Advice for finding "the pocket"

[MustGoFast]

I rode ropeless for almost a minute on SAT!  Was really a cool feeling I need some more weight as the wave with 7 people in the boat was clearly better.

[OliverKlozoff]

Lots of good suggestions here.  Sounds like you're getting the bug, which is what it's all about.  A few things that have helped me: if you are losing the wave because the nose of your board is pointing out to the side, try looking at the wave instead of the boat.  That will bring your head around.  Your shoulders and hips will follow.  

Reach down and feel the wave with your hand.  It forces you to get more parallel to the wave, it puts you on your toes, and it makes you look cool too.  You can also drag your hand in the wave to slow down if you are getting too close to the boat.  Eventually, you'll put your hand in the wave to do spins.  Lastly, when you get up, move your front foot backwards or forwards to find a neutral position before you drop the rope.  That will keep you from having to load up the front foot or brake hard to stay in the pocket.  Just a few things I wish people had told me!

[MustGoFast]

Thanks, more tips to try.  I'm getting better and its fun.  Got my wife up for the first time last weekend!! Now I need some more ballast.

[DAI]

The wave does not look right in that last pic (flat and on the smaller side).  What weight are you running, wedge position, and lake depth?

[DAI]

https://www.wakemakers.com/axis-rear-ballast-upgrade.html

Go 865lbs (imo)

[victoryismine06]

Another noob question. How do you all handle turns with no rope? I'm starting to get good enough to ride out to the end of our lake but I don't see a way to stay up without a rope. Or is proper etiquette to stop and not throw rollers everywhere?  Someone usually throws it back out to me, but 50% chance I eat it if I don't catch it. Due to a terrible throw, never my own fault of course.

Edited July 18, 2018 by victoryismine06

[onewake09]

A wide enough turn towards the surfside should be all you need. I usually just stay close to the platform. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by onewake09

[teamerickson]

If you go heavier then 550s in the back you’ll probably need additional bow weight. 

[MustGoFast]

10 hours ago, DAI said:

The wave does not look right in that last pic (flat and on the smaller side).  What weight are you running, wedge position, and lake depth?

It wasn't, I was playing with it during the photo as she wasn't going to try ropeless yet

[DAI]

Got ya.  With the right weight and depth, should be able to achieve a strong wave (from the 2014 23LSV)

[isellacuras]

On 7/17/2018 at 5:36 PM, onewake09 said:

A wide enough turn towards the surfside should be all you need. I usually just stay close to the platform. 

I prefer a turn away from the surf side. That will power up the wave for the turn. A turn toward the surf side willl reduce its power. 

[MustGoFast]

Getting some feel 

6A950B5C-E8C1-423E-A03F-226EEBBA24D5.mov

[granddaddy55]

On 7/28/2018 at 11:18 PM, isellacuras said:

I prefer a turn away from the surf side. That will power up the wave for the turn. A turn toward the surf side willl reduce its power. 

WHAT????  have you heard of a “catch”

its where you turn hard towards wave to catch a surfer falling back, turns wave into a wall of water shooting you forward

Turning away ruins wave !!

[isellacuras]

2 hours ago, granddaddy55 said:

WHAT????  have you heard of a “catch”

its where you turn hard towards wave to catch a surfer falling back, turns wave into a wall of water shooting you forward

Turning away ruins wave !!

Turning into it lengthens it but looses power. I see people doing this "catch" but i prefer the opposite. 

[shawndoggy]

haha when people fall out of the back of the wave more than once on our boat, I "catch" them and put them back in the boat.  Keep the rope if you can't stay in.

[P6Expert]

On 7/2/2018 at 2:00 PM, kerpluxal said:

Advise:

1.  You are leaning to far back on your board. You need to be in a neutral stance,
   1. Front foot is accelerator, rear foot is brake... You got the brakes on
2. You are to far to the left...
   1. Don't worry about instantly finding the pocket, play with the wave (cut in and out, pull your self closer to boat then let out

 

I agree with this advice!! I went out this past weekend and followed this advice and it worked!!  Also, a buddy of mine told me that I was wake surfing as if I was on a wake board with all my weight on my rear foot.  After balancing my weight on the surf board I was able to find the pocket.  The most important advice is "Front Foot is Accelerator" and "Rear Foot is Brake".  So true.

The following video is my first time finding the pocket on Folsom Lake this past weekend.  I was on my 22VLX with all ballast tanks full including fat sacks.  I started with the default "Surf Left" preset and then added more water to the rear sacks.  I also increased the speed to 11.2 MPH.  From the video, it is obvious I need more hours on the lake, but this was a good start for me.  Good Luck.

 

[granddaddy55]

21 hours ago, isellacuras said:

Turning into it lengthens it but looses power. I see people doing this "catch" but i prefer the opposite. 

