Faces Full of water - Need help getting up

Wakeboarding is soooo much trickier than surfing haha. My fiancee, myself, and two of my friends have been trying to wakeboard for the last couple weekends with like 1% success. Think we need some advice. I think my fiancee's only prob is that she just needs more practice, the boat yanks her right up out of the water but then the board slides out from under her like she's on an ice-skateboard. As far as my buddies go, they're just letting go of the rope and with practice they'll be fine after a couple more weekends. For me, it's a bit trickier, I get up, but go right back down every time. To work on the basics, we even broke out the party barge so our arms/shoulders didn't get so sore. I still had a lot of trouble but the slower/smoother pull from the monsterous 90hp engine, lol, gave me a chance to kind of see what I might be doing wrong. A lot of times I notice the board (angled up) comes right up to the surface of the water, but doesn't plane up over the surface, like i can see it right there, so i turn my toes up a little more but it just won't plane up over the surface. I wasn't plowing, as there was no 'wall of water' rushing over the board, think of how a dolphin looks just under the surface of the water when they're moving, the board is right under the water and cruising just not planing over the surface. So a few times I tried angling the board like a surf and i get up but then my feet go forward and i fall back when i try to bring my hip up to the handle, like i was on ice. Either way, we're all getting WORN OUT FAST (bout 10 attempts each) since I think we're all fighting the boat. Any suggestions from what i described? We all watched D2012 but of course its a sinch for the pros I contacted my dealer who has a wakeboard team and asked to hire one of his riders next weekend for a few hours, so hopefully having a pro onboard will help us get our butts out of the water for more than 5 seconds. For reference, I'm a pretty big guy 6'1, 265, and using a CWB faze 140 with the plastic (huge) tracking fins. My fiancee (115lbs - don't you DARE tell her I told ) and my friends (bout 160-180lbs each) are using the faze 134 w/ the tracking fins on. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. oh and sry for the WALL of text

Are you going over the front before it planes out? If so, you need to stay back a little longer. We tell our beginners to bring their knees to their chest and hug their arms around their legs and lock that body position, especially your arms. If you do this, the pressure of the water balls you up and keeps your weight back until you plane out. If you keep falling over the front, you are letting your arms out and the boat is pulling you over. Hug your legs and lock your arms and it often helps to arch your back some and look up to the sky. If your head is looking down, your body is going to follow.

I should add that after you do get up, pull the rope in toward your hip and think 40/60 weight distribution. You want a little more weight over your back foot. Also, if you start to get a little loose and lose control, you can take your back had of the handle and the pull of the boat will straighten you back out. We you get comfortable, grab the handle again with both hands.

Good call. EVERY time I'm looking down watching that board. At first I was coming forward over the board, now I seem to be falling back and the board slides forward. The last time I tried on sunday, I'm pretty sure I was straight legged and standing when the board was cruising right under the surface. I was starting to wonder if the 90hp motor was enough to pull me out, it should be enough tho.

(Message edited by lancesaville on June 29, 2009)

Also I was thinking of trying my wakesurf rope this weekend, for more of an upward pull, think the only prob I might run into is that I'll be crossing the rooster tail when learning to edge once I get up on my feet. Anyone tried the wakesurf rope for learning to wakeboard?

I have taught a lot of people but without seeing I can not be of much help. Good idea hireing a somebody who knows what they are doing. You can watch video after video but all videos can do is show you the right way... they can not tell you what you are doing wrong. Just do not get discouraged... It took me forever to learn too

There are tons of opinions on how your body position should be when learning to get up. Most are not wrong, but there is one important factor that will help you understand the physics behind getting up. Once you understand then your body position is just a matter of preference. What works for one doesn't always work for another. The important factor is to think of your board as an airplane wing that is on an airplane which is taking off. For the plane to take off there must be lift underneath the wings. The same goes for getting up on a wakeboard. If you have the front edge of your board pointed down your board will dive causing you to be pulled forward over your board.

If you have the board pointed straight up you will be fighting the pull of the boat, taking a face full of water and ultimately having the handle pop out of your hands. If you have the board perfectly flat you may begin to get up, but your board will never completely rise on top of the water. To get up with ease the front edge of your board must be angled slightly up (about 35-40 degrees). This will cause the water pressure created under your board to push the board to the surface. Now here's where body position comes in.... You must be able to hold this angle until the board is on top of the water. Doing so may call for added leg strength or arm strength depending on the horse power of the boat and/or how fast the boat driver is trying to get you up.

