Wakeboarding Tips
Read these 18 Wakeboarding Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Wake Board tips and hundreds of other topics.
First Wake Jump
While outside the wake, make the line tight (load the line) and start turning towards the wake. Keep an edge the whole way, even when you're going through the wake itself. A lot of people flatten the board right before they hit the wake. Don't do this. Keep an edge all the way through the wake. When you are in the air then you can flatten out the board. Look down and spot your landing. When you land don't expect to use the rope to keep you up. Try and land balanced because the rope will be slack and pulling on it will only make you fall backwards. All the rope does is keep you going once you have landed and regained balance. To go higher, dig in a sharper edge which will accelerate you towards the wake and straighten your legs when you hit the wake to be shot up.
Water skiing vs. Wakeboarding
If you enjoy water sports, and you are an accomplished water skiier, you may be wondering if wakeboarding is the next water sport for you to tackle. Wakeboarding is essentially water skiing on a small surf board with foot straps or boots. Wakeboarding can be done with inexpensive boats and at slower speeds than water skiiing. Wakeboarding is considered less fatiguing but is sometimes considered higher impact. The Wakeboarders out there will also tell you that you can have a lot more fun on a wakeboard - doing better and more exciting tricks. Ultimately, the choice between water skiing and wakeboarding is simply one of preference.
Heelside 360
When you want to execute a Heelside 360, cut outside of the wake just enough so that you can take a relaxed cut in to clear both wakes. Keep your knees bent a bit, keep the handle in tight, and take a nice, slow progressive edge to the wake. After you wait for a good pop off the wake by standing tall, keep the handle in tight and begin to rotate by pulling the handle to the small of your back. Besides getting a good pop, waiting will help you stay on axis in the air. As you're making the handle pass focus on keeping the handle in tight to your body, and don't let go with your back hand until your front hand has the handle again. Keep your head up, and shoulders on axis. After passing the handle, start turning your head to look for your landing. You've passed the handle and have spotted your landing on the downside of the second wake, so now it's just easy from here. Keep your head up, bend your knees, and keep the handle in tight so it doesn't jerk when it tightens up again when you land. That doesn't look stylish when that happens.
Powerslide
The powerslide looks awesome if lots of spray comes up. To do this it is easier to be outside the wake. Have the board parallel to the boat by using the method for the surface 180, but only going half way. Then lean back a little and dig your back edge in. You should slide across the water producing a spray. You have to lean back or your front edge will catch and its all over.
Ollie Blind 180
Cut outside of the wake about 20 feet on the right side if you ride right foot-forward or the left side if you ride left foot-forward. Once you're out there, keep the rope tight and do a medium-sized ollie by pushing down on your back foot and pulling the board up. While in the air, let go with your back hand and pull the handle with your front hand towards the small of your back as you rotate your shoulders and hips away from the boat (look in the direction that you're coming from). As you're finishing the rotation, pass the handle to your back hand and keep your weight slightly towards your toes. You don't want to catch your heel edge on this trick. Keep the handle tight to your body, if you let your arm out, the handle will pull you down towards the boat. After you've finished passing the handle you should be landing from your ollie. Turn your body and head to the new direction you're riding, and get your head up. Land with your weight even on both feet and ride away like a champ.
Surface 180
A Surface 180 wakeboarding trick is basically just spinning the board on top of the water. Center your weight on the board. Using your rear foot to bring the tail up front swing the board around so what was your tail is now your tip. To complete the trick, you need to back in the other direction. To go back in the other direction, do the same thing but the opposite way. Try to keep your weight over the center of the board or you will catch and edge and everyone will enjoy your nice wipeout.
Explaining Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is when a person with a short, foot binding board is towed by a motorboat across its wake and does aerial maneuvers. Wakeboarding tournaments are becoming very popular. Observers can even pick up tips on wakeboarding at these events not to mention have a great time watching professionals catch air and push the envelope with extreme tricks!
Getting a Bigger Wake
Everyone is always asking how to get a bigger wake. There are several things you can do to achieve this depending on your boat arrangement. The simplest thing you can do is getting everybody in the boat to sit or stand in the back. This obviously puts all the weight in the back and forms a bigger wake. If your boat is of any size, this won't work as well. Another common method is using "Fat Sacks." Fat Sacks are large rubber reservoirs that can be filled up with water and placed in the back of the boat. They come in all different sizes so you can fit them in any boat. Other methods include putting cinder blocks in the back, or Tupperware containers filled with cement. Remember though that weighing down just the back might not work. The boat will be going slow and the bow will be way up in the air. So whatever amount of weight you put in the back, put a little in the front to so that the boat is not way off balance. One other thing that no one thinks of is the rope length. You might be too far out and not getting the biggest area of the wake. So play with the rope length and try and get yourself where the wake peaks.
