Short Video of my W2W

So I've been working on my w2w's and finally had a chance to get a video. I was just wanting some tips or pointers on how I could improve. From what I see on this video, I'm not really extending my legs and standing tall at the wake. I'm stiffening them enough to get over the wake, but I'm not really getting the pop I should. As the day went on I started getting out into the flats some, but I think I still had my knees bent. Also, the second attempt on the vid is the only on I crashed on all day but I just let it get out from under me. Anyway, here's the vid. Any comments would be appreciated.

what speed and rope length are you at ? looks fast also you don't really try to stand tall as much as you are trying to stay on edge.

I'm riding at 60' and typically ride around 23, but I had a buddy driving this weekend and he was all over the place speed wise.

Your coming into the wake with good intentions, but as you get closer to the when you are squating you are getting pulled off your edge. And as said before you are absorbing the wake with your knees. Those two things right there are killing your pop and making it such a violent episode. lol. Really focus on holding your edge and building momentum all the way across the wake. As you come up the wake start standing tall. Try and keep your legs straight even in the air. Holding your edge through the wake will get you the pop and momentum to carry you across the wake, it will also stop you from getting pulled over the front of the board. Like what happened in your fisrt jump on the video. It's hard to explain this stuff without being able to show you. Hope this helps though. One thing that worked for me to get the movement and body position in my head was this.

Holding a rope tied to a door knob or fence pole. hold the handle, squat like you are about to sit in a chair, kind of hunched over, then pause, hold that, now roll backwards so all weight is on your heels and the only thing holding you up is the rope. That's how you want to approach the wake, then keeping the weight on your heels, push your legs out as if you are going to lock them (this is where it gets confusing). The rope should still be tight, and the only thing keeping you upright. You don't want to stand up per say, you want to keep the same position just now your legs are straight almost at like a 45 degree angle to the ground.

Like I said it's hard to explain without showing you. Anyways, hope this helps some. Keep going for it man, you'll get it.

try slowing down to about 20 or 21mph . that will make wake taller and give you more time to stand tall.by stand tall i mean straighten legs push hips forward and push chest up to sky.

so like bret said stand tall while leaning against the line like this /

Ok thanks a ton for the help guys. I was pumped the first time I cleared it, but as I did it more and more I knew it wasn't right. I mean I was making it across the wake but that was about it. I knew I wasn't getting the pop or air time that I'm gonna need to progress like I want to. I was tempted to try a 360 this past weeked (still not real comfortable switch) but I didn't feel like I had enough time I'm the air to rotate.

brock you need less speed and more height for a 360. low line tension is the key. get the wake jump mastered first. one step at a time.

Yea, to be honest I didn't really have any expectations of landing it haha. I'm gonna try to get out one day this week and work on my technique some. I'm hooked to wakeboarding after only about a month of doing it and I'm wanting to progress but I knew it wouldn't happen with the technique I'm currently using. That's why I turned to you guys for advice.

Stand tall like you're jumping up and down on a trampoline.

well you are progressing very well for someone wakeboarding for about a month. keep up the good work.remember one step at a time.GOOD LUCK!

Okay. Thanks a ton guys. That's another question I kinda wanted to ask. I'm completely new to wakeboarding so I didn't really know what the progression rate was. I didn't know if I was progressing normally or slow or what... Anyways, like I said, i'm gonna try to get out this week and work on my technique some. I'll try to get another video for you guys to evaluate.

OKAY send it to us there are plenty of wakeworlders on here ready to help.

Take my advice and don't try a 360 yet. You will just end up hurting your self. Learn to ollie 180, 1 wake 180, w2w 180 first. Learn to ride switch, jump toeside, etc. Get comfortable with all that and then try a 360. Trying things that you have no chance of mastering will just get you hurt and ruin the season (or part of it).

Yea I think that's a good call. My buddies were just telling me to go for it so I considered it for a while. Like you said though, I knew I wouldn't land it and it wasn't worth cutting my season short. I really need to learn to ride switch. I ride goofy as it is but I'm pretty sketchy riding switch. If I could figure that out it would open me up to try 180's. I can stay up switch but I just don't have much control.

Brock,
Like was said above, the best thing you can do for your riding is start with the building blocks and work your way up. I missed alot of those when I was starting to ride. I could do a backroll, but I was also a heelside hero. I had to go back and get the ABC's dialed in, and now that I did that, my riding is better than ever.

Get switch riding down, get used to doing some really hard cuts, get your jumping form down, learn how to take your jumps wake to wake and into the flats on command, 1 wake 180's form both sides, 1 wake half cabs, get used to reverting, wake to wake 180's, toeside airs... It'll be well worth your time to have these all in the bag. OH, and grabs. Mucho grabs.

Alright cool. Thanks for all the help guys. I did a few grabs last week but obviously I wasn't getting much air time as you can see from the vid so they were quick and jerky... Maybe kind of a stupid question here but being new to the sport I'm not familiar with all the terminology. Can you explain a half cab and a revert for me? I'm not sure what those are.

A half-cab is an air 180 from switch back to your regular stance, which is goofy(right foot forward) in your case. A revert is the same thing just on the surface of the water. Just to throw out another term, a full cab is (obviously) a switch 360.

To comment on your riding, you look exactly like I did for a long time. I never realized I was doing things wrong until actually studying top riders and reading posts on here. It's been said, stand tall at the top of the wake. It's like getting out of a chair almost. I used to try and ollie of the top, and while I was able to go W2W and even out into the flats, I had zero height. Trust me, you'll feel it when you get it right. The first time I concentrated on my mechanics and not distance, I was like "Oh ****! So this is how it's supposed to be!" You'll feel yourself getting popped up, and with that extra height comes extra distance. I almost went W2W and I wasn't even trying. I tried 3's before I knew the proper way, and I never got around because I didn't have the time. Work on the fundamentals and it will make you that much better. You don't need to spend a season or more on it, just long enough so that you feel you're consistent. It might be 1 day out working on it, it might be 5, just stick to it and you'll be throwing down in no time.

Yea thanks bro. I really am trying to improve and progress with wakeboarding. When I bought the board about a month ago I planned on it just being a little weekend hobby to pass some time, but now I'm hooked to it. I thought my technique was decent until I saw the video and then realized how poor it was. Now I'm taking a recorder with me every time I ride so that I can study myself and figure out what I need to work on. Also I've started watching some wakeboarding vids and slowing down the frames so I can see exactly what they are doing (obviously I'm focusing more on their release from the wake instead of the trick at this point.) Like I said though, I'm really trying to get my technique down and keep progressing. I want to get good at it. My friend is the same way, and he is actually planning on buying a Malibu VLX or LSV over the winter so it will be awesome to ride behind something like that next season. I'm currently behind a Sea Ray 230 Bowrider, no tower... At this point I don't think it has any effect whatsoever on my progression since I'm a beginner, but hopefully over the next couple years I'll improve enough that it really benefits me to be behind a wake boat.