"Progressive Edge" or Hard Edge for Big air?

Batla76 · Newbie Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 16 City: Burleson

Need experienced riders advice please, not theories or hearsay. If i'm trying to get more air, do I try a harder cut to load up the rope more? Or do I just stay with a progressive edge? It seems when I try a really hard edge to the wake I get alot of speed and load up the rope but I'm more off ballance.

J_DOGG · Posted: Apr 30, 2003 9:09 am Post subject:

Getting big air takes a combination of a few things.

Just standing tall and riding all the way up the wake won't get you pro type air, the approach has something to do with it
If you squat real low during the approach you will need to do more things at the wake to leave in the proper position but the actual extension to stand tall from this squatted position will help you go more up than out.

Loading the line generates the speed and power to take you up and out but that alone wont shoot you to the moon. It's more of a combination of riding all the way up on edge, powering through the wake with aggressiveness and extending at the wake. The progressive edge technique is the closest thing to this with out getting involved with all the technicalities of style and release.

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

Speed = Distance
Edge = Height/Pop

You typically only need enough cut/speed to carry you across the wakes. You can take a lot more speed into big edge tricks like raleys and hs frontflips, but excess speed usually results in either a flat edge at the wake or getting bucked out of control at the wake. Keep things under control. You can take a massive speed cut with your butt on the water, but you can still have absolutely no edge to give you lift off the wake.

You increase your line tension by digging in your edge, think about putting added pressure on your heels or toes. That is what creates your resistance and that is where your power comes from. Try to watch some vids with chase boat shots and helicopter shots, see how the pros edge in and release off the wake.

Batla76 · Newbie Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 16 City: Burleson

Thanks for the good info!

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

When I go to stand tall on my heelside jumps I lose all my speed. How do u keep your edge going while standing tall and riding up the wake?

Fauker · Soul Rider Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Posts: 471 City: Charlotte

I could tell you a lot of things, but it would be kinda meaningless because the only way youre going to get it down is by figuring it out yourself.

I rode behind bass boats for like 3 years - so when I stepped it up behind a real ski boat, I had board control down pat. The problem with a lot of people these days is they start at the top and they never really figure out how to maximize the potential of loading and edging on a wakeboard. Why? because starting out with a tower and a 3 foot wake - you need very little board handling skills to do a few flips. Simply turn your board, run into the wake and huck an invert. Just do yourself a favor and experiment with a lot of different ideas, find out what works best on your own.

J_DOGG · Posted: May 06, 2003 8:57 am Post subject:

Fauker knows the deal, crawl before you can walk.....

I look back and actually thank myself for riding behind my old ski boat for years before I got a real wake..... I have said it many times on this site. I have seen guys pull backroll behind Ranger Bass boats so it's all technique....

boarderpunk37 · Criminal Joined: 31 Mar 2003 Posts: 58 City: Davis

I ride behind a ranger bass boat....no ballast system, nothing. Just last year I learned to throw backrolls and backrolls to revert, so wake isn't everything!!!!