Starting to perform tricks on the wakeboard is both enthralling and exciting after getting used to wakeboarding.
If you want to learn, make a decision and then stick to it. Once you’ve made up your mind to learn, tell your instructor exactly what you’re going for so they can assist you in achieving it.
That way, learning how to perform the following beginner wakeboard tricks will be a walk in the park.
W2W – Wake to wake
This is probably the most basic and essential of all wakeboard tricks. You simply ride up the wake, pop off the top, and land back in the trough. You can do this trick as many times as you want in a row.
Ollie
An ollie is a jump where you and your board leave the water at the same time. To do an ollie, you need to pop the nose of your board up while digging your back foot into the wake.
This is another simple wake boarding moves for newbies that’s a fun way to get in the air and feel the wind while riding. What you’ll do is jump out of the water without being launched by the wake, essentially.
The method is as follows: to compress the water, jump down on the wakeboard’s tail and simultaneously pull up the front foot.
It’s also important to remember that the force will be applied on the board, which will push you out of the water. The more you pull on the tail, the more violently you’ll be pushed out.
When it’s time to jump, concentrate on the wakeboard’s tail and practice pushing down to make the water pop you up. After that, focus on the bouncing. Take your time with the Ollie, and when you’re comfortable with it, try tugging on the nose to alter its direction.
Surface 180
This is a skill that you can learn and master quickly if you’re a novice, as opposed to the others on this list.
A surface spin is when you turn your wakeboard 180 degrees. It’s a good method to get acclimated to the board before attempting advanced moves since it doesn’t demand you to leave the surface of the water.
First and foremost, you must keep your elbows tucked tightly to your body, maintain a straightened knee, and rotate the wakeboard by twisting your hip or pressing with your heels.
If the wakeboard moves in the other direction, you’ll either be riding backward or switching.
There are two types of switches: frontside (toeside) and backside (heelside). When you spin, your chest must turn toward the boat for the front side switch. The backside switch, on the other hand, requires that your chest move away from the boat.
Your best chance to perform a surface 180 occurs when you’re being dragged to the surface and the boat hasn’t yet reached maximum speed. You can effortlessly slide your board about without catching an edge at these slower speeds. You may also try switching between conventional and switch mode.
540
A 540 is when you spin your board around two and a half times. To do a 540, you need to get a really good pop off the wake and then spin your body and board around in mid-air.
720
A 720 is when you spin your board around three and a half times. To do a 720, you need to get an even better pop off the wake and then spin your body and board around in mid-air.
900
A 900 is when you spin your board around four and a half times. To do a 900, you need to get a HUGE pop off the wake and then spin your body and board around in mid-air.
Wake to wake 180
A wake to wake 180 is when you do a W2W jump and then spin your board around so that you end up going in the opposite direction. To do a wake to wake 180, you need to pop off the wake and then spin your body and board around in mid-air.
One Wake Jump
This is a basic trick that all beginner wakeboarders should learn. Ride up to the wake and pop off the top, making sure to keep your body centered over the board. As you reach the apex of your jump, tuck your knees into your chest and grab the toe-side edge of your board with both hands. Try to land flat on your board.
Cross the Wake
When you’ve gained confidence in your ability to control the wake and the board, you may attempt to cross it. If you lean into your heel and toe edges while pulling the rope away from the boat, you’ll notice that the wakeboard begins to turn.
One of the most essential aspects of a successful turn is fluidity. You must cut through the water with ease.
Turn your chest and shoulders toward the boat while riding behind it. Transfer the weight of your body into the heels by bringing the handle inside of your hip.
You must keep your movements slow and controlled at all times. The wakeboard must frequently glide over the water surface, keeping your knees bent.
The rope should not be guided while crossing the wake. Only the lower half of your body should move and you’ll begin to traverse the wake.
If you want to transit the wake in the other direction, push your toes into the water with your knees pushed toward it and turn your hips and shoulders in the direction you want.
If you’re directly behind your boat, change course by going after the other wake. To continue to cross the wake, you must repeat these steps.
Jump the Wake
To begin, walk toward the top of the wake and gradually increase your speed as you come close to performing a wakeboard jump.
On the way to and from the wake, you must keep the handle at your frontal hip and your knees bent as you rise up and straighten your legs. This will provide you with the push you need to jump.
You’ll start to notice air, and if you do it right, you’ll clear the wake. The last thing you