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Learning to wakeboard


KirkB

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Hey everyone. I've been trying to get this wakeboarding thing down and am having a hell of a time haha. I'm swallowing more lake water than anything. I remember seeing a trainer tool on here a while back and thought I added it to my favorites but apparently did not. It was this thing that attached to the ski rope and then went to the wakeboard and helped pull you out of the water. Once you were up you pulled on the handle and it popped the rope attachment from this hook and you just boarded as normal. Anyone know the name of it or remember it? I've been searching YouTube and Google forever and can't find a trace of it. I saw one called EZ Rider but it's a different system. Similar concept though. I've been watching videos online trying to get tips on it. I got up once yesterday before eating it lol. I just need more consistency. Thanks everyone for all your help. This site is a wealth of information.

Kirk

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I was new to all this a couple of years back as well. I went on youtube watched a few videos and was good to go. Practice makes perfect as they say. I don't know that I would invest in a training tool.

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Yeah just watch some technique videos on you tube. We have some extremely unathletic friends that have popped right up once they learn the proper method. Don't waste money on some gimmicky training tool.

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Driver is a big part of it too. Seems like it wouldnt make that much of a difference but it really does. Slow steady pull is much easier to learn on rather than "hit it". I see you're in nor cal. If you want to get out one day, let me know. I am by no means an expert but I have taught many over the years.

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Driver is a big part of it too. Seems like it wouldnt make that much of a difference but it really does. Slow steady pull is much easier to learn on rather than "hit it". I see you're in nor cal. If you want to get out one day, let me know. I am by no means an expert but I have taught many over the years.

X2

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Driver is a big part of it too. Seems like it wouldnt make that much of a difference but it really does. Slow steady pull is much easier to learn on rather than "hit it". I see you're in nor cal. If you want to get out one day, let me know. I am by no means an expert but I have taught many over the years.

Where do you do your boating usually? We went out to Camanche yesterday. I'm in the central valley. It could be the driver. I've only had the boat a month and he's never driven one or towed anyone before. I don't want to blame it all on him though lol. I felt like when I had the board in the starting position I was just "plowing water" for lack of a better term. Then found it hard to turn it and get up. I got out of the water once but that was it.

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You can get up out of the water at 5mph, so the old 'hit it' is not necessary. You can't stay up at 5mph, but you don't want to go 0-12 MPH In 1 nanosecond like you do when skiing. I got Detention as well and put it on my video Ipod. I have had people watch the how to get up portion of it and them immediately put them in the water, and it works much better.

It is technique, not strength. Men always try to pull so hard they suck. I've had better success with women, who are content to just get up on top of the surface right away.

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Coming from an aviation background helped alot for me believe it or not as a wing acts similarily to the board.... I don't want to brag but every single person that I've taught to get up have gotten up first try...

here's the trick: DON'T FIGHT THE WATER! Lower your angle of attack to the water, by that I mean flatten the board off as much as you can, ALMOST parallel to the water as the boat is pulling you up... You only need 1 or 2 degrees angle of attack to the water to generate enough lift to get on top of the water. The more angle of attack you have the harder (and more impossible) it will be.

Once you're up you can stay side stanced all day long keeping that small angle of attack...

let me know how that goes.

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Where do you do your boating usually? We went out to Camanche yesterday. I'm in the central valley. It could be the driver. I've only had the boat a month and he's never driven one or towed anyone before. I don't want to blame it all on him though lol. I felt like when I had the board in the starting position I was just "plowing water" for lack of a better term. Then found it hard to turn it and get up. I got out of the water once but that was it.

All over but my favorite lakes are north of Sacramento. We visit don Pedro couple times a year, spend a week at Tulloch once or twice a year, melones on occasion. Spend most of my time at Folsom since it's 15 min away but it just closed for the year so I will be spending more time at he river during the week. Let me know if you want to drive up this way and join us

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Wakeparadise nailed it. Let the board come back to your butt and maintain the angle of attack. There's no hurry to turn the board. Think of having someone pull you across a smooth floor in your sock feet; your weight will be in about the same position.

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All over but my favorite lakes are north of Sacramento. We visit don Pedro couple times a year, spend a week at Tulloch once or twice a year, melones on occasion. Spend most of my time at Folsom since it's 15 min away but it just closed for the year so I will be spending more time at he river during the week. Let me know if you want to drive up this way and join us

Did Don Pedro close because of water level or does it always close at this time of year? I'll definitely keep that in mind. I'd like to get this kinda figured out so at least I know what I need to do to get up and can work on that.

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If you are drinking the lake you are keeping the board too vertical. I teach people to bring their knees to their chest, their heels to their butt and then get in touch with your ballet side and point your toes as far forward as possible, all in the effort to get that board as close to horizontal as you can and then it will just fly (Like the wing mentioned above) onto the top of the water. Easy once you do it right the first time.

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I'll re-affirm the driver and starting power. Everyone on the boat was getting up on the wakeboard early on except me. I just couldn't do it, rope getting yanked out of hands, getting pulled over, coming up out of balance, etc. After some advice from TMC, I had the guy pulling me only give it 1/4 throttle on start. POP, I was up. It never occurred to me that I was just bumping the throttle when pulling others, and not paying attention to what the guy pulling me was doing. He was used to our older I/O and pulling up a skier, hammer down. The inboard and wakeboarding just needs a gentle touch.

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If you are drinking the lake you are keeping the board too vertical. I teach people to bring their knees to their chest, their heels to their butt and then get in touch with your ballet side and point your toes as far forward as possible, all in the effort to get that board as close to horizontal as you can and then it will just fly (Like the wing mentioned above) onto the top of the water. Easy once you do it right the first time.

That actually makes a lot of sense. When I had the board up it was perpendicular to the water in a horizontal position. So when I was being pulled it was creating drag in effect and I had trouble getting it to plane. The way you're explaining makes sense. I didn't have my heels pulled all the way to my butt or point my toes in essence making a wing. I'm gonna put that to use next time I hit the water.

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I struggled for a while but watched the following video:

The key for me was to point my toes down when the boat started to pull me. Also as mentioned above - slow and steady pull from driver.

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I know this is totally wrong but I got up my first time and pretty much always have by turning the board as soon as the rope gets tight, and muscling up out of the water. Doesn't matter if it's a V6 i/o or triple engine outboard or proper towboat. I've only got up the 'right way' a couple times but the habit is so ingrained I don't bother with it. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person I know who does this.

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I do that too. I have always taken off a at a 45* angle to the boat to my front foot side. For new riders we use "ok" for a term to have driver idle forward and create a little drag, and "hit it" to go. This does two things. Allows the rider to get themselves steady. It also lets the driver know that the rider is almost ready to go. This makes the "hit it" pull smoother and more instant.

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I've been going to a cable park and removing my fins. I think I could do it sideways now. So much more neutral. Since then I've removed my daughters' fins also so that they'll switch more intend of just riding straight

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