Wakeboarding Tips For Beginners
For over 30 years, summer fun on the water has been synonymous with one sport above all others: wakeboarding. This exciting pastime combines the balance-game of water skiing and surfboarding with the relaxed thrills of inner tubing, with participants standing on a board and hanging tight to a rope as they’re towed by a wakeboarding boat. This sport is intense, fun, and relatively easy to get into, provided you know a bit about it beforehand.
In case you’re just learning about wakeboarding, we here at Germaine Marine have put together a few of our favorite tips for wakeboarding novices. If you want to know more about the sport, need supplies for it, or are looking for a better boat for towing, contact our stores in American Fork, Utah, and Mesa, Arizona. Our friendly and experienced staff will work with you to find what you need at the prices you want.
Basics
The first thing you need to know about wakeboarding is that it requires a decent amount of upper-arm and upper body strength. If you don’t exercise those muscles regularly, you might find yourself a bit sore after your first excursion or two. Don’t worry—the more you practice, the more muscle you’ll build up and the less it will tax you. Remember not to lock your elbows when being towed, which can cause damage to your joints. Let the rope pull you rather than the other way around.
Falling into the water might feel like a loss, but it’s pretty much inevitable, at least in the early days. Prepare for this in advance, both mentally and by wearing a personal flotation device. This will keep you oriented and safe in case you get dizzy or hit your head. Knowing how to swim and float are also obvious requirements.
Gear Up
When you’re first getting started, a larger wakeboard and a shorter rope will help you find and keep your balance earlier. As you get better, smaller boards and longer ropes will keep the challenge up. If you don’t own a wakeboard, a wakeboarding park or lake supply store might be available for a rental so you can practice before investing in the sport heavily. Some of these parks have the option to get pulled by an overhead cable rather than the typical boat towing.
We recommend a wetsuit to keep your body warm when you fall into the water, though you should still avoid the sport in colder winter months. You’ll also want personal flotation devices like lifejackets, and a padded impact vest can protect you during falls. For people just starting out, we recommend a helmet as well, particularly for cable towing.
Balancing
Riding the wakeboard requires a few special techniques in order to get some distance before you topple. Once you know the techniques, though, they’ll feel natural.
Find Your Footing
Before you ever get on the wakeboard, try to figure out your natural footing style. The wakeboarding term “regular” footing refers to people who naturally stand with their left foot in front of them. The opposite is called “goofy” footing. Figure out which feels most natural and comfortable to you, which you can figure out by running a short distance and stopping suddenly. Whichever foot you extend to help you brake is your natural leading foot. Try this a few times to verify your results.
Starting Position
Wakeboards will have straps for your feet to help keep you anchored in place. If you’re starting with cable pulling, you’ll likely be on a kneeboard your first few times, but if you’re being towed by a boat, your starting position will be slightly different. You’ll be slightly submerged in the water with your board floating just ahead of you, with your feet in the straps. Crouch on the board with your knees to your chest and stretch your arms out to grab the rope’s handle. When the boat starts pulling, the board will naturally roll a bit to pull you into a standing position—but keep your knees bent until you find your balance.
Stand Upright
Once you have your balance, straighten out your legs and look ahead at the boat rather than at your feet, which might be your natural instinct. Keep your knees slightly bent and bring the handle of the rope to the hip that’s extended forward. Congratulations—this is the proper wakeboarding position! Keep your eyes ahead of you and your knees loose to help adjust your balance as you cruise.
We hope we’ve managed to give you a leg up as you learn this sport! If you want more advice, or you want to browse our wakeboarding supplies, contact us at Germaine Marine. We proudly serve the people of Arizona and Utah—let us serve you today!