W2W + Pop Help

[industrialblue]

Hi,

I started wakeboarding last year at the ripe old age of 37. I can carve around pretty good and have been trying to mix-in riding some switch this year. I only get out a few times a month, and in Michigan, the riding season is about 5 months.

I'm not getting much pop. The wake seems to be adequate, but I only get a few feet. After reading lots of posts on here and watching instructional vids, I tried to put it to the test yesterday:

Flatten out, take a progressive edge all the way through the top of the wake, keep handle at lead hip, etc, etc, etc.

I actually felt like I was getting more pop, but after watching the videos, I don't think I was. Anyway, I posted a few runs. If anyone has any pointers, tips, or suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em. I'm sure there's something glaringly wrong, so let me have it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYNqXIhDe4U

Thanks.

[GuitsBoy]

OK, get your heelside first.

Keep the handle at waist height, that was it in teh center of gravity. Keeping it up as high as you are, and you have to lean back to counter the ropes tendency to pull you over. When youre in the air, the ropes gonna pull, but youve got no water to push agains and its gonna pull you all wobbly.

Dont get bent in half. Your upper body is bent forward toward the boat. Lean your whole body away, including your torso.

Get comfortable with your heelside by cruising over teh wake a few times, then nut it up and take a big cut, a bit more speed, but a LOT more line tension. Pop up the wake and youll find yourself up and over the other side.

Good luck!

[Sandbagger]

That wake seems really narrow, what kind of boat is it?
What else are you doing as far as fundamentals, are you able to do surface 180's, olleys, 1w180's, butterslides (front and blind), surface 360's? Until the basics are down, probably not ready for big air.

I am not meaning to be rude but it looks like you are not completely comfortable transitioning to the wake on a progressive edge that is sufficient for getting the line tension needed to go big air. I think your handle position is a little high and extended at arms length and maybe should be held closer to your hip.

You do not have a progressive edge at all, it appears you are just going over the wake, you will need to work on the edging technique and be on edge as you are going over the wake (think about showing the bottom of your board to the boat). The pop will be generated with the edging through the wake and starightening up and leaning against the rope as you are going over the wake (all these things will help with line tension).

I am sure you will get tips from more experienced riders. Main thing is keep working at it and have fun, thats my goal.

[sirPARTYman]

get comfy with crossing the wake 1st,get more board control.Then head out on ya toes 2wards the flats until u cant go any further once out stop for a second (float)and flatten out then edge in on ya heels on a nice edge keep the handle at ya hip then at the wake stand tall for sum nice pop.gl show us when u do this

[Okie Boarder]

industrialblue, I'm going through some similar things to you, although I might be just a step ahead of you. As others have said, you need to get confident in your edging and crossing the wake. It seems like you are still riding a bit timid.

As far as jumping, heel side is going to be the best place to start and doing the progressive edge is key to going W2W. Here's a couple videos of me trying then making it. I've been working on this all season and I'm just starting to get it down. The first video shows me not doing the progressive edge right. The second video is much better, but I am still not quite doing it the way I should.

http://www.vimeo.com/1333656

http://www.vimeo.com/1381443

[JustinCT]

[Dirt Girl]

Where in MI are you riding?

[pet575]

industrialblue, you have the look of someone who has spent years skiing on 2 skis. There is not anything necessarily wrong with that, just know in advance that you have some "unlearning" to do before you can advance like you're trying to. I know from experience-I grew up skiing on 2 and slalom skiing.

You've gotten some good advice so far, but I'll try to simplify and summarize a bit since I can relate to what you are doing. Like Okie, I see a lot of myself when I was starting out in you.

3 things you MUST change before you can really start thinking about charging the wake and pulling some good pop off of the wake.

1. Stop "breaking at the waist." You cannot bend forward at the waist on a wakeboard and do anything constructive. Start pushing your hips toward the boat. Some people say to ride like you're trying to point your d!ck at the sky.

2. Move the handle position down to your leading hip, and don't straighten your arms out. Hold it there. If you're riding switch, it goes on the other hip-whichever one is the leading hip. Never move it. It is a bad habit that will hold you back, so you might as well break it ASAP. (Doing this will probably help with #1 above).

3. Stop bending your knees when you go over the wake. You are absorbing the wake's energy when you bend your knees. It holds you back from edging hard and will hold you back from getting air when you DO start cutting hard into the wake. I struggled mightily with this problem because water skiers are taught to bend their knees at all times to absorb chop and the wake. Once I broke this habit, I started to progress a TON.

So those are the 3 things you must change before you can start getting after it. Once you do that, then you need to cut about 5 times harder/faster toward the wake. Someone else said to try to show the bottom of your board to the people in the boat. That is dead-on, and you must do it all the way to the top of the wake.

If you find yourself still coming up short over the next few weeks, get some more video and review these points while watching the video.

[industrialblue]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and feedback. You're all saying what I figured you'd say...

A couple of you have asked about the boat/wake.... it's a 1990 Correct Craft Sport Nautique with a few fat sacks in back. I'm still trying to dial it in.

Dirt Girl: I ride on Hagerman Lake in the U.P.

I actually don't have a skiing background; never been up on water skis. I do snowboard, which is why I decided to take up wakeboarding last year. Next time I go out I'll definitely work on keeping the back and legs straight, and point my d*ck at the sky.

Thanks again for all the constructive feedback. I appreciate it.

[Okie Boarder]

[pet575]

Or not wearing.

[Okie Boarder]