Backroll help

i need help with my backrolls.... can someone walk methough all the steps.... I dont got a pylon so its a little bit harder

Try going to wakeboarder.com. they should take you through it step by step and they also have vids. Good luck I'm trying to learn how to do one too.

The Backroll is a relatively easy trick to do, as long as you've got your progressive cut down. Without the progressive cut, you will get worked! This is what works for me and I have taught this trick to a few people this same exact way. It may not work for everyone.

1. Cut out about 10ft. from the wake. (Yes, 10ft. The key isn't a hard cut)
2. Start to drift in towards the wake slowly.
3. Once facing the wake, start to lean back on the rope to cut harder. Remember to keep your shoulders up, and not back.
4. Make sure your hardest cut is at the wake. (As stated above, the key isn't a hard cut...the key is a progressive cut, w/o flattening out)
5. Stand tall and keep the handle at your lead hip at the top of the wake.
6. As your coming off the wake, make your board go straight up and at the same time, look UP and OVER your lead shoulder. DON'T JUST LOOK OVER YOUR LEAD SHOULDER AS THIS WILL LEAD TO AN OUT OF CONTROL OFF-AXIS SPIN.
7. Keep the handle close to your hip with BOTH hands.
8. Keep your eyes open and spot your landing.
9. Absorb the landing by bending your knees and continue cutting away from the boat.

Like I said, it's a relatively easy trick, as long as you've got your progressive cut down and you commit to trying it. Don't half-ass it. Give it your all. If you apply the tips correctly, the rope, board and boat does all the work...you're just along for the ride.

Good luck!

Do you necessarilly need a big wake to do this trick. All I have is a relatively, or actually an extremely small wake. I guess its about ankle size and it srt of slopes up gradually and isnt very steep. I was just wondering if I'm capable of performing this trick.

You definitely do not need a big wake for this trick. I've witnessed a few riders pulling this off out in the flats just by pumping hard and generating their own air without any wake.

Thats awesome. I've finally found a pretty cool trick that I might be abe to actuallty do behind my boat. Thank for the info.

If you want to get into air tricks (out in the flats) You can do Air Tantrums, raleys, Whirly's
I suggest you get Shaun murry's Detention video. The one I got has volume 1 and 2 on the same tape. Shows you all the basics, and progresses up to your more advanced inverts. it shows and explains how to do like 100 tricks. Check it out.

I am struggling with the rotation of the backroll. I have plenty of height, have no problem getting inverted, but my rotation always stalls and I crash into the opposite wake on my head. Any advice would be much appreciated, especially because after a few too many of those crashes I can barely move my neck today

Lara, how is everything going with you and Geoff? How is his knee? On the backroll, your arm position dictates how fast you rotate. If you have the handle out and your arms straight, you will rotate slow. If you have your arms bent in and the handle close to your body, you will rotate much faster. Without seeing what you are doing, I would think that you should try to hold the handle closer to your body. If you are over rotating, letting your arms out will help that problem once you are around. Hope that helps. Like Joe says, the key to this trick is a progressive cut.

Lara, another thing that helps me is to keep looking over your shoulder for the water. I used to just kind of turn my head up and that caused me to stall just like you're describing.

Just looking over your shoulder will cause an off-axis spin, rather than getting inverted. Don't just look over your shoulder...look up and over your lead shoulder. Kinda like pointing your chin up the sky by your lead shoulder.

The reason for an invert to stall is;

a. Letting the handle out from your body.
b. Letting go of the handle.
c. Not having a progressive cut.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it. I'm pretty sure my cut is OK, I think my head and handle position are the issues. I can't wait try it again with those things in mind. Unfortunately, I'm not very coordinated, so it takes my body along time to "learn" what my mind already knows.

Jason, Geoff and I are doing great! I've been out surfing with your sister a few times over the last couple months. Geoff is going to the Orthopedist tomorrow to find out more about what is wrong with his knee. It isn't getting better, which is just such a bummer for him. When are you coming down to San Diego?

I wish it was soon. I miss those glassy mornings on Mission Bay. It has been windy up here at Castaic. I met a bunch of cool boarders that I have been riding with. I will let you guys know when I come down next time. Tell Geoff that I wish him luck at the doctors.

this is probably a stupid question but is a backroll basically just a front flip like you would do on land off your heel edge?

No, thats more of a mexican roll. A backroll is more like a cartwheel but moving in the opposite direction.