Heres my opinion / understanding:
Free style and wake style tricks are often similar.
Wake style pretty much always involves the rider riding boots, with the kite low and riding generally with more power than most. Wake style contains less grabs, but often more low pop - technical outmaneuvers.
Were as freestyle is normally in straps (sometimes boots) and more height and style, i.e grabs in between rotations.

Both styles generally rely on the kite being low and the rider creating the height with the 'pop', both styles are mainly unhooked and powered up also.
While their is lots of similarities i believe the current tricks in the PKRA are mostly wake style, now almost 50% + of the riders on the world tour are riding with boots, whereas last year was rarely more than 2 at an event.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but theres probably a few videos / topics on the Internet discussing this topic in full.

The5MetreKid said...
Heres my opinion / understanding:
Free style and wake style tricks are often similar.
Wake style pretty much always involves the rider riding boots, with the kite low and riding generally with more power than most. Wake style contains less grabs, but often more low pop - technical outmaneuvers.
Were as freestyle is normally in straps (sometimes boots) and more height and style, i.e grabs in between rotations.

Both styles generally rely on the kite being low and the rider creating the height with the 'pop', both styles are mainly unhooked and powered up also.
While their is lots of similarities i believe the current tricks in the PKRA are mostly wake style, now almost 50% + of the riders on the world tour are riding with boots, whereas last year was rarely more than 2 at an event.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's probably a few videos / topics on the Internet discussing this topic in full.

Yeah your pretty much there, But really true wake style means no kite loops of the sort, kite should be ridden at 45Degress and all tricks launched with the kite 45degs off the water or lower, also landing with the kite low, Basically like riding at a cable park, Video's of Andre Phillip will show you.

Freestyle is basically all PKRA moves, yes they have moved to boots but the competitors are still doing kiteloop handle passes and having the kite high to perform double passes. most of the freestylers are moving to boots but not they are not wake style.

But hey its kiteboarding not wakeboarding, we can do kiteloops as kiteboarders and no other sport has that or can copy that, so i think its important not to follow the trends and keep kiteboarding original. Boots are great, added support, super comfy and great for fast landings.

Hi RdcliffRoss
This is a good question and one that confuses a lot of people. The difference between freestyle and wakestyle has got a lot smaller over the years and now has more to do with their origins. To appreciate what the two styles are you have to look at where they have come from.
In the beginning wakestyle was lead by Lou and Elliot and to be honest it has not changed much since then. It was all about keeping the kite low and using only the board to pop, boots are essential as landings are fast and hard and large rocker helps. All wakestyle is done unhooked. About 12 years ago freestyle was all about big boosts taking your boards off and multiple slow spins. This style was developed for competitions and was the only way to win. The guys doing wakestyle could not get back up wind quick enough after a jump to get enough tricks in the comp box in a short period of time. Also the judges had no idea what wakestyle was or how to judge it. This style of freestyle continued in competitions until Hadlow came along and started mixing up wakestyle moves with boosting and kite loops on a freestyle board. His style was different from pure wakestyle in that he had his kite a bit higher so that the pop was aided by the kite and he could then get more hight making it more pleasing for the judges. Comp Judges by then realised that a KGB or Slim was so much more technical and harder that hooked in spinning with one foot out the straps. His boards were smaller than wakestyle boards, had less rocker and bigger fins, this helped get back up wind quickly so he could get more manoeuvres in the time. Arrons style of freestyle was then called new school and the old type of freestyle was called old school.
Today the difference between freestyle and wakestyle has been further diminished because most riders on the PKRA are now riding boots. They are however mostly still using freestyle board.
The modern freestyle board is still purely competition driven, lighter smaller and has bigger fins. They are best for getting upwind quickly and easier to boost in choppy water. They are not as comfortable to land fast and hard are flexible and do not pop very well, so the kite has to help. This style really benefits young, flexible and agile riders as making a handle pass with the kite higher requires more flexibility in the arms.
Modern wakestyle boards are bigger, stiffer, heavier, higher rocker and have very small or no fins. It is still about keeping the kite low, lots of power, lots of pop, being unhooked, and with sliders and kickers thrown in.
Or corse a good enough rider can still pop with hight if the kite is low on a freestyle boards, and boost and throw loops on a wakestyle board.
Freestyle is a constantly changing style as judging styles change in comps, and the difference is getting smaller all the time, there may even be a day sliders and kickers are part of the PKRA.
Hope this helps and hasn't confused things more.

RedclffRoss said...

I get a little confused with these terms.

My feeling is that wakestyle is a more powered up style, with lots of unhooked pop driving the tricks...but this is also what I though freestyle was before the term wakestyle become common...or does freestyle have floatier airy kite driven tricks as opposed the the board generated pop of wakestyle...or have I got no idea no at all??

Can anybody enlighten me or share their interpretation of these terms?

I recon you've got it Red. Wakestyle is a generally powered, unhooked pop, low kites, which sometimes has overlap with freestyle, however IMO wakestyle is all about riding in boots which changes a kiter's style. So everything's starts actually looking different and more like Wakeboarding or Cable riding. Lots of the PKRA guys are doing and its looking like it will become the mainstream for progressive unhooked riding. IMO its where kiting needs to go. That's what kitescoop forum is all about.

Please note I'm not advocated that everyone should buy boots, I'm just saying at the most progressive level, that what all the pros are doing, and some guys like Lou Wainman, Shannon Best have been doing since kite'n 1st began, back in 2001 or whatever.


P.S. I changed my mind, go buy boots!!!