nus Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 So I'm having troubles learing the half axel. I think one of the problems is the two videos I've watched have said to do it different ways. I have watched Flight School which says tug the Up wing then the Down wing, and then I watched a RandyG Tutorial and it said to slightly tug lower wing, then top wing???? Which way should I be doing this and does anyone have an additional advice when first learning this trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky fish Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 hello Nus as a newbee one my self . I would like to well come you to the fun and frustration The prisum web site has a good totorial for the half axel and more I hope it helps. Im still not at a stage were I consistantly get the result I want sky fish. good winds were ever you are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybett Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 The Half Axel drove me up the wall, for the longest time. I could Axel, but the half eluded me. I watched the Prism and Randy G video multiple times, but still couldn't quite get it. At our local field, we are fortunate to have a flyer, who is great at breaking down tricks. My Axel technique is similar to what Dodd Gross, teaches on his "Flight School", video. I stall the kite, push forward with one hand, to dip the wing and then pop the wing with the same hand. I immediately give slack with the opposite hand. When I'd try to Half Axel, the kite would end up in all sorts of wierd positions. The break through came, when the above mentioned flyer said that he pushed the top wing, right before he popped it. I tried it, with no sucess. The next suggestion was instead of having the kite parallel to the ground to angle the nose up twenty or thirty degrees. I put together the two suggestions and finally had success. Every kite has its own way of doing tricks. The french style kites that I own, i.e. Fury, and Quantum Pro will almost complete the half axel on its own after the initial pop. I just have to walk backwards a few steps. I was playing with a Prophecy the other day. Its a big kite, the initial pop would get the kite 3/4 of the way through the trick, I needed to gently pop the lower wing to complete it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissRandall Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 I have to say... for me the half axel was probably the hardest trick for me to learn. But once I learned it, everything got easier! I tried all of the tutorials with no success. I was talking to a friend (Steve Hall - GWTW) who is very good at cascades and asked him how to half axel. He told me to quit watching the tutorials! Think about what the kite needs to do (the top wing needs to tip back slightyly before you pop it... you can do this by giving a little slack to the top wing or a slight tug to the bottom). If you tug to much with the bottom wing then your kite will go into a turtle and that can be very cool too! If it does this give another quick tug and voila you have a snap lazy! Be patient and it will come! BTW....What are you flying? Oh yea... it's been suggested that it's better to learn the half axel with the bottom wing tug and the top wing pop. Once your learning more advanced tricks your hands will be in better flying position. Personally I give the slightest tension with bottom wing while giving slack with top wing then iniate the pop on the top wing. Cara 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Hopefully I wont have too hard a time learning the half axel on a kite with a short wingspan. Though on the plus side, if it does give me a hard time, then once I master it I will be able to pull it off on any kite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 Nevermind that. Im eating those words now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nus Posted October 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 I have to say... for me the half axel was probably the hardest trick for me to learn. But once I learned it, everything got easier! I tried all of the tutorials with no success. I was talking to a friend (Steve Hall - GWTW) who is very good at cascades and asked him how to half axel. He told me to quit watching the tutorials! Think about what the kite needs to do (the top wing needs to tip back slightyly before you pop it... you can do this by giving a little slack to the top wing or a slight tug to the bottom). If you tug to much with the bottom wing then your kite will go into a turtle and that can be very cool too! If it does this give another quick tug and voila you have a snap lazy! Be patient and it will come! BTW....What are you flying? Oh yea... it's been suggested that it's better to learn the half axel with the bottom wing tug and the top wing pop. Once your learning more advanced tricks your hands will be in better flying position. Personally I give the slightest tension with bottom wing while giving slack with top wing then iniate the pop on the top wing. Cara I'm flying an Acrobatx... Usually what happens is that I do end up in a turtle. It's very frusterating to me, however I was lucky enough to run into a very good flyer at the beach I fly and asked for a tip... he hadn't flown the Acrobatx so wanted to give it a shoot... he explained what he was gonna do and then....... BANG! he was in the Turtle )..... He was shocked.... he quickly realized the adjustment required with the acrobatx and easily nailed it on his next attempt. I still had troubles though, he stated the Acrobatx is