I just read the article that seems to advocate not using a board leash. It makes the good point that having a board on an elastic leash may cause the board to launch into the rider. One of the solutions it proposes is to not use a leash. or to learn body dragging.

My question is: since it seems like a handy thing to be able to get to your board, at least when you're starting and are perhaps not VERY good at bodydragging etc., why not use a leash - but an inelastic one? (and have a well-padded cuff or whatever anchors the leash to you). Perhaps it's almost ok to use an only slightly elastic leash? I'd have thought that using a rather inelastic leash would bypass the problem of launching the board into you, or is the risk of losing a foot too great?

I'm ignorant about this stuff, so there's a good chance I have no idea what I'm talking about.
Thanks.

On the issue of boardleashes, i have seen a couple of gnarly injuries from the use of elastic and the other option, retractable (the leash itself is housed on a reel and extends, supposedly without the risk of snapping the board back at the rider). Most of these injuries have been deep lascerations, but the worse was a guy at my local spot in Florida, who had his achilles tendon cut by his board after his leash snapped it back at him. I believe that you should be well proficient in body dragging, as well as board recovery, a board leash is a dangerous tech crutch.