need help with progression

Alright heres the dealio. I've been ridin' for about 3 seasons now and am very comfortable on my board. The problem is I can't get any height on my hs w2w jumps. I've been told that I have great edging ability. What happens when I attempt to stand tall at the top of the wake I end up with my knees still bent and hunched over also. I feel like like i'm making to much tension on the line and cant keep the handle down at my waist. What could I try to correct this? I feel like if i could get past this I could attempt inverts and improve on ts edging. I own the Book and have watched it till I'm blue in the face. It also seems that when I get in "wakeboarding" shape the season is over.

a video would help alot!
but all i can think is that you should slow down alot (not the boat, your edging) and worry more about standing tall. its not just standing tall i guess, more waiting for the right moment to pop. its kind of like jumping, but you dont actually jump, just pop your legs, like your on a trampoline. you dont need to keep the handle right at your waist, just in.

Yea dude think about it this way.

I could edge out wayy far, come in nice and hard, and only get a little pop and clear the wake, but with more speed than height.

but if I didnt edge out as far , and made a more mellow edge, but gotta nice pop, id clear the wake, with more height.

pop=height
speed into wake=distance

essentially, theres a little more to it than that, but once you get those down, youll be landing out in the flats in no time

michael same thing with me. I am going to try what these guys are talking about and not go so far out and just concentrate on the pop.

Alright, this is totally my opinion. I have seen techniques change over the years. As wakes have gotten bigger, the bent leg approach is the norm now. Back in the day, their was more emphasis on stiff legs rather than pumping the wake. Pumping the wake was really an advanced technique, once your timing was spot on. Now everyone wants to pump the wake the first day on the board.

My point. Don't worry so much about coming in really bent leg and trying to "jump" off the wake. As your timing gets better and you know when the pop will occur you can work on this technique. Right now focus on getting an efficient cut. What this means, short approach with a progressive cut. Don't aborb the wake with your knees. You don't have to lock your knees out, but if they don't aborb (i.e. don't bend them as you are getting your pop), you will get pop. Obviously the type of boat you are riding behind will also play a big part in the amount of pop you are getting.

I have helped quite a few fix this. You need to learn to use the board and edge vs using speed to cross the wake. Only cut out on you heelside edge to where the spray from the boat is falling. Approx. 6-8 ft out. Then cut in, when you get to the bottom of the wake, rotate your hips under your torso, and straighten your legs. What you are doing is taking the bend out of your knees and waist. By only taking a small cut, it allows you to really feel the pop.

Thanks a lot everybody. I'm sure all this info will come in handy this labor day wknd at the lake. Hopefully I will be clearing the wake with height before Tuesday.

Byrd, how fast should I be going and what rope length should I use when cutting out this distance. I've been riding at 65 ft about 21mph and able to clear wake but without pop of course

This is the same as what byrd is suggesting, just how I try to explain it to people I ride with.

I suggest they take 1/2 their normal approach (usually they are cutting 15-20' out), to the point that you think there is no way you can possibly clear the wake. Wait for the pull on the line from the boat, start with a very slow turn towards the wake so that you don't lose any line tension and then try to make up that lost speed as you approach the wake. You will have to accelerate hard to do this. However, it will force you to increase your edge all the way up and through the wake.