Teaching another newbie...

DJBusyB · Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2008 Posts: 46 City: Knoxville

I just started wakeboarding this year. Last year I bought my first boat and went skiing a lot. It took me about 3 tries to get up on the wakeboard the first run of the season, and naturally I've progressed since then, despite some rough spills.

I am trying to teach my wife and 14 yr old daughter how to get UP on the board. I bought TheBookDVD and told them to watch it, along with other YouTube videos, just to see HOW others get up. I've told them to let the boat pull them up, but I believe they are trying to pull themselves up instead of leaning back and letting the boat pull them up. My daughter rolls over the top of the board and my wife says she just can't hold the handle long enough and it pulls out of her hand.

While I'm no expert, I'm able to get up and it just feels natural. I can even come up and heel-slide for quite a while before I turn my board. I've tried tell them to roll-over in the water and keep the same shoulder down in the water for whatever foot would be their rear foot when they ride (normal or goofy). I tell them the angle of the board in the water will naturally make the front of the board come up out of the water, lifting them in the process.

Today my wife asked me to just drag her and gradually speed up so she could try to get the feeling for the way she needed to move. She still wasn't able to get up...the handle kept popping out of her hand. My daughter, I think, doesn't lean her shoulders back and put her feet towards the boat enough, and thus just rolls over the board. Neither have been skiing!

What tips can I offer them?

Brian

n00bBoardeR · Newbie Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 10

I know my dad and a friend have the same problem. They seem to be plowing with the board instead of bending at the ankles to give it an angle. Without some type of angle on the board there's no way it will pull you up. The rope doesn't seem to have that hard of a pull on it.

I have neighbor who's young son has the same problem as your daughter. He just let's his legs do whatever so he ends up falling over the board on most attempts.

Without video it's hard to say for sure, but that would be what I think is causing it.

Also what size are they? What size is the board?

pet575 · Posted: Sep 07, 2008 6:32 am Post subject:

They can't hold the handle because they are either straightening their knees and "fighting the boat" or they are digging their heels in too hard and not letting the board plane under them.

Tell them to "squat like a frog" as the boat pulls them, and then to VERY GENTLY point their toes to an imaginary spot in the air above the boat. They will pop right up.

DJBusyB · Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2008 Posts: 46 City: Knoxville

I'll see if I can get video. I use a Hyperlite Apex 147 (I'm 6'2", 200 lbs). They are using a Hyperlite 134 (forget model, but that's the length).

FWIW: I don't have a wakeboard boat, nor a tower. I'm pulling with a 2006 Bayliner 185 Runabout (135hp Mercruiser 3.0 Engine). It works fine for me (to learn) but doesn't put off much of a wake. I don't believe the weakness of this boat is much of the cause, but do realize it takes a bit more to get up, as I have been behind other boats and know the difference.

I keep telling them to stay crouched...I'll see if they can 'squat like a frog' next time we're out..

Thanks,
Brian

mikebu · Criminal Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 51

You might consider picking the new Dention 2012 DVD. 3 discs of instruction with disk 1 containing beginner stuff along with a expanded section on getting up including underwater shots in a pool of the board popping up.

After watching this video I got up on my first try. My 70 year old dad got up on his 4th attempt.

Disc 2 has intermediate stuff and Disc 3 advanced stuff. The disc is very good at teaching basic skills.

Jdubb · Newbie Joined: 02 Sep 2008 Posts: 7

I am new to wakebaording and it took me forever to learn how to get up. I am getting better. Over the past two weekend I have been able to teach 5 people how to get up with ease. My method my be slightly different than the standard, but is has worked.

- Figure out the lead foot, for my exapmle let say it is the left
- Tell them you are going to pull them slow to get some tension in the line
- as they are moving, thell them to try to lift the left (lead foot) edge of the board further above the waterline (even if the right edge goes below the water)
- tell them that once you see the left edge higher than the right (by maybe 6" or so) that you are going to start accelerating slightly. This will start to lift them and will start to turn the board.
- Once you see this, you give it some gas to smoothly accelerate to the proper speed.

I understand this is much different than most videos tell you, but there are some people that just cannot get up like the videos tell you.

I taught 3 people yesterday, one was my wife and she has been trying all summer to get up on several different boats and several different ways. She was up the second time we did this method yesterday and rode for 4-5 minutes. One of the guys I helped had an injuried hamstring and this method put zero stress on his leg.

Good luck and be patient.

jdubb

n00bBoardeR · Newbie Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 10

tnvols22 · Addict Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 614 City: trashghanistan

I am also new to this and mentality has a lot to do with it, I prefer to start with my board perpendicular. then when the boats starts i then turn my hips as the boat pulls me up. the main thing is that when the boat starts to pull you on top of the board then stand up. SO 4 things at once,

1. Keep the toe side of board out of water(about half), knees to chest and arms in close.

2 & 3. When the boat starts to pull, let it pull you up not all the way you will just fall over. you need to keep the rope tight and just before you get in the upright position put pressure on your back foot and turn your hips to put lead foot forward.

4. this is important while doing this you need to stand up.

To me these 4 STEPS were very instumental in teaching my girlfriend, my brother, my sister as well as my friends to wake board.

agree with Jdubb, just be patient it will come

whiskeytown · Newbie Joined: 01 Sep 2008 Posts: 31 City: CLT

It took me tons of tries before i realized how it was done. tnvols22, I agree, it does have a lot to do with mentality. You always hear it broken down in steps but you never really understand how quickly you have to actually execute them. The first several times i tried to get up i was trying to think myself through the steps and perform each one at a time, when honestly they're all performed in one fluid motion. Once i understood this i had no problems getting up each time.

harddock · Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 38

I have taken newbie (kids) up on a boom the first few times to get a feel for what happens. The transition to a rope pull is seamless. I have also used the boom to teach my daughter to ride switch and understand what the board will do. It is also easier for me to see what she's doing and I can give instructions. Two or three boom rides and back to the rope is usually all it takes.

tnvols22 · Addict Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 614 City: trashghanistan

harddock, whats a boom ??

harddock · Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 38

http://waterski.about.com/od/tipsskiingbeg/a/teaching_youth.htm

harddock · Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 38

double post

tnvols22 · Addict Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 614 City: trashghanistan

Thats pretty cool, that would actually be great for me to learn to ride switch, not a bad idea harddock,