What are the fundamentals?

[skim2live]

Hi all,

noob here <----. I do not have that many wake skaters to ride with and at my best could do a handful of kick flips, v-flips, and stuff; however, it seemed that I could do v-flips a little bit easier than kick flips which it does not make sense because it seems the kick flip to be fundamental to the v-flip. My technical tricks plateaued in which i could not make any improvements on this tricks. After taking a long break after moving and injury, I have been getting back into wake skating at Ski McCormicks. I just got a 40' Zentmeyer, and was wondering on the basic fundamentals that I should dial in before trying to improve on tricks. I just recently got on a board and a 360 pop shuv it seems so natural (since i have been skimboarding for a long time before hand and a lot of practice on that trick over the years) but now my normal 180 shuv its after the break are squirrelly. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to improve my basics and/or drills or exercises that could help me whether on the water or off?

The help would be appreciated.

[WERDna]

Hey there! skim2live, wakeskating like anything else is just a matter of practice and repetition. Over time your body will feel out the different levels of finesse and precision some tricks require more than others. Making sure your more basic tricks are solid before moving on to more difficult ones is key. Getting your pop shuvs big, smooth, and consistent is one of the most crucial building blocks to your riding. Use your experience as a skimboarder to your advantage. Shuv variations and big spins and big spin variations will probably come much more naturally to you and I'm sure you'll find they will be some of your most consistent tricks. At the same time you also want to be focusing on developing your handle control. Many people who come from other action sports, like skimboarding or skateboarding, that don't require a handle really need to focus on how to keep the handle under control and utilize it to aid in some tricks. Nothing is more frustrating then quickly progressing to some of the more difficult and technical tricks only to realize later on you didn't spend your due diligence on getting that handle under control.


As for your flip trick dilemma. Some people just naturally find varial flips easier than kickflips. It's just the way some people are. There are times I find one easier than the other, it's just a matter of finding what works for you with the mechanics of the two tricks. They are quite different motions when flicking the board for the two so whichever flick is easier for you (which appears to be the varial) explains why kickflips appear to be a struggle. For my personal experience varials tend to be more forgiving with my flick motion than kickflips. Kickflips can sometimes be a bit temperamental, but once you figure them out and get them consistent they are some of the best feeling tricks out there. To this day nothing quite gives me the warm fuzzies like a nice flicked and caught kickflip.


Good luck out there and Happy Shredding!

[skim2live]

WERDna hey thanks for the response. I understand and thanks for the information. Perhaps, if I had a skateboarding background maybe the flip tricks would be easier. I will just keep on practicing at the cable park.

Now what do you mean by handle control? Like handle at the hip etc? I normally ride with just my right hand holding the handle. I tend to bring in the handle a bit before i do a trick is that good? For example, a back big spin i may bring the handle in a bit to help me rotate because i find it sometimes hard for me if my right arm is fully extended. When doing those type of tricks are you doing only shoulder and body rotation or are you pulling on the handle in the air?

[WERDna]

skim2live, Yeah, the handle control I am referring to is pretty much keeping the handle comfortably close and not flailing around. Moving the handle to the small of your back for tricks where you are turning backside, like 180s and bigspins is a huge help. This can be tough if the cable you ride at is an extra high pull, but it's a motion you want to get comfortable with. It's no surprise that some of the best riders and most fun riders to watch have great handle control.

Watch wakeskaters like Nick Taylor, Andrew Fortenberry, and Daniel Grant to see proper handle control.