David Dorn
Visitor
|
Ride Style and Harness Type - 2006/06/16 08:59
Fit is important when selecting your harness, but so is riding level and riding style.
What is riding style?
Riding style is a combination of the equipment you ride and your posture.
Beginners who begin the body dragging phase of learning will adapt to a waist harness, or waist harness/jacket combo better. Because the high hook position, allows them to hook in easier with less arm strength. The rider's center of gravity and resistance is below the hook position too, so when they get power in the kite it is easier for them to maintain the head-first body position of the body drag.
A slightly more advanced beginner will spend also a lot of time tea-bagging with the kite pulling straight up, and then when they are riding on the board, they will stick their butt way out. The upward force on the harness causes it to slide up their body. Then the dislocated harness usually places pressure on the ribs, or gets loose and goes all the way to the arm pits. For riders at this stage I recommend getting a seat harness like the “DaKine Fusion”. It has a wide back support, but also has leg straps to prevent the harness riding up the body. To make this type of harness comfortable you should wear thick shorts underneath.
When a rider can stay upwind consistently and hardly falls anymore, their posture improves and they tend to lean back from the shoulders and keep their hips more forward. Then getting a waist harness is a good option again. The rider’s improved posture will direct the kite’s load perpendicular to the rider’s body and reduce the harness’s tendency to slide up. The waist harness can give a rider increased mobility, which is helpful when trying toe-side riding, or surf-style riding.
An intermediate or advanced rider who likes to ride overpowered most of the time will tend to stick out their butt out. When a gust comes they squat with the legs and roll their shoulders toward the kite, causing them into a half sitting posture in the gusts. These riders might prefer the seat style harness. It has a lower hook position, closer to the rider’s center of gravity. This helps the rider hold down the power without getting lifted or losing their edge.
You don’t always have to get too technical, because your comfort level while riding will be a good guide to which harness is working for you. If it is uncomfortable, you should try a few different harnesses to feel the difference yourself. As your ride-style changes, your ideal harness type may change too. To get the most out of your new harness type, you may need to make some adjustments to your trim-line length and bar adjustments,
to find your perfect ergonomic configuration.
David Dorn
Post edited by: admin, at: 2006/08/02 00:25
|
Forum 
