Switch your handle pass?
 

I was reading the latest issue of WB magazine last night and came across the brief article about how the pros handle pass (palm to palm vs. palms up). Ironically, there was discussion about that same thing a month or so in my boat and honestly I had no idea what this was about or how it mattered.

So last night after reading the article I went out to my hanlde that I do drills with and tried it... wow... it feels so mush more natural once the handle is passed when using palm to palm. I am an engineer so I have to disect this right... I was thinking why is this method used and preferred by pros and IMO, the pull initiated by your arm, once the handle is passed, is like a bicept curl motion. It has a very strong and stable feeling. The palm up pass, which I have been doing has an awkward feel to it once the handle is passed. The arm and shoulder are not in a power and stable position at all and I can see this position causes that "weird" feeling when we first put out back to the boat learning spins. Practicing BS 180s palm to palm also creates a much more stable feeling as well. I am stoke to put it on the water the next time out.

So who out there has made the switch? I am thinking re-training the mind may be harder than I think!, but I am confinced in the long run this is a way better technique.

Uj

I was intrigued by the article as well. I had no idea there were multiple techniques for handle passing, so it was news to me. I tried doing my handlepass drills over the weekend and it felt...different. I'm not sure if I prefer palm to palm or not, but it didnt feel akward or anything. My family told me I looked more comfortable and smoother doing the passes palm to palm, and my dad agreed that it felt different but not necessarily better. Gonna have to see how it is on the water, although I cant spin nearly enough for it to make a significant difference.

I wonder if one way increases or decreases the possibility of putting an arm through the handle, or missing it equals an arm in.

I wont have that issue of WBM till I go home for summer, can you explain the difference? I dont know palm to palm vs palms up, I just know I turn the handle down when passing

Instead of keeping the handle horizontal when you pass, with both your hands facing upward at the time of the handlepass, you keep the handle vertical, with both your hands facing inward when you pass.

Adam, the two styles are:

Clapping your hands together in front and behind your body.

Fist pounding (thumb to thumb) in front and behind your body.

Adam, if you go to the main page on this site you can see Kyle Ratray doing a handle pass "palm to palm" as opposed to "palms up." I too jut got the magazine and have been practing handle passes (on the surface) and I can see how passing it "palm to palm" would be more natural. I guess in the end it will come down to rider prefernece but like the article stated "most pros pass palm to palm" so there's definately a reason for that.

Ok I think I get it... after thinking about it (and getting out a handle to pass) I realized that:

-I do the fist pounding/palms up style on behind the back passes
-I do the clapping style on front handle passes on TS/sw TS 540s (second pass on a FS 540), but fist pound the front/second pass on HS 540s...interesting.

I never would have thought to do the clapping style for behind the back passes but I want to try it on HS 5s, seems like it would help get that last 180 around. As someone said, its like a bicep curl motion, seems like you can yank the handle harder, but it does seem awkward.

Adam... "seems like you can yank the handle harder, but it does seem awkward"... exactly! I wish I would have learned this years ago. I can't wait to try and put it the water.

Uj

I've always done the both palms facing upward. I'm not great at handlepasses, because I just don't practice them a lot...but I think I'll give the other technique a try.

I just tried it with a handle and water jug. You can definitely swing it harder, put more force, into the pass.

Definately going to try it, i think i will get a much better grip on the handle, going to take some time to get use to.
but i'm still not riding switch, thats just stupid!

I met Murray at OWC and he was super cool to talk to. We had talked about this because he had mentioned he was making the switch to the palm to palm style because all the guys who are throwing down big spins were doing it this way. I need to learn this but it's so hard to re-train old habits.

Here is a video of Murray showing the palm to palm pass...

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That video certainly clears things up.

Oddly, I never even thought about it, but I've always handle passed palm to palm. The only time I don't is on TS/BS spins which are my most inconsistent. I'll have to try to go palm to palm on those, too.

Here's a link to the video of Murray explaning the difference:

http://wakeboardingmag.com/how-to/hi...ss-like-a-pro/