hey guys in this video i'm going to explain how to do the three different types of body dragging
that is so very important to your kite boarding now i've been kite boarding for over 16 years
and no matter what i know i can always get back to my board it was just the other day
i was in a 40 knot squall and i was still able to body drag upwind to my board there should
be never any excuse because you should always be able to get back to your board
so in this video i'm going to explain how let's go
this video should be used in conjunction with lessons it's really important you get lessons
as kite surfing can be very dangerous learning to body drag is much easier and safer with an
instructor helping you there are three main types of body drags downwind
crosswind and upwind firstly you should learn the downwind body drag you should be in
at least chest deep water let your legs out behind you and slowly move the kite right then left then
right then left at the edge of the wind window above your head slowly make the turns bigger
and you will drift downwind here are some top tips for the downwind body drag keep both hands
in the center of the bar use your core to stay balanced leaning forwards onto the chicken loop
don't let yourself fall either side of the chicken loop it really helps to have an instructor or
fellow student hold on to the back of your harness the first time you do the downwind body drag
now let's look at the crosswind body drag fly the kite to around 10 o'clock to go to the left
hold the kite steady and make sure to keep two hands in the center of the bar with your weight
centered over the middle of the chicken loop to go to the right steer the kite slowly around the edge
of the window to 2pm park the kite here and then you will drift towards the direction of the kite
once you are comfortable going across the wind with two hands try one handed when you are going
to the left you should have your right hand on the bar when you are going to the right you should
have your left hand on the bar use your free hand to steady yourself in the water and roughly point
your hand in the direction of travel here are some top tips control your speed by sheeting the bar
in and out try to keep your arms body and legs in a straight line to travel efficiently
through the water to keep your kite in the same place feather the bar so that the back steering
lines are just tight try to avoid the temptation to swim you don't actually need to swim if you're
using the kite effectively when moving the kite from one side to another steer the kite slowly
around the edge of the wind window if you move the kite quickly you will get pulled downwind next up
the most important body drag the upwind body drag this is a really important skill that you will
always need to get back to your board practicing this makes you self-sufficient the last thing you
want is to lose your board because you can't get back upwind after a wipeout remember the kite is
always trying to pull you downwind try to resist fighting the kite but work in harmony and use it
to advantage you will never ever win trying to swim against the kite so don't waste your energy
trying whilst doing a one-handed crosswind body drag let go of your lower front hand
drop your shoulder into the water this will create some resistance against the kite which drives you
upwind top tips for the upwind body drag think about turning your body into a dagger board
breathe like front crawl over your rear shoulder feather the bar so that the back lines are just
tight with the kite as depowered as possible if you have too much power you will feel like
you are being pulled under water if your kite is too high the body drag will not work it's really
important to keep the kite at 45 degrees or lower if you aim your leading arm too far upwind the
body drag will not work you want to aim around 50 degrees upwind from the kite's pool when you are
successfully body dragging upwind you should feel the water flowing smoothly from your leading hand
all the way to your feet another great skill to know is using your board to body drag up wind
this is really helpful to get off the beach in big shore dump you simply lie on the board and hold on
to the handle or foot strap you will feel the drive of the board pushing you along and upwind
now you have perfected the body drag you're ready for the water start check out my video
here as you can see body dragging is really important and you're always going to need it
throughout your whole kite boarding career thank you so much for watching i'll see
in the next video please subscribe for all my latest videos much appreciated guys peace out
you