How to get up on a Wakeboard

Wakeboarding has soared in popularity over the previous ten years. There are many boat manufacturers, such as MasterCraft and Malibu, that make special boats just for wakeboarding. Getting up on a wakeboard can be relatively easy if you have the right equipment and are using some good basic techniques. Once out of the water, wakeboarding is one of the funnest sports!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Wakeboard boat
• Ski rope
• Wakeboard
• Binding slime
• Boat driver
• Observer

1. Go out on the lake and find a stretch of calm water without many other boats around.
2. Put the wakeboard on the swim platform of the boat and put binding slime into the bindings.
3. Facing the boat, grab onto a rail or the back of the boat and slip one of your feet into the binding. Repeat with other foot.
4. Once in the water, keep your knees bent up to your chest and keep the wakeboard between you and the boat.
5. As the rope tighten, have the driver put the boat in gear, as to apply low drag pressure. Keep the board between you and the boat, keep you knees bent, and the board out of the water.
6. Once you feel stable, yell "hit it" and do not try and stand up to soon. Let the boat pull you out of the water.
7. Keep your knees bend and count to 3 before trying to stand up. Once you are completely out of the water you will feel the board start to turn towards your leading foot. Do not resist this natural motion.
8. Once out of the water, keep the handle close to your hip and get comfortable with riding sideways on the water!

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to keep your knees bent.
• Do not hurry to try and stand up, let the boat pull you out of the warning.
• Be sure that all of the soap is washed out of the bindings by shaking your feet back and forth in the water.
• If you get thrown out of the front of the wakeboard, let go of the handle.