cant land a 360!!

when i hit the wake i get plenty of air and land in the flats on the other side, but when i go for the rope pass i get about 270 and the rope pulls me in the air and i get off balance. i end up landing on my side. what do i do about this? also the boat right now does not have a tower or pylon.

You do not have the rope low enough and you also must flatten the board in the trough. If your rope is high and/or your rope tension is too high, you will get pulled forward like you describe. For more information - www.kneeboardplanet.com There are videos and descriptions on how to throw the tricks.

It sounds like what Karl said: too much rope tension. It's really important that you don't throw the trick until you are completely in the air. Just as important, hit the wake with your arms bent. If your arms are straight out you'll get pulled out like you described.

hmm, since were on the topic of 360's, I also have a question. I can get plenty of air and get the full rotation and land it. But I can never seem to pass the rope behind me when im in the air. Is there a certain way I can do this, or just practice practice practice?

John,

The biggest key is what Tuneman said - make sure you are completely in the air before beginning your rotation. If not, you will get pulled off-axis and it will be very difficult to land the trick.

As for the handle pass, you want to make sure to make it in the "small" of your back, which is basically your waist. This is what they mean by keeping the rope low. You also need to make the handle pass right next to your body, as it is the easiest place for your other hand to find the handle on a consistent basis.

What worked for me was tying a rope to a tree and practicing the handle pass and rotation. This way it will be natural when on the water. Make sure to keep your hands in the same place on the handle as usual going into the wake, then when you go behind your back, you will flip the handle, going from palms down to palms up. When your other hand grabs the handle and you spin back forward, the handle will flip again and you will again be palms down.

You will find that if you can make the handle pass halfway through the trick, the boat will pull you the rest of the way around. This is the same with the backroll. So, if you can rotate halfway and concentrate on the handle pass, you will start landing them.

Get on the forum over at kneeboardplanet.com. People are very helpful with things like this.

Best of luck.

Thanks a lot...hopefully I will be able to land it this weekend! I have been trying for cevaral weeks, and its been really frustrating to be able to jump and do the full spin, but let the rope go half way through the trick.

(Message edited by kalimnios2005 on April 05, 2006)