teaching beginners

I need some advice on how to teach someone to get up on the wakeboard who has no watersports experience at all. I'm used to teaching riders who are trying to learn their first inverts not trying to get out of the water, and it's been so long since I started boarding that I can't remember how I learned. I'm teaching people of different sizes and different natural athletic ability and most seem to be having the same problem: they all get pulled onto their faces. I don't mean that they're standing and then catching an edge. They go from sitting in the water waiting to go to basically rotating over the board forwards and face planting. I'm not gunning the throttle, so I know it's not a too much power issue. Any suggestions?

tell them to keep the handle at their waist not too far out so they faceplant but not too far in so they fall back wards and when their starting tell them to bring their knees to their chest and let the boat do the work

i'd like to hear some good advice too, as ill be teaching quite a few people to get up this weekend. If you cannot find any wakeboarders in your area, you must create new ones!

I've gotten at least 5 people up in the past year, and I always tell them the same thing. Get set and relaxed in the water, when the boat pulls let it pull you, keep your front leg almost straight and bring your back foot up to your a$$, get on top of the board and stand up, and most important don't let go.

Hey Charles...Where you goin this weekend?

something that helped last weekend: I had rook put the board on and get in the water. She had made a few attempts but we didn't really have the time to work on it, so someone else went. She had the idea, but hadn't got out of the water yet. in the water w/ board on, I had her put the board against the swim step while I pulled on the rope, simulating the boat's pull. she got the idea of what it feels like before you pop out. so she tried it and popped up.

Steve, that sounds pretty solid.

Tim's Ford lake in Winchester, TN (bout an hour drive). my girl's family lake house with some of her fam coming in town for the weekend. Trying to teach my girl, her sis, and her sister's fiance. Hope they fall in love with it, because they are doctor/pilot, so they will certainly have the $ to own a nice boat before me... ;-)

her fam has a little Tahoe I/O, but i talked to a friend of a friend with nautique that might be coming as well. if not he's going to get out with me on the river soon, so ill give you a holler when that comes up. you getting on the water this week/weekend?

I use a technique similar to Nacho, only I show them how to get out of the water while on the beach. For example, have them put the board on in about 1' of water. Give them the handle and then pull them up as though the boat were pulling them out of the water. It gives you the opportunity to explain (in slow motion) the mechanics of getting up on the board without actually pulling them out of the water.

~J.

^^^^^nacho and John - that's the best method I've used yet. Do that a couple times and then pull them up RIGHT after that. Don't wait 10 minutes to drive somewhere... that way they make the connection between what they did on shore and getting pulled out on a deep water start.

Other phrases I use:

** let the water push on your board and push your knees into your chest (too many try to pull up with their arms).

** put arms around your forward knee (left knee for regular) so that an elbow is on either side and the handle is in front of the knee. Keep the handle right in front of the knee - don't straighten your arms, but don't bring them all the way in. (this helps roll up onto the board and get it turned forward quickly)

thanks everyone. I'm sure this will help a lot next weekend

I make my friends watch "Skiboarding 101" before we go out. It is a bit old and corny but effective. It's how I learned to wakeboard

Similar to John & Nacho, I have them sit in the boat (without the board on) have them hold onto the rope and i pull them up. Chest hits knees, butt hits heels, roll forward like you getting out of a chair.

Barefoot boom- I have used this MANY times and am batting 1000 getting newbies out of the water and comfortable ona board. We then go to a handle( 5 ft of rope) off the boom, then all the way back. you try this 4-5 times and everyone gets it. The boom is a HUGE help and good for eveyone from kids to new Slalom skiiers. I even got my 65 yr old dad up on the wakeboard using the boom technique. Borrow or buy one ASAP

The Barefoot boom definitely works. I met some folks from St Louis last week and she had learned on a boom last season but never tried a rope. Well we don't have a boom so she tried the rope and was crossing wakes on the first try.

Looser....My parents and family had houses up there for years. Thats where I learned everything to do with the water. Awesome lake especially in the morning and evening. Excellent fishing too.

yea, it seems like a really nice place. water is as clean as it gets, and its a deep lake. i've only been a couple of times, so still checking it out. can't wait until the weekend, already.

so they can't get up? took me awhile when i first learned (laaate last year) and i've taught 3 people since so i remember well

my worst problem was not turning my board towards the boat, you should point your toes towards the boat as much as possible | is bad, should be like this / and more so than that so that way the water isn't pushing as hard

hands outside of the knees/on the knees, lean back and stay squated ... hold on lemme get you the most helpful video

http://www.ridecwb.com/2007/videos.php
2nd to the bottom

Here is a tip that has worked for us.

Find out if they will be riding normal or goofy. If left foot forward, start pulling them from the right side of the boat. Not way out there, but about 15 to 20 feet to the right. When the boat pulls, the rider will start to drift to the left and since they want to be left foot forward, they seem to plane out quicker traveling toward there lead foot. You can then work the angle away on subsequent starts and they will end up right behind the boat with success.

Obviously for goofy riders you'd want to start them on the left side of the boat.

This is usually our last resort (because we always forget about it) for the big and strong guys, but it seems to work for everyone.

I found it helped to have the rider point their toes slightly toward the boat. It really helps them stop "plowing water" which is the main cause of the face plant after being pulled over the front of the board. It was supprising to see how quickly this help newbies get up with much less effort. Hope this helps.

I gave the easiest lesson ever last month. A friend came out that had skiing experience but never on a board. I gave him the quick first lesson, which usually isn't much since I want to see if they can figure it out in their own instead of giving them 20 things to remember. First try he was well out of the water but fell, and 2nd try was cutting wakes and rode for a few minutes. The amazing part is that he probably weighs about 240 and we've got a 120 HP POS!
Getting someone used to a pair of skis first makes teaching a newbie so much easier.

I often jump in the water with them. That way I can better explain it and hold their body in the right position. I also will push them away from the swim platform and then pull in on the rope so they get the feeling.

I have been 100% successful. (Except for one really fat girl)