with out doing so, I find it makes the move more smooth and controlled.

If your coming at this from a duel line/ trick thing then I would guess you move anyway ??

sounds like your trying to do a float or close to it.. the hand on the hip is right .. youll want to position your body like your getting ready to shoot a bow