how to jump

When ever I try to jump i end up either not getting off the wake or i get off of it, but when I land i get thrown off balance. Can any one tell me how to get off the wake and land it?

There's a lot of good advice on standard jumping on this board under other strings, but the two main things you have to master in order to get any air at all is NOT absorbing the wake with your knees and keeping the handle in tight to your body. Work on those two things first. When you approach the wake, simply keep your knees straight (NOT LOCKED!!!) but in a comofortable standing position. Don't try to "jump" off the top of the wake, just carry some speed into it and don't let your knees become shock absorbers. When you get air, don't let the handle get away from you. Try to keep it locked to your waist, and imagine the rope pulling you from your hips. This will keep you upright and allow you to land and ride away. Good luck!

so u dont jump at all when coming off the wake?

right, you don't jump at all. by edging thru the wake and loading the line you'll pop off the wake and won't need to jump at all. this is really different than snowboarding or skateboarding and it causes a lot of people problems when they first start wakeboarding.

A while ago I read that "the way you take off is the way you will land", meaning that if you leave the wake off balance then you'll land off balance. If you hit the wake correctly with your weight balanced over both feet and the rope in tight, you'll be more likely to land the jump. Also, don't look down or it may cause you to fall. You want to keep your head up and be looking toward the shore. You can glance down to spot your landing but you don't want your head down. "Where you look is where you go"

No jumping at all...
Well I guess you could jump. You do more pushing than anything. But to jump, you need to pop. Pop is a weird thing I guess. Here's how I explain it to ppl:

Imagine a baseball bounceback. You know those things you can throw a ball at and it comes back to you. So basically you can play catch with yourself.

The wake is similar to the bounce back. So imagine you angle the bounceback at 30-45 degrees. When you throw a fastball at it, it doesnt come back, but pops way up in the air and behind the bounceback.

The baseball is stiff and stays the same the whole time. The bounce back is what gives and ultimatly delivers the air and distance. The wake will do the same for you.

So if you throw a slow ball at the bounceback, the ball may not even make it over the bounceback. If you throw a flat basketball at the bounceback, it may go anywhere.

Here's some pointers to get you started:

1. Learn how to olley. It will give you a feel for the water. Just go out in the flats and olley a bunch. Helps with balance too.

2. Jump off one wake. Start near the far right wake (if you're regular like me) and give it hell and jump off the left wake. Push off just b4 you leave the left wake. I know ppl that can do backrolls off one wake!!

3. Make it a point to keep the handle close to your hip. This is crucial and will help with balance and cut.

4. Work on your cut. Dont start a cut by laying the edge into the water and go screaming into the wake. Ease into the cut. The cut should become progessively harder the closer you get to the wake. Hence the term, "progressive cut."

5. Like TXphil said, don't use your knees as shock abosorbers. They are your springboards. Keep your body low and just b4 you hit the wake, straighen up a bit.

6. Practice practice practice.

7. Watch "Detention" by Shaun Murray. It's a great instructional video. Well worth the money I think.


I had a buddy last summer that was working on his jumping wakes. And basically he was just ramping the wakes and getting little air. Now after practicing all last summer. He is jumping thru the proverbial roof!!!

Good luck dudes. Let us know how it goes!!!

Hunt

holy cow I wrote a book...

Looking at the shoreline has helped me a lot as well, I used to have a problem with looking down the whole time, when you do that you tend to bend at the waist as I was looking at the water.

When I started looking at the shore line, it made me stand taller and keep the handle in.

Think about it this way as well, when you are trying a spin, using your head helps you get around, so it is the same thing with a regular jump, look up and it keeps you in line to get better air.

my two cents are free....