Correcting a hard heelside

harddock · Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 38

My six year old has just started wakeboarding. Immediately upon getting up and as the board turns he rockets out to the left before the boat even makes a wake. ( he is Left foot foward) He can ride out there the whole time but never gets close to the wake, let alone get centered. I am a skier, not a wakeboarder so I can't speak from expierience. I am always driving and can't observe him much. His mom is spotter and knows nothing about wakeboarding other than he is standing. He may be squatting to much. I'm not sure where he has the handle. He does cut way out and comes back toward the wake but never gets all the way to it.

Is ther any trick to correct this? Bindings are 90 rear and 75 front, and are pretty centered on the board as he doesn't have a big stance. Board is a Hyperlite Voyager 121 hes abot 50lbs.
Is it all body position? If you can explain it to me I can explain it to him. I'd like to correct soon.

DMBeer41 · Newbie Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 12 City: Stamford

Cutting out to his left....so heelside? My only guess is that he's leaning back against the rope, which will cut you out heelside. he'd have to stay level on the board to stay straight. The fact that your 6 year old is wakeboarding is awesome. He's got 20 years head start on me.

Take all this with a grain of salt, i too just started this year, but i've read nearly every post on this board posted in the last year or so (my job is boring) Smile

TnR6Rida · Posted: Jul 14, 2008 12:53 pm Post subject:

My girlfriend has the same problem. As soon as she gets up and before there is a wake she is cutting out heelside and can't come back.

I told her to try and keep her weight even on toes and heels, and try to hold the handle on her lead hip, whereas she was holding it center of her body which was making it hard for her to turn the board and get off of her heelside edge.

I can't tell you if that worked or not because like a woman she didn't listen to me Laughing

pet575 · Posted: Jul 14, 2008 12:56 pm Post subject:

2 things to start with:

1. He needs to hold the rope handle down against his left hip. This will keep the back end of the board from "sliding out" toward the wake and toward the back of the boat.

2. If he puts a little more weight on his toes (to actually center his weight between his heels and toes) it will control his movement toward and away from the wake. Wakeboarding is all about the edges so, in his stance, weight on his heels (his heelside of the board edge) will pull him out away from the wake and weight on his toes (his toeside edge of the board) will pull him back toward the wake and across it.

IMPORTANT. Item #1 has to come first. If he does Item #2 first, his toeside edge will catch the water when he puts more weight on his toes. That=faceplant.

Item #1 will help his board go parallel to the boat.

howabouttheiris · Addict Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 677 City: Austin, TX

My 2 cents...

1. Don't let both arms go straight. If he does he will not be able to twist enough to go straight. Keeping the lead arm bent and the back arm straighter will help get the handle around to the front hip.

2. Make sure he is bending at the knees, instead of leaning over at the waist. If he looks like he is in a rowing machine... that is bad. Early on I had to remind my boy to keep his pecker aimed up to the sky.

Prizzy · Soul Rider Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 360 City: Milwaukee

Maybe get a rearveiw mirror for your boat too so you can watch a little better and then try to give him some advice to better correct himself.

sirPARTYman · Posted: Jul 14, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject:

Yeah my wife has this problem so thanks 4 the advice ill pass it on 2 her Twisted Evil

harddock · Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 38

DeloBoarder · Outlaw Joined: 18 Jun 2006 Posts: 131 City: Knoxville

One thing to try for just a little bit is letting go with the back hand. I had to do this when I first started, and it seemed to help get me used to being sideways. Of course, after a while you need to have then handle at your hip, but to begin with it might help a little to let go with his right hand (back hand).

harddock · Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 38

Well for a progress report. We worked on both body and handle position with great success. He now wakeboards behind several different type boats ( outboard, inboard and Vdrive) and can be left, center or right side, his choice. I think it took him a while to figure out the right combination as we went through a day of faceplants. One thing I did notice that the board leaned heelside when just floating in the water. I moved the bindings so that the board was level at rest and this too may have helped. No we are going to work on switch stance and onto tricks. It's is pretty cool for a six year old and he loves it. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Jul 30, 2008 12:04 pm Post subject:

a heelside cut is pretty common for beginers, its because they lean against the rope for balance.