Kicker Gradient
 

Hi All,

The kicker at my local cable park has a hell of an incline. I have a tendency to get to the top and automatically I'm leaning back. What are good ways of solving this problem? I want to get the right axis so I can attempt a 360. Thank you in advance.

Cut out early and a bit wide. Let the tension off the rope before you hit the kicker. Keep the handle in close to your hip. I let the handle out as I go up the kicker and then pull it back in at the top to start my rotation. Another thing that helps with leaning back is to put an indy grab on the board. Kind of had to lean back when you are bending forward to get the grab. Although an indy grab isn't going to help with a 3.

No pendulum approach? Guy above knows more than me but the desire to roll down the windows and/or lean back may come from a straight approach to the kicker. Are you going from the inside low corner close to you to the far top corner of the kicker in a pendulum fashion. Parks don’t share that cause it encourages a more “dangerous” approach than dead straight on. I had to bug them and then they shared

Hey Bobby,

If you are still having issues with your take off it might be due to your riding position. If you ride 60% of weight on your back foot then you will take off with majority of your weight on your back foot causing you to loop out. Make sure that when you ride you evenly distribute your weight.

As David mentioned follow a line into the kicker that takes you from the inside corner to the outside corner of the ramp. You will take this edge into the ramp and then flatten off within 3 ft or about 1 m before the ramp. You will still go up about the middle of the ramp, but taking this line will allow you to carry momentum outward and have a softer landing versus the cable bringing you back to a dead drop.

Also as John said, keep the handle down by your waist and bend your elbows in by your sides. Keep the handle in when coming in, taking off, and landing. This allows the handle to move without disrupting the rest of your position.

Quick Summary:
1. Come into the ramp and take off evenly weighted then go flat about 3ft/1m before the ramp
2. Take and Inside out approach to the ramp
3. Keep the handle down by your waist with your elbows by your side

When landing straight airs just make sure to land back over the edge you came in on (Toeside or Heelside) to keep your momentum going outwards to get a softer landing.

Hope this helps!

Hello All,

Very grateful for your reply and tips. Thank you very much.

Also, if you don’t have system boots/bindings and have to walk barefoot back when you fall, you can keep some flip flops bucked to vest. I have old Board snd bindings, our at the time new large circular park had been dug in a field. So the berm around you had to Walk had those annoying sticker vines and other brush that will grow and repopulate the dug dirt, they didn’t carpet that with grass naturally to keep costs down as this is s very big circular park.