Doing 180 Air Wakeboarding Trick
Perhaps one of the best tricks to learn when you are wakeboarding is how to do 180 Air. If you can do a bunny hop while wakeboarding, then you are all set to learn how to catch proper air. You need to get comfortable riding in and out of the wake, and jumping off it. Good wakeboarding tips include practicing how to ride fakie, and learning how to keep perfect balance. You will need to ride outside the wake on your heel side. Approach the wake as if you're going to get air off it. The next step is to wind up your body in the opposite way from the way you are going to twist. Unwind your body when you reach the wake, and then start your jump. This is where the bunny hop comes in. Pull up your knees and turn 180 degrees by using the momentum you have created.
Side sliding while wakeboarding
If you enjoy wakeboarding then there are many tricks that you can learn. One such trick is the side slide. This means you will be doing slides either inside or outside of the wake. Twist your hips towards the boat in order to direct the board. Turn the board 90 degrees (until it's perpendicular to the boat's direction of travel). Then all you need to do is slide. Some good wakeboarding tips are to keep the board flat on the water, and to put your weight down slightly heavier on the side of the board that is the furthest away from the boat.
How to Double Up when Wakeboarding
The most important thing to do when you are considering doubling up in wakeboarding is speak to your boat driver. If you ride right foot forward, your driver should turn to the left, and vice versa. You need to make this clear before you start. You should ride on the inside of the boat's loop as it starts to turn. You then need to cut toward the boat's current wake as you see the old wake approaching it. Put some tension in your rope and increase control slightly by slowing down. Bunny hop when you meet the wakes' convergence. Jump off the points that the two wakes form, pull your knees up, and tweak, twist, grab, or contort. Then land safely and try it all over again.
Off Season Wakeboarding Tips
Wakeboarding is still doable during off season for the fanatic using drysuits and wetsuits. Watch instructional videos to keep abreast on tips for wakeboarding. You can work on wakeboarding tips you've learned by using a trampoline if you take off the fins on the wakeboard. Snowboarding can help with your wakeboarding balance. And for entertainment purposes, don't forget those wakeboarding DVDs.
Information on wakeboarding
Wakeboarding information can be found on web sites and in local yellow pages. Tips on wakeboarding are included on DVDs, videos and magazines. wakeboarding tips can also be found in your local library. There are endless amount of resources to obtain information on wakeboarding.
Heelside tricks
Every heelside trick begins with the basic "Heelside Progressive Edge". Learning this is one of the most important skills in wakeboarding. Two main wakeboarding tips for this trick are to use the side of the board closest to your heels and remember to stand tall and ride straight. Purchasing or renting a video for tips on wakeboarding would included the "Heelside Progressive Edge" and many other tricks.
Front Side Back Rolls While Wakeboarding
If you are wakeboarding on a regular basis, have received some tips on wakeboarding, and are looking to extend your repertoire of tricks, then you might consider learning how to do a front side back roll. You should ride toe side, and approach from 10 to 15 feet outside the wake. You will need to ride hard on the edge that is closest to the wake. Then you should cut hard towards the wake. Don't lean too far forward or backward when wakeboarding this trick. You should aim to have your board balanced. As you launch off the lip of the wake, point the nose of your board up and away from the boat. You will then need to throw your head back as you launch off the top of the wake, keeping your eyes back and over your right shoulder. Then all you need to do is roll in the air then land.
Tips on Learning Wakeboarding Tricks
If you are thinking about doing various wakeboarding tricks, then you should study the wakeboarding tournaments to see how the professionals are doing it. Once you have a thorough understanding of how these water skiing and wakeboarding champions are able to control their tricks, you should start practicing them for yourself. You can also gather tips on wakeboarding from various people in the wakeboarding community by asking lots of questions. You should make sure to watch how other wakeboarders perform, and learn from their mistakes, as well as their achievements. There are 3 or 4 good instructional DVD'sout out there including Waketrix, and Higher Education This is the best way for you to learn and improve as a wakeboarder.
Wakeboarding Tips
Beginner and intermediate tips on wakeboarding include "Progressive Toeside Edge", "180s", "Method Grab", "Tantrum" and Roll to Revert". In wakeboarding tournaments you will see "Whirlybirds", Front Flips" and even "Wrapped KGBs". Wakeboarding information can be found both on the web and in books at the local library.
Getting Up on Your Wakeboard for the First Time
One of the easiest ways to get up on your wakeboard the first time is to sit or lie in the water with your knees bent and have the board parallel with the boat. Instead of starting out slowly, have the driver accelerate so the boat has enough power to pull you up. Note: This will take a few times for the driver to figure out the right speed. This will have the effect of "popping" you out of the water. Once you start to feel the pressure on your legs so the tip is out of water. You have to do this right when you feel pressure because there is too much drag when the board is parallel. Once the tip is up, stand up and hold the rope close to you and keep your weight on the back foot so you are not pulled forward. Stay in this position until you are all the way up and the boat is going fast enough. Now you can begin to turn and have fun.
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