Proper board position for getting out of the water?

biggy boy · #1 October 15th, 2006, 09:24 AM

Hi everyone!
This summer for the first time my kids started to learn how to wake-board. My daughter 14 has no problem getting up and staying up, but non of my other kids can
11 and 20. I think i may be telling them to have the board
wrongly positioned for start off.
Attached is a picture of my daughter sitting waiting to go.
can you tell me if this is the position that the board should be in or should the board and her front foot be facing the back of the boat, like at a 45 deg angle? ( keep in mined this picture is her just sitting there waiting for me to tighten the line)

Thanks in advance for your help.

Glen

Dunaruna · #2 October 16th, 2006, 07:20 AM

[colour=blue]Knees up to chest.

Heels touching butt.

Elbows outside knees.

Arms slightly bent (optional, some people like straight arms).

Board square to rear of boat.

Feel pressure of boat pulling and allow feet to 'wash' towards butt, then stand up and board should turn automatically to comfortable stance.

DON'T PULL TOO HARD, the wash of the boat does the job, not the speed.

My daughter says that your daughter has a nice board8)

biggy boy · #3 October 16th, 2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dunaruna

[colour=blue]Knees up to chest.

Heels touching butt.

Elbows outside knees.

Arms slightly bent (optional, some people like straight arms).

Board square to rear of boat.

Feel pressure of boat pulling and allow feet to 'wash' towards butt, then stand up and board should turn automatically to comfortable stance.

DON'T PULL TOO HARD, the wash of the boat does the job, not the speed.

My daughter says that your daughter has a nice board8)

Cool8) thanks for the help. I have been telling her and my other kids to have the front (narrower part) of the board facing towards the boat at a 45 deg angle. I guess that is why my other kids are not able to get up. I also have to remember to not pull too hard.
Yes its a cool looking board it's a CWB.

Thanks
Glen

Dunaruna · #4 October 17th, 2006, 05:58 AM

[colour=blue]When learning, square to the boat is easier. Once they get competent, try any angle. My son takes off like he's riding a surfboard!

tommays · #5 October 17th, 2006, 10:10 AM

I would say the boot angles are a big issue

pretty much everybody we board with likes the boots at different angles and if they board normal or goofy

" left or right foot forward "

Tommays

biggy boy · #6 October 17th, 2006, 06:28 PM

One good why to find out what foot goes forward is to try the following.
Have the person in question stand squarely in front of you, facing you.
They should be about 3 feet away from you and their feet shoulder width apart. Now give that person a shove with your hand on their shoulder. Which ever foot they move back behind themselves is their bracing foot. The other foot that stayed forward is the foot that goes in the forward binding.
This is a trick I learned from a friend who taught me to slalom ski.

Glen

Speedwagon · #7 October 22nd, 2006, 07:17 PM

An important thing to remember... you don't HAVE to stand up. You can ride the squat for quite some time. Alot of people try to stand up too early when they are learning from what I've seen. If you try to force yourself out of the water, you will fall right back in the water.

Ride the squat!

Also, in addition to Biggy Boy's post, you can see which foot you put forward if you try to do a slide. As in, a slide on ice or a slick floor. Whichever foot you lead with, is the foot you, well, lead with...

deejaycee_2000 · #8 October 26th, 2006, 03:05 AM

Her position in the water is perfect ...... when the rope tightens and the boat pulls away .... the easyest way to get up is to put more pressure on your back foot and at the same time try to lift your front foot a bit .... I found that this method let you pop out the water quick with less effort .......

aerwin · #9 November 19th, 2006, 05:17 PM

a taller tow point also makes a big difference, her stance is just right, as soon as you start pulling then start to 45 then 90 deg the board

Deimus · #10 November 22nd, 2006, 09:33 PM

good info I was going to give wakeboarding a try next summer and thats a good place to start. any advise on a good starter board that I and the kids can both use?

aerwin · #11 November 22nd, 2006, 11:49 PM

unless your kids are the same hight, you will need dif boards. I am about 5-8, 185lbs and I use a 135 to 138, go to wakeboard.com and you can find the proper sizing, I love it, I am 40 and have a great time

deejaycee_2000 · #12 November 23rd, 2006, 02:29 AM

best is to get the best board you can afford, the wider and longer the board the better the ride, the wider, the longer hang time you have the longer, the easier to manuvre, the more skegs it have the less it will slide out from under you .....

tangent · #13 February 6th, 2007, 12:48 AM

One thing I found helpful is pointing your toes slightly forward. Before I did that I was either pushing water or getting dragged under.

