Why High Rotations Feel So Unpredictable

The biggest difference between low and high rotations is airtime.
When you jump higher, you never know exactly how long you’ll stay in the air. Kite size, timing, kite position – everything plays a role.

That leads to one important realization:
You can’t take off with the plan of finishing the rotation.

The takeoff is only there to start the rotation. Real control begins once you’re already in the air.

Once I understood that, everything changed.

Control Doesn’t Come From Spinning Faster

For a long time, I focused on how much I inverted or how hard I threw my head back. The real breakthrough came when I realized that rotation control has very little to do with inversion – and almost everything to do with body tension.

A tense body rotates slowly and predictably.
A loose body spins fast and chaotic.

In every high rotation, there is one side of the core that needs to stay active. You can see it clearly in the legs: one knee pulls in more than the other. That asymmetry allows you to slow the rotation down and wait for the landing instead of forcing it.

Once you feel that moment where the rotation calms down, high jumps suddenly feel relaxed and controlled instead of stressful.

The Kite Is Half the Trick

Kitesurfing is always a combination of two elements: your body and the kite. Even if you have the rotation under control, a badly positioned kite will still throw you out of the trick.

In high rotations, the kite’s task is simple but crucial:
Send the kite up explosively, slightly against your riding direction, and then immediately start steering it slowly and smoothly forward again.

After the first part of the rotation, clean kite control puts you in a position where you have time. Time to focus on the landing, finish the rotation, and touch down smoothly.

Most crashes in high rotations don’t happen because of poor rotation technique, but because the kite is steered too aggressively – either too far against the riding direction at takeoff or too late forward for the landing.

A Small Mental Trick That Makes a Big Difference

One of the strangest things about high rotations is how confusing left and right suddenly become. It makes sense: when you’re 180 degrees into a rotation, right suddenly feels like left, and back feels like front.

One small habit completely changed this for me.

Before takeoff, I consciously look at the hand I want to use to steer the kite forward and move my fingers twice. This tiny action builds a clear connection in my brain. When I’m upside down in the air, my body automatically knows which side of the bar to pull.

It sounds almost too simple – but it works surprisingly well.

When Inversion Helps – and When It Doesn’t

Inversion looks spectacular, but it’s not always useful.

For back rolls, inversion is optional. It can look stylish, but it doesn’t necessarily make the trick safer.

Front rolls are different. A slight inversion helps you rotate cleanly around your center of gravity and gives you much more control in the air. Stretching your feet toward the kite can make a huge difference – once you commit to it.

Like many things in kitesurfing, it feels strange at first. And then, suddenly, it feels exactly right.

High Rotations Are a Mindset Shift

High rotations aren’t about bravery or aggression. They’re about patience, timing, and control.

Once you stop trying to “finish” the rotation during takeoff and instead focus on controlling it in the air, everything becomes calmer. You float instead of fight.

This shift didn’t just improve my tricks – it completely changed how I approach progression in general.

Sometimes, jumping higher means doing less.