No jumping at all... Well I guess you could jump. You do more pushing than anything. But to jump, you need to pop. Pop is a weird thing I guess. Here's how I explain it to ppl: Imagine a baseball bounceback. You know those things you can throw a ball at and it comes back to you. So basically you can play catch with yourself. The wake is similar to the bounce back. So imagine you angle the bounceback at 30-45 degrees. When you throw a fastball at it, it doesnt come back, but pops way up in the air and behind the bounceback. The baseball is stiff and stays the same the whole time. The bounce back is what gives and ultimatly delivers the air and distance. The wake will do the same for you. So if you throw a slow ball at the bounceback, the ball may not even make it over the bounceback. If you throw a flat basketball at the bounceback, it may go anywhere. Here's some pointers to get you started: 1. Learn how to olley. It will give you a feel for the water. Just go out in the flats and olley a bunch. Helps with balance too. 2. Jump off one wake. Start near the far right wake (if you're regular like me) and give it hell and jump off the left wake. Push off just b4 you leave the left wake. I know ppl that can do backrolls off one wake!! 3. Make it a point to keep the handle close to your hip. This is crucial and will help with balance and cut. 4. Work on your cut. Dont start a cut by laying the edge into the water and go screaming into the wake. Ease into the cut. The cut should become progessively harder the closer you get to the wake. Hence the term, "progressive cut." 5. Like TXphil said, don't use your knees as shock abosorbers. They are your springboards. Keep your body low and just b4 you hit the wake, straighen up a bit. 6. Practice practice practice. 7. Watch "Detention" by Shaun Murray. It's a great instructional video. Well worth the money I think. I had a buddy last summer that was working on his jumping wakes. And basically he was just ramping the wakes and getting little air. Now after practicing all last summer. He is jumping thru the proverbial roof!!! Good luck dudes. Let us know how it goes!!! Hunt
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