Carry real board speed.
If you choke the board before the send, the kite has less forward energy to convert. Stay loose enough to accelerate, then progressively load the edge.
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GUIDES · BIG AIR · TAKE-OFF
KITE ANGLE & SEND.
The question is not simply “12 o’clock or 12:30?” It is whether you can keep speed, edge and line tension right up to the release. The best angle is the one that lets you convert the most usable power into a clean vertical pop.
SpeedSendEdgeLoadReleasePop
THE COACHING QUESTION
Do you release at dead 12 — or while the kite is still slightly forward?
On a big-air take-off, the kite and board have to work together. If you wait too long and the kite is already overhead, you can get lifted off your edge before you have finished loading it. Releasing a little earlier can let you keep more board speed and line tension into the pop.
Your cue: stay fast, load late, send hard, release clean.
WHAT TO FEEL
THE TAKE-OFF SHOULD BUILD — THEN SNAP.
Keep the edge while the kite climbs.
You want the kite climbing and the board still resisting. That opposition is what builds line tension. If the edge lets go early, the load leaks away downwind.
Leave the water before the kite stalls above you.
The exact clock position depends on tack, kite, wind and send speed. The coaching target is a clean release while you still have tension and usable forward speed.
CLOCK-FACE CUES
USE THE CLOCK AS A REPEATABLE TEST.
11:30 / 12:30
A useful “slightly forward of zenith” reference. Test whether you can hold the edge longer and get a sharper release without flattening the board.
12:00
Not automatically wrong. On some kites and sends it can work brilliantly. The warning is waiting so long that you lose speed or the kite starts lifting you before you choose to release.
13:30 / 1:30
Much further forward. This can create forward drive, but it is not a universal “better boost” target. Treat it as a separate test rather than assuming lower is always higher.
Your personal sweet spot
The answer should come from repeated jumps under comparable wind, tack and equipment — ideally with video — then checked against height, airtime, take-off speed and pop metrics.
ON-WATER TEST · 10 JUMPS
Keep the kite, board, tack and wind band as consistent as the session allows.
- 5 jumps: consciously hold the send closer to 12.
- 5 jumps: release a little earlier while the kite is still forward of zenith.
- Compare WOO height, airtime, take-off speed, pop velocity, jump distance and your own feel for edge retention.
- If video is available, mark the kite angle at the instant the board leaves the water.
KEEP LEARNING
CONNECT THE SEND TO THE REST OF THE JUMP.
USE IT IN YOUR COACH REPORT
OPEN COACH REPORT →When the data suggests a release-timing issue, BTE can point you back to this drill instead of giving you a generic “edge harder” instruction.