How to Heelside 360 in Wakeboarding

The heelside 360 requires a wakeboarder to spin his board while maintaining complete control over the rope. This trick requires excellent body control and quick hands to keep hold of your handle while rotating. You can impress friends by performing a heelside 360 on your wakeboard.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Maneuver your wakeboard outside of the wake as you begin your heelside 360. Maintain a distance of at least 5 feet from the wake to perform this wakeboarding trick effectively.
2. Approach the inside of the wake on your board gradually to avoid wiping out on your board. Allow the tow rope to take you on a slow curve inward to stave off potential accidents.
3. Pull the tow rope handle toward your lower back to begin the heelside 360. Quickly move the handle around your body and allow it to rest just above your tailbone to initiate a full rotation.
4. Complete the transfer of the rope handle from one hand to the other carefully to complete this essential trick in wakeboarding. Keep both hands on the handle briefly and pull your body into a rotation with the receiving hand.
5. Focus your eyes ahead of your wakeboard as you finish your heelside 360 to make a safe landing. Allow your eyes to focus 3 to 5 feet ahead of your board to help you keep your body square.
6. Bend your knees slightly and keep your shoulders over your knees to ease your landing from a heelside 360. Imagine that your knees are shock absorbers that will prevent the rest of your body from feeling the impact of your landing.
7. Increase the speed of your 360-degree turn by pulling the rope handle tight to your body as you exchange hands. This step should only be pursued by advanced boarders due to the difficulty.
8. Allow your board to kick outward and upward as you become comfortable with the heelside 360. Perform variations on this wakeboarding trick in shallow waters to determine the best way of controlling your body during the trick.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a new layer of difficulty while you perform a heelside 360 on your wakeboard by switching sides. You can practice your technique from a new perspective from one side of the wake to the other on your board. You should perform a few runs of the heelside 360 on the side of the wake you are comfortable with before attempting a reverse heelside 360.