Shredhead · #14 February 23rd, 2007, 11:26 AM

What is the best way to determine the proper angle for your feet? Or is it a trial and error thing? I ride a Hyperlite Motive 134 (awsome board bye the bye) and with all the different adjsutments I would spend most of the summer trying them all and not enough riding.
Thanks

8AteEight · #15 February 23rd, 2007, 10:47 PM

The way I like to tell people is: To get in a position like you were going to do a Tug-0-war; and you were going to pull as HARD as you possibly could. (You could even get a rope and tie it to something, and try to pull it)

Then, look down at your feet. Notice what angle EACH foot is pointed. and Thats actually the best position for you to place the bindings. Also, note the distance between you feet, and place the bindings accordingly.

deejaycee_2000 · #16 February 26th, 2007, 01:54 AM

90 degrees to the board ......

BoatMyAssOff · #17 March 12th, 2007, 12:56 PM

As soon as the boat start to pull, rotate the board....reduces the force and put you on a plane much quicker.

Mgb1974 · #18 March 15th, 2007, 10:21 PM

How is the take off compared to skiing? My brother and me have been trying it a few times last summer and couldnt get up. We were doing take offs like water skiing

deejaycee_2000 · #19 March 16th, 2007, 04:15 AM

the take-off is totally different, where ski's is in a forward vertical position, the wakeboard is in a side to side horisontal position, if my friend that looks like the mitchelin man can wakeboard then you can get it right also, keep on trying you'll get there eventually .....

Mgb1974 · #20 March 16th, 2007, 01:25 PM

No I mean take off with the boat? Like gunning it like your skiing or is it a gradual take off?

Thanks

tangent · #21 March 17th, 2007, 03:17 AM

Yes, gun it to start, but be ready to back off as soon as you hit about 14-16 mph. You get up much quicker than skis.

deejaycee_2000 · #22 March 19th, 2007, 04:08 AM

you can gun it yes, but as soon as the boat is on plane, you must slow down to the proper speed .......

SuperNova · #23 March 24th, 2007, 02:32 PM

Applying power gradually and steadily will make it much easier than just ramming the throttle forward and then slowing down. How fast you push the throttle depends on how heavy the person is, but it should definitely be a controlled movement, not a slam. And if you're used to skiing, you are in the same position for wakeboarding to start, but once you get up it's a lot different. Body position is different and foot positon is different. How you ride the board is different and how you react to waves is different. I loved it. But I had to learn a whole different way of riding behind the boat. With skis you absorb waves with your knees, with a wakeboard you kind of float with the waves and jump a lot or you'll wear yourself out quickly. But, then I was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer which pretty much destroyed my lower spine and now I get to train other people. The suit did allow me to buy a new boat though.

Liquid_force · #24 March 25th, 2007, 11:29 AM

some pro's actually instruct you to start as if you're sitting it a chair, with the board below you - deep in the water. Just make sure the front edge of the board is higher that the back edge.

As you accelerate the board naturally floats to the surface and you're off.

I learned the way of the OP photo, but the chair start might be an easier way to learn. There's no fighting it as the boat gets up to speed - when the board reaches the surface you're basically good to go.

imported_Captain Morgan · #25 March 30th, 2007, 12:45 AM

I'm 36 now and recently bought a small ski boat for the family. I was never able to get up as a teenager but now can after snowboarding for years. My problem is that after riding for about 5 minutes I start to feel a strain in my lower back that makes me want to stop. I'm wondering if this is something I can alleviate by adjusting my binding position or if I'm just feeling my age. Any thoughts?