First time on wakeskate was today! Not such a success...

geissap · Pop Shuvit Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Posts: 142

So I tried wakeskating for the first time today on my good ol' Oak Moondog. I've only ever been wakeboarding once, but I had a heck of time getting up today to say the least.

I was being pulled on a ski by my wife. I just had SOOOO much water coming over the board and into my chest and face. I tried about 9-10 times total and finally my knuckles were beat up from the grip tape. I got up one time around try 5. All I remember is all the water pushing over the board and into my face and then all of sudden it cleared and I saw the jet ski and I just knew to STAND UP!

It worked...once I got up it wasn't to bad I went outside the wake and such but I couldn't get up again. I'm not sure if I should be pushing the front edge down or trying to keep it up? I just always felt like there was a load of water coming over the board and eventually I'd be almost underwater and couldn't hold on anymore. Back to the ol' drawing board Embarassed

stompin9s · Posted: Jun 20, 2010 4:27 pm Post subject:

geissap, don't fight it. go with the flow. you don't need to stand up at all. you can start with a solid body position and let the pull of the ski gradually stand you up.

- keep a solid body position like you're sittin on a barrel

- wife idles ski forward. rope gets tight (both hands on handle at this point). board is sticking to feet

- feet ducked. alittle wider than your shoulders.

- arms around outside of knees (still sitting on the barrel)

at this point you can just get pulled around in this position until the board plains off. your wife does NOT need to gun it.

Hope this helps.

ZackFL(BRE) · Backside 180 Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 2386 City: Tampa

geissap · Pop Shuvit Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Posts: 142

Yea...this is what everyone says. I knew this going in too. I don't know how to not fight it lol. I wasn't trying to stand up ever because I had read on here you can just totally ride in a squat. I just couldn't ever get the board to plane out before I was practically drowning lol.

Watching the video on here though my feet were solidly in the middle of the board. The way they illustrate it is with just your heels on the board and your toes off the top. Maybe I was sitting down to far on the board.

It's possible my wife was gunning it to much. Since I had never pulled anyone out it was hard for me to evaluate if she was doing it right. Man I loved it when I was up for that short time tho. There's sooo much freedom on that board. I first got up and that thing was flopping all over the place. I slid my back foot back just a bit and it made such a huge difference. Definitely a lot of ways to control it. I'm excited I just gotta figure out how to get that board to plane.

-=AlexXx=- · Posted: Jun 20, 2010 5:23 pm Post subject:

This is VERY common for beginners so dont get to down on yourself, after you get the hang of it youll be just fine. Do what stompin said above. Your problem is your TRYING to get up. You dont have to try at all. Also you mentioned you knew to stand up. In all honesty you can ride around stilll in the sitting postion crouched down all day long, and mabye not rushing the standing up part will help you, that helped me alot when i first started.

Just try not to fight the ski, let he ski do ALL the work you should not be struggling or trying to pull the ski back while its going forward. There is little or no effort involved in getting up and people who try (girls mostly) say ohh im just not strong enough to get up... I hate that excuse, because ive gotten 6-10 yr olds up on skates and i know any girl my age is surely strong enough haha.

Good luck next time!

Macthc · Frontside 180 Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 269 City: RDG

geissap, I was looking at the seadoo website today and they have a video on the page that shows ben horan teaching a kid how to get up behind the ski.. maybe seeing it would help. Keep your head up you'll get it.

http://www.sea-doo.com/en-US/watercraft/sport/wakePro/

geissap · Pop Shuvit Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Posts: 142

Yea so I get what you all are saying I just don't get how to do it lol. I didn't feel like i was fighting the ski but it sounds like I was. Maybe I was keeping my legs to stiff. I'll try to just relax next time alot more and let if flow as you all say. It's hard to comprehend, "let the boat do the work" not sure what that means yet.

The K-Man · Faceplant Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 48 City: MV, cALLY

how new is the sea-doo, I got pulled on one from probably like 97-99 and I really had to to try and get my body out of the water compared to a boat which just pulls you out. So unless your sea-doo has plenty of power it will be more difficult because you need to really (imo) get up as soon as possible or else your body just becomes too much drag for the sea-doo to handle. This is my experience Im sure the new ones are just like a boat. But basically really push the board up to the surface quick so you can lower the drag of your body quickly.

Steven M · Posted: Jun 22, 2010 9:16 am Post subject:

The K-Man, sorry mate but ill have to disagree to a point. ive got two ski's up at my houseboat both are maybe 92-94 GTx's. both are 2 strokes that we just put enough work in to keep em running. they may take another 5-10 seconds to pull us up but they pull us up no problem. im 6'1 and used to weigh 195 and those old fiznackling things pulled me no problem.

its just a matter of letting the ski do the work.

staying nice and compact/squatted down.

keeping the board at the right angle, little pressure on the toes.

and next thing you now.. BAM!! riding a wakeskate

same way i used to get up behind a 5hp winch with a CC.

Raven · Posted: Jun 22, 2010 9:41 am Post subject:

geissap,

i'd say keep that rail up.....you want the water to flow under the board not over it...........if you've been up then you can attest to Dr. Martin Luther the King

"i've been to the mountaintop, and i've seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Birthday

Wake and Wake · Posted: Jun 22, 2010 8:04 pm Post subject:

make sure the board is angled up, say the water is going >> this way then if the board is angled this was / itll go down, and so will u. have the board angled \ that way. >>\ will push u up. stay motivated and watch youtube and instructional vids. wakeskating is the hardesnt board sport ive tried (and ive tried almost all). luckily i have a solid background in wakeboarding

The K-Man · Faceplant Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 48 City: MV, cALLY

Steven M, yes yes i know, but my experience was different on the ski and was just pointing that out. I had to (imo) get myself out, where on a boat I just wait for the boat to pull me up completely. The few times i just "let the ski do the work" it would bog down and that was that. So for me personally on that particular ski that was my experience, it was just an adjustment really.

geissap · Pop Shuvit Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Posts: 142

Alright so spent the weekend at Lake Anna here in VA. Tried over and over and over to get up like maybe 25 times and couldn't do it. My wife and I just had no idea what was going on. Finally, a fellow wakeskater pulled into the cove we were in and we watched him get up. It then clicked that she was pulling me out of the water WAYYYY to slow. After we saw them she got me out and up!

There's nothing quite like it. I've done alot of board sports and alot of activities in general. Wakeskating is definitely skill intensive with so much to do. I got lots to learn but I can tell this is definitely a sport I can get into...what a blast. I got a crack in my oak though...it's hairline not sure how it came.

ZackFL(BRE) · Backside 180 Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 2386 City: Tampa

geissap, shwing! did you happen to talk to the other skater?

geissap · Pop Shuvit Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Posts: 142

They saw that I was wakeskating and they watched me try to get up and didn't make any attempt to say anything so I was like hmm maybe they're not friendly. This was like my 25th attempt of the night btw...just for reference. EVERY single time I'd just get pulled under the water and couldn't get out on plane. My wife and I couldn't figure out if it was her or me so we just got EXTREMELY frustrated.

Anyway after watching us and not saying anything he jumped in and we watched and BOOM he was up and out. Then they stopped again and watched us. This time I got out and on plane but fell almost immediately. They then called over to us but it was in hand signals

Turns out they were both deaf, so unfortunately I couldn't get any huge tips, but translating what they did say they basically said he pull out speed was spot on but then she was going to fast and needed to slow down a snidge. I was just stoked to see another wakeskater out there.

That was Saturday night and the sunset so the next day now that we had the pull out speed was nice. I got up 4-5 times until my body couldn't handle it. I can't do anything yet except go outside the wake lol.