Help !! I need to get some air and w2w!

[javierMDiaz]

Hello Guys,

I´ve been controlling the wakeboard pretty well now, and think im edging better and better, but im not getting enough pop off the wake, no air at all and im crashing everytime i want to go for a w2w.

ill post some videos so you can see what im talking about...

thanks.

javier




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI1F1iHXQaE

[javierMDiaz]

here´s another video

[Zach2orJack]

I'm no expert but I learned to go W2W at the end of this past season. From what I can see you're doing several things wrong. You're edging in hard but it looks like you are coming off your edge right before you hit the wake, look up progressive edging and work on a smoother edging technique. You are letting your legs give when you hit the wake too so you are absorbing all the pop with your knees. You have to stand tall almost like an ollie but not quite right when you hit the wake, I use a little more pressure on my back foot to keep from nosing over on the landing, you will figure this out after a few hard crashes. One other thing is keep the rope low, near your leading hip. To get higher you can pull it in when you hit the wake but that takes time to get the timing down right, for now you just need to keep it at your hip. Good luck, I hope this helps a little. There are tons of posts like this one all over the place. Try searching and reading up on how other people have been told to do it. That's what I did and got a little help from a friend and was going W2W the first time I really tried.

[pet575]

Yep, TONS of threads on here. Best thing to do is get video, though, so you are on the right track there.

I agree with Zach on many points:
1. Your edging needs to be progressive. Making a hard cut and charging balls-out toward the wake will not get it. I respect your courage, but it won't do. Flattening the board out does not help. You cannot really "cut through the wake" if you are staying on edge. Try this instead: make your hard cut away from the wake and let the boat naturally pull you back in. Once you get to the foam, start edging at about 50% of the hardest cut you can make. When in the the foam, take it up to 75%. Right at the base of the wake, edge at 100% of the hardest cut you can make. See? You've progressively gone from 50-75-100%, all within a short distance (the foam to the base of the wake). DO NOT LET OFF OF YOUR EDGE AS YOU HIT THE LIP OF THE WAKE.

2. Bend your elbows and hold the rope handle to your leading hip at ALL times. Never let it leave that spot. This will help you keep your back more straight (you are breaking at the waist when you hit the wake) and will also help you control your landing as well. Straight arms like a water skier=bad.

3. Straighten your legs and stand as tall as you can as you ride up the wake. You are absorbing at least 50% of the wake with your knees in these videos.

4. If you are coming in nose high or nose low, that is caused by putting too much weight on one foot. Nose high=most of your weight on your back foot. Edge toward the wake with A LOT of your weight on your front foot. This will help you edge better and will also make you more balanced as you hit the wake.

Read through these several times. Try to implement them one at a time. If it were me, I'd practice riding around and not even jumping while working on #2 first. It is an absolute fundamental that you've got to get down so that you just do it and forget about it. After that, work on #1. Then #3. Remember, one at a time.

Keep taking video so that you can make sure you are doing what you think you are doing. I was having trouble because I thought I was really doing a good job of progressive edging. When I saw myself on tape, I realized I was hardly edging at all. Keep at it, you're not as far off as you think.

Good luck!

[javierMDiaz]

Ok ill try doing that next time im on the lake..

question, dont know it might sound stupid, but... when approaching, then edging and standing tall. when stading wall will the boar flattern or does it still have to be on an edging position but with legs my legs straight???

thanks

[Zach2orJack]

You should keep your edge all the way through the wake. Once you do this you will notice a huge difference. My biggest problem was flattening out right before the wake and losing my edge and holding my arms up too high. Once I corrected those two problems I was going W2W. We also set the speed a little higher after a few good jumps and now I would rather go 21-22 mph over going around 20 mph.

[dirtydave]

yep... zach is right... eddge all the way up the wake and then stand tall off the top of the wake and u should find some pop!

[Chocoholic]

Just watched your video. When you're edging out your front leg is pretty much locked straight, bend your knee and even your weight up, you're very back heavy - like me I might add.

Also when you come up the wake to stand tall, pull the handle right down to your leading hip. In your vids, the handle is coming right up, which is making you lose stability.