I can't poke out Grabs? HELP

I can;t for the life of me poke out my grabs? Could the problem be my binding (transits) be to stiff? I have put the board on on dry land and can barely replicate what I want to look like in the air. Any Ideas?

lay on your back and try to replicate how you want it. If you can do it that way, you should definately be able to do it in the air. If you can't do it on your back, I guess you just really can't poke out grabs

stretch

dude.... just suck one leg up, and straighten the other one out while you're in the air. Once you get that down, start grabbin' the board.

I kinda like Travis' idea... but from the sound of things, you have possibly tried that idea. You said you put the board on on dry ground and tried things, how so?

i'm no expert, but these are my guesses and input

try getting more air/ grab time to do what you need via:
1. more air in general
2. go for the grab sooner - bend your knees more sooner/faster to bring the board closer to you

If stiffness of boots is truly binding you down than id try loosening them up.

Where on the board are you grabbing and trying to do a poke? maybe you're trying a harder grab to poke... if there is such a situation.

again, just guessing here and throwing things out

This is what i normally look like.

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When you fall and your waiting for the boat to come back for you try practicing then. Grab the board and poke it out the way you want and repeat until the boat gets there. (muscle memory)

I feel one of the easiest grabs to poke is tail. All you gotta do is straighten out that front leg. Try it first without even grabbing the board and it becomes instinct to poke after you reach down for the tail.

what I find for a couple of my pokes:

tail grab: get good vertical pop, grab the tail, push your lead foot out like you are trying to kick someone...don't even worry about your back foot

stale fish: again, vertical pop, kick your back foot out in front of you (and down) AS you reach for the grab

I have always used the muscle memory type of mindset.

Here is a peice of advice, it will be extremely hard for you to do anything with out the proper line tension, so make sure your basics are 100% i.e. progressive edge. Make sure you have consistant line tension.

Then (for a Indy Poke) you I just try to kick the wake I left from with my front foot, it actually uses more waist flexability. It feels asthough your body is floating behind you. THen you pull with your hand to get hte board back under you....Hope I didnt confuse you

good shifty poke there. its all about getting the board closer to your butt. Takes mad flex and strength. get your core stronger, more flexible.

get on a trampoline and practise

BIG TIP: Keep the rope at your waist when you are setting up/launching off the wake. This was the best advice I ever got, and has improved my riding immensely.

Just a thought.

control in the air is the key....keep the handle down and maintain a little line tension...this will allow you to pull a little here or a little there. once you get the grab pull hard with your arm and straighten that front leg.

good luck....and check cie j-rod's profile for a legit tail poke.

Very off topic here, but I have a question for you Chad... have your transits started peeling? The gray part?? Mine look so awful, and it's not like I haven't taken good care of them!

Good luck with poking your grabs! I am learning that as well. I always do what WCW walt says!

Dan's advise is money, get on the tramp

Like Ren said way up top, stretch. stretching your legs for a few minutes before you get on the water will help a lot.

Everyone pretty much gave you plenty of good ideas... I just wanted to say its not the bindings. I rode transits last year and I could poke just fine.

Has nothing to do with stretching in my opinion, but board skills. Just keep practicing, trying to grab and poke on each jump a little more...jumping on the tramp with a skate deck on your feet or a tramp board would probably really help.

You just need to get one good Fashion Air on film and it all comes together after that. O ya and work on stretching!

Walt has a good one. I do that too.

Also try widening your stance. That helped me back in the day.

get liquid force vantage boots!

I agree with Thane, widen that stance all the way out. Puts you in a stronger position to really affect the attitude of the board. Tail is a good starter and then indy and then melan. Remember the more time in the air you have the more time to bone that shizz out, go big!!

After looking at that picture that u showed us, i think your best bet would be to bend more at your waist. Your butt is almost touching the board, you need to bend over your knees more, which will put you in a better position.

Tramp practice is good and in the water waiting for the boat is good use of down time.

i went to a camp, and i was doing these super sketchy tail grabs and the guy told me like three things and i started doin sick poked tail grabs every time.
1. ride the wake with even weight distribution (thats the key)
2. when your at your peak, grab your tail, suck your back knee into your chest and point the nose of your board toward the opposite wake.
3. let of of your tail before you reach the next wake, and land carving outward.

make sure you do the weight distribution thing, or else you'll send yourself flying when you try to do anything......worked wonders for me

try twisting your body so your squared a little more the way you poke the board.

i cant poke amazingly but thats a good place to start

HIJACK: speaking of grabs, I CANT GRAB STALE I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING.
well i can grab stale but it looks horrible. what do i stretch to make it easier? end HIJACK:

I pull the sh*t out of the tail when I grab it and straighten out my front leg.

My kid started doing non correct fashions, but it worked..

off topic a little.....but check out the tongue hangin' out. my son is only two but he does the same thing whenever he's concentrating. funny!

I was messing around with my board and bindings last night and noticed that it seemed easier the more duck footed my stance was.