How to spin and get air....? HELP!!!

(makai_surfer) · (makai_surfer) **Join Date: Jun 2007** 05-10-2009, 3:55 PM

I am looking to take my wake surfing to the next level by learning more tricks. We have a great wave and need some new inspiration this season.

I can ride fairly well, but have not learned to spin or get any real air off the wave.

If anyone has any tips that could be helpful, please share!

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(drnate) · (drnate) **Join Date: Jul 2006** 05-11-2009, 9:26 AM

I am in the same boat as you (no pun intended...LOL). What has been helping me is trying to ollie in the flats first. I feel like if I can do a decent ollie in the flats, then I could certainly get some air off the top with some speed. But I'm still practicing and have yet to perfect it.

surfdad 05-11-2009, 10:02 AM

I don't have any good sequence photos at the office, but maybe these will help. I've grabbed some stills and pieced them together to give you an idea of how James does an aerial.

James will start at the back of the pocket, typically his rear foot is in the curl. Then depending upon the pocket length and where the most crisp part of the wake FORWARD is, he'll pump once or twice so that he can hit that. Some wakes will have a rounded face before the top of the spine and that isn't a good launch spot. Focus on where the wake is it's sharpest and most forward.

Then James turns up and into that spot. From that point on, it's a skateboard ollie. Pull the front foot up and push down on the rear foot. The height of your air is going to be dependent upon how high you can pull that front foot up.

At the height of your pull your rear foot up to meet the height of your front foot. This is where you'll want a board that releases well of the wake.

If you look at the trough in the pictures you can estimate where James is starting from and also get an idea where he is projecting off the lip. In that second picture you can see how James is pulling that front foot up - he'll try and get that knee up towards his chest.

I hope that helps.

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(makai_surfer) · (makai_surfer) **Join Date: Jun 2007** 05-11-2009, 10:14 AM

Thanks for the great advice Jeff & Nathan. Every bit of beta helps!!

(deepcove) · (deepcove) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 05-11-2009, 7:22 PM

Its like a skate board ollie? So you have to slide your front foot forward as you bring your back foot up?

surfdad 05-11-2009, 7:48 PM

I doubt that you can actually slide your foot on the traction. I believe that the best way to describe the timing is that your sliding your foot forward as you bring the nose up. I've seen James, Chase and Johnny with their front foot sort of just skimming the surface - keeping in touch with the board.

I'm hoping these pictures will help also. The first shows James landing and you can see how wide his stance is. The second is his stance normally as he's doing a 3. The last picture is an ollieoop 3 - you can see how James has pulled that front knee up and pushed that foot forward. That's the position going into the aerial. That front foot position is what will determine the height of the aerial.

I hope that's clearer! :-)

(hawaj) · (hawaj) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 05-12-2009, 4:29 AM

Jeff I think you should do some neat vidotutorials with James and your voiceover. Video is worth than thousand words and especially for movement. Learning by looking at somebody is best for wakesurfing. You can put it on vimeo, youtube etc.

Lack of good videos to learn from is real pain for this sport.

(Message edited by hawaj on May 12, 2009)

(konaking) · (konaking) **Join Date: Mar 2008** 05-12-2009, 5:36 AM

Ok SD its time to give up the CPA stuff and devote your life to your true calling of wake surfing.
Excitement, Adventure a CPA craves not these things.

surfdad 05-12-2009, 7:28 AM

Too funny. The excitement of a career in the wakesurf industry like; determining where your next meal is coming from, or how to pay the utility bill. :-)

The adventure of finding a "third" route to the same lake you've been to every day for the last 24 months. Wow! I do need to give serious consideration to that career switch. :-)

Reminds me of a joke an actuary once told me. I was engaged to work with an acturial firm and during some idle chit-chat I asked one of the actuaries why they chose that field. His response was: "I am a number-cruncher who just couldn't face the rollercoaster excitement of accountancy."

I think I spit coffee everywhere at his statement. :-)

I just know NOTHING of filming, editing or really instruction. I don't know about other folks, but I typically don't pursue anything that doesn't allow me to learn something. AND I typically don't learn anything unless the topic/subject is of interest to me. :-)

Maybe JL or CASkimmer will look into producing an instructional. They both have the requisite skills.

