Switch it up

simland · Posted: Jul 13, 2004 8:33 pm Post subject: Switch it up

Ok this has been done before, but with the search engine it is a pain to find what I am looking for.

I need some tips to practice riding switch on and off the water. Preferably off since I can't get to the water except on the weekends. Should a buy a skateboard or something like that? I heard about a balance board I'm wondering if that would be a worth while investment or if it's a waste of my money.

DavidHoff · Posted: Jul 13, 2004 8:35 pm Post subject:

Balance boards are always good and I think they're fun.

Mister C · Posted: Jul 13, 2004 11:36 pm Post subject:

I would invest money in a skateboard. You can ride it pretty much whenever you want, and I think it helps a lot for balance and just getting comfortable on a board (whether that board be a wakeboard or a skateboard). I've been getting into it lately and I wanna see how much it will cross over into wakeboarding the next time I go out. A friend of mine says that it helped him quite a bit in getting more comfortable while riding and sticking his grabs.

Tantrum10 · Outlaw Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 115 City: cobourg

I started skating about 10 months ago, and I found that it helps a lot with riding switch.

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

I've never been on a flowboard but that seems like it would be one of the best things. I think they have them where you can take the wheels off the board and it will turn into a wakeskate... maybe they're all like this and I'm out of the loop but I thought that was pretty cool.

I would definately get some kind of skateboard though. If not for only practicing switch, just being sideways more helps your wakeboarding. I started skateboarding about 3 years ago to help my wakeboarding. Its a challenging hobby. I don't get out there much anymore but its still fun to go ollie stuff. I can't even kickflip but I still enjoy it. If you want to work on your switch off the water skateboard/flowboard is the only way to go

Fredrick Eisenhauer · Posted: Jul 14, 2004 8:23 am Post subject:

A skateboard will help you alot, but no you don't need to go out and buy the best element or what ever on the market, just get a cheap complete if your just going to roll around. But when you are on the water, practice getting up switch and doing surface 180s, and when you are in switch hang on with your front hand as you won't have the pull of your back hand effecting your riding.

simland · Posted: Jul 14, 2004 8:47 am Post subject:

I've skateboarded a little in the past. I can ollie switch and normal. (I'm a regular stance) I can almost do a shuv it 360 but can't do a 180. I can kick flip but I have a hard time landing on the board. I'm looking into getting a snowboard as well. Thing about skating is that you don't edge into turns. You weight like you are edging kind of but you don't edge and that's where I think skating would be lacking. This flowboard is different I might look into that.

Also skating is scary painful. I rollerblade (fruitboot) and I can vert, park, rails and etc. But when I tried to drop in on a simple 3 foot ramp on a skateboard it kept flying out. It's hard to drop in for me.

Jim M · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 2933

Practice riding switch on the water as much as you can, period. One thing that helped me a ton- Take your fins off and go a mile or two mph slower than usual. It will be easier to break the board loose and you will get good feel of your switch edges with less fear of a face smack. Just remember to shift your weight, a common switch problem is riding front foot heavy and slipping/bouncing out when you make the 180.

It is frustrating learning to ride switch. It took me three seasons of neglecting switch before I finally committed to it and got comfortable with it. Now I bounce around from regular to switch effortlessly, its like second nature. Like anything, it comes in time, but you gotta DO IT!!

liquidforce519 · Soul Rider Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 447

Yes definitely a skateboard just spend 10 or so minutes a day riding switch and in a little while it will feel so natural.DO NOT NEGLECT SWITCH.Once you get it down its so much fun (for a while) just to ollie back and fourth off rollers and stuff.

simland · Posted: Jul 14, 2004 3:40 pm Post subject:

Yea, I fidn when I ride switch that I put my body in the right position and try to weight everything properly and still find myself wanting to turn sideways or come back to regular stance.

Fredrick Eisenhauer · Posted: Jul 14, 2004 6:26 pm Post subject:

Yeah, well only hangon with your front hand. Its your body naturally wanting to get back to its normal stance. You gotta have your front foot alot more dominant then your back.

ben · Outlaw Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 168 City: Pasco

just dont think about it when youre riding....for me its just a brain fart, i can ride switch easily when im not thinking about it, but when i think about i get significantly crappier at it. Dont think like "alright, time to ride switch" just go do an ollie 180 and keep riding like you didnt even do anything. its all mental, in my opinion.

simland · Posted: Jul 15, 2004 8:24 pm Post subject:

Not a bad idea. I was watching that relentless trailer and the guy does an ollie 180 like it's just ho hum but it looks so sweet. I wish I could do them like that.

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

I can ollie and 180 switch on a skateboard but I don't think it helps that much. I can do switch ollie 180s on a wakeboard, but can't even land halfway across on my wake jumps. It may help to skate switch when you first start out, but spending time on the water riding switch is the only way to get better at it I think.

Haggy102 · Outlaw Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 103

dude one of the best things to do is wenever the water is crappy or you just dont feel like riding seriously that day, switch it up and ride your entire run switch, make sure you edge around and get a good feel for your reverse edges and jumps.....pretty soon it was be as natural as your normal stance