Teaching Kids to Wakeboard

What do you think is the best way to teach a kid to wake board? Deep water starts, shore start with adults holding the board and kid up? Let me know how you taught your kids and what you found worked and didn't work. Thanx

Here's some of what we do:
-1st on land, use the rope/handle to teach them technique, and what to "expect" on the water.
-for really young riders, we will hold the rope "closer" to the transom. There is a big difference between 30ft and 75-80ft to a little person. After they get up, we let out the line.
-use a much slower speed to pop em. It doesn't take much.
-Patience, keep them relaxed and in a fun setting. We cheer the smallest of accomplishments to build their riders esteem.
-If your teaching "your" kid, and have access to another rider/friend/boat crew, use their voice to instruct as you go along. Sometimes, kids will take the advise from another person, a tad more quicker, than good ole dads'.
Good luck.

Depends on the age of the kid. Around 5 years old, there seems to be more of an issue being left in the middle of the lake than the actual boarding. Our technique is to get two ropes out. I lay on a knee board with an aqua hook. As we start I can steady the wake board with one hand and hold onto my knee board with the other. If they don't get up, I release the rope and I'm right there with the rider. Floating with them, talking with them, and taking care of the rope management helps them focus on boarding and they don't freak out about floating in the middle of the lake.

When they do get up, I'm able to peel off to the side on the knee board and ride along side them and provide instruction. When they crash, I'm right there with them.

I started my son on the wakeboard with me between my legs. He seemed to panic in the water by himself. I think it was a combination of the boat, motor noise, being alone in the water, etc. But now, he rides at least one time with me on every trip. Every time, he gets more comfortable. Hopefully, in a couple of months, he'll be ready to ride solo.

Steve, I like the two line idea. He would definately like me to be able to drop with him.

we started our 7 year old daughter by having the boat anchored and just had her put on the board hold onto the line behind the boat and used our hands to pull her in and have her practice getting the board under her.. that was easy and we made a big deal out of it and saying she totally has it.. 5 minutes later we were out in the lake and about 20 feet behind the boat she got right up and stayed up.. we were all yelling and encouraging her and she had a blast.. she said she wants to ride more and wants her own wakeboard now

What I am planning on doing this year with my 7 year old daughter is riding in the tube behind the boat on 1 line and her on the other with the wakeboard. If she falls I can just jump off the tube with her.

Last year i boarded with my 4yr old nephew on my board between my legs so he knows the feeling...

Just got my 5yr old nephew up yesterday behind the boat. He has a 113 hyperlite board. Last week we put him in the pool with the board on so he was used to the feel. Gave him the rope handle and I got on the other side of the pool. I just pulled the rope so he got the feeling and told him to stand up. behind the boat we stortened the rope to about 20 feet with his dad in the water with him Pulled him up slow and dad kind of gave him a little push. He got right up on his second try...

Best luck I have had is a few feet of water, adult with the kid, pull them up at the start and let them go. This has been at Lake Powell with friends children(Michelle and I kind of have considered Powell trips our time).

My son was all gung ho at 7, "I want to go...I want to go, I want to go..." and we tried the deep water. He swallowed the lake and has not been back out. I think he was just as terrified at the boat leaving him behind. He had yet to fall off the tube at this point....

Now tube yes, wake no.... It is all I can do to get him to surf with me. At this point, I don't even bring it up anymore. Kid is a physical fool and a hockey maniac.....He has no fear. He is a fish in the water....Hell he has a pool at his mothers house.... But at present putting binding on his feet behind a boat????? I don't even bring it up anymore.....I guess he will tell me when he wants to try again....

I guess my point is... Best to go in with kid gloves and do everything you can to make it as painless as possible. I still second guess our initial try.......

i tought my 9 year old neighbor how in 2 trys. i think it really helps if they know how to waterskii, but i definetely dont think its essential, as i dont even know how and cant get out of the water... i just got in the water with him, and kinda lifted him up in the water and showed him how it was gonna feel and which way to turn, and he got out right away.

Kids mental state is fragile yet much tougher then we sometimes give them credit for. All these techniques can work. I taught my son when he was eight when the equipment was'nt so hot. It was his desire that got him to do it. He came to me. Then my daughter who was 6 followed right behind him. Thier first experience should be a good one. Make sure you make it fun for them. Once they learn to get up then you'll begin to find out what they are made of. They are going to take some pretty scary falls in their eyes. Some kids may even quit at this point for awhile but they usually always come back to it. Especially when they see other family members doing it. Parents stay active and get in the water and ride doubles if you can. The kids are really going to have fun with that and you'll be able to teach while you ride next to them. If the kids keep learning new tricks they will stay interested. So keep it fresh and learn with them. Good Luck and have fun.

