training switch riding?

[sequitur]

anybody got any concrete tips for training switch riding... ?

or is it really just.. force yourself to do it ?

[K-wood Kid]

Ride a skateboard switch and just carve down the street and get the feel for it. It will make you comfortable and stuff will come alot easier.

[ontrider]

I don't find skating or snowboarding switch helps that much, the best way to learn to ride a wakeboard switch, is to practice exactly that. Just ride switch for a bit every set while you're learning. If the water is really crappy out and you can't do your normal tricks, take a set switch.

[Liquidmx]

Yup, lately with crappy water we short rope it at like 25-30 ft, and ride our boards switch around 18ish to just play around. You can do huge re-entries that close to the boat.

[Vampyre]

The single best way that I have found to learn switch is I do something similar to the "3 minute drill" from The Book instructional DVD. I do this first, before filling up ballast, and then at the end of the day, after draining ballast/wakeskating.
1. take 3 turns, cutting away from the wake, then towards the wake.
2. On the third turn, do a surface 180 while turning.
3. Repeat the 3 turns again, this time you are switch.
4. Again, on the third turn, do a surface 180.
5. Cross the wake, and repeat this all again, on the other side.
6. If you can do BS surface 180s, now repeat the drill doing BS 180s (harder).

I also get up switch nearly every time, on every run. I find that helps a lot, since the boat is just getting up to speed, you can use that time to carve and cross wakes switch.

You might also try using the lip to incorporate switch moves, like coming off a lip or boardslide switch, making a 180 on the lip.

I guess my best advice is to DO IT EVERYTIME YOU RIDE. Sure it may look sketchy, but it will help tremendously help later!

[nickdakoolkat]

The way I learned to ride switch better is by waiting til the end of the day after my "good runs" and then riding in choppy water all the way back acrossed the lake (or as far as my body would let me) beleivve me if you can get used to riding switch in chop then once you get butter it will seem very easy.

[J_DOGG]

Training = Doing.... you need to do it to get better at it. plain and simple.

[han*marie]

after riding for a while I find that my front foot tends to cramp up (I've tried everything I know to fix that...if it's binding position or my stance etc. nothing helps)...so when it does I ride switch for a bit and let it relax.
Again, it just comes down to practice...when riding normally take note of body position and visualize how your body will mimic that position with your other foot forward.

[nickdakoolkat]

han*marie, Maybe its the bindings themselves, that are making your foot hurt.

[han*marie]

nickdakoolkat,
That's definitely possible.
At first I was using someone else's bindings and they were definitely not that great.
I switched to the murray which another frined of mine was riding. I think the problem is that they're all HUGE for me. I finally grabbed up my own LF 05' Minx in August, but I really haven't had too many opportunities to use them for any long period of time. Most of the times we went out after I bought mine we had huge numbers out on the boat and we were only able to take short runs.

[kyle]

i reccomend walking backwards, wherever you go for a whole day, just walk backwards

[finkle]

kyle,

sequitur, riding switch is the only way you will get better at it. I remember back in the day, I would get tired and cramp up. Now I ride both ways the same amount of time and don't seem to tired other than riding hard.

[sequitur]

thanks... will definitely throw in more switch time into my riding sessions from now on...

[MiniMe]

I've been learning riding switch at the cable park. Helped putting alot of hours learning the basics by myself rather than behind the boat with all the friends looking.