Ya ain’t doin it rite!!, becomes so powerful the surfer has to slam brakes on.  It’s can be huge when you turn hard, good surfers need less or recover on own.  If you pump recover well it sort of gets in the way if driver isn’t skilled at doing it small fir a short quick adjustment at just right time

After my wife learned to pump I quit doing it, but pumping recovery took her 3 years , but now she does it from way back. I did it a lot in her 2nd year. 

we used it mostly when she was progressing and trying tricks like Board slides /grinds where you fade back.  

Most inexperienced users wouldn’t get what’s happening anyway , but fir intermediate learning tricks or slashes snd grinds it works great

[isellacuras]

On 7/31/2018 at 11:26 AM, P6Expert said:

 

I agree with this advice!! I went out this past weekend and followed this advice and it worked!!  Also, a buddy of mine told me that I was wake surfing as if I was on a wake board with all my weight on my rear foot.  After balancing my weight on the surf board I was able to find the pocket.  The most important advice is "Front Foot is Accelerator" and "Rear Foot is Brake".  So true.

The following video is my first time finding the pocket on Folsom Lake this past weekend.  I was on my 22VLX with all ballast tanks full including fat sacks.  I started with the default "Surf Left" preset and then added more water to the rear sacks.  I also increased the speed to 11.2 MPH.  From the video, it is obvious I need more hours on the lake, but this was a good start for me.  Good Luck.

 

Now relax just a little. We call that stance "stick mon". Now that you found the pocket, start working the wave. Move a little back, then come forward. Get a little further each time. When you start to feel like you're loosing it, dive back into that spot. One of the  things noobs do is when they start to loose it out the back, they try to get high on the wave. My advice is to get down into the wave and try to work your way back from the bottom. 

[isellacuras]

7 hours ago, granddaddy55 said:

Ya ain’t doin it rite!!, becomes so powerful the surfer has to slam brakes on.  It’s can be huge when you turn hard, good surfers need less or recover on own.  If you pump recover well it sort of gets in the way if driver isn’t skilled at doing it small fir a short quick adjustment at just right time

After my wife learned to pump I quit doing it, but pumping recovery took her 3 years , but now she does it from way back. I did it a lot in her 2nd year. 

we used it mostly when she was progressing and trying tricks like Board slides /grinds where you fade back.  

Most inexperienced users wouldn’t get what’s happening anyway , but fir intermediate learning tricks or slashes snd grinds it works great

Agree to disagree. I want the driver to go straight.  Maybe it's my size but turning into the wave is not good for me in any situation. If we must turn into the wave, i get right down on he platform and wait for the boat to straighten out.  If i have my preference on a tight turn around, i want my driver to turn away from the wave. 

[Kojak]

Everyone has their preference. I prefer to go straight as long as possible. If we need to turn, I'll usually try one of my lame attempts at a 360 and fall. Then we'll go back the other direction. 

If we absolutely have to turn, I prefer to turn away from the wave or into the surf device. Otherwise we'll lose push. If we turn into the wave then I pretty much have to be at the platform to stay with it.

[Imracin68j]

I always tell my wife, "Stop tugging on the boat!"  She was trying to ride it like a wakeboard where you use the edge to get speed.  When the boat gets tugged on, it screws the wave up as well, or at least it makes it inconsistent.  Spreading your arms out can help balance.  Unlike ocean wave surfing, you have a small surf zone.  You have to anticipate the brake and gas before it happens much quicker. Eye suck but still had some fun at Pine Flat this weekend.  Trying to nail 360 by summer's end.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by Imracin68j

[vanamp]

Turning either direction makes the wave worse.  Why waste gas and leg strength on a crappy wave.  We drive straight and if we run out of lake we try to throw a big trick and turn around and drive back through our surf line. 

[P6Expert]

4 hours ago, Imracin68j said:

Trying to nail 360 by summer's end.

Loved the video, music, attempted 360 and especially the hat worn in video.

[granddaddy55]

On 8/1/2018 at 8:03 PM, vanamp said:

Turning either direction makes the wave worse.  Why waste gas and leg strength on a crappy wave.  We drive straight and if we run out of lake we try to throw a big trick and turn around and drive back through our surf line. 

Not on a heavily  listed wave, I literally drive in an arc for goofy and it makes it clean and long and big , regular almost requires the opposite arc away from wave.  I think all of this is regular vs goofy prop rotation and that until recently we went slower, faster you go the straight approach works maybe better cause wave already clean and long from speed, at slower speeds you do other things to clean it up, we have been finally going 11-11.4 recently snd it was much different

my front corner rub rail surf side goes from touching the water and going slightly under to 6-8” off water the whole way back to pick up the surfer, how many of you guys list to that extent?  And when you list I noticed the wave got longer AND TALLER when we went faster 

i usualky read guys saying it got longer with more push but not taller , with listed it definetly grew

Edited August 3, 2018 by granddaddy55