TP-USA Judge Training Videos
The videos listed here are designed to help judges sharpen their knowledge of the requirements for each trick recognized by Tricks Party USA and to improve their Tricks Party judging skills. Each video describes and illustrates one trick and offers an opportunity for testing your own judging skills by evaluating one example of the trick. Feedback on appropriate scores is provided at the end of the video.
For the purposes of these training videos, the tricks have been divided into modules as outlined below. Within each module, where appropriate, tricks that should be compared to improve your understanding of what distinguishes them are grouped together.
Viewing Hints:
You will need the latest DivX codex to view these videos:
Your video-playing software should allow you to resize these videos as necessary to make them comfortable for you to view. Use the pause, rewind, and playback features freely to help you absorb the information and improve your understanding of the tricks.
For more efficient playback and less waiting time, it's a good idea to save the video to your computer first by right-clicking on the video link and selecting the Save Target As... or Save Link As... option.
Dial-up Users:
If you do not have a high-speed Internet connection, you may purchase a CD containing these video files (this will not be a DVD, just a CD with files). The cost is $10 for orders inside the U.S. and $20 for non-U.S. orders. Payment may be made via PayPal or by check made out to "Tricks Party USA" and mailed to P.O. Box 133, Seymour, CT 06483. At the time you send payment, be sure to give us your mailing address!
Module A
Tricks commonly seen in competition
(540, Backspin, Cascade, Flic-Flac, Insane, Lazy Susan, Multilazy, Rolling Cascade, Rolling Susan, Slot Machine, Yo-Yo)
-
Lazy Susan
and
Rolling Susan
Compare these two tricks. Both consist of a single spin of the kite on its back begun from a Turtle. The main difference is the orientation of the kite on entry and exit. -
Backspin
and
Multilazy
Compare these two tricks. Both consist of multiple spins of the kite on its back. The main difference is the initial position of the kite.
-
540
and
Slot Machine
Compare these two tricks. Both consist of a belly rotation, but they vary in entry, exit, and extent of the rotation. -
Cascade,
Insane,
and
Rolling Cascade
Compare these three tricks. The Rolling Cascade is a combination of the more basic Cascade and Insane. - Flic-Flac
- Yo-Yo
Module B
More-complex tricks seen in competition
(Backspin Cascade, Comète, Crazy Copter, Cynique, Flapjack, Jacob's Ladder, K2000, Kombo, Ladole, Lewis, Multislot, Taz Machine, Wap-Doo-Wap, Yo-Fade, Yo-Yo Multilazy, Yo-Yo Takeoff)
-
Lewis
and
Yo-Yo Multilazy
Compare these two tricks. The only difference between them is the number of rotations performed. -
Kombo
and
Flapjack
Compare these two tricks. Both consist mainly of a rotation from a Turtle directly into a Two-Point Landing. The difference is that the Kombo starts in the air and includes a Rolling Susan, and the Flapjack starts from the ground and includes a Lazy Susan. - Backspin Cascade
- Comète
- Crazy Copter
- Cynique
- Jacob's Ladder
- K2000
- Ladole
- Multislot
- Taz Machine
- Wap-Doo-Wap
- Yo-Fade
- Yo-Yo Takeoff
Module C
Some simple tricks you probably THINK you know
(Axel, Coin Toss, Fade, Half Axel, Pinwheel, Slide, Spike, Stall, Turtle, Two-Point Landing)
Many of these tricks (e.g., Axel, Fade, Half Axel, Turtle, Two-Point Landing) form the basis of some of the more complex tricks in the Tricks Party repertoire. Some (e.g., Coin Toss, Pinwheel) are relatively simple tricks that are a little less commonly seen in Tricks Party competition.
Even if you feel certain that you would recognize the tricks in this module, review these videos to learn the Tricks Party requirements for their proper execution.
Module D
Tricks relatively rarely seen in competition
(Double Axel, Flip-Flap, Rolling-up, Twist)
- Double Axel
- Flip-Flap
- Rolling-up
- Twist
Module E
Straightforward or very rare tricks that are not illustrated
(360, Dead Launch, Insane [Right-Left], Refueling, Torpille)
The following three tricks are relatively straightforward:
| 360 | Basic Description: | Kite is flown in a 360° circle parallel to the ground. |
| Key Elements: | Constant speed. Flight parallel to the ground. | |
| Dead Launch | Basic Description: | Launch beginning with kite on the ground, belly down and nose toward the pilot. Kite is pulled toward pilot to launch straight up. |
| Key Elements: | Clean launch and vertical climb. | |
| Refueling | Basic Description: | Also known as "Docking." Pair maneuver in which follower docks kite inside lines of leader kite and the two kites fly as a single entity. Direction of entry does not matter. Higher score for smooth entry while both kites are moving than while one is stalled. |
| Key Elements: | Clean entry into the lines, without any "bump." Flight together as a unit for minimum 2 seconds. |
The following two tricks are rarely seen in competition anymore:
| Insane (Right-Left) |
Basic Description: | Reversing Insane. Differs from Rolling Cascade in that a full Insane rotation (not a half Insane) is performed on each repetition. |
| Key Elements: | Minimum 3 rotations (e.g., right/left/right). Constant speed and movement. Straight-line descent. | |
| Torpille | Basic Description: | Tumbling trick similar to the Comète but more smoothly flowing. Kite alternates between back and belly as it descends. |
| Key Elements: | 45° descent. Minimum 3 repetitions. |
Other Trick Videos
The following are excellent resources for learning how to fly and/or recognize tricks:
Tutorials by Randy Greenway in Randyg's Sportkite Blog
Animations by Roy Reed at ReedDesign
TP-USA Event Videos
St. Augustine Sport Kite Classic — January 29, 2006
Old Dominion Sport Kite Championship — June 25, 2006
These videos are in QuickTime format and show only the Ballet performances of the top three finishers.
Other Video Links
Sunday February 04 2007
