Wakeboarding Tips for Beginners
Invented in Australia during the 1980s, wakeboarding is a cousin of both waterskiing and surfboarding. This extreme watersport combines the tow rope used by waterskiers and a variation on the surfboard to create a unique sport that builds up strength and endurance while letting you try out some pretty cool tricks on the water. A wake boat is needed to tow the wakeboarder through the water and generate the wakes they jump.
If you’re new to the sport of wakeboarding, it can seem fairly intense, but it’s something you can master with patience and practice.
Nisswa Marine, founded on the shores of Nisswa Lake nearly a full century ago, is your Minnesota wake boat dealer. Read on to learn some of our top wakeboarding tips so that you can go out and enjoy the water in a whole new way!
1. Know The Basics
First things first: you’ll need to build up some strength to do this sport. Of course, your upper arm strength in particular will increase as you practice, but those muscles will be sore for the first several tries. Be sure to not lock your elbows and to loosen your grip just a bit; let the rope pull you rather than the other way around.
You should also be a fairly strong swimmer before attempting wakeboarding, because it’s extremely likely that you are going to fall into the water many times. Be ready to hit the water so that you don’t slam into it painfully.
Use a shorter towing rope and a longer wakeboard as a beginner to help you find your balance. Make sure you focus on the boat operator and the lessons that any instructor gives you, especially after they observe you in action, since they may have some helpful pointers.
2. Get The Right Equipment
Next on your agenda is to ensure that you have the correct equipment. If you don’t have a wake boat or know anyone who does, then you may want to try exploring a wakeboarding park in your area so that you can rent a wakeboard for a few hours to try it out. The park should have overhead cable tows or boats that can tow you while you practice.
A wetsuit is necessary to keep yourself warm in the water. Even on the hottest summer days, the water will be extremely cold and shocking when you fall in and it can disorient you. A life jacket or other buoyancy aid is also necessary because of the aforementioned disorientation; you may be an Olympic champion swimmer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still become shocked by cold water or bump your head on your wakeboard when you fall. A life jacket will help to keep you safe. Helmets and padded impact vests are additional pieces of safety equipment that are especially recommended for beginning wakeboarders.
3. Establish Footing & Balance
Finding your footing is one of the challenges of wakeboarding initially. To determine your footing, run a short distance and bring yourself to a quick stop. Whichever foot you put out to stop yourself is your leading foot. “Regular” footing has your left foot in front of you while “goofy” footing has your right foot forward. Each style is valid, but it’s important to know which one you are.
To mount the wakeboard, you’ll need to strap your feet into the bindings on it which are affixed via metal screws in the board. With a cable, you’ll be on a kneeboard before you hit the water, but if you’re being towed behind a boat, then you’ll be in the water and the board will float in front of you. Crouch on the board with your knees by your chest and stretch out your arms to grip the handle. The boat will speed up and move forward, which in turn rolls the board onto the water and you’ll be pulled into a standing position. Keep your knees bent and your body crouched until this happens.
4. Take Standing Up Slowly
Once you’ve become more comfortable with balancing, you can start standing up. Straighten your legs and keep your arms outstretched as you watch the boat ahead. Aim to keep your knees bent just a bit as you bring the handle to your side, aligned with the hip that you’ve extended forwards. You have now reached the prime wakeboarding position! Keep your eyes ahead of you instead of looking down and keep your knees loose enough to let you adjust your balance as you coast along.
We hope these tips prove useful to you as you learn how to wakeboard. When you’re in search of the perfect wake boat for all your watersports adventures, visit our dealership located in Nisswa, MN, to see our full stock of new and used wake boats for sale. We even provide financing options to help you fund your boat purchase. Nisswa Marine proudly serves the cities of Minneapolis and St. Cloud, MN.