Just dropping your front hand in the water is a cool way to ride and cruise, but let’s take the hand drag to the next level. This post will talk about how to hand drag with the board out of the water. The two key points to focus on are the pop and kite control.
The Pop
You want to be able to pop without having to send the kite. To do this, you need to hold a good edge and be able to balance tension in the bar. You want your “sweet spot” along the bar to be about 4-8 inches away from you. When you pop, you want to push down slightly on your front foot then spring off your back foot. Once you pop off the water, travel slightly downwind while hand dragging.
Kite Control
The main focus on this trick is kite control. Throughout your hand drag you want the kite to stay high and in front of you. If going to the left you want the kite at 11 o’clock and your left hand on the bar. If going to the right you want the kite at 1 o’clock and your right hand on the bar. Balance the tension necessary to keep you a foot above the water or high enough to hold you in the air while hand dragging. As you drag your hand, use your hand on the bar to steer the kite in front of you.
The Hand Drag
Whether you are doing a hand drag with the board on or off the water, you want to focus on kite control. Once you have the kite control down you can focus on your style. One way to do this trick with the board out of the water is to have your back leg bent and front leg straight. Keep a tight core to hold your body in the air.
Other Variations
Once you get the kite control and timing down, you can add variations to this trick. Some variations include:
- Backroll Drag
- Front Roll Drag
