Some kites are better for unhooking than others, not necessarily C kites V's Bow kites etc. But the general rule is C kites are a little better to unhook as you dont get pulled like a truck. The most important thing is to depower the kite so the kite is nicely trimmed when the bar is at full power. This prevents the kite stalling as starting to unhook should be done in lighter winds first, (like all tricks). Correct edging and good posture when riding are also essential. You are not ready to unhook generally if you are still riding and using the depower of the kite to ride a lot. When you can hold the bar in with the kite correctly trimmed and use your posture and edge to control your speed it's time... Hope this helps. One of the progression videos has a detailed explanation.....

Got myself a Fluid ATV 12 and 9.5m last year after having a demo of them. Was really impressed with how well they flew unhooked. They have below the bar de power and there is no need to adjust the trim to unhook. Love em.

foosh just go for it. the hardest part about unhooking is the initial mental block. get comfortable, bear off a touch, unhook and edge as hard as you can and try to do a railey. or if you're waveriding, get comfortable on the face, unhook and ride towards the kite.
its only water, and you can always relaunch your kite.

Some kite brands have the bar and chicken loop that "mate" into one another when you unhook, making hooking back in easier. Airush and Liquid Force are a couple of brands that come to mind whose bars have this feature.

The Naish setup is pretty sweet how it locates the chicken loop, makes unhooking / rehooking easy. Keep in mind that quite often you will be grabbing the chicken loop with your other hand to depower after you've landed to finish off downloops etc... well i find it can help

try just riding down wind a little bit unhooked in good conditions to get used to the feel.
keep the bar as low to the hip as possible, for the best amount of pop

keep the kite as low as you can.

windangoesoff said...

can you unhook in all winds? or is it impossible once it gets up near 25kts and above ?

Higher winds...use a smaller kite and unhook away