How Long Before You Hit Switch Toeside?

I'm embarrased to say this, but I have been riding off and on for around a decade, and just got around to jumping switch toe a few weeks ago. Of course if felt wierd charging the wake switch toeside at first, but am finally getting more comfortable with it at full line length and wish I would have tried this sooner. I would have been or felt like I could have been a more complete rider years ago had I just bucked up and tried.

If anyone is looking for some end of season progression, give it a try and don't waste all the years I did.

Ditto and agree.

It's always fun to see peoples faces, I go from doing flips and spins and then get all happy when I do a nice simple switch toeside wake jump with a grab

my goal was to be able to do regular and switch 180's wake to wake at 70' 21mph and no weight.that way you know your technique is down.switch toeside 180 was the last piece to the puzzle. and much like you b martin it took close to a decade to accomplish mostly because i didn't stay at it. but now i'm most proud to be able to do all of them.

I've been riding for well over a decade and switch toe is one of those things I never even try.

Took me 14 years. Stuck a w2w first try without any problems. I was actually doing switch toe 5's before a straight air sw ts. Just never really had the enthusiasm to do anything switch before though...

i think i started my second season?

its funny you mention that, there was a switch only contest early this year with the pros, there was one or two of the pros, that could not even complete a switch toeside air. no trick, no spin, no grab, i dont even think it had to be W2W. and two were disqualified becuse they could not do a SW TS air. so dont feel TOO bad!

For me it's about like throwing a football with my left hand. i only do it when no one is looking.

I have played with it on and off but last time out worked it a bit more- According to the judges at Active Watersports comps a one-wake switch toe 180 is worth more than a grabbed heelside three! REALLY? WTF is up with that?....................

Switch toe? nonononononoo....

warming to the idea. Was doing 1 wake 180s the other day. Might try a switch scarecrow at the weekend just to see what happens....

I've been riding for 16+ years and have never even tried a switch TS w2w. I guess when you don't get to ride much there are other things you want to try rather than switch TS jumps. I've tried a couple of one wake ones this year and they felt...TERRIBLE!

Second season, and relatively comfortable at it by the end of 3rd.

Here's how it happened. I'm giving a friend's 16 year old punk kid the first wakeboard experience of his life. In his 2nd set (not season, but set) he's riding TS ... and ... sliding back inside the wake with 180's. In his 3rd set, he's getting air.

I regret I'm like this but ... not to be shown up ... I immediately start copying him next set out ... and then ... to do one better ... I started trying them switch.

I say, get working on your ‘switch’ TS stuff early Early EARLY in this sport.

It's not like you have a whole lifetime's experience in some other sport which simulates the switch position. Switch HS is terrifically hard for me. I think this is so because HS seems to simulate a batting stance for me, or a golf stance, etc. When I do HS stuff, I'm probably bobbing my hips up then down, perhaps forwards then backwards too, and all while not only introducing a slight twist but also with a swish outwards as well... in other words, the motion is done with all these little micro-dancing bad habits which have been picked up and ingrained over a long period of time from years of baseball and golf and the like. Switch HS is probably so hard for me because either (1) my regular HS is too complicated to easily duplicate in mirror opposite fashion ... or else because ... (2) my courage isn’t stout since the feeling is so alien to regular HS.

Regular TS ... for sure ... felt alien my first tries at it. Switch TS likewise felt alien, but in about in the same measure as regular.

Best advice I can give is twofold.

(1) I make myself believe that TS – either direction – is easy because it rewards a firmly held body position from start to finish into the wake; and
(2) get “Retrospect” and watch the short bit where Scott Byerly jumps over Gator Lutgert and then goes out further into the flats. It’s there where he demonstrates how to torque on that rope TS.

If anybody tells me how to post *.avi video, then I’ll post a couple clips of second season attempts (none make it w2w). I think the clips will inspire a lot of you. The clips show a regular guy – the furthest far thing from a pro or a ripper – just hitting the wake TS both ways. If a guy like me can do them, I bet everyone reading here can do so too.

I learned them by forcing myself to try them. It started when we were "micro waking it" one day (no weight at 70ft). Finally stepped up to full ballast at 80ft+. Now I try to do them every set or so but still find myself slacking off. SW HS is pretty simple though and I will throw that in there during my warm up set. I gotta step up and do the same with SW TS. Either way, learning things switch made me a MUCH better rider with a much higher comfort level on the board in all positions.

