mexican backrolls

[alfromscotland]

I suck, when i try backrolls i just chuck my head down and my board out. I release my back hand and close my eyes. What a puss, i know - anyway, is there anyone who used to chuck their backrolls mexican (the head down like i described - pictures to follow) who managed to over come it? I have read countless articles and see vids etc, but i cant seem to shake the habit!

anyone who has had this terrible disease i am suffering from who can help? thank you please

edit: note, i do make it all the way round and land on my board and attempt to look over my lead shoulder etc. but it doesnt seem to work...hmmm

[michigan boarder]

First off you should probably stop calling yourself a douche...may help with the encouraging yourself factor. After that try this out. I used to do the same thing. I broke the habit by going for backrolls with most of tension on the rope in my back arm. I pretty much put all the tension their to start the cut now that I think about it. Try this because more than likely you will end up releasing most of that tension as you ride up the wake but your hand will stay on the handle. It's kind of a mind trick you are playing on yourself. Try it out and if it doesn't work tell me, and I will give you some other advice.

[alfromscotland]

That sounds like exactly the kind of advice i am after!! I get off my stupid oil rig on friday so i will try it out on saturday and hopefully report back with tales of amazingly successful Backrolls, R2Rs and probably Roll to Blinds

On a serious note, cheers for the advice, i like playing tricks on my mind and i think that is exactly what i need to do to help get my body in the right place etc.

[Wakebrad]

There's nothing really wrong with a mexican backroll. A regular backroll is better for taking to revert. A mexican backroll is better for taking to blind.

I dip my head a little in my backroll so it's kind of half and half. I used to do a clean backroll but it just became too much work.

If you want to make your backroll more textbook:

1. Hold on with both hands. Dropping your back hand (which is what I do) is what allows you to go so mexican.

2. Rather than duck your head forward, lean it towards the tail of the board. Looking over your lead shoulder still puts your body in the position to lean forward.

3. Lean back off the wake and make sure the rope is tight when you leave the wake. When you lean forward off the wake you're naturally going to go to mexican.

Once you start trying those make sure to keep the handle (with both hands) at your lead hip. That will prevent you from going half way to revert, which is the natural backroll rotation.

[flounderbout]

I do my BR's natural, so I can't help with the Mexican. But the second shot clearly shows you smashing through the wake, which is why you have got much better height and rotation on the first shot. On regular BR's you really have to jump first and then initiate the rotation. If you initiate halfway up the wake then you will pile through it and kill your pop.
The best BRs in my experience are the ones you feel you have left way too late off the wake. The rotation feels slooooow, but you have much more height and time to nail them and they land so much easier.
I suspect it is the same for Mexicans, since I imagine the rotation is a bit like a TSFR or Crow rotation (yeah I know that those are trip tricks, but the point is you have to leave the rotation nice and late until after you have popped). So try just going for a straight HS jump with the line tight at your hip and only when you have left the wake letting go with the back hand and tucking into the rotation.
But as I say I have never tried them Mexican, so I may be hopelessly wrong. If so then I'll send you a pint when you're in traction...

[alfromscotland]

Im not intensionally doing mexican backrolls!! All the advice so far is good, i think i will focus on keeping the load on my back arm and initiate the rotation much later. The two photos might as well be part of a sequence shot, they look the same each time, head tucked low to start and not alot of height across the wake. I am making it W2W believe it or not, but i want more height and time. I recon there is no way to spot my landing the way im doing it, especially with my eyes closed....

[michigan boarder]

If you are making it wake to wake that low you must be hauling when you are at the wake. Slow it down a bit. Take a more progressive edge. I don't have a video to work with but judging by the photos you must be going quite fast to go wake to wake.

[alfromscotland]

ill try and get some vidyo's posted from this weekend. Hollars!

edit: Im not taking a long cut into the wake, probably about a 10ft (hopefully) really progressive cut. No where near as big a cut as i would take into a 3, or a big wake2wake.

[Punkpenguin]

" No where near as big a cut as i would take into a 3"


Thats kinda scary, i take my 3s really mellow and slow into the wake

if your taking your approach on this trick from 10ft out, and you have a "really progressive cut" then you should be higher

[flounderbout]

If you are not trying to do them Mexican then you need to sort out the rotation in your head. I posted a long reply to huevo with some exercises on getting the rotation from the hips on dry land in a chair. You can probably find a chair even on a rig...
Try those exercises loads of times to get your head into the rotation (though you will end up like those twats that are forever doing imaginary golf swings or cricket shots, but with an imaginary handle in front of you!!!).
Once you have it ingrained on your brain then when you take it to the water you just need to think about two things. First, and most important, jump first, then initiate. That will stop you creaming the top off the wake and give you plenty more height and time. And second, keep both hands on the handle and imagine it is glued to your lead hip. Nothing kills your rotation like letting the handle out (as in your photos).
As for keeping your eyes open, it is difficult when all you have in your head is a big comic book F$%**$%K as you throw it... . One tip I had which I found really good is to breath out as you take off on any trick. For some reason it really does help you keep your eyes open, and that does make a huge difference, because you will quickly find you can land the sketchier versions if you have spotted your landing.
Have fun this weekend

[flounderbout]

You should be able to spot your landing from pretty early. This is a shot off a v small wake out at Cabwake...

[alfromscotland]

[OuachitaWaker]

from your pictures looks like you need to go bigger, are you clearing the other wake or landing in the middle of the 2? try to initiate the flip with 2 hands first then take the other one off, it looks like your flipping 1 handed

[Catch This Wake]

I used to throw them like that until I got better at loading the line. My advice try loading the line in the flats. If you take a few spills over your toes then you're doing it right. Then just load the line at the wake and throw the backroll. Let me know if that helps.

[alfromscotland]

Can you explian what you mean by loading the line in the flats. I am a pretty sound basic rider. I can whoop it into the flats on my wake jumps and 180s (bit scared to go too hard into my 3s). So if you could explain how you think about loading the line for a BR that would be a big help. I think i am throwing my BRs far too early and perhaps not taking enough speed in. Ive found myself throwing it at the bottom of the wake and i need to get out of that habit, along with the mexican habit.

[OuachitaWaker]

ok, you know how if you hold a ball underwater, like a basketball, it will want to shoot up out of the water? well think about that when your cutting, as you cut the handle will want to go away from you, and if you resist and hold it close to you while you cut the pressure will build on the bottom of the board and when you hit the wake you will realease this pressure.