# Surface Handle Pass

Kit used in movie: 7m Naish Torch 2011 and 130cm Naish Momentum 2011

Surface Handle Passes

Surface handle passes are a trick to learn once you have gained good control on other unhooked tricks such as raileys, back loops and front loops. They open the door to a lot of new moves, so are really fun to learn. The crashes on these can be unexpected because it involves having your back to the kite, so ensure you put your kite onto 5th line/safety and not suicide. Also ensure that you start with your leash the correct way around your body e.g. if your passing from left hand to right hand you will need your leash to be on the left side of your body to begin with.

Your first surface handle pass can be learned in a number of different ways, you may like to take the toeside fins off your board to allow it to slide easier, or you may like to try it in a carve turn to minimize power in your kite. Different people have different ways to teach it.

My personal opinion is to learn it from a small unhooked pop to toeside as this will force you to land with a small amount of speed downwind which makes the lines of your kite become more slack giving you a chance to pass the bar with more ease then some other ways.

Technique for surface handle pass (travelling from left to right.)

- Put your hands in the centre of the bar
- Put your kite around 1 o clock
- Unhook and pop to toeside
- Land with the board pointing straight downwind
- Push the bar down by your left hip with both hands. Aim to keep the bar as close to your hip at all times
- Keep heading downwind
- Let go with your right hand and rotate the bar with your left hand 180 degrees behind your back
- Bend your body hard at the waist and drop your head down towards the water. This will help to keep the bar close to your hip while going for the pass
- Shift your weight over the toes of both your feet to engage the whole edge of the toeside rail.
- Simultaneously to the point above pass the bar behind your back reaching first with your right hand
- With your chest bent down towards the water look for the bar behind your back. At this point you should have both hands on the bar behind you.
- Once you feel the bar with your right hand let go with your left hand and follow your body round to complete the pass. Aim to get your left hand back to the bar as fast as possible.
- To do this look for the bar with your head while still keeping your chest low. It helps to twist at the hips
- At this point shift your weight on to your right leg
- Look for your kite and square your shoulders to face it – hopefully now you have both hands back on the bar
- Now you have to get your board round.
- With all your weight on your right leg, force your left foot round using your right foot as a pivot. You really have to drive your right foot into the water.
- Throughout the turning of the board aim to keep your centre of gravity on top of the board
- The kite will begin to pull, but pull against it with both hands so as not to pull on oneside and use the force of the kite to help you force your left foot round.
- Once around shift weight back onto left foot ready to ride away heelside.
- Keep heading downwind and regain control of your kite before hooking in.
- Its only at this point during the move do you stop heading in the downwind direction.
- Reshuffle your leash into any comfortable position until you recompose yourself. When you are ready pop it back to your left side to try again.

Common Problems

Can’t reach the bar: You are not aiming enough downwind and as such you are edging a little making the lines too tight and the kite pull away from your body. Pratice riding toeside hooked in, baring off downwind and see if you can reach behind your back and feel the bar – don’t try to pass – just try to reach it to get the feeling.

Reaching the bar but then going flying off downwind: You are not bending over enough as you reach for the bar or you are not staying bent over for long enough.

Falling in over your toeside rail in the upwind direction: You are leaning too hard over your toeside rail and your board is slipping out. Stay bent over to keep your head and shoulders down towards the water, but try to keep your centre of gravity a little more to the centre of the board.

Reaching the bar with both hands, but not able to force your board a round: At this point you should have distributed your weight on to your right foot – the nose of the board. Push it hard down into the water with your weight centered more over the whole of your foot and not just the toes. Try to make yourself as heavy as possible on the nose to allow the fins on the tail of the board to clear the water and pivot round. Try to use the force of the kite to make you heavier on the board by pulling evenly on both sides of the kite helping you to force yourself round.

Top Tips

When trying to regain control of your kite lower it towards the water rather then bringing it above your head. Hack off downwind to stop tension building in the lines.

If you are really struggling take off your toeside fins

Ensure you have plenty of downwind space when learning this move. It covers a lot of ground!

Note: These instructions are for passing the bar from right hand to left hand heading right foot forward. Reverse the instructions if you are going the opposite way.

Pics: Paul Jackson

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