probably gonna be a really tough kite to learn the trick on and suggested looking into a new kite as the Acrobatx is GREAT for some tricks horrible for others.... well since I had an excuse to buy another Kite I got an E2 as this one of the kites on his list of suggestiions in my price range, unforutnaly I have yet to fly it as I'm on the East coast and we're getting pummeled wiht some rain and some really fierce winds. Anyway hopfully the E2 will be able to help me with this trick a bit and then I'll be able to adjust it for the Acrobatx... Thanks for all your suggestions I know I gotta keep practicing but it's nice to hear the tips as somthing might finally click in my head to get this right.... so anymore tips keep them coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted October 29, 2006 Report Share Posted October 29, 2006 I'm flying an Acrobatx... Usually what happens is that I do end up in a turtle. It's very frusterating to me, however I was lucky enough to run into a very good flyer at the beach I fly and asked for a tip... he hadn't flown the Acrobatx so wanted to give it a shoot... he explained what he was gonna do and then....... BANG! he was in the Turtle )..... He was shocked.... he quickly realized the adjustment required with the acrobatx and easily nailed it on his next attempt. I still had troubles though, he stated the Acrobatx is probably gonna be a really tough kite to learn the trick on and suggested looking into a new kite as the Acrobatx is GREAT for some tricks horrible for others.... well since I had an excuse to buy another Kite I got an E2 as this one of the kites on his list of suggestiions in my price range, unforutnaly I have yet to fly it as I'm on the East coast and we're getting pummeled wiht some rain and some really fierce winds. Anyway hopfully the E2 will be able to help me with this trick a bit and then I'll be able to adjust it for the Acrobatx... Thanks for all your suggestions I know I gotta keep practicing but it's nice to hear the tips as somthing might finally click in my head to get this right.... so anymore tips keep them coming. While I still need to learn how to do half axels, A few days ago I got to fly a friends E2 and I have to say that if I was able to borrow that for not even a week, id be able to do half axels no problem. Im sure you will have that experience. Also, once my friend showed my the proper inputs to do a fade, I was able to get that down in a matter of minutes on the E2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nus Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 SO just an update, I got my E2 and was finally able to fly it today... FANTASTIC!!!! man what a kite. Got it up in the air for a bit tried to feel it out and then went right into trying the half axels. after about a dozen or so tries I pulled out a sloppy one and was pumped!!! couldn't believe in the matter of 20 - 30 min i was able to make such progress. I continued to fine tune the trick getting it cleaner and cleaner and then was luckly enough to get some additional instruction from another flyer which helped a bunch. By no means are my half axel perfect..... nor are they totally consistent yet however I am able to do them and I'm loving it!!!! Thanks for everyones advice. OH yeah my method that worked was flying across the window push the top wing, and pull it, and them pull the bottom wing to get the rotation. When getting the instruction I was advised to do just the push and pull of the top wing to see what that was doing to the kite and getting used to the kite being on it's belly as this is a key position for a bunch of tricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 When getting the instruction I was advised to do just the push and pull of the top wing to see what that was doing to the kite and getting used to the kite being on it's belly as this is a key position for a bunch of tricks. I will definitely be using that advice when my kites arrive and I can finally try to learn how to do a half axel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 im still learning the axle is the half axle harder it must be from all of your posts that ive seen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nus Posted November 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Well here's the thing... all the video's say if you having problems with the axle and it's breaking cause you're not giving it enough slack the you're probably doing half axle's already ). The only difference is that you're not doing them while going horizontally across the window to get that sweet looking change of direction that they provide. For me it was two things... one my other kite the acrobatx really wanted to fall on it's back do'n this trick so it was tough for me, secondly I don't think I was really visualising the trick properly... In the matter of 30 min I was able to get the half axle down once i had this new kite (E2). As with any trick, I read some peoples post saying this was the first trick and the eaisest to learn then others that say it was the hardest ::shrug:: so I can guarentee 2 things will help, if you have somone to explain it WHILE you're flying or if they show you up close on YOUR kite, and practice. I must say though this is one of the coolest looking tricks for me... other than the side slide (which seems impossible, and is my favorite to watch) I love the way the half axle looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 i have an e2 i like it but i find it hard to do axels with my trick n track i a little better but i really like my sheva std its so