Doing OK but no Pop

[jayp]

OK,

So I went wakeboarding for the first time about a month ago. Since then I have been going almost everyday. My friends showed no mercy and just let me learn on my own. Yanking me out of the water without any concern for the beginner. But now I am doing 180's, slides, wake to wake, all the beginner stuff.

Anyway, my question is How do I get that Pop off the wake? I can hit wake to wake but I am not getting any air. I am edging in and keeping the rope close in and low, I am standing tall as well. But it just seem like speed is the only thing getting me any distance across the wake. I have read all of the tutorials available online and watched the video clips over and over. But I just cant get it.

One thing I have thought about is that I may be coming into the wake to fast just cutting through it. I am thinking that I need to ride up the curve rather than come in fast hitting the top of the wake. Well I don't know so that is why am here.

Any Suggestions.
I ride a Litmus 136

[DLX134]

learn to ollie before u learn to do wake jumps, thats what helped me. you dont have to go at the wake extremely fast to get air. just work on technique. you will get it sooner or later

[_Vishnook_]

You dont really need to learn to ollie to get more air. Its when you use a progressive edge then "stand tall" or make your body stiff which "pops" you off the wake. You shouldnt try to ollie when coming into it. Read Minndizzyg's explanation on progessive edging, that will help.

[Pat McCarthy]

I assume you're read the progressive edge trick tip we have at http://www.wakeboarder.com/tricks/tricks.phtml.

That lays it out pretty good.

But it sounds like you are coming in to fast. You don't need speed to generate pop. What's important is line tension and standing tall and firm when popping. You don't your knees or hips absorbing the pop. When you do it right, you'll probably feel out of control at first. Just really focus on edging in slow at first, and increasing how hard you're edging as you get closer to the wake, and then stand tall keeping the handle in tight without letting off your edge that much.

[aloharodeo]

edge progressively (this will help keep the line loaded too), stay on edge into the wake, then push out your knees.

[sh0rtyme]

About a month ago, I had a very similar problem which was easily fixed by learning how to edge progressively. I went out for a mini-lesson with a friend of mine, and he said that I was starting my cut so hard that I couldn't hold that edge all the way through the wake, and if I could, I'd be 10 feet out in the flats. He started me out by having me start a slow, easy cut when I started to feel the rope pull me back to the wake.

One thing that helped me get more pop was not so much focusing on standing tall at the wake, but more concentrating on edging all the way through the wake- standing tall becomes kind of a natural instinct almost, just make sure that you're doing it at the right spot, and not just letting off your edge.

as far as progressive edging goes...You should be able to get the same amount of height and distance from cutting out 3-4 feet and building your edge all the way through the wake as you can cutting out all the way (you actually should be landing out in the flats if you're really building that edge because of the added speed). Practicing clearing the wake, starting from 3-4 ft outside of the wake is good practice for proper edging, and this will be VERY helpful for when you start inverts and spins.

I know that at least for me, it was hard understanding the full concept of a progressive edge until I actually experienced it for myself, but good luck, and let us know how it goes

[DLX134]

It takes some time to learn a wake jump. Try and learn one wake jumps before w2w jumps. With a one wake jump, you only have to go about 5ft. outside the wake and edge properly. Just keep doing this till you feel the pop. Compared to the height you got before, you will see a big difference, when you finally get the right form. And like i posted before, i think you should learn to ollie first. When I first started to try wake jumps, I had no instruction but what I read (like a lot of people on this site). I thought you had to cut way outside, then go balls off the wall when your edging back in. Safe to say, if your new, that isnt gonna work. By the next season I was doing better, but I still couldnt do a w2w, and i was bailing on most all my jumps (i blamed it on not having a tower)... One day i decided to learn to ollie, which i should have done in my first season. After spending a morning learning to ollie, i decided to go back to my wake jumps, which for some reason, improved drastically. I actually understood that "pop" everyone talks about. good luck....

[DLX134]

wow....that was a waste of time. haha

[jayp]

Thanks for all of the helpful tips. I went out today and really focused on edging, standing tall, and keeping that rope in close. I didn't go out as far and was not going as fast as I was and I was getting way more air. I cleared the wake a few times and was landing on top of the wake consistently. And I wasn't working nearly as hard as I had been.

I am still doing something not quite right most of the time because a couple of times I got twice as much pop and it did feel like I was out of control. I bit it pretty hard on one of those. I think it has to do with finding that spot on the board. But I don't know where that spot is. I am riding a Liquid Force Litmus 136. Anyone have any insight?

[beasoldierprstn]

its amazing how many times people ask the same questions (not saying that i dont) but the main question usually has to do with standing tall. do what it sounds like.