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Old     (ReganC)      Join Date: Aug 2014       08-09-2014, 10:35 AM Reply   
Hey all! So basically, I have been riding for a few years, but I never ventured farther than just cutting alongside the boat and enjoying a smooth ride.

Last year, however, I became more interested in trying to land some jumps. To date I have been able to get some air/distance, but not nearly enough to land a wake-to-wake. I have been looking at videos and such to try and get a better idea of what I need to do to improve. Nonetheless, I would love if some of you had tips or ideas for me..?

I'm going to the river for an entire week and have high hopes that I can finally hit it right. Honestly, I think my biggest barrier is fear. I've taken many falls and endured the countless headaches that follow, and I think I subconsciously back off during my approach to avoid another spill. So if you have and ideas about how to get over my fear I would be forever in your debt.

Thanks in advance, everyone!
Old     (lifetimewarranty)      Join Date: Oct 2008       08-14-2014, 11:12 AM Reply   
It helps being a guy...as we are normally pretty ignorant and just put most rational fears aside...but seriously, I started wakeboarding as a 35 year old married father of two young girls so hurting myself bad was not something I was ready to risk being a single income family.

Your question is a good one - and one I deal with trying to get my toeside W2W down. I find that I try to go to my comfort level jump which is about 2/3's of the wake width (not stacking the opposite wake) and do that over and over then if conditions are good do a full W2W. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't.

Sometimes going faster is all you need. The extra speed with the narrower wake is often all it takes. Of course, my last boat was a DD and I really had to sack it out to get a wake that I could get all the way across.
Old     (phathom)      Join Date: Jun 2013       08-14-2014, 12:30 PM Reply   
Consistent edging into the wake, make sure you lock your legs when you hit the wake going in so you it pops you up and you don't absorb the energy in your legs.
This can be done either by standing tall (easier), or locking yourself back in a seated position, either way, keep constant pressure down on the board and do not let your knees buckle to absorb the energy. You also should bring the handle down low to your waist and pull it in as close to your body as possible to help load the line.

About the headaches from the falls. Normally this happens from your ear slapping the water, which can be quite painful and sometimes disorienting. Pick up a pair of ear plugs and that will greatly help that. I picked up a silicone, stepped ear plug and nose plug combo on amazon for like $1.50 shipped. I can still hear the music from the tower speakers and people talking in the boat just fine when I'm on board, but no more headaches from hard landings.
Old     (homer)      Join Date: Jul 2012       08-15-2014, 5:06 AM Reply   
Wear a helmet if you have major fears of slapping the water with your head. Should help your confidence and help you bounce back quicker without much headache.
Old     (trayson)      Join Date: May 2013 Location: Vancouver WA       08-15-2014, 8:39 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by homer View Post
Wear a helmet if you have major fears of slapping the water with your head. Should help your confidence and help you bounce back quicker without much headache.
I started riding with a helmet last week. I can't count the number of headaches I've given myself wakeboarding and I wear a helmet 100% of the time snowboarding, so it seemed silly to skip the helmet on the water.

The softest landing is always going to be when you just far enough that you're clearing the wake and coming down on the other side's wake. Once you get to that point, it will really boost your confidence.

Other thing I've found is that having that "hang on, I can pull this out" mentality helps. I've recovered from landings where I was most certainly off and people were amazed that I was able to ride it out; and the biggest reason I pulled it out is because I didn't mentally give up thinking I was off enough that I couldn't recover and would crash. If you mentally decide that you're gonna crash before it actually happens, it'll be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Trying a shorter rope length might be helpful too. It'll have you jumping where the wake is narrower (as the abovementioned speed suggestion).

Good luck and have fun!
Old     (lifetimewarranty)      Join Date: Oct 2008       08-15-2014, 8:49 AM Reply   
I was going to mention the helmet thing...I should probably do wear one also.

Also - focus on where you want to land. Often that helps like the mental thing mentioned by trayson. And X2 on the shorter rope.
Old     (augie_09)      Join Date: Mar 2011       08-15-2014, 9:23 AM Reply   
are you maintaining balance and control when airborne? Focusing on that first then height/distance second may help reduce your crashes.

not sure how clean your boats wake is at slow speeds, but try going to 18 -19 mph and 55-60ft rope. Falls will hurt a lot lot less at this speed and the wake should be narrow enough to clear at that speed and rope length.

