Welcome to the third installment of Wing
Tips! In the first article (Volume 8, Issue 2), we learned the edge
stall. This maneuver was a great introduction for learning how to stall
your kite and then recover. The next progression is the snap stall.
This trick is more aggressive and dramatic since the kite will forcibly be
stalled even when there is plenty of available lift. But before we get
into the mechanics of doing a snap stall, bear with me as I relate this
flashback moment.
The year was 1994 and I had recently purchased
my first stunt kite. To learn more, I decided to attend the legendary East
Coast Stunt Kite Championships in Wildwood, NJ. Even today, this first
major kite festival remains an unforgettable experience and really got me hooked
on kiting. And, while watching a master competitor practice on the beach,
I saw his kite suddenly stop dead while in the mist of a fast ground pass.
After hovering for a brief moment, the kite quickly darted off again. My
first naïve thought was "Geez, that kite just hit some weird
turbulence". But after watching him repeat the maneuver a few more
times, I quickly realized it was deliberate. After tracking him down like
some crazed stalker, he kindly told me this move was called the Snap Stall.
Since then, its taken a lot of practice to get
proficient at this trick (and you never stop learning!). Also, there are a
few different techniques that can be used to perform the snap stall.
However, what follows is the method I’ve found to yield the best results and
one that is used by the vast majority of flyers.
Begin by flying a horizontal pass about 20
feet off the ground and, for this example, lets have the kite heading towards
the right edge. Once the kite has reached a position midway between the
center and right edge of the wind window, start the snap stall by doing the
following two steps. First, perform a combo turn by simultaneously pushing
your right hand forward and pulling your left hand back. This will cause
the kite to abruptly turn 90 degrees nose up and also stalls the inside wing (in
this case, the left half of the kite). Second, execute a contradictory
combo turn by pulling your right hand back and pushing your left hand
forward. This motion doesn’t actually turn the kite, but rather stops
the initial rotation while stalling the outside wing (or right half of the
kite). In essence, the two combo turns should happen only a split second
apart so both half’s of the wing are stalled almost simultaneously.
After the second combo turn your hands should be returned to neutral and, if
properly done, the kite will be stalled with the wingtips level.
It may prove beneficial to practice making
these push-pull/pull-push hand motions while not flying to get the feel of the
required movements. Plus, keep in mind these following pointers. As
already mentioned, the combo turns should happen in quick succession.
Also, a lot of hand movement is not necessary to be successful. More
important is that your hand motions are very fast, like a boxer making quick
jabs. Some flyers will even flick their wrists (as if cracking a whip) to
attain a snappier motion. If the kite flies a zigzag pattern instead of
stalling, then your hand movements need to be faster. (The total time to
execute a snap stall should only be about 1 second!) Finally, the sound
the kite emits is actually good feedback. An audible "pop" is a
sure sign of a great snap stall. (If you want to know exactly what this
sounds like, just ask Michael Moore for a quick demonstration!)
Of course, the kite will immediately try to
start flying again after the stall. Walking forward helps prevent
this. Another tip to holding a long stall is to use a trembling motion
with one or both hands to shake the sail. This will help keep the air flow
around the sail disturbed, thereby preventing the kite from developing
lift. Once you would like the kite to again resume normal forward flight,
swing both hands down past your hips as if you were performing a launch.
This will make the kite dart off faster, adding some extra zest to the maneuver.
In conclusion, the snap stall is a spectacular
move worth adding to your bag of tricks. But be patient when
learning. The right mix of timing, speed and range of motion only comes
with practice. In the next issue, Wing Tips will explore two advanced snap
stalls - the snap landing and wing tip stab. Until then, have fun
learning to snap stall in those great Fall winds!
