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Kitesurfing Body Position Analysis

This study observed the body positions of four male kitesurfers through video analysis to describe typical positions while moving upwind and preparing for jumps or tricks. The foremost body position while moving upwind involved leaning back 38.5 degrees at the lower extremities and 66 degrees at the upper body. When preparing for take-off, these angles decreased to around 20 degrees and 70 degrees, respectively. The forces from the kite on the harness averaged 5.1 N/kg but reached a maximum of 13.4 N/kg. The study found that body position varies based on wind speed, direction of travel, and the intended maneuver, and influences biomechanics and performance. Further research is needed for a more detailed understanding of

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Danny Etieve
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130 views1 page

Kitesurfing Body Position Analysis

This study observed the body positions of four male kitesurfers through video analysis to describe typical positions while moving upwind and preparing for jumps or tricks. The foremost body position while moving upwind involved leaning back 38.5 degrees at the lower extremities and 66 degrees at the upper body. When preparing for take-off, these angles decreased to around 20 degrees and 70 degrees, respectively. The forces from the kite on the harness averaged 5.1 N/kg but reached a maximum of 13.4 N/kg. The study found that body position varies based on wind speed, direction of travel, and the intended maneuver, and influences biomechanics and performance. Further research is needed for a more detailed understanding of

Uploaded by

Danny Etieve
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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OBSERVATIONAL ANALYSIS OF BODY POSITION WHILE

KITESURFING
L. Lundgren 1,2, S. Brorsson1
1

Halmstad University, Sweden; Chalmers University of technology, Sweden

Kitesurfing is one of the more recently popular sports where the


practitioner travels on a board over the water surface, attached to a
kite via a harness around the waist or hip. No or very few studies
are made describing the biomechanics of kitesurfing, which is of
great interest for development of the sport for performance and
increased safety. The practitioner of kitesurfing has a mainly static
body position (Vercryussen et al, 2009), but minor changes occur
due to change of tension force in the harness. The bar, held by the
arms, is used for sheeting and steering the kite. The aim of this
study was to describe the body position for kitesurfing while
moving upwind and preparing for jump or tricks (take-off).
Body position for kitesurfing was observed through video
Fig. 1 Body position and measured
analysis with use of Dartfish software of four male kitesurfers
angles while kitesurfing.
kiting on flat to choppy water with a 12m2 Cabrinha SB3. The
movements observed were divided into the two categories; moving
upwind and take-off. The mean wind speed during the trials was 13.9 knots (10.9-16.1) and for one person
also the tension force from the kite was measured simultaneously (average wind speed 15.9 knots) using a
load cell device. All persons used waist harnesses which were positioned with the lower end close to L5-S1,
and supporting at least the lumbar region of the back.
The foremost body position of the observed kitesurfers was a position leaning back towards the water
surface with an angle averaging 38,5 (SD7,5) of the lower extremities towards a horizontal plane and the
upper body ca 66 (SD6,9) towards the horizontal plane while going upwind. While preparing for take-off
the angles were ca 20 (lower extremities to horizontal plane) respective 70 (upper body to horizontal plane).
Hip flexion (angle between upper and lower body) was decreased for all subjects while preparing take-off.
The upper body was forward rotated while transporting, especially going upwind, hence the front knee joint
was extended whereas the rear knee joint was flexed (see Fig. 1). Shoulders, especially the rear shoulder, were
protracted most of the riding time, due to flexion of the arm for holding the bar with at least one arm.
The force from the kite to the harness was averaging 5,1 N/kg during 18 minutes of kitesurfing and the
maximum value was 13,4 N/kg.
The body position during kitesurfing is changing depending on many factors such as wind speed, upwind
projection and when preparing for take-off. This influences the biomechanics and will determine how well the
person can handle and utilize the force from the kite for doing tricks or moving at a certain speed. Further
studies need to be made for a more in-depth description of the biomechanics and the best possible position for
performance and avoiding injuries.
References: Vercruyssen F et al., Eur J Appl Phys, 2009, 105/1, pp.103-109

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