This was our first season wakeboarding and I told my son that at the end of the year I would make a YouTube video for him. The link is (hopefully) appearing below but I will also give the title as there seem to be a lot of "Liam's" and a lot of "6 year old wakeboarders" out there.
He doesn't do anything inverted but you can see how much he progressed over the season ending at 19.4 mph and jumping and carving. It initially took a month (without exaggeration) to get him rolled up on his board at 6.4 mph. I hope some of the tips below can help you shorten the time for your kids.
For parents learning, here are the tips I can give you for what they are worth.
1) Get them good gear. Board, bindings, life jacket, etc.
2) Get them a helmet. I know this is debatable but with a friends child seriously injured by a board to the head shot and 2 little dents in my sons helmet I would encourage them at least for kids. After my concussion at the end of the season I plan to get one for next year.
3) Teach them to "roll up" on the grass using the rope and handle they will use in the water.
4) Race around the yard and jump in circles on the board to get them understanding balancing while on the board.
5) Put them in all their gear in shallow water with you standing by them so they learn to trust their equipment. I underestimated the fear that goes with a young child strapped to a board, with a helmet on, holding a rope, and trusting he wont sink in 20 to 30 feet of water.
6) Get a short rope and attach it to the ski pylon at first. I eventually bought a rope that broke down to 35' and attached it to the ski pylon after a month on a 75' cable on the tower.
7) Go slow. 6.4 mph was the speed that I eventually started my son at. We worked our way up from there.
8) Put their friends in the boat as they will want to show off and peer pressure is amazing.
9) Don't let them just drag behind the boat. Liam advanced much faster when he knew his 20 minute run (which would probably literally kill most of us adults) would come to an end if he stopped carving, jumping or doing some type of trick.
10) Put them in a local tournament. Nothing motivates like an audience.
11) Take them to see the pros. Really, who doesn't want to be that good? I ended up with a concussion and bruised internal organs : ) Can't wait for my helmet and new vest.
12) Keep it fun always.
13) Remember, bribery is cheap when they are young.
Liam's YouTube video link is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va5X1zlRgaE
The title is:
Liam Wakeboarding: 6 Year Old Wakeboarder at End of First Season
I hope you like the video. I will work on getting some photos up. I don't think I can top the young girl in the sun hat photo though.
Thanks everyone.
He doesn't do anything inverted but you can see how much he progressed over the season ending at 19.4 mph and jumping and carving. It initially took a month (without exaggeration) to get him rolled up on his board at 6.4 mph. I hope some of the tips below can help you shorten the time for your kids.
For parents learning, here are the tips I can give you for what they are worth.
1) Get them good gear. Board, bindings, life jacket, etc.
2) Get them a helmet. I know this is debatable but with a friends child seriously injured by a board to the head shot and 2 little dents in my sons helmet I would encourage them at least for kids. After my concussion at the end of the season I plan to get one for next year.
3) Teach them to "roll up" on the grass using the rope and handle they will use in the water.
4) Race around the yard and jump in circles on the board to get them understanding balancing while on the board.
5) Put them in all their gear in shallow water with you standing by them so they learn to trust their equipment. I underestimated the fear that goes with a young child strapped to a board, with a helmet on, holding a rope, and trusting he wont sink in 20 to 30 feet of water.
6) Get a short rope and attach it to the ski pylon at first. I eventually bought a rope that broke down to 35' and attached it to the ski pylon after a month on a 75' cable on the tower.
7) Go slow. 6.4 mph was the speed that I eventually started my son at. We worked our way up from there.
8) Put their friends in the boat as they will want to show off and peer pressure is amazing.
9) Don't let them just drag behind the boat. Liam advanced much faster when he knew his 20 minute run (which would probably literally kill most of us adults) would come to an end if he stopped carving, jumping or doing some type of trick.
10) Put them in a local tournament. Nothing motivates like an audience.
11) Take them to see the pros. Really, who doesn't want to be that good? I ended up with a concussion and bruised internal organs : ) Can't wait for my helmet and new vest.
12) Keep it fun always.
13) Remember, bribery is cheap when they are young.
Liam's YouTube video link is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va5X1zlRgaE
The title is:
Liam Wakeboarding: 6 Year Old Wakeboarder at End of First Season
I hope you like the video. I will work on getting some photos up. I don't think I can top the young girl in the sun hat photo though.
Thanks everyone.
Liam has awesome edge control -- with those deep edges on heels and toes, he will be popping like crazy next season.
. It wasn't long before he moved to a wakeboard, and by the end of that summer this was the result:
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