Can't clear the wake HS..

After my third summer wakeboarding (yes, I suck, skip the jokes. lol) I can clear the wake just fine when I hit it TS, but not HS to save my life. My problem is with the speed that I hit the wake. When I cut out (going TS to hit the wake HS) I just stall when I try to cut back at the wake and I end up with zero speed. I've tried and tried, but I just can't generate any momentum even when I cut as hard as I can at it and continue cutting up through the takeoff. My riding buddies make it look effortles at the same speed, line length, etc. Unfortunately, none of them can tell the boat owner how the hell they do it. Which sucks, cause then I can't blame it on the boat/line/driver/etc. lol

Any thing I'm missing? Any tips?

sounds like you aren't letting the boat start your pull back to the boat. also you should be able to clear the wake with mostly edge and little speed. make sure you straighten legs and push hips towards your toes. this way your body is straight to react to the energy of the wake. then pull handle to your lead hip to create slack for landing.

Yeah, you might be cutting back to hard and too fast, resulting in slack in the line and no speed and more importantly no line tension. Cut out TS, then coast flat for a few seconds. Use this coasting time to get into a seated position. Then turn slightly back toward the wake (staying seated) and let the boat start to pull you back in. If you want to add gas, add some edge as you get to the wash. Then stand tall as you ride up the wake and make sure you don't absorb the wake (which happens if you bend your knees). You should clear the wake easy this way.

BTW, this is the first I have ever heard of someone getting TS WTWs before HS. Congrats. My TS WTW's remain hit or miss.

scott most people have a bent waist and confuse this with leaning against the line on toeside . keep your body straight from knees to shoulders.bend just your knees and stand on your toes.it's like standing on your knees with your toes behind you slightly then push off the wake like doing a back dive off the diving board.

i cleared the wake toe-side first too. i have seen toeside progression increase faster than heelside (at least at first) for almost every beginner, but rarely does it turn out a rider who jumps toeside first.
without seeing video i can only assume a similar thing is happening as i have seen in others. you MAY have been edging out TS really strong to prepare for HS jumps and thus giving your TS stronger practice, leading eventually to the point you realize that you jump TS better. with most riders i actually have to point out to them that their TS are better, they don't realize it on their own at the time.

there is a high possibility that when you edge out HS to prepare your TS jumps that everything is perfect and all you need to do is duplicate that on the other side coming toward the wake for that HS jump.

another tip to add to the list here is to temporarily lengthen the rope out as far as possible (like 80 90 feet). at this length you can get twice the practice in the same time with less intimidation of casing the wake. you will be so far back that you can jump the wake from outside in and then proceed to jump from inside out. when you get things figured out, shorten the rope again for a Wake toe Wake

good luck

p.s. another thing you might try is riding switch for a while. this is a good thing to work up to at some future point anyway, but there might be a chance that you will feel something different riding the other direction that will make something click that you can in-turn use riding in your normal direction. worth a try right

check this as well http://www.wakeworld.com/news/featur...ariations.html