control

ive been having a lot of trouble with my control when jumping the wake. when im in the air the boat pulls my body foward and i feel like i dont have any control. any ideas what could be the cause of this?

Control has everything to do with handle position. If you are getting pulled forward it's because you are letting the handle out in the air. Concentrate on keeping the handle into your waste at ALL times. It will help you maintain control and it will help you move on to other tricks.

Watch a few wakeboard videos and you'll see what I mean. The handle is only let away from your body when you want to slow down rotation or let yourself go off-axis (Raley).

Try grabbing the heal edge of your board. Reaching for the grab might make you pull the handle in naturally. You shouold also practice pulling the handle into your waist as you pop.

Good advice! That was and kinda still is my problem.....handle in!

thanks a lot rod, ill try it this weekend, i think im just used to skiing and keeping my hands out.

I've found that handle position to be key, and haven't really figured out what consistently works for me yet. I am trying to hold that porgeressive edge all the way through, and 9 times out of 10, my feet and board get way out in front of me....either landing me on my butt, or forcing me to make a big correction to land it, and it's usually short, or out of control once I clean the wake, making for a tough ride away. I'm thinking my stance is all wrong on approach.....

What I want it more control of my approach and pop....like I see guys cutting out short, setting their edge, and cleaning the wake with no effort. I know it comes with time and practice, but I feel like I am trying to many different things.....and I watch the Book over and over. When I think I'm doing it all right, nothing feels natural. The "point your belly to the sky" thing usally ends up with everyone in the boat going..."OHHHH hhouh houhhouhhh! Yikes"!!

also follow jrods advice on trying to grab. I got my wife trying that and all of a sudden she is poping higher and with way more control and handle position.

ha...my wife did the same. she grabbed indy and went so big she scared herself.

Just an incase...make sure you pick a spot on the horizon and ride to it. You go where your look, so if you look forward and down, you tend to fall forward and down. There you have it...the refined wisdom and 2 cents! lol

also make sure you're using a progressive edge (as opposed to speed alone) to clear the wake. you don't have a crank in on-edge at 90* to the wake. cut out, take your time, and let the boat pull you back in while building tension. then follow jrod's handle advice

After several years of crappy riding, the lightbulb lit up on my last set over the weekend. I had been having balance issues all weekend and was getting pulled forward on every jump, especially toe side.

My edge was fine, I was getting decent pop, but I was keeping the rope too far from my body and had no slack to give when I launched. I focused on keeping the rope tucked into my body with some strength on the cut. I then realized I may be able to progress if I do this, I had so much more control and balance in the air. That extra foot of give you have when you pop is the whole key, otherwise you are fighting the rope in the air.

I felt kind of stupid after that. i have watched enough video and seen my buddy ride to figure out that small detail much sooner. I always felt like I was getting pulled in the air, it went away. It's like a bit of sudden freedom. Wierd.

Not to belabor the point, but are you saying that the rope handle should be right against my waist -- that tight? I just want to make sure I know exactly where to keep my hands. I have had the same control issues and I don't think I have ever really focused on where I am holding the rope handle. Hopefully this will allow me to progress -- I have really hit a plateau and hopefully this will help me move forward.

Yep. Keep that rope in tight. I was amazed at the difference once I pulled it into my waist/hip. Toeside will be on your front hip, heelside into your waist. It takes strength for sure, that's why boarders have buffed out shoulders and backs.

I was letting it out a foot or so in front of me, which required little strength in comparison. I had no slack when I jumped and would get pulled off balance and would land with my arm outstretched.

Once I kept the rope in tight and focused on it, I had ZERO balance issues and had slack to move around. Once you pop, you won't really be able to bring the rope back to your body for spins and such if you don't hold it in close on the approach.

Watch some video of good riders, they look like they are forcing the handle into their bodies so they can get slack on takeoff of pass the handle.

Good luck, i can't wait to ride and focus on this aspect, things could turn around for my riding which has plateaued as of late and i have not felt in control enough to try new things.

Not necessarily against your waist, but in really close. Maybe within 8 inches of your waist. Look at your elbows when you are approaching the wake...they should be in close to your body at your sides. Pull the handle in close to your waist as you stand tall for the pop. This is one of the fundamentals for good pop.

On Toe side jumps, the handle should nearly be touching your front hip. You can actually have your back hand resting against your hip bone.

This handle position is key to progressing also. Especially with that first 360! Keep it in close!

Jase had good advice too. The rest of your control comes from where you are looking. Believe it or not, your board will follow your head.

Flux types faster than me!

He is right though. At first it will feel like a lot of work and your arms will likely tire quick. After a couple of rides, you'll build the stregth.

my problem deals with balance but not that i get pulled forward but that the front of my board (front foot) is always about 6 inches to a foot higher than my rear foot, i'm pretty sure i've read this is because i "keep too much weight on my back foot" but is there any way to fix this other than trying to balance more weight on front? any tricks to help me achieve this?

Try to work on popping from the center of your board instead of the tail. That has always been a problem that I personally have a hard time helping people with.

Hey guys...Just curious...some of the guys I have ridden with have always told me to keep the handle and my arms outstretched while cutting, then as I am coming up the wake pull the handle to my waist so that the handle is at my waist as I pop. Then you aren't tiring your arms and fighting the boat all the time while you ride...just at the peak of your release. Any thoughts?

Man, all this is good information for me as well. This is my 2nd season and I've just been able to case the wake. I've watched my self on video and there's no pop. I'll have to try these things myself. You guys are like virutal coaches! I want to be able to get pop and clear the wake.

Jase, I think that might be a bad habit you have to break later on.

That's great advice, fellas, thanks. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I come into the wake like Jace's buddies told him -- with my arms out, but they definitely don't get back in. I am excited to get out on the water and see how it helps! Here is my second beginner question -- am I looking out at the horizon when I am in the air, or as I approach the wake? I keep my gaze there the entire time?

Jase, people have told me the same thing about pulling the handle in as you pop. It seems to work about 50% of the time for me and I have to focus on it to do it correctly.

Anyone who has golfed knows that when you have problems with your swing people will tell you fifty different fixes. Unfortunately they are all bandaids for correcting bad habits and overcoming muscle memory shortcomings.

I am totally convinced that when I sucked the rope into my body and did what J-rod said to do with keeping my elbows in I had the cleanest pop I have ever had. Yes, it required a bit more strength, but I felt "strong on the rope", like I was controlling it instead of it controlling me.

I pulled the handle in when I initiated the cut and waited for the rope to tense before cutting hard at the wake. I could definately feel alot more strength was needed.

Funny thing is, when I watch some of the pro videos those guys look like statues heading into the wake. They are completely tensed and hit the wake, pop, and explode into some crazy trick.

I have been riding for 3 yrs solid now. I can do an assortment of grabs, FS 180's heel and toe side, and some grabs switch heel side with an occaisional 180. that's all i got. Usually I am fighting my technique for half my weekend and put together a reasonable set or two. I desperately want to improve, but again, I am fighting my technique.

Pop came to me from standing into the wake and proper board weighting, balance was always a problem. I am convinced that keeping the rope tucked in and using your muscle to stay tough is the only way to go. I swear, it was like a beam of light hit me in the head and said "be strong on the rope". My last set was all good straight airs and I felt like I could spinning blind.

I am talking up a storm about this one small aspect of riding, but I think I could actually get alot better if I do this. I am heading to the gym to find any piece of equipment that will help me to be stronger on the rope. I might even concoct some contraption in my garage so I can do some resistance exersizes instead of watching TV.

I could be totally wrong though, try it for yourself next time out. Keep that rope buried into your body and see what it does for you.