Again, the secret is to hold the angle of your board at a constant angle by any means necessary. Girls seem to have an easier time getting up because they are typically lighter and they don’t try to pull themselves up. They stay in position and let the board do the work for them. Guys tend to over compensate against the pull of the boat by trying to pull themselves up with their arms or by standing up with their legs. All that is required is to maintain the board at an angle, wait until it is on top of the water, and then stand up. Once you stand up you should naturally apply more weight to your back foot as you would if you were playing tug of war. The make sure to hold the handle in close to your mid section. From there it’s all practice.

Oh yeah... to clarify, when you are sitting in the water waiting for the boat to pull you up your board will be pointing straight up as you float there. However, when the boat begins to pull you, you want to allow the front of your board to be pulled forward or down towards the water, but you do not want to let it drop below the 35-40 degree angle. Once your board has reached the proper angle you need to hold it there until the board is on top of the water.

Once you get some experience you may want to experiment with a deep water start. This is where you are floating in the water standing straight up with your board completely submerged under water. The principles are the same. Even though the board is 3-4 feet under water the front edge of the board is angled up. When the boat begins to pull the rider up the board rises to the top just like an airplane taking off.

Great insight guys, i appreciate the hand. And nope, we're not even close to discouraged Gotta learn somehow, no better time than the present.

For one everyone except your wife needs to be on a bigger board. I'm 5'9 175lbs and ride a 139. You should be on at least a 142 if not 144-145. It's like trying to ride a 2x4; just doesnt float as well as a piece of plywood ya know. The best advice I could give you is its just like you are sitting on the ground and somebody is grabbed you by the hands and helping you up out of the water and let the boat do all the work. Dont try and force it when you start coming up just stay slightly back on your heels and when you and your board comes out of the water just point which ever foot you lead with to the front and you should be good to go.

I have used the 'airplane wing' analogy too and think Richard's tips are money.

Since you go to Degray, give Diamond Lakes a shout to see if they know of any riders to help you out. They probably know someone that might give tips for some pulls or gives lessons. Much better getting the advice on the water.

I'm new also so take whatever I say with a grain of salt, but perhaps some new guy thoughts will help?

My biggest problem with getting up was my natural reaction to fight the water pushing at me. Didn't even seem or feel like I was from my perspective...would almost get up like this but just couldn't get all the way. Overcame this by pretty much just relaxing my legs after the pull starts till I'm in a planing position. Good sign you are doing it right is your heels will come back and tap you in the butt. I pop right out of the water when I do this.

That was the hardest part to grasp right there. After I got that down I was getting up and falling...Which for me was just a matter of waiting a little bit longer to stand and getting my balance right. Stand up as slow as you need to to be sure you have your balance right...Lower center of gravity makes it easier on you.

Also a note those big fins in my experience slow down the getting up process...So ignore how fast they may be getting up in the video you are watching. Perhaps thats just me though?

Anyway goodluck man hope all of you get up soon its a blast.

Thx for all the advice guys!

I've been considering a Ron1x Vault 144 as my dealer's pro shop manager thought it would be perfect for me, but since my faze 140 is still new I haven't been able to justify getting it yet since i'm still just starting out. May sell it and go Ron1x tho, after all, the same guy recommended my Ron1x wakesurf and it has been an awesome surf for me.

atTheLake, -DLWS is the dealer I spoke of, Jon and his guys are great. I ran into Clay on DeGray a couple weeks back and got a few pull attempts behind the boat he was in, got up for a few secs on the first try but then psyched myself out real good, kept standing too soon, and kept fighting the boat until I was worn out. He did some great coaching tho and he re-set my bindings which helped even more the 2nd weekend. Think I just need more practice practice practice, and a little more coaching time to spot exactly where I'm messing it up. Setting something up w/ DLWS for after the 4th holiday for sure.

When you're slipping out it sounds like you're trying to stand up too early and leaning on the rope rather than letting it pull you out.

Tuck up into a ball over the board, as long as you're on top of the board and it has an angle on it you'll get up. You don't need to get the board on top of the water it will do that all by itself you just need to stay over the board. Bend your legs till your heels hit your butt with your back and arms straight (you can wrap them around your knees or have them between your legs it doesn't matter) and stay there, let the boat pull you up, you could ride a whole set in the crouched position if you felt like it, but it wouldn't be much fun.

When you are up bend both knees but keep a little more weight on the back leg.

You and your friends should be able to get up on that 134, I'm about 170 lbs, and ride a 134 Watson, I've had friends (beginners, first set) of mine closer to 200 up and riding on that board too. If you do want to go bigger though by all means go for it.

Oh, then you should see my ever popular post, "Boom To Behind Boat". It's gotten a million posts, and I still can't get my arse up.

No worries, we got it figured out. Slow and steady pull was the key - thx for the help/guidance folks.