teaching tips for newbie wakeboarders

[Duncan]

Like many TOs, we often have newbies, including kids on the boat. I have standard advice for getting someone up their first time out but am always looking for more.

My biggest helpful tip is the "gas pedal". When the rope first pulls, get the toe edge of the board under the water by using your feet like a gas pedal (pivot front of foot down) so the board can fly ("act like a wing") instead of being a snowplow.


This article provides a few useful tips. I especially like "stand up when your shorts show" and "squash the bug".

Edit: nice WW thread.

Any others tips or resources?

[Ewok]

My advise to get the board in the proper position is to tell the new rider to pull their heels back into their butt. This has them concentrating on the proper board position without thinking about the board, just their heels. I also tell the new kids to stay crouched and don't stand up too early, they should slowly stand up when they feel the board is stable under them.

[Coop]

My advise to get the board in the proper position is to tell the new rider to pull their heels back into their butt. This has them concentrating on the proper board position without thinking about the board, just their heels. I also tell the new kids to stay crouched and don't stand up too early, they should slowly stand up when they feel the board is stable under them.

+1 on this. "Heels to the butt" and staying in the crouch until the board planes are key.

In terms of resources, there's "The Book," which is a collection of 5 DVD's covering everything from the very basics (including tips on driving the boat) to advanced tricks. I personally never got past the first disk, but I remember that first disk having some good advice/video/animation on how to get up. Here's a link -- http://www.thebookdvd.com/ -- but you might be able to find it cheaper on eBay, etc.

One other thing I usually tell people is not to be concerned if they go directly outside the wake on their heal side the first time. That's natural for most beginners until they learn how to turn toe side. Beginners will often end up out there before the wake even forms.

[youatigenow]

+2 Getting up is a lot like having someone help you up when you are sitting on the ground. I have started to have people sit on the floor of the boat and help them up. Then I tell them to try and get up when they pull their arms in or straighten their legs. I have had pretty good luck with that along with everything else that has been said.

[Bogdog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9qWJu0Vrpw

I show them this video, especially from 2:03 onwards, the graphic tends to stop big guys from trying to get over the board before they are up.

For Kids: the biggest success I've had was telling the kids not to get a fright by how much initial drag there is, "the pull on the rope is a little bit like hanging on the monkey bars" They get that and tend to get out the hole easier.

[kx250frider617]

The way I get up is by standing with the board under me in the water. I Actually had a friend that was pretty experienced with other board sports, get up first try that way. Since you already in the standing position, it takes less effort to get up. I can literally get up when the boat is just above idle. It has worked a few times for me teaching people. I just find that for girls, the standard way is alot harder because they plow water and don't have the strength to over come it.

I think the best thing is to explain the physics of water and board control. For instance, if the board is sloping downwards, the water will push the board down etc. Or even try with a big wakesurfboard at slow speeds so they can get the feeling easier.

[Stingreye]

One thing I have found that works for wakeboarding and wakesurfing is teaching them you can't fight the rope, the rope will always win.....

Have them get in position and go at the slowest idle. Have them move the handle towards their left knee and see how it will spin them. Then have them move the handle towards the right knee, it will spin them the other direction. Let them find the sweet spot where they are being dragged straight.

Watching a beginner if they learn this first, they will usually have a better starting position because they will feel like they have control and can use the rope to straighten themselves out (small movements of the handle left or right) as you click into idle before launching.

It seemed to me that this was a bigger deal on the wakesurf board..... maybe because its more bouyant?

[h2osk8er00]

I like that Hanging from the monkey bars reference Bogdog... I just tell them that they better get up or they'll look like a pu$$y... HAHAHA.. JK.. I did have a friend ask me if he could bring his knee board and my response was (a lil drunk at the time) "yeah you can bring your knee board bro... You'll have something to sit on whiule you watch us from the beach"... That dude brings it up everytime I see him now because he thought I was being funny... but really I was just being an a$$hole I suppose.. I might let someone knee board off my boat if they really wanted to.. HAHAHA...

Seriously.. best thing to tell anyone is to let the boatpull you up and lean back until you start to plane out... that is all I have ever said and I have had success..