Ollie or Stand Tall?

Trancewave · Newbie Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 4

Hey all. I have been wakeboarding since late last summer, and I am still a beginner when it comes to tricks, but I got most of the basics down of wakeboarding.

I was wondering something about jumping. All this time I was taught to ollie at the edge of the wake to pop into the air and get good height. I just recently discovered that most people actually say to stand tall when riding into the wake. My question is what are the advantages and uses for either ollieing or standing tall when edging into the wake. My guess is that ollie is for just height and the other is for wake to wakes. I am very comfortable doing ollies at the wake and I get some huge air doing it. I am able to do a few grabs and a 180, but I still seem to have a lot of trouble with wake to wake. Someone explain the difference between the jumps and their uses for tricks please.

DJew Jake · Posted: May 26, 2004 5:35 pm Post subject:

Standing tall is more of being low comming in and standing talla s you ride up the wake so it sort of is like and olly but if u try to jump thats no good u need to be rigid it just forces crazy energy throguh you and fires you up.

Maestro · Posted: May 26, 2004 6:08 pm Post subject:

Definitely stand tall - the only benefit to ollieing at the top of the wake is if you want to do a re-entry (just ollie off the wake, get a bit of air, and come down on the same wake - so straight up and back down). The idea behind standing tall is that you come into the wake with a great deal of energy - if you try to ollie, you're sucking your knees up, and they end up absorbing all the energy, and you're left with nothing. If you stand tall at the wake, your pushing against it, causing the energy you've built up to push you off the wake.

If you can, think of watching freestyle mogul downhill skiers (or whatever they're called). When they're hitting the moguls, they suck up their knees so they don't go airborne. When they hit a jump though, they keep their legs straight so the kicker will shoot them into the air. A little different in wakeboarding, but same general idea.

Nanistia · Outlaw Joined: 23 Dec 2003 Posts: 134 City: Orlando

That was a good analogy Maestro!

Maestro · Posted: May 26, 2004 6:41 pm Post subject:

Thanks Nanista, I have no idea where it came from... just popped into my head Idea

DJew Jake · Posted: May 26, 2004 6:46 pm Post subject:

You are a true canadian Wink

andrandre · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2004 Posts: 258 City: Toronto

I am tru newfie

wakeboarder_dude22 · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Mar 2003 Posts: 409 City: Australia

You still have to bounce a little off the wake though. Like you don't come in all stiff legged and just ride up the wake, you gotta bounce, but keep your legs straight. It's hard to explain and probably even harder for you to understand, just don't be like a stick man as you cut in and hit the wake.

DJew Jake · Posted: May 27, 2004 4:05 am Post subject:

trhats why the say stand tall as you ride up the wake, that "bounce" is you standing tall

kennethl · Addict Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 635 City: Champaign

I try to visualize the wake as springboard. As your riding up it push down like your loading the springs by straitening the knees and standing ridged (standing tall), and the wake will provide the pop. Timing is everything.

Trancewave · Newbie Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 4

OK, I went out last weekend and messed around with all this stuff and experiemented a little. I got my progressive edging down a lot better than I thought before. About the jump part though, I tried edging in with my legs stiff and it did launch me, but it seemed to mess up my orientation in the air and I kept falling.

What I do now, is I edge into the wake and as I am am about to hit it, I push my legs downward. So I guess I kind of combined the two, but the result is nice. As long as I can obtain the air and distance I need, does it really matter specifically how I come off the wake?

grafik · Newbie Joined: 05 May 2004 Posts: 47 City: Tamworth, UK

As big as you can go is all that matters.

Maestro · Posted: May 31, 2004 6:10 pm Post subject:

Trancewave - it sounds like you were coming into the wake with your legs stiff - maybe our advice led you to believe that's how it should be done, but that's wrong. Sounds like you figured it out for yourself though. What you want to do is edge towards the wake with your knees bent, leaning away from the boat, loading the line by using a progressive edge. When you get to the wake, you want to 'stiffen' your legs by pushing down against the wake, as you seem to have figured out by yourself.

dmac · Addict Joined: 22 Jul 2003 Posts: 728 City: 405 be-otch

Maestro, knows everything guys. watch his posts make sure you read them thoroughly read his posts and youll be fine.

dmac · Addict Joined: 22 Jul 2003 Posts: 728 City: 405 be-otch

haha i butchered that- sorry you get the general idea

Maestro · Posted: May 31, 2004 7:21 pm Post subject:

Not sure that's true dmac - but thanks (unless of course there's hidden internet sarcasm in that post, but I don't catch any Laughing

)

wakerider07 · Posted: Jun 01, 2004 6:26 pm Post subject:

maestro = teacher (in spanish)

hyperrider · Addict Joined: 06 Aug 2003 Posts: 613 City: Edmonton

maestro basicly summed up the entire idea of standing tall through the wake. but i might as well say something anyways Laughing

. as i approach the wake making a progressive edge i bend my knees really far down (i just do it naturally) and then going up the wake i straighten them. the lower you bend your knees the higher you will go.

voodoo1 · Criminal Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 72 City: Charlotte

all great advice I am taking in as well. However, I seem to keep "flattening" out at the base of the wake trying to stand tall. I guess the trick is to stand tall while still leaning back a bit in order to edge thru the wake?

voodoo1 · Criminal Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 72 City: Charlotte

However when I do that I end up landing on my a@$ because I was still leaning back at the time of pop....