wakeboard jargon

Ok, I've been reading a lot of posts/tutorials about wakeboarding and I still do not fully understand what people mean by "edge" or "edge out" etc. I have read a few things on it, but none of them were very clear or direct from a beginners stand point. Just need a simple clarification please. Thanks

edge is exactly that...the edge of the board. that means you're riding on the edge of the board, and not riding it flat. when you carve around, back and forth, you're using your heelside edge and your toeside edge. when you're cutting in towards the wake, you're on the edge. another term for cutting is edging.

Other jargon:

Header: Also known as a face plant or landing on your face by catching the front lip of the board.
Case: Landing on top of the far wake during a w2w jump.

There are two ways to change your direction of travel on a board. One is simply to "steer" the board by moving the front of it in the direction you want to go, and letting the rear fin(s) do all the work. This practice won't get you any speed and it won't get you any air, but it will get you lots of faceplants.

"Edging" is the the second (and proper) way to change directions (and to gain speed). It's a lot like riding a skateboard. Mostly, you use your ankles to rock your feet back (or forward), so the heelside (or toeside) edge of the board digs into the water. This will cause it to change direction. To edge really hard, you can lean your whole body back and pull hard against the rope, which will give you a lot of acceleration and speed.