[samskiter]

Side discussion- As a kitesurfer/snowboarder/skater I think can appreciate the more technical aspects of windsurfing and not just look for 'wow' factor. But what I find difficult to watch in freestyle windsurfing is the 'sinking' or 'stopping' after tricks. It seems that in order to do anything really impressive you're going to just stop after you land. I think the best looking tricks in windsurf (and all of these sports actually) are ones where you leave the tricks with (close to) speed you entered with - such as certain tricks done on waves or some of the less technical 'pop' tricks. To me the root of this problem really comes down to the size of the gear you are having to throw around. In comparison, kitesurfing really frees your body up when riding and allows you to move around more in the air, as well as providing a 'pull' from with more freedom of control than a windsurf sail.

[twp]

The developments in acrobatic paragliding follow a similar theme: it used to be you'd do trick A, then resume normal flight, then do trick B, resume normal flight, trick C, etc.

Now it's all about instantaneous transitions between tricks. Pal Takats's video explains it brilliantly and impressively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW9lncIP4ac

Strongly recommended!

[mstrem]

Well actually, you can do nearly all the tricks in windsurfing without stopping and sinking and coming out of it planing... it is just incredibly difficult to do though. Even the top surfers don't manage very often