How to teach getting up?

I am having a hard time teaching friends how to get up. I have had no problems teaching girls and kids. The problem is the same for two of my friends. They are fighting the pull of the boat and can not hang until the handle pops out of there sore hands. I am telling them to not fight the pull of the boat and to stay with ankles to butt and not to stand up until they are on top of the water. What is the best advice? I am thinking that I am going to drag them slowly forever so they can get used to the pull of the boat and to learn to stay in that position. Anyone have a good set of instructions on getting up?

Kelly

ummm i just have them watch an instructional vid till they puke, then i do some of that land training stuff, like givin a handle and pull them up. and if u have a big guy who fights the boat, dont give him a big board, he broke my new handle i gave him a smallerboard, so he got the tequniqe then i gave him the big board and he got up. so i think just pullin up off their butt helps them get the idea

Show them when you ride that you can stay in a seated position the whole time you ride.
Have you seen Detention I?
Have them sit on the floor, knees bent. You stand facing them hold your arm out(your arm acts as the rope, your hand is the handle) to help them up. It's just like a friend helping you stand up. See if this helps....

Try pulling them up on land before you go to the water. have them sit down on the ground and you grap their hands and you pull them up. That will give them the concept (butt to ankles).

In the water, I will tell them to let the butt come to their ankles and to wait a while to stand up. Sometimes I will demonstrate by riding with my board sideways and me still crouched down like a frog to show them you do not have to stand right away.

As the boat driver, I will move the boat with a slight increase in speed. I will wait until I see their butt hit their ankles with the board starting to come out of the water a little and then hit the gas smoothly. They usually will stand right up.

I have done this with about a dozen people in the last year and have not failed to get even one of them up. Most of them were in their thirties to fourties and 5 have never done any water sports before.

Good luck...

Tell them that they are not doing it right until you see them falling over the board forwards. If they are falling backwards they are fighting the pull of the boat. It worked with the last big guy we had out who was fighting it.

I agree that the butt to ankle approach is key. We've gotten several people up this way by telling them to stay butt to ankle until we count to five (or they do) and then stand up slowly. I've seen more people get up soon after or on their first attempt this summer with this approach.

my friends all had difficulty with then rope flying out of there hands and there arms lungings forward so i told them to keeep there arms stright out and stiff so they could go forward and it worked

knees to nipples....

Heres the way to do it, I learned this from a wakeboard instructor that got my 3 year old up the FIRST time. I was shocked. I have since, got every single person up including men over 50 usually on the first time.

The trick is making the rope about 10 feet behind your boat for this. This will make it pull UP and not away. Then, tell them to keep there knees bent and arms straight and DONT MOVE. Dont push, dont pull dont do anythying, the boat does all the work.

Pull them slowly out and they will be riding like they are taking a crap which is fine. Then, if they have any balance, tell them to stand up, if they stand up and eat crap fast, next time tell them to stay squated and eventually it will take them past the wake and in the flats (remember u only have 10' rope still) then when they are in the flats have them stand up, which then they will be edging hard (u dont have to tell them to, its automatic) and will be easy to keep there balance.

Ride like that for 10 mins, throw the rope out to 80' and watch them get up like a champ.

I teach them Knees to chest, heels to butt, routine, the "let the boat do the work" routine and the squat routine.
I also have added 2 things to these ideas that seem to help.
1. If you have a wrap handle, have them hold on to the handle, put them with the board against the swim deck and pull them up and towards you using the wrap handle.(If they try to arch teir back at any time, let go of the handle as aversion training.
2. tell them while they are getting the initial pull, hold thier head and shoulders as if they were trying to see over the board.

As a last resort, give them help by getting in the water, while they are in position and the rope is tight, hold one hand on the heelside of the board and the other in the middle of their back, and give the board a slight tug and their back a slight push.

I usually get in the water with someone who is struggling to get up. I hold the board under them so that they aren't pushing so much water. When the rider is ready I have the boat take off slowly while I hold the board down. Works every time. Most people push too much water and can't hold on to the handle. The mothod above fixes that problem.

I usually have the rider put their legs to their chest and lock their arms around their knees (applying pressure toward their arms with thier knees, and pushing in with their arms) then just let the boat roll them up. I like this method because it keeps the rider in the squat position the whole time, and it distributes the force of the pull over their body instead of wearing out thier arms, also if they keep their arms locked they can't pull against the boat.

once they are all the way up drop the back hand to straighten the board till they get the feel of it.

Kelly, here is my two cents. I don't know if you have a waketower or if you are using the standard towing position in back of the boat. I am using the standard in the back of the boat. I just believe that this helps in keeping the rope out of the water(less drag for the boarder).

Try this, (deep water start)Have the board in the water and face it so that the nose(front) of the board is facing the boat. have them now turn it about 1/4 to the right or left(depending if they are goofy or regular foot). have them get into a position where the front foot has about 1/4 to 1/2 of the front foot out of the water or persay the binding. now have them put the rope over the front binding and over the board. anywhere within the front binding and the nose of the board

with the handle in both hands, move the boat a little forward so that the rope gets some tension on it. as soon as there is tension, gun the boat. I feel this creates less drag for the person to have to fight to get up. the point of keeping the board like this in the water is so that it is fairly straight to begin with and if done right puts them on top of the water very quickly.


I tryed it horizontally my first time and nerver got up and then this and I now have NO problems getting up. and i have only been boarding for about a month.

Good luck!

Well, I'm a big guy and I had some trouble with this at first myself. All I can really say is BEND YOUR KNEES. I keep the boards with the bottom facing the boat (similar leg position as two skiis) When the boat starts dragging me I let the board go all the way in to my ass almost like im sitting on it. keeping your arms straight and you roll right up on top of the board. As far as turning and getting the balance thing down its just a matter of practice. I get up now with almost no strain on my legs or arms at all now.