much eazier to try new stuff with tomorrow im going to try with my sheva and see if it was because of the kite i was useing i would like to get a good trick kite but im so into revs i forgot what is out there im thinking of a next up from r sky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissRandall Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 SO just an update, I got my E2 and was finally able to fly it today... FANTASTIC!!!! man what a kite. Got it up in the air for a bit tried to feel it out and then went right into trying the half axels. after about a dozen or so tries I pulled out a sloppy one and was pumped!!! couldn't believe in the matter of 20 - 30 min i was able to make such progress. I continued to fine tune the trick getting it cleaner and cleaner and then was luckly enough to get some additional instruction from another flyer which helped a bunch. By no means are my half axel perfect..... nor are they totally consistent yet however I am able to do them and I'm loving it!!!! Thanks for everyones advice.OH yeah my method that worked was flying across the window push the top wing, and pull it, and them pull the bottom wing to get the rotation. When getting the instruction I was advised to do just the push and pull of the top wing to see what that was doing to the kite and getting used to the kite being on it's belly as this is a key position for a bunch of tricks. WOW! This is great to hear! Keep practicing... They will continue to get better and better! Wait til you start doing cascades! (Cascades are one of my favorite "go-to" tricks) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Posted November 6, 2006 Report Share Posted November 6, 2006 Just keep doing those half axles to the left then to the right then to the left and then to the right. Then start doing to left and as soon you can do one to the right and as soon as you can one to the left and you won't be doing the hokey pokey but you will be doing the cascade and that is cool. Then when you get impatient and are half way through (1/4 axle) pull both lines and you are into a fade. That too is better than the hokey pokey. Then you might as well go right to a flic flac or back spin. The half axle is a great move because it has so much potential. I also found that it really teaches feel for the kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nus Posted November 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 I was trying to learn getting into the fade from the half axle but I'm still a little shaky on that. I've got it a couple times but extremely inconsistent. As for the cascades.... I'm sure with time they will come but man i just seeems like so much for me to handle right now the hand movments seem crazy. I think my biggest problem is learning the right touch for tricks. Somtimes my head is kinda like a 2x4 at times... and idea's being are like a nail. What I need is an instructor (the hammer) keeping on hit that idea and hopfully it will sink in that 2x4 of a head I've got. Luckly I hed one of those this weekend and was finaly able to Fade launch, and tend the fade after he finally pounded the idea of "SWEEP! your hands back" instead of snapping them, however for going to the fade from the half axle he only got that mail most of the way in ) ........ sorry for the crazy analogy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissRandall Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 I was trying to learn getting into the fade from the half axle but I'm still a little shaky on that. I've got it a couple times but extremely inconsistent. As for the cascades.... I'm sure with time they will come but man i just seeems like so much for me to handle right now the hand movments seem crazy. I think my biggest problem is learning the right touch for tricks. Somtimes my head is kinda like a 2x4 at times... and idea's being are like a nail. What I need is an instructor (the hammer) keeping on hit that idea and hopfully it will sink in that 2x4 of a head I've got. Luckly I hed one of those this weekend and was finaly able to Fade launch, and tend the fade after he finally pounded the idea of "SWEEP! your hands back" instead of snapping them, however for going to the fade from the half axle he only got that mail most of the way in ) ........ sorry for the crazy analogy How's your fade? If you can do it a even for just a few seconds then you can easily learn half axel to fade. Don't know what kind of wind your flying in but I think axel to fade was easiest to learn when I could slow my half axel down a little bit. So I either wanted lighter wind or I would fly a little more at the edge of window (which can be tricky because if you go to far to the edge, as you probably already know, the damn thing just doesn't work to well). So, when the nose is directly away from you, you would "flick" both hands, give a little slack and mind the tension. Some people call the "flick" a "pop" but for me, when I "pop" the kite I find that it's just to much. I think the amount of input will depend on the kite. Good luck and keep us updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissRandall Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 im still learning the axle is the half axle harder it must be from all of your posts that ive seen half axel is not harder... it just seems odd "choking" off the kite. I've seen some people that have absolutely no trouble watching one tutorial and nailing it (you just want to choke em!