How should I help someone get up?

Goodhands · Outlaw Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 136 City: Murfreesboro

So I finally got my girlfriend to want to get up on a wakeboard. So I had this idea that I'd grab my old board and have her on my new board, but while she was attempting to get up i'd be on my old one with her to try and coach her a little? Is this a gewd idea?

lostsparrow · Posted: Mar 27, 2007 11:24 am Post subject:

if you're just helping her GET UP, it seems like it would be more trouble than its worth. If she gets up her first try, awesome, then you guys can ride together for one of ya eats it. If she DOESN'T get up her first try, or the next 15 tries after that, it seems like it'd be a pain for the driver to pick ya both back up. When we teach someone new, we tell the what to do, have em try it, coach em on what they did wrong once we circle back around. I've never had someone not get up their first day before.

martin pearce · Criminal Joined: 29 Nov 2006 Posts: 53

STPHNSN23 · Guest

stay in the boat. let someone else drive. you teach. remind her to lean back, and let the boat do the work. good luck. teaching a girlfriend is one of the hardest things i've ever done.

tonality · Soul Rider Joined: 20 Aug 2004 Posts: 435 City: DFW

Try this, it works...have her put her feet on the swim platform, and hold on to the handle, then pull the rope and tell her to stand up on the platform...it's the exact motion and it's worked great many times. Board on or off doesn't matter, but might try with it on.

Chad H · Posted: Mar 27, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject:

I have a friend who just couldn't get up. He gave up after a while and we never got him out again last summer. I am going to get in the water and try to steady the board for him since this was his problem. We'll see if it works

TP83 · Addict Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 739 City: Woodside

Epic · Addict Joined: 21 Aug 2005 Posts: 765

If anybody over the age of 6 can't get up on a wakeboard after a few attempts, it's a lost cause. There's just about nothing easier to do than "get up" on a wakeboard. Just don't over explain everything, it's not like a slalom ski, the board planes itself out, there's really no work to be done.

NguyenNSX · Guest

Epic, true but sometimes it just takes a while.....never a lost cause

pet575 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject:

Epic, you may be right if you have someone who knows exactly what to tell you and can help you understand it, but nothing could be further from the truth if you are teaching yourself. I spent at least 20 tries in 2 separate weekends teaching myself. I finally found someone on here whose advice made sense. Once I visualized what I was trying to do, it WAS easy. My problem was undoing years of slalom skiing.

wakeboardcamp · Soul Rider Joined: 05 Nov 2003 Posts: 496 City: Halifax

K I've taught wakeboarding at a camp for the past 2 summers and that involved helping people get up for the first time.

My best advice is:
1. give them a basic idea of what they need to do
2. let them try it for the first time
3. go from there... as in see what they did and didn't do and coach them from that first try.

Key thing is that the more you say... the harder it gets for some people because they tend to think too much. Keep it as simple as possible

phantom268 · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 6:18 am Post subject:

If you have it handy watch an instructional DVD like "The Book" and its section on getting up. I have used similar techniques in teaching MANY of my friends who have never ridden before....they often get up on the first try or typically less than 5 tries anyway.

Basically as the boat starts to pull you simply think about sliding your butt up to your ankles so you're just squatting on the board with a slight lean back. Keep your arms straight don't pull the rope. Hold the position until you're planing out and THEN worry about standing. First step is to get them planing sideways on the board, once they learn that the rest is simply a matter of standing up into your riding stance. Normally you'll know when it "clicks"...if they do that correctly they'll pop right out of the water within a few seconds. Otherwise they are fighting the boat or not doing what you told them. many former skiers seem to have a hard time letting the boat simply pull them up.

nickl011 · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 2:47 pm Post subject:

i popped up the first try, my brother had a little more trouble. he simply couldn't get up the normal way with the board laying horizontal and perpendicular with the water. He now gets up by putting the board vertical and perpendicular like this

_|
i guess you could try both ways. it sometimes helps to do dock starts, just remember to keep half the board out of the water while it is laying perpendicular to the water horizontally

devon · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject:

if you really want to help someone get up let them do it themself
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Deyeme · Newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 City: Troy