Learning to windsurf and unlocking new moves can be challenging. With our windsurfing tips today, you will learn how to keep a more stable sailing position by keeping your elbows down.
Increasing your speed is all about having the correct stance and adapting quickly to choppy conditions. Follow Sam’s brilliant tip and see how your elbow position can affect your sailing:
Elbows Down vs Elbows Out
While learning to windsurf we often get told to straighten our forearms. Normally that is to avoid you starting to bend them and pulling the rig towards you. But our arms don’t always need to be straight and quite often while blasting over choppy water, we do need a bit of flex in our arms. However, the difference that is important for us to make, is where our elbow goes.
If your elbows go out to the side, they’re definitely the kind of bent arms you should avoid. In this position, you’re pulling the rig towards yourself and not putting your weight into the harness.
If you drive those elbows down, they can extend and they can straighten when you need more distance from the rig. But they can flex and as they do it doesn’t upset your stance. It actually helps to keep your back flat and it becomes easier to drive pressure down through the mast food and onto the board.
In Summary:
Worry less about having a straight front arm and instead focus on driving the elbows down rather than
driving the elbows out. This helps to maintain a flat board and keep it fast all the time.
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Check out Starboard 2020 Range and find the perfect board for you.
You can find more information about Sam Ross and his work as a windsurfing coach here.
Video by: Light Box Film