A very important technique that I found that a lot of people forget....is the falling. Teach them to fall correctly. Strap them into the wakeboard in shallow water. Stand next to them and show them how the board feels strapped to their feet. Now put them face down in the water. Tell them you are going to do that (no surprises...scares them). Once they are face down in the water tell them they are going to have to turn over on their back with the board strapped to their feet. A lot of times a rider once they get up or not...land face down in the water and can not turn the board or themselves over. And they go into a panic. Once this happens...it might be a while before they will try the sport again. So teach them how to roll over after landing face down. Once they rolled over (do this a few times) Hold them up in the riding position and then have them fall face first to feel what it is like (teach them to blow out thru their nose)...then have them roll out of that again. Once you pass that, lift them up in riding position and then show them how to fall backwards. Support the idea that falling backwards is better than falling forwards. But if you do fall fowards...here is what you do. My grandfather taught me to ski when I was 6. He was the best teacher using these techs. Not once was I scared and I always wanted to try try try again if I was unsuccessful. All the techs listed above were great...teach them on land by pulling on a ski rope while they are strapped in. Being in the water next to them on the starts. Riding on a tube connected separately. All great stuff. But please remember to show them what it is like to crash and possibly end face down. My nephew did not knee board for three years after he freaked from being face down and could not roll, just panic.

Scott, great point. I compeletly forgot to mention this. My son had fun just floating with his board on and rolling around in the water. I wasn't comfortable letting him even try to board until I knew he could turn over in the water.

for both my 5 and 8 year old, I did this, and it worked like a charm.

"Pulled the fins of the wakeboard"
put them in the living room. grabbed a handle,

practiced the technice of getting up sitting on the carpet, i would pull the handle and critque how they got out of the water.

did this for hours with both of them.

Popped both of them up first try.

heres pics of my daughter.

I appreciate everyone's comments. I have been having trouble teaching a ten year old. I think these comments will really help.

Deep water starts, they are going to fall eventually. They'll be able to rider longer

First you let them ride with you so they get the feeling of getting up, riding, and falling. Then you pull them by hand in the pool, then you get the Tige out and yank em.




(Message edited by skireel on May 23, 2007)

Skireel - What's the thing on his helmet?

The thing that got my 6-year-old excited about wakeboarding this year, was boarding with me last year. And what's really cool is that my 4-year-old saw how much fun he had, and she's pumped to board with me too.

Now, I'm hoping to start them both on a "SkiSkimmer" as soon as they want to with the technique Steve mentioned above - me next to them on a knee-board.

Those antenae are probably zip-ties.... I know someone who rides with pink ones on his helmet.......

Coach. Start them off the platform. Stand on the platform and hold the front of the board. Once they get their balance have someone hold the rope and reel them out like a kite. It worked like a charm for my 4 year old. The person with the rope should be off the side of the boat.

i was tought by a couple of people when i was little that didnt have any clue what they were doin. Anyways the stood is water about up to there neck and held me and my board straight when the boat went the helped push me out of the water and i was off!!

First pull them on land to get the feel then take a kneeboard out with the line just a tad longer than the kids rope. You can hold on to the back of their board to control them as they get up. Once they have control you can start to let go. It's a lot of work for the person on the kneeboard but I think it may just be kind of worth it!

Barefoot boom with parent on the platform. They are right next to you so they aren't freaked out plus they can use the boom for support. The pulling on the beach technique is also good. Like scott says. Always make sure that they can turn over in the water with the board on.

I intro'd my kids to the boat first, playing on & around it, watching out for the prop since its an I/o. Then we tubed, then tubed faster so they could practice higher speeds behind the boat. Then we knee boarded, to get used to the rope & pull. This year its Wakeboard time. We praticed with bindings on & me pulling them up in the yard. We go out tomarrow, I'll let you know. No matter what its a good bonding experience w/ the kids.

Coach
Just like Chris said, My son was not getting it, and everything I said went into one ear and out the other. ( he was 13 when we got our first boat) after riding with someone other then me, he started to pay more attention to what he was doing.

Well it was a success, my 13 year old boy got up on my old CWB Sol 143, Hes 5'5" & 95 lbs. It took about 5-6 times before he got up. each time was better than the last, then finally he made it & accidenty cut to the outside. He's stoked & now I have a new wake buddy. I think the bigger board made it easier for him to pop out of the water. I'll send pics soon

Use a Barefoot Boom! I have never failed to get up a child (as young as 4) with the boom. Mom or dad is right there all the time. The driver can see how fast to go. They can pull themselves up on the stationary bar and have some stability. After a couple of times, we have them hold onto a handle that is attached with a very short harness (2 feet). That gives them the "feel" for getting up. Then the long line. Total time from start to finish, about 20 minutes. Lots of smiles and high-fives all around. I probably taught 20 kids last summer. Grandma even wakeboarded off the boom and enjoyed it.

Here is a link: http://www.boarditup.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=219&catid=31