rough water and progression

nailem · Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 18 City: Erie

im very much a newbie. i can get up carve with confidence. surface 180 and ride switch while doing some carving although it feels real uncomfortable. i was watching waketrix and wanted to try some of the drills mostly i dont edge hard enough.

i live off of lake Erie and the water is choppy at best. usually a smooth day on the lake is 1-2 footers. in most videos the water is like glass.
my question is: is it possible to progress in these conditions or am i just making excuses for not being able to make much progress? i tried the drill for progressive edging where you edge away from the wake to get the feel and body position right. when i went to do the drill the board is out of the water as much as it is in from skipping across the chop/waves. am i just being a puss?

david-d · Guest

It's hard to start feeling confident when you go out time and again and the water is stuff. You're getting a good workout for your balance and such being in choppy water, but I know how it feels trying to work on something and the chop is just too much. You're not a puss. Are there any other lakes in your area that may be smaller and less choppy? Or maybe get out there really early before it gets choppy... either way.. it's going to be harder to progress in choppy water but I think that if you stick with it, it'll pay off when you transfer over to riding in smoother water.

nailem · Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 18 City: Erie

every now and then i get a chance to go to my brother-in-laws camp about an hour and half away. my boat is kept in the marina and is primarily a family boat. but i can see how this sport can get addictive. there is a small lake thats about 45min away so i'll have to talk the wife into letting me pull the boat out more often.

like i said i didnt want to be looking for excuses and blaming rough water on my poor skills.

pet575 · Posted: Jul 07, 2008 7:22 am Post subject:

I think learning to do anything other than just ride and learn balance is very difficult in any kind of chop. It can be done, but I think it might take 3-5 times longer to progress if you are always in chop. On top of that, IMHO, chop ruins the lip of the wake.

Jensen · Posted: Jul 07, 2008 11:56 am Post subject:

i didn't know what riding in chop was until this weekend Shocked

I tried wakeboarding with 30 other boats on the 4th on a small, and i mean small private lake. It was so choppy i started dry heaving! I still landed some inverts but it was way sketchy. Choppy water will definitely slow your progressing down.

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Jul 08, 2008 10:20 am Post subject:

to answer your question yes it will definatly make your riding more difficult to progress. and its hard for anyone to edge as hard in rough water.