Do pros slow the boat down mid air?

either that or somehow they generate so much slack to do 900's and shizznit. someone please explain!!!!!???? seems in videos like they slow the boat down...expecially when i see a very crumbly landing wake and a ton of slack.

They do not...

The magic in managing the line tension is what makes them pros and the rest of us not. A good hard tug of the top of the wake bringing the handle into the drawstrings can advance you more than you think. Plus the way most of the young guys ride now going wake to wake, you can slide ahead a bit landing on the downside of today's monster wakes which also helps some landing multiple handle pass spins too. If the vids you're watching have a lot of double-ups (ie Defy or Prime) you'll see the ropes tend to look a little more slack in that too.

And if the wake is balanced properly, typically, the landing wake is always washy because the rider is pulling on the boat over from the opposite side of the wake.

Originally Posted by Andy_Elliott

either that or somehow they generate so much slack to do 900's and shizznit. someone please explain!!!!!???? seems in videos like they slow the boat down...expecially when i see a very crumbly landing wake and a ton of slack.

Definitely not. I have bene around this game for a really long time and I have to agree with all the other comments. The key to spinning past 180 is advancing yourself towards the boat. If you watch a 900 in slow motion you will see the rider pulling extremely hard on the rope of the wake, they are advancing their body towards the boat. This causes the rope to slack out, the slacked out rope allows them to spin with minimal line tension or what looks like a slacked out rope. The rope pull does not only advance them towards the boat and break line tension it also gets the rotation going. From their it's all muscle memory of the handle pass and air awareness.

Like Ryan stated the washed out wake on the opposite side is totally normal. You can see the wake wash out as the rider is cutting in usually before they are even in the air.

Absolutely true.

And you pull harder depending on the trick.
When I think of my toe 5 vs my toe 3 in particular. Handle position plays a big role in the spin and also the line tension.

You pull that handle in a little more for 5 than 3 which helps spin you a bit quicker and relieves more tension which allows you to make it through the second pass more easily. It's a pretty subtle tug though. If I was going for seven I'd pull it in even a little more.

Edge strategy also plays a huge role in line tension

Ok.. this is good to know because sometimes in videos i see the riders ropes slapping the water and im like how the frick do they do that. I can do 3's everytime and in multiple variations, but when i go for 5 or flip with spin i just don't pull hard enough i guess. the timing involved with professional level riding is simply mind blowing and im trying to wrap my head around it. i feel like when i really try and pull hard (toe 5 or sw hs 5) i always pull the rotation right to my face haha. Its too bad wakeboarding doesn't get more attention..I've done a lot of "xtreme" sports and wakeboarding is for sure one of the most technically challenging ones out there. the subtle nuances of line tension, edge control and timing are like an art form.

You're in nh? Pm me.

100% agree with pulling on the handle to advance yourself toward the boat. For a 360 and beyond it has to be done.

Also, when you're edging in you're going faster than the boat. Try edging out into the flats as hard as you can and then flatten off. Notice how the line goes slack. Now look at how the best riders like Cory, Harley, and Dowdy edge in hard and then flatten off before then pop.

Originally Posted by Andy_Elliott

Ok.. this is good to know because sometimes in videos i see the riders ropes slapping the water and im like how the frick do they do that. I can do 3's everytime and in multiple variations, but when i go for 5 or flip with spin i just don't pull hard enough i guess. the timing involved with professional level riding is simply mind blowing and im trying to wrap my head around it. i feel like when i really try and pull hard (toe 5 or sw hs 5) i always pull the rotation right to my face haha. Its too bad wakeboarding doesn't get more attention..I've done a lot of "xtreme" sports and wakeboarding is for sure one of the most technically challenging ones out there. the subtle nuances of line tension, edge control and timing are like an art form.

If your getting off axis on a toeside 5 that is resulting in you getting pulled forward so you land face first, chances are good your rushing the handle pass and pulling the rope before your in the air. Remember it's pop, pull, pass. It's easier said than done. Muscle memory plays a huge part in this. Getting off axis the right way helps cheat the spin a bit as well on toeside spins as you basically fall out of the spin on the way down. This is done by pulling the rope down toward your back knee and dropping your back shoulder to get the rotation going off axis instead of your hip, if you really taco out the spin you almost always do a 540 automatically.

For a traditional flat spin 540 and taking your TS 3 to a 5, you pull harder than a 3, but the real key is to keep the handle moving once you pass the handle. After you pass the handle you need to keep it moving across your body and not let your arm with the handle out after the first pass. Once you've passed the handle keep it in tight and keep it moving across the front of your body toward what was your back hip when you took off toeside. Most people find it easier to do an additional handle pass, this will square up your shoulders. I've taught a ton of lessons over the year and I to get people spinning past a TS 360 I have them do a bunch of Toeside 180's first where you pop and drop your back handle rotate using your front hand then pass the handle back to your opposite hand (back hand when you left the wake) before you land. This works well as it's basically the same motion as the last 180 in a TS 540. Hope that make sense.

Once last thing to check out and make is this handle pass trainer. I have been using one of these for a decade and still use it all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43B3V7PqYYA