Once we have learned the basics about the wind and we have control of the kite it will be when we start with bodydrag in kitesurfing in the water.
First there will be an introduction to the different positions in which we will place the body according to the direction in which we want to go.
Where we face our head is where we will go. It is important to emphasize that we will not be able to go against the wind in the same direction as the wind.
If we place the body following the kite we will go to downwind and if we place the body about 80º with respect to the direction of the kite we will go upwind.
It is very important to emphasize that in the water the bar is not to hang from it, we must move as when we are swimming or floating in the water. The bar is only to control the kite and the power we need, just like in the sand.
• Bodydrag in kitesurfing: downwind
We do this bodydrag to feel the power of the kite and learn to control it with both hands.
To do bodydrag downwind in the water, we will enter the water and drop into the water without hanging on the bar, just enough, with the body forward (superman) with the chest in the water and the legs back. First we will pull a little on the bar to generate power (kite at 1 or 11) and we will let ourselves be dragged and little by little we will start to move the kite in the power zone (between 12 and 2) to the right and (10-12 ) to the left, preventing it from passing to the other side of the window as it will lift us up and we will lose our balance. To prevent our body from turning, it is very important to try to keep the bar horizontal whith our shoulders (parallel to the water) and not perpendicular, since every time we pull left and right we will cause our body to turn.
It is very important to feel the power of the kite in the harness when it drags us and to have the arms relaxed feeling and adjusting the power that we want at any time.
We will do this exercise on both the right and left sides.
When we are going to change from one side to the other we must do it very slowly and taking power away from the kite (raising the bar) at 12, when we change from one side to the other.
• Bodydrag in kitesurfing: upwind
We will do this this bodydrag with one hand (placing the hand more centered since it is more easier to keep the kite stable in one position). To go against the wind, we must go zig-zag like when we climb a mountain. We will use it to get used to being with one hand for when we take the board in the other and for when we lose the board due to a fall, go against the wind to go back to recover the board.
To go against the wind, we will lie in the water on our side floating without hanging from the bar with one hand with the other hand under the water acting as a fin, with the body approximately perpendicular to the kite and with the legs stretched keeping the kite stable about 1 o’clock or 11 o’clock depending on the side to which we are heading (always the hand opposite the side of the kite) preventing the kite from going to the opposite side of the wind window.
The line between the head and legs, the head should be a little in front of the legs since if not, we will not go against the wind, but we will be displaced towards the direction of the wind without realizing it.
A mistake that many people make when it comes to recovering a board when we lose it is that they try to go for the board that is right in the direction of the wind . To recover the board that is upwind, we must forget about it and never try to catch it when it is behind us, we must go upwind to the left and right with one hand passing the board and leaving it in front of us to catch it approaching downwind.
• Bodydrag whith the board in kitesurfing.
It is the same as body-dragg with one hand but here we will have the board in the hand that acts as a fin and with the direction of the board we will decide if we want to go downwind or upwind.
This exercise is very important before starting the water start (trying to get up on the board) since we will get used to being in the water with the kite and the board, as well as practicing to recover the board when we lose it.
It is also very useful if we need to get out of a situation or if we have to return to the sand if the wind has dropped.
In this exercise we will first practice sliding to both sides with the board. We will hold the board of the handle by placing the elbow on the upwind part of the board (otherwise the board will turn and sink) supporting the back of the board on the hip.
Important to know that the same thing will happen as with bodydrag if we try to go too much against the wind, the board will not slide staying behind and bothering us, since we are going downwind when in reality we want to go in another direction.
When this happens and we cannot slide with the board, we are placing the nose too against wind direction, so we will solve it by placing the nose of the board more towards the kite (downwind), and we will see how we begin to slide .
Emphasize as before that the nose of the board must always be a little downwind than the tail of the board.
Video about bodydrag in kitesurfing
