Category: wakeboarding

For those who have gotten over the thrill of waterskiing or knee boarding, there is another sport that is fun to try: wakeboarding. This sport requires a different type of board than the others and it more reminiscent of snowboarding or skateboarding than waterskiing. It requires that the individual gets used to standing a different way in the bindings so that the body placement is different than waterskiing of knee boarding. However, once the equipment has been bought and the stance has become more normal to the individual, wakeboarding is a fun and exciting sport that can last a lifetime.

How to Begin

One of the first steps for a beginner is to decide what foot he wants to have in front in the bindings of the wakeboard. One wakeboarding tip that helps in finding this out is to see which foot the individual puts into a pair of pants first. This is usually the foot that he will want to have in front in the bindings while wakeboarding. Another way to find out is to stand with his eyes closed and have someone push him from behind, gently, so that he has to catch his balance without thinking about which foot he is going to put forward to do so. This also will usually be the foot that he will use in the front during the wakeboarding experience.

The wakeboard should be larger and have fins in the back when a person is just beginning. This will give him more stability and control when learning to wakeboard. He can always switch to a smaller board at a later time when he has mastered more of the basic skills and is ready to try some of the more advanced techniques in wakeboarding. When in the water, the person should always check the bindings to make sure that they are secure before starting off. He should always check them again whenever he has had a rough ride or when he has crashed to make sure that they have not become loose.

When starting off in wakeboarding, there are a couple of ways to do so. There is the deep water start that is most commonly used for beginners in wakeboarding. The person should start off on his back in the water with the wakeboard at a perpendicular angle to the rope that is attached to the boat. As the boat moves forward, the person should move into a crouched position on the wakeboard so that he is ready to stand when the boat is going fast enough. Once in position, the driver of the boat should be signaled to go faster so that the person can stand up.

Wakeboarding is a fun and exciting sport to develop, but it does take skill and practice in order to do so, just like any other sport. There is equipment to buy to make sure that the sport can be experienced safely, as well as different tips and techniques to try in order to the make experience even better. There are some that have never gone skateboarding or snow boarding before and trying to wakeboard. This can make it a little more difficult since they have to get used to the foot placement and body alignment which is different from water or snow skiing, which they may be more used to doing. However, with a little practice and technique, they can become proficient at it in no time.

Steps

One of the first steps in is to buy the wakeboard. However, in order to do so, some information has to be obtained. In order for the bindings to be placed on the wakeboard, the person has to know which foot he prefers in the front and which one he prefers in the back. If he has not gone skateboarding or snowboarding he is unlikely to know this offhand and there are a couple of different ways to try it out. One way is to have someone stand behind the person while the person has his eyes closed. The person in the back will gently push the person so that he has to put a foot forward to catch his balance. Whichever foot goes forward is usually the one that will need to be in the forward placement in the bindings on the wakeboard. Another way to decide is to see which foot is the one that is usually placed into a pair of pants first.

Once that consideration is decided, then the person should choose a wakeboard that is right for their skill level. If the person is just beginning, the wakeboard should usually be a little larger and should probably have rear fins so that the board will function more accurately while the individual is learning to control it. The bindings on the wakeboard should be placed at about the person’s shoulder width apart so that the person can stand comfortably and with stability on the wakeboard. The bindings should always be checked before going out on the wakeboard and should be checked during the course of the time the person is using it to make sure nothing has gotten loose during a rough ride or a fall.