Not to sure about hooked in. But if he was unhooked im pretty sure its just a front to toe side with a mute grab. The jumping before each trick i think is to get full tension from the lines before veering off downwind to get the most pop from the kite, or he is just getting more speed from the kite.
The little jump... been doing that recently too - seems to give a nice burst of board speed, then a really strong pop. Could be my imagination though...
