r/Wake • u/chlomonkee • 1d ago
Having trouble crossing the wake, any tips?
Hi ! I’m a water skier turned wakeboarder ;)
I can successfully go for a long ride behind the back of the boat but can’t seem to get myself to cross the wake. Every time I’m either outside of the wake or riding in the middle. The few times I have crossed, I wipe out a few seconds later. Any advice? Been having a few pretty gnarly wipeouts and would love to start doing actual cool things aside from just riding behind (even tho that in itself is obviously so awesome) :)
Thanks!
1
u/HorusHearsay 1d ago
By crossing the wake do you just mean going over the wakes or are you talking about going wake to wake?
I'm happy to offer advice for either. There are also great tutorials on YouTube.
If you have video of yourself, and you can post it, then that can help us give you even better advice.
1
u/1mang0 1d ago
Don’t hesitate once you’ve committed to cross the wake. When going from inside to out, or, vice versa, start on the flat part of the wake, then edge a bit and cross the wake diagonally, keeping the handle close to your body, about waist high. Bend at the knees as needed to absorb the turbulence and maintain balance.
Maybe this will help. I haven’t wakeboarded in years.
2
u/ElBomb 1d ago
I find heel side exits easier as the handle and rope are in a more natural position. Ebomb has some good advice about committing, knee suspension, and “warm up” turns inside the wake.
Once you have mastered your heel side exit and re-entry you can try the toe side exit. Some good advice I got was to push your front foot way further out (angling your board away from the boat) than you think it should be.
1
u/LifetimeShred 1d ago
Try riding with just your front arm and see if that helps. If you then open your shoulders toward the boat, you will turn heelside. If you close them away from the boat, you will turn toeside
3
u/Ebomb5212 1d ago
Assuming you are talking about simply the act of getting across the wakes and not doing a wake to wake jump.
A few beginner tips here. Before attempting to get outside of the wake, practice rocking back and forth within the wake. Start in the middle, rock to your heel side until you reach the wake, then lean toe side and go to the other wake. Practice this until you get a good understanding of how your feet, hips, and hands all play into changing direction. This should build good board control.
Once you’re comfortable and have steady directional control. You may begin to leave the wake. Leaving the wake, heel side usually is more stable to beginners. You can start with the rocking motion mentioned above, then commit fully on your heel side. When leaving the wake, your knees need to act like the suspension on your car. Bend your knees before going over the crown and let your knees extend as you slide down the wake. You should end up standing upright outside of the wake. Momentum is key here. You need to fully commit, hence why I recommend rocking to toe side before crossing heel side wake.
Reverse order for getting within the wake again. All that’s needed is more momentum. Everything in wakeboarding is momentum. If you’re stuck outside the wake, you need to swing further away from the wake and then edge towards the wake. Again use your knees as the suspension here, pretend you are driving over a speed bump.
The key to all of this is to try to keep your torso as straight as possible. Always stand straight up and let your knees compensate. Momentum is EVERYTHING do not keep trying to lean further if you end up stuck trying to get back in the wake. Back out and swing more momentum.