Body Drag Upwind - (Kitesurf Tutorial)

I often see kiters struggling to catch their board after loosing it in deep water. There are a few steps you should follow so you don’t struggle with your body drag up wind. I hope this episode was helpful.
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00:00 INTRO
00:38 WHY YOU LOOSE YOUR BOARD
01:46 BODY DRAG UPWIND
03:09 COMMON MISTAKES
06:00 AVOID DRINKING WATER
06:33 FINISH

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

If you have learned anything with my tutorials I would be so grateful for your support by purchasing one KE t-shirt, you can do it over my PATREON account: www.patreon.com/kitesurf or by sending us an email on [e-mail]

[@user-lc1tq1bm5i]

By far the best bodydrag video, thank you Petar.

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Glad you liked it! :))

[@drbfitk366]

Awesome video Petar, thank you for providing excellent practical advice to recover your board in the most common situations. With nice video work you demonstrate how quickly anyone will drag downwind without board, by overlooking & maintaining tension on the control bar. You also emphasized nicely how quickly one will drag downwind, without attention on kite or body position. Well done!!!

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Thank you very much, I'm happy that you like my work :))

[@juleslondon]

Great advices! It feels counterintuitive to go AWAY from the board like this but it is really the only way to go upwind and not stall trying to go straight at the board.. I am also definitely guilty of pulling the bar in whenever I fall.. I have to force myself to let it out sooner and see how far I land from my board! Love from the UK 🤟

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Thank you Jul :))

[@jdee4763]

Love this 100% perfect explanation thank you. I do struggle BD. Plus I rotate so the end up on my back 🤷🏻‍♀️ must try better.

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

I hope this video will help you out 🙏🏻🙌🏼

[@karinliran]

very nice thank you from israel!

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Thank you for watching :))

[@warwickclarke7023]

Very helpful video thank you

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

I'm glad to hear that :)

[@markusbroyles1884]

Great tips !

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Thank you Markus :))

[@GaetanoCrisci]

what made the difference for me to recover the board, was aiming little upwind feeling the water flowing on my body from head to feet, because it's very easy to panic, trying then to go very upwind and stalling, when you are stalled you go down wind faster of your board! Remember!: both you and the board are going downwind just make you going less faster downwind and soon you will reach your board! so don't aim too much upwind!

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Also good :)

[@whatsupbudbud]

This reminds me how I learned to wing foil, specifically lift the board with the foil. I struggled for so long because I went upwind too fast. Turning a bit downwind gives you velocity which you can then use to steer. If you have no velocity then you're basically going against the wind and it wins. Thanks for the video and this the comment.

[@andrasgefferth968]

This is certainly a skill you need to master. However, in very light winds I found it impossible to get any closer to my board using body drag. If the wind is very light I simply park the kite at 12, lay on my back and swim upwind as I would in a swimming pool. Much easier and faster.

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Hey Andras, remember impossible is nothing ;) if the kite is flying, it is definitely possible to body drag up wind on super light wind, just is going slower so you should be more patient. But the technique you mentioned of putting the kite in 12 o'clock and swimming up wind, might definitely work, honestly I do it sometimes :)

[@alexperedoabejas8605]

nice video like always dude!! the next time you came to alicante let me know and we can kite in good spots !!

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Thank you Alex, please tell me your instagram account so I can easier contact you?

[@olegta4581]

отличные советы !

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Thank you Oleg :))

[@mikeRobinsonCharlton]

A board start tutorial would be amazing #hinthint 😉👍

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Hello Mike, you mean about water start tutorial, going on the board and ride? Honestly I have been thinking a lot if to make this tutorial. I'm not recommending to learn kitesurfing without an instructor, and there are 100 ways of water starting, depending on the conditions and the equipment you use, every kitesurf instructor has a bit different way of introducing water start to their students, and non of them is wrong, just some techniques work better or worst for certain people. It is a really complex topic and I would not be able to cover it properly over 1 video, I'm as well not fan of any water start tutorial currently on KZbin, because as I said, a lot depends on the conditions and the equipment you are using(Board size, kite size, lines length). If you are taking lessons with an instructor I highly recommend to not watch any water start tutorial because on youtube they will tell you one way and your instructor another way, then you are mixing up the informations and it doesn't go well.

[@Blubba36]

Counting while body-dragging is also something you can do to avoid dragging more to one side. Your board will overtake you in that area and chances are lower to loose your board..

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Yes I heard some kite instructors giving the tip of counting, honestly I didn’t really understand what you count and what is it exactly helping? To keep calm?

[@Blubba36]

@@kitesurfexperiencebypetar I do mostly count in choppy conditions when I loose my board far away behind me and I don't see where approximately the board is. Its just to prevent dragging more to one side than the other and change unintentionally the area where you're dragging. The board passes you while you are dragging to the wrong direction - special when you are not kiting with your friends and nobody comes 2 help you. For that reason, I always keep an eye open for guys who are longer body-dragging - not only in winter months and cold water..

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

@@Blubba36 what this means, you are counting seconds? example dragging 10sec to the left then dragging 10sec to the right?

[@Blubba36]

​@@kitesurfexperiencebypetar that is exactly what I meant... just my (maybe stupid) way in rough conditions or after a hard crash to stay in the same area where I lost my board and not searching it in the wrong area by being inpatient.

[@nicoppg1907]

@@Blubba36 Sounds useful, but what if you drag more efficently to one side than the other?

[@knutSchevik]

Hello :) Since surf boards drift a lot, is it recommended for beginners to use a leash? Or it can be a mess with tangling?

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Hey Knut, definitely do not use the leash on your surf board while kitesurfing, that the Surf boards drifts a lot it's a super positive thing, so you do not have body drag up wind so much, and if it's down wind of you it's great so you just body drag down wind to recover it :)

[@knutSchevik]

@@kitesurfexperiencebypetar hello, thanks for your reply! That makes a lot of sense! The other day I fell on the water and I was close to some rocks on the beach. I couldn’t body drag to my board because the waves kept pushing me back. So I just body drag to the beach and waited. (It was a twintip) but now it makes sense for me that the surfboard will drift to me much faster! I didn’t thought about that until now. (I’m just starting to stand on the board and traverse)

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Great, keep on going :))

[@alexandersavin1538]

What about doing it in a seat harness? It's totally destroyed your breading during upwind tryout! Do you know any method solve this problem?

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

Hello Alex, First time hearing someone telling that the seat harness is destroying your breathing during body drag upwind, usually people complaining that waist harness is destroying the breathing as it gets more on the chest, did you ever try the waist harness? and I'm not sure how is possible that the seat harness is destroying your breathing??

[@alexandersavin1538]

@@kitesurfexperiencebypetar because kite pull my bottom body and my head lowered to the water. In waste harness kite pull upper part of the body with head 🤪

[@kitesurfexperiencebypetar]

@@alexandersavin1538 interesting, I never heard about this issue before.. so turning your face towards the sky or on the opposite side as I explain in the end of this episode, doesn't help?