A newbie to most water sports is going to need to get on the board first. Unlike a kneeboard or a SUP board, this one starts out with the board on its side in the water. This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult for starters to get the hang of it. With a little patience and a heavy boat to help you along, you can get upright very quickly.
How to Stand up When Wakeboarding?
In order to stand up while wakeboarding, grip the handle first with a firm hand. Keep the elbows and the legs bent. Stand up and straighten up slowly on the wakeboard. The difficult part is to synchronize the movement and body weight while standing up. Center the weight between the two feet. Line the shoulders and hips with the board.
In order to begin trying to get upright, you’ll need the wakeboard on its side in the water. It will also have to be connected to the boat by the edge closest to the surface of the water so it can be pulled upright. Position your feet so that your prominent foot is at the front and the other behind it. If you do not snowboard, surf, skateboard or do any other sport that would help you discover which foot is prominent, have someone push you unexpectedly with your feet together and whichever foot comes out first to stop you from falling is your prominent foot. Make sure to squat as close to the board as possible as it makes for a smoother spin.
Once you are in that position, make sure to keep most of your weight on the front of your foot so you can shift it to the heel once you’re upright. Also, put your arms on your knees so that you are more stable when turning. Many people say to do it fast, but you should go as slow as possible so you do not fall off the other side and do not try to slow or speed up the process of turning upright. Once you feel yourself starting to rise up, pull the tow handle to your hip to rotate 90 degrees and get completely upright. Do not look at down at the water or you’ll fall in it; instead, look at the boat to ensure you are completely upright. If you have an extremely tough time, try it with a shorter rope. You also have to get a feel of the resistance you encounter when riding so make sure when the boat actually starts taking you, that it goes very slow to start with. Less than 16 mph is perfect for someone new. The wakeboard also has a particularly slippery feeling that newbies will always need time to get used to which is another reason the boat should go very slow at the beginning.
Once you finally get the hang of propping yourself upright, make sure to go slow for your first ride. Hopefully, your boat operator has gotten a feel for keeping the boat slow and knows how to gradually increase speed once you are ready. It is much easier for starters to begin with a shorter rope; instead of a 45-50’ rope, try a 20’ one as it’s better to get the hang of and many even say it is more fun.
