How to Learn Wakeboarding Tricks

There's not much more fun you can have on the water than being pulled behind a speeding boat on a wakeboard. The only thing better is being able to perform incredible tricks that astound your friends and give you a huge adrenaline high as you launch into the air.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Wakeboard
• Ski vest
• Tow rope

1. Get up on the wakeboard. Ride the board for a bit to get the feel. The boat will pull you right up. While you're in the water, bend your knees and keep the board sideways.
2. Hold the handle in the right position. If the trick starts out with you riding the board in a straight line, keep the handle just over the foot in front. If the trick calls for swinging the rear end of the board around, get your handle closer to the front of your chest and hips.
3. Learn the basics for each type of trick. Most wakeboarding tricks falls into one of three categories: spins, grabs and inverts. Once you have mastered the basics of each, you can then put them into awesome combinations to perform the Crail, the Backside, Indy Nosebones, 180s or Raleys.
4. Practice grabs. Anytime a wakeboarder grabs any part of her board, that's a grab. Make sure to jump first, whether you launch off a wake or do a little jump. In other words, make the board come to you. If you reach for it, you'll most likely end up in a face plant.
5. Learn how to spin. A wakeboarding spin consists of a launch, a rotation and a landing. Cut into the wake and launch yourself up off the water. As always, handle position is the key. While airborne, let go with your front hand and place the handle by your rear hip while your legs and feet are turning the board one complete turn. The back hip will swing around to the front so your handle will be in the front again when you land.
6. Take the simple jump to an upside-down position to perform an invert. Anytime a rider is head down in the air, that trick is considered an invert. Launch off the wake, keep the handle tight to your body, and kick your legs up at the top of the wake. The momentum will spin you back around.
7. Use combinations of the three basics to master new tricks. Once you know those basics of wakeboarding tricks, you can try other combinations or make up your own. Start at simple tricks and work your way up to the more difficult combinations. Be prepared to come up with a great name because the person who first performs a trick, names the combination.