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MOVE: KGB

RIDER: Mark Doyle

PHOTOS: Peter Foley

A back-to-blind is basically a posh version of a back-loop - you change the direction of your loop half-way through, land in blind and then pass the bar rather than completing a full rotation and landing back in the position you took off from. A KGB is the same rotation as a back-to-blind, only this time you're going to complete the handle-pass in the air and do an extra 180 so that you land back on your heel-side edge.

An important tip to remember when attempting handle-pass manoeuvres is that the pass is done after the apex of the jump and on the way down.

• Start off by bearing downwind a little - this will give you more speed and more room to carve hard upwind against the kite to get good pop that you need to complete the manoeuvre.

• Once you are up to speed carve up into the wind and start a back-loop. As you are leaving the water throw your head and shoulders back to begin the rotation as you would for a regular back-loop.

• The pull from the kite in the first half of your rotation will be too much to pass the bar. Try to time the half-way point in the rotation with the apex of your pop/jump when the pull in the kite is weakest; then pull in the bar to your front hip. (Your front hip is the one facing forward before you take off the water. Starboard tack would be your right hip and port tack your left.)

• Wait until you are more then half-way through the loop and just beyond the apex of your jump before pulling in the bar to your front hip.

• When you find yourself up-side down and pulling the bar to your hip at the same time, throw your head and shoulders in the opposite direction to the way you were rotating for your back-loop. Kicking your legs up and twisting your knees a little too will help start the rotation in the opposite direction.

• The key to completing the bar pass is keeping the bar close to your hip throughout the trick, getting good enough pop to get inverted, positive head movements to re-direct your rotation and allowing your legs to bend slightly to transfer your weight back in the other direction.