I've heard all these from others;
- Try to forget the wake and just imagine you are cutting from one side to the other.
- imagine you are trying to sit down or hover above a dirty toilet the closer to the wake you get, the lower you sit down. (heels into the water) Then you can play around with starting to stand back up towards the top of the wake or once airborne.
- image 3 speeds, like a car and first gear is when you are cut all the way out, then 2nd gear when 1/2 way to the wake and then 3rd gear going up the wake. Each gear you cut harder. Just another way to think about a progressive edge.
- look at the opposite wake where you plan on landing, not staring at the wake you are about to launch off.
- dont' flatten off up the wake, but try to cut through it
- put equal pressure on boat feet, you can typically put more pressure on your front foot than you'd expect
Old     (ReganC)      Join Date: Aug 2014       08-27-2014, 11:01 AM Reply   
Thank you so much to everyone who replied! I will be sure to try all of the above the next time I get out!

I will try to post a video of my last trip on here for anybody who is interested in helping me analyze what to work on specifically.

Also, I tried cable wakeboarding for the first time (at BlueWater Resort & Casino in AZ). It was a blast for sure! But even with my helmet, a particularly nasty spill off of a jump really hammered my head hard - my helmet's buckle undid halfway and was pushed to the back of my neck - it still hurts just thinking about it.

Not sure if after that a helmet will truly boost my confidence, but I'll give it a shot at the very least!
Old     (hawkeye7708)      Join Date: Feb 2007       02-15-2015, 5:12 PM Reply   
Regan-

First, I saw the comment on the helmet… big fan of the helmet and a step further, a mouthguard. Just a big fan.

Second, I'd take a shorter rope, slower speed, and slowly take more and more aggressive cuts in at the wake to get comfortable with taking off and gradually working to more and more air until you clear the other wake. Keep that handle in close and use your knees as shock absorbers.

Work our way up to it! Good luck.
Old     (Orange)      Join Date: Jun 2012       02-26-2015, 9:11 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by hawkeye7708 View Post
Regan-

First, I saw the comment on the helmet… big fan of the helmet and a step further, a mouthguard. Just a big fan.

Second, I'd take a shorter rope, slower speed, and slowly take more and more aggressive cuts in at the wake to get comfortable with taking off and gradually working to more and more air until you clear the other wake. Keep that handle in close and use your knees as shock absorbers.

Work our way up to it! Good luck.
I'll add a little... plenty of good advice on the techniques, but it sounds like part of what you need is how to address the fear.

First - second the helmet recommendation. Even if it never comes into play, you will feel more confident knowing your head is protected.

Second - I didn't see what kind of boat you're using, but assuming your using a true wakeboard boat and especially if its one of the modern designs that throws a huge wake, consider dumping most or all the ballast. You don't need much of a wake for a simple w2w jump and it's possible a big wake is both creating fear and knocking you off balance.

Third - make sure you shorten the rope and aren't going too fast. A short rope will narrow the wakes and make it easier to complete the trick at a lower speed. Slowing the boat down will have the opposite effect and will widen the wake - wrong direction to make completing the jump easier you would think - but it will also slow down how fast things are happening, make timing your "pop" or leg extension easier, and will reduce your fear levels by making the crashes oh so much easier. I don't know what kind of boat you are on, but if you were behind my boat I'd have you on a 60' rope and pull you around 18-19mph. Also the slower speed will help you focus on technique instead of using boat speed alone to help you make the jump. That will help you in the long run. Too many riders rely on huge wakes and high boat speed to complete super simple tricks... looks goofy plus is just dangerous.

Fourth - (this will take a little bit of trust and a leap of faith - pun intended) understand that when you complete a w2w jump, its actually much easier than a one wake jump because you will land on the downward ramp of the opposite wake - MUCH softer landing than a one wake jump. If you've tried w2w and not made it, chances are you've noticed that the closer you get to the second wake, the harder it seems, so your mind is assuming it just keeps getting tougher and you'll back off on the next attempts before you hit the wake. Once you see success and have a smooth landing on the other side, you'll realize the best way to guarantee a hard landing is to NOT go w2w.

You'll get there. Once you start completing w2w jumps, you'll look back and wonder how you ever found them difficult or fearful to begin with.
Old     (sexyws6mama)      Join Date: Mar 2008       05-25-2015, 5:30 PM Reply   
Every sport has some type of fear. You got to put that fear aside if you want to progress.

My advice is simple. Always look out. Look down, go down. Most of my falls whether they are painful or not come from looking down at one given moment. It sends my body/face right onto that water. Ouch! lol

Learn wakeboard technique too as this will help you prevent some nasty crashes. But just know it comes with the sport...the falling, the headpain...injuries. etc.

Have fun and shred on!

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