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-12-2009, 7:31 AM

I am in the process of downloading video to youtube for this. I will post links as they become available

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-12-2009, 7:41 AM

James doing an ollie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwLBwNcg0sA

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-12-2009, 7:43 AM

How about a fat old man doing a 360 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic5yyNMJllc

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-12-2009, 7:54 AM

Here is a ollie 360. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpl3H29AVKg

(gwnkids) · (gwnkids) **Join Date: Nov 2003** 05-12-2009, 8:43 AM

Dennis where is the slow mo on your 360 WE WANT MORE

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-12-2009, 10:01 AM

Here you go Bryan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCVjkRNls6A Includes slo motion as well

(duffymahoney) · (duffymahoney) **Join Date: Sep 2008** 05-12-2009, 10:36 AM

Nice surfin Dennis!

(gwnkids) · (gwnkids) **Join Date: Nov 2003** 05-12-2009, 11:12 AM

Now that what we want to see. Nice

(makai_surfer) · (makai_surfer) **Join Date: Jun 2007** 05-12-2009, 2:44 PM

Thanks Dennis! Those are super helpful to watch. I hope to be posting some of me rockn the 360 soon...

(notsobueno) · (notsobueno) **Join Date: Dec 2004** 05-12-2009, 3:16 PM

I sense another 360 attempt from Bryan this week !!!

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-12-2009, 4:20 PM

Bryan,
If I can do a 360 someone half my age and weight can to.

mobster 05-12-2009, 6:09 PM

I have a lot of ideas for how to video's the only problem is the cost of production for a project it runs about $1800 plus for replication and everything else, the easy part is making the video . Your work has to pay for itself . There is no federal bail out for JL

(joesell) · (joesell) **Join Date: Apr 2001** 05-14-2009, 2:29 PM

Dennis, What board are you riding? And if it's not out of line, what do you weigh?

I'm 230#. I'm having a heck of a time finding a board that rides/spins like yours.

I currently ride a walker comp x 5.0

The guys at wake outlaws swore that it would be the hot ticket. I do have to say, I like it alot, but it is hard to keep up with the boat.

I know its not a weighting issue. My wake is at least as big as all these pics on here.

Please help, it's really starting to get frustrating.

Thanks, Joe

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-14-2009, 4:28 PM

Hey Joe,
I am proud of the amount of ballast I carry. Most people I go out on the lake with always want me sitting in the back corner, I am not sure why. I weigh 275. The board in the video is a TWP Bullet 5'3". I also can ride and have done 360's on my Comp X 5.0. Send me a email and I will see what kind of help I can be with your keeping up with the boat.

(joesell) · (joesell) **Join Date: Apr 2001** 05-14-2009, 4:36 PM

I guess I might've said it wrong.

I can ride all day, speed up, slow down, do some small cut backs. I'm even getting alright at riding heel side.

I just can't seem to continue riding after I try a 360. I spin, the boat pulls away.

I didn't mean to say its the boards fault. I just can't get it.

Luckily tho, nobody in my crew can do it yet either. So theres still time to win the "race".

(dennish) · (dennish) **Join Date: May 2005** 05-14-2009, 4:46 PM

Got it. I found on my board that going to 4 1/2"+ fins helped. I know it seems counter intuitive but I find that the fins grab better at the top and drive me back into the wake. Send me a video and I will see if there is anything I can add to help you win the race.

(mb_kid) · (mb_kid) **Join Date: Jun 2009** 06-03-2009, 10:23 AM

For spinning I have found it really easy to just use your hand as a "rudder" and that seems to spin me around just fine. Although I am only 130 pounds.

(tonyv420) · (tonyv420) **Join Date: Jul 2007** 06-03-2009, 2:26 PM

I have been learning to spin also. Just have not been able to stay in the wave. The other day I threw the rope tried tried to spin and wrapped my rope around my leg, just below the knee. Needless to say I didn't throw the rope well enough out of my way. Got a nice rope born all the way around my leg. But one positive thing is that it kinda held me in the wake(by my knee) and I almost pulled off the 3. LOL Has anyone learned to spin a three with the rope doing a handle pass? Do you think this would help to do it ropeless?

(tonyv420) · (tonyv420) **Join Date: Jul 2007** 06-03-2009, 2:29 PM

Surfdad aka (Big Poppa)you do a great job of explaining, I appreciate all your advice. Sorry thats what I like to call you when talking with my friends.

surfdad 06-03-2009, 7:28 PM

Too funny - Big Poppa is better than some other things I've been called! :-)

(jame04) · (jame04) **Join Date: Nov 2007** 06-22-2009, 10:51 AM

Sorry to bring this thread back up buit I just CANT spin! I ride a LF custome with all 3 fins in. I have the wake dialed in good and can ride good while cutting in and out but when I go to spin the best I can do is get around and then the boat leaves me or I just get 180 degrees around. Should I have most of my weight on just my back foot or equal? And what other tips please?