as the weather is so cold at the moment i've been doin all the basics, one thing is trying to land blind from an ollie. <BR> <BR>I've been struggling with this because i land the board and because the handle is wrapped it pulls me back over. I've been bending at the waist like people say, but for some reason i just cannot ride with the handle wrapped. <BR> <BR>Any thoughts??

You really need to hold the handle in close to your body and lean into the rope slightly. You are probably leaning the other direction and it is forcing you to unwrap. I'm assuming you are doing this outside of the wake right?

yeah i'm going right out so the pull decreases, then just olliing round, i used to land too much on my back foot, but thats sorted now. my issue is that it feels like its pulling my backfoot off track and also pulls my weight back too.

Try looking up after you land.

The way I learned (probably te wrong way) was tick-tocking out of it as soon as I'd land (which did lead to some cool shifty stuff, but thats differant) Then slowly I would hold it longer and longer before tick-tocking, and now can just ride along with it. Or just go for the handle pass. But what it sounds like (as Blabel says) you're leaning to much, try and keep yourself upright.

The reason you are sliding back around is that you are spinning the board around but not fully squaring your shoulders. Like any trick you need to commit and when you go to spin need to look over your back shoulder, the body follows the head and if you only spin the board the head &amp; body will remain out of position.

I've tried to just ride switch and wrap the handle and ride as if in the blind position, but i got the same response, but i assume my body position was the same as when i normally ride switch, but because of the wrapped handle i was pulled over??

Square your shoulders and look to the shore. You shouldn't have to turn your head to see the horizon (that would tell you that your upper body is pointing in the wrong direction).

just do it like you do it on a skateboard, the basics are the same, and it's way easier when your straped in...

i have problems with riding blind too - always (at least lately) end up tick-tocking out. interestingly i find it easier switch to regular than opposite. <BR> <BR>so far i've either tick-tocked out of the 180s or handle-passed. just can't seem to get the riding blind thang. <BR> <BR>btw, surprised (especially you blabel!) no one has mentioned this excellent article: <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.wakeworld.com/tricklist/tricktip017.asp" target="_blank">http://www.wakeworld.com/tricklist/tricktip017.asp</a>

The article in the new WBM (I think?) is good too because it explains the different types of blind 180's.

Maybe this is opposite of what others are saying. If so, sorry. I agree with the square your shoulders thing, but I still kept getting unwrapped or pulled over on my heels. Some guys in AZ (Tom Bugg has a HUGE blind 180 with no handle pass) were telling me to lean WAY away opposite the pull of the boat, almost like your upper body and unused arm are an extension of the rope reaching out in the exact opposite direction away from the boat. If you watch Shapiro's front to blind, this is how his body looks when he lands. I tried it and instantly I could ride that way as long as I wanted. I'm not saying I can yet land them like Bugg with no handle pass, but using this technique, I can bunny hop around and then ride indefinitely. But, kind of like Blabel suggested, and also stated in the Wakeworld article, I guess my rear end is pointing more toward the boat, while the upper body and arm are reaching away. <BR>Worked for me, anyway.

Have the same prob. Should I be putting slight more weith over my toes, so as not to suck a heel side edge?

dr octagon, are you saying that i should almost be putting my rear hand as far forward as possible and stretching back with the rest? surely this means my shoulders will be completely 'unsquared'??

Harry, I don't think I did a good job of explaining it. Tell me if you are goofy footed or regular, and I'll describe it in a different way. I assume you are not trying them switch-stance yet. If you have access to any video of Darin Shapiro, watch as he does his front flip to blind, and pause it when he lands. You'll see what I mean. <BR> <BR>Brett, yes, because after you land you continue edging out on your toeside edge.

i'm regular, i'm trying to turn backside to land switch

Learn them first out in the flats. Cut way out to the left on your heels, and you MUST initiate the trick while you still are cutting out with good speed and nice tight line. Do not wait until you start to slow down and get slack in the line - my wife does this and gets sucked down every time! So with speed and tight line, edging out on your heels, do your bunny hop/ollie and press down with your toes as you come off the water, then yank yourself around by turning your head to the right and pulling the handle hard behind you and across the small of your back, always keeping it tight again your body like Blabel said. Now you're riding switch, your right foot is forward, the handle is being held tight against your right hip by your left hand, which is reaching around from behind your back. Your head is level and you are looking directly behind you, looking at the path that you just made. Your legs are bent, your butt (and right hip and handle) are pointing a bit toward the boat, but your shoulders are squared up facing straight back the same way you are looking. Although squared, your upper torso is leaning way over toward the path from which you just came, and your right arm is reaching way back, as if you dropped a beer 20 feet behind you and you are trying to reach back and pick it up. <BR> <BR>It sounds awkward, sure. To help save time in figuring it out, tie a bit of rope and handle to a tree or doorknob or something solid and just go through the motions 100 times or so until you start to feel it. Better yet practice on a tramp if you can find one. Good luck with it!

The way I learned this was without the rope. The boat turns sharply to the right and I cut out to the left without the rop and did the ollie. Then it was a piece of cake with the rope. First land the ollie with the early handle pass or cupped (both hands on the handle behind your back. If you can do this, then try landing wrapped. When I land wrapped, I have almost all of my weight on my back foot (one farthest from the boat), the handle is down by my butt (if you let it ride up your back, it will pull you over), and my weight is very heavy on my toeside edge. Takes a little getting used to, but now I can ride forever wrapped.

I forgot to mention what really helped me. For one, make sure you can do them in the flats 100%. Then move on to inside out blind 180's. Don't even try W2W without getting both of those 100 percent. Then when you are ready to try w2w, shorten the rope one setting and take some weight out of the boat. This trick really started to click when I went back to dial the ollie 180's. Soon after, I rode behind an I/O with a smaller wake and I nailed two in the same day. <BR> <BR>If you skip the baby steps it is going to take you a LONG time to learn this trick. There's a reason why not too many people do these.