Smallest Fin avail / Riding Blind

What is the smallest fin available that will fit a Liquid Force Witness. Been riding without fins since I started...but I think a little bit more tracking would help me with learning to ride blind.

I pretty much want the smallest fin I can find. I can ride and edge cuffed OK both reg and switch..but have a hard time when I drop the other/lead hand and go blind. I am thinking a fin might help...but I don't want too much of a crutch.

Any other pointers on riding blind? When I get cuffed out in the flats heading out (such as by doing a surface 180 to BS slide, not changing direction, and not passing the handle), I can hold the cuffed position pretty well (but I do cheat a little bit by shifting the handle to my lead hip)

As soon as I drop the lead hand and go blind, I start getting twisted back onto my back foot, rotating my body back towards the wake. There is the tremendous twisting moment on the board. It stops tracking as soon as I drop the lead hand. In regular (right foot in back)stance edging out cuffed, this would have me dropping my left (lead hand), riding blind for a sec with my right hand wrapped behind my back...but very quickly my right arm gets pulled in, turning my shoulders back away from the boat. At this point, I end up having to surface tick tock to HS heading towards the wake (or risk catching the most evil heelside edge)

What is the secret? Do you try to edge with your front foot more? What body position to hold blind? Look at the shore...correct? Some people have told me to bend at the waist more. Others have just said it is not possible to really hold and edge here..and you just stand tall...put the handle the small of your back, flatten the board..and drift back in. But with no fins...I just get twisted around (tick tock) if I go flat.

Thanks in advance....

(Message edited by kitewake on August 05, 2009)

The key is in the handle position. Your elbow should be at a 90 degree angle behind your back, with the handle as close to your lead hip as possible. Concentrate on pressing the entire length of your forearm against the small of your back so that it's as if the handle is pulling you from your lead hip. Really lock your arm in this position! This will prevent the rope from pulling you around.

Tyler has it. When I first started trying to ride blind I pinned the handle in the CENTER of my back and I would get pulled back to forward fairly easily. Like Tyler said, you really have to let it stretch your arm behind your back and all the way to your lead hip. It is not a very natural position at first.

I've heard to keep a bit of an edge you need to break at the waist and lean forward so your weight is over your toes... just what i've heard though.

Tyler,

Yeah...that is why I can ride cuffed easy. For instance, normal cuffed (right foot in back), I use my left hand/arm, to pull the handle forward, sort of cheating it. When I let go...I can't seem to keep the handle far enough forward. I guess what I need to do is spend more time riding cuffed...and concentrate on cheating less and less with the lead arm...until I don't need it at all... Maybe during that whole process I will figure out the position.

I too have heard that to edge blind...you have to break at the waist, and look at the shore.

In The Book...the segment on the BS 180 to blind, Mike McLin is shown riding back and forth outside the wake blind...and he makes it look so easy (and stylish...just riding along).

I need to really get this down. It is so important. Even a simple HS Reg BS 180 is super hard if you do not have this down. How can you reliably land tricks like this if you can not ride TS Switch, and TS Switch Blind well? I don't think you can....

for the sake of small fins if you or anyone else wants them then a wakeskate fin would probably be best. cdi fins makes one that looks good
http://cdifins.com/cdifins_fins_wakeskate.html

The best way to learn how to ride blind is not riding cuffed and then dropping the other hand (IMO)...

Cut into the flats and do backside 180s all day long. When you do them, focus on doing your ollie with tension and thus landing with tension down the line (wrapped/blind). From there, either pass the handle or ollie back.. After practicing this ALOT, you will start to be able to delay your handle pass or ollie back longer and longer until you will be fully comfortable riding wrapped and blind infinitely.

Unlike a lot of tricks in wakeboarding where you can land it once and have it consistent with decent advice, this is a fundamental skill that just takes lots of practice

If you are doing tricks that land wrapped and blind, and are freaked out when buttering back at the risk of that awful edge catch, try turning back toward the wake once you land.

I hope this helps... Learning to do this is huge, and it will open the doors to soooooo many tricks! Props to fundementals! I hope this helps...!

Thanks Curt...

I was thinking it would be safer to dial the blind position 1st...then take it to Ollie BS 180 to blind...but I like your advice....