Its one of those tricks where fellow (serious) riders will give you props, but most recreation riders will be like "whats the big deal".

the best compliment you can get is fellow boarder saying was that regular or switch?

^^^Very true. I rode with Brodie Chaboya one day and could not tell the difference between switch and regular. Guy rips both ways...

If you can do a regular hs backside 1 landing wrapped, try a switch ts fs 3 and land wrapped. You'll probably surprise yourself!

I use to do a TS half cab occasionally. I'll have to huck one this weekend.

stuck a few, but hard. i can do switch TS 180s a lot easier, but landing TS... ooo weee. everything has to be perfect at this time. hopefully it will get better

^^^^^^jeremy how do you land a hs 180?toeside.no different than a toeside jump other than keeping handle on lead hip on ts jump.

So far, I have just landed w2w sw ts 1's and haven't even tried straight sw TS yet and will try next time out. Coincidently also working on HS backside 1s landing wrapped but not w2w yet on that. Hmmmmm you got me thinking Brad.

My wife landed a switch scare crow on like her 5th try. I still have problems with them and have landed a total of like 5. It just feels awkward for me. I think in wakeboarding just certain tricks come easier for one person then another. I have another friend who couldn't really get inverted at all but could do awsome switch toe 5's. I am gonna try and work on some more switch crows this weekend.

I LOVE SWITCH TOESIDE!!!! It's supe fun and supe hard to do, plus when you start spinning the first 180 is a free bee. I think I landed an switch ts 540 ans 720 before I ever tried a switch ts 360. Its cool how once you figure out the cut and the pop you can really play with learning different tricks and they seem to come quick once you get comfortable with the cut. It did take me forever to figure out how to spin off axis and get inverted, just a mental glitch I think.

a one wake switch toeside 180 is the easiest 180 to hit, as soon as you can cut toeside, try it!

I started riding switch last year and I'm so glad. IMO makes you better if you can ride regular and switch and look smooth on both!

Been riding a bit under 2 years. Landed 1st W2W switch TS about a year ago...but it is never as strong as reg TS...so I just stop doing it...then it only get worse.

Recently...I have concluded that some landings are weak on tricks because my Sw toe is so weak...so back to it.

A goal for the year is get Sw TS BS 1s, and Heel side Sw BS 1s down.....3.5 months to go...

I started doing it prob two or three years ago (w2w) so ~7 years in. I really like being able to do switch ts tricks, but it is awkward. I got switch ts 180s first, then switch toe 5s followed by switch toe 3s and switch ts jumps. This year I got switch ts frontrolls but then jacked my knee up on one and stopped doing them. I had sw ts bs 180s at one point consistent but lost those too. I can do a few solid sw ts tricks but they feel low/ugly so I avoid them for the most part.

This last weekend I finally figured out swith crows it only took me about five years. I landed a couple clean. And I think they will be super consistant shortly. And advice on going from switch crow to off axis spin. Thanks, MIke

Switch ts 5s, switch ts bs 3's, skeezers and a few other switch ts tricks....... still can't get my head around a switch ts straight air w2w. catch an edge ever time, haha.

^ agreed - I can throw a lot of things TS Switch - but just a straight air is next to impossible.

on a switch t/s jump just keep lead hand on handle near lead hip and let go with rear hand and roll shoulder over toes to help get on edge.

Same here. Can throw a bunch of switch TS spins and inverts but can't just do a wake jump. Feels really screwed up.

I look like a cat sh*ttin a razor blade riding switch. I have been riding for 3 yrs. well 2 full seasons and on and off the first year. I just cant get the hang of switch AT ALL. I jump reg. TS but still cant clear the wake so I dont see SW TS in my future but hey it took you a decade so I dont feel so bad.I still have time! Good luck and keep hitting it!

Just got my first switch TS w2w 180 this year : D. I've been riding since 07

Just started landing W2W TS switches last month. Been trying to land them for a while now. Started riding in the end of 07 (maybe a month) and into 08 and 09 tried a couple times. It just finally clicked what I needed to do and I started nailing them consistently. I landed about 8 in a row and it felt super smooth and just second nature. Glad I finally am able to stick it. They do pump you up for sure.

Nice thread. It took me 8 years to finally even try W2W switch TS...I get them about 50% of the time, the other 50% I usually end up casing the wake and biff it. I just have such a hard time charging switch TS. There is great advice in this thread...if you are learning, incorporate all the 180 possibilities in your riding before you contemplate becoming a flip master. It may not be as sexy, but you'll be a much more complete rider as a result.