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 Reading all this is making me so impatient for my kites to arrive. Sometimes I swear I just want to detonate my Detonator! (even though its been a more than great beginners kite) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nus Posted November 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 How's your fade? If you can do it a even for just a few seconds then you can easily learn half axel to fade.Don't know what kind of wind your flying in but I think axel to fade was easiest to learn when I could slow my half axel down a little bit. So I either wanted lighter wind or I would fly a little more at the edge of window (which can be tricky because if you go to far to the edge, as you probably already know, the damn thing just doesn't work to well). So, when the nose is directly away from you, you would "flick" both hands, give a little slack and mind the tension. Some people call the "flick" a "pop" but for me, when I "pop" the kite I find that it's just to much. I think the amount of input will depend on the kite. Good luck and keep us updated! My fade is actualy pretty good I think from a fade launch (for only really do'n it for a couple days) i'm able to rise it up pretty well and keep it fairly even. I have 2 issues i think with the fade from the half axle, I'm popping to hard at times and the other issue is my line keeps getting caught on my nose. I was told to put some tedlar (?sp) on the nose to so hopfully that will help out. Mostly it's jsut finding the right touch I think, once I get to go a couple times in a row I'll be good from there on, that usually seems to be what happens. Oh also the other big problem is the damn Sun... it keeps go'n down to early!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 My Axel technique is similar to what Dodd Gross, teaches on his "Flight School", video. I stall the kite, push forward with one hand, to dip the wing and then pop the wing with the same hand. I immediately give slack with the opposite hand. I just learned how to do the Axel today and while I havent yet seen the Dodd Gross video, That is exactly how I finally learned to do them. And it works like a charm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 More on the half axle. I did my first slot machines today. There is a Level One video that shows those on a genesis in a series going across the window. Looks very cool. The slot machine is like a cascade in that it is started off of the half axle move. Just make the pop for the 1/2 and just as soon as you are near flat pull again to put you into a flat spin. Seems like everything works off that 1/2 axle move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 More on the half axle.I did my first slot machines today. There is a Level One video that shows those on a genesis in a series going across the window. Looks very cool. The slot machine is like a cascade in that it is started off of the half axle move. Just make the pop for the 1/2 and just as soon as you are near flat pull again to put you into a flat spin. Seems like everything works off that 1/2 axle move. Congrats on the slot machine. I know its always a great feeling when I learn a new trick. From what I hear and read, quite a number of trick do work off the 1/2 axel inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky fish Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 I have been trying to do the half Axle with very little success the nose dose not want to fall back . Do I need to re adjust the brindle I fly a nexus . I keep fowling a wing tip.I know that all kites are have different capabilities is the nexus not capable of any trick ? All so I don't quite understand how to get the kite to go through the lines ? at least that is what the kites appear to do on the video's. And to all that have been lucky enough to fined some one to give them a few pointers you are blessed .I do not think any one in my aria fly's so to all the 206 ers if you are coming through the 509 aria I will happily make time. and lunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyclad01 Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 I have been trying to do the half Axle with very little success the nose dose not want to fall back . Do I need to re adjust the brindle I fly a nexus . I keep fowling a wing tip.I know that all kites are have different capabilities is the nexus not capable of any trick ? All so I don't quite understand how to get the kite to go through the lines ? at least that is what the kites appear to do on the video's. And to all that have been lucky enough to fined some one to give them a few pointers you are blessed .I do not think any one in my aria fly's so to all the 206 ers if you are coming through the 509 aria I will happily make time. and lunch Im having the same problem often as you. More times that not, the kite will just rotate without the nose flipping around. It just takes a lot of pratice and knowing your kite's behaviour with the inputs you are giving it. As far as tip wraps, I get those often as well. I know its one of these three things, and hopefully someone will be able to tell us which it is. It either not enough slack in the line, too much slack in the lines, or pulling the lines too soon during rotation. For the bridles, I dont know enough abou them to answer that, sorry. So far I havent heard any mention of adjusting the bridles for half axel's. But I could be wrong. Im certian someone can give us the correct answers to our questions, and ill give a thank you ahead of time for any and all answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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