gettin up

i went for my first time ever on a wakeboard today! and i really sucked ass! i couldnt even get up. my friend who is tight and wakeboarding said my day was trying to pull me out to hard. He would nail it like i was on waterskis! My friend said you should go real slow and when i get out of the water the speed up? how do you guys do it?

I've taught quite a few people to wakeboard and this is the technique I use:

You should be in a crouched position with your knees bent. Have your elbows outside of your knees and with your arms slightly bent and the handle close to the board. The boat should take off slowly then speed up - but the driver shouldn't hit it hard like with a skier. As the boat starts to pull you, turn you hips slightly and move your back foot almost underneath your butt. With this postion, just hold on and it should pull your right up.

Probably the most common mistake people make is trying to hard to pull themselves up instead of letting the boat pull you up. Also, trying to stand up quickly before you're on plane will cause you to go over the front of the board.

If this doesn't help, buy an instructional video like Detention.

Hey Andy,

I only started boarding a few weeks ago and had a LOT of trouble getting up too... I feel your pain / frustration! Then I spent a whole week in the water and finally found out what I was doing wrong. Maybe it will help you out:

1) Like Bill said, start in a crouched position, but don't bend your legs too much; If the driver accelerates too fast, the water resistance stop your board and you'll end up hurting you hip ligament... (happened to me!)

2) When you start to feel the pull, lift your hands out of the water, until your arms are out and straight...

3) When your shoulders are out of the water and that the board starts dragging water, point your toes forward and pull yourself up. Let the boat pull you up, and then bring the handle to you.

4) When you are 1/2 way out, just turn the board.

I hope this helps! Maybe I have a totally wrong way of getting out, but it works for me!! You can even get the driver to drag you in the water for a while and you'll get a feel of what works for you and what doesn't... I had soar forearms and blisters for a while because I was keeping my back straight during the whole process. I'd fail at least 5 times before getting up!! ... be patient.

Good luck!
J