Ideas for Training Children

[howabouttheiris]

Looking for some tips to help children progress....

I have a 5 year old who wakeboards 3-4 times per week for about 1 hour per session.

I am looking for some tips to help him progress, but most important... I want him to have fun and continue to come out with me and the guys. (It makes getting permission slips from the wife a lot easier and it is good for him to get some exercise)

I currently let him free ride for most of the time, but do have him doing some drills.

Some things we do are ...

1) ride doubles and spray each other
- intent: build strong carving skills
2) do "show off" jumps for the video camera
- intent: have him practice landing jumps
3) do 10 wake crosses in a row (for a prize milkshake on the ride home)
- intent: crossing a waist high wake gotta be good for something
4) ollie a floating fender
- intent: build timing and ollie skills

Any suggestions... I really do not plan on getting him lessons (no pushy parent pro dreams here at all), but there is just zero info out on the net for child specific training.

[QNev]

It sounds like a good plan. Glad to know you're making it fun. If he really enjoys it and understands some of the terminology, I'd consider buying some kind of instructional DVD. Good luck!

[wakeboarderdave1]

Don't push him, he's only five. If he want to ride, that's awesome. If not don't force him to. Let wakeboarding be something that is fun, not something he has to do. But that sounds like you have already covered that stuff. Yeah get an instructional, I haven't seen the book but got a demo disc of it and was highly impressed.

[bmartin]

Now I know why me and my three kids are not the bomb on the lake. We have never done anything that I would call a drill. We just do not approach wakeboarding like an organized sport with practice sessions and drills. Sure we work on new things and are starting to stick some inverts, but to us it is pretty much freeriding and progressing where we can, but we do not go out as much, maybe 1-2x/week.

The only thing I tried to get my kids to do early on, albeit with only marginal success, was riding switch.

[howabouttheiris]

bmartin,

The "drills" are really intended to give him safe milestones.

He sees us doing tricks and wants to try them, but I am not willing to have him go bigger until he can safely do it.

[edrex]

AS long as he is having fun with it, I can't see any reason that drills wouldn't be a good idea. It doesn't sound like its stuff he has to do or he can't get back in the boat, just things to work on to help him progress further (and earn Milkshakes!).

[Hangtime]

howabouttheiris, where did you get bindings for your son? My grandson will probably (if he shows interest) start wakeboarding next year. We have an old board we intend to modify, but I haven't looked for bindings yet. What are you using for a board?

[howabouttheiris]

Hangtime,

I can get the model year / number next time I go out...

But it is a Hyperlite 05ish 119, with XS bindings (for shoe size 1-5)

He wears a 1. With them tightened up, he only comes out on bad falls.

[pooser]

have you thought about having him trying surface tricks? it seems like catching an edge might scare him away from ridinfg a little, but it seems like he already enjoys riding enough, and with little kids you can slow the boat down so much that an edge catch would be near impossible. but ya get him doing some surface spins, i had my sisters do ole surface tricks when they got board of just doing regular 3's. have him practice riding blind wrapped, ooo and switch have him start switch now before he gets into wakejumps,

Hangtime, hyperlite makes a "kids" size binding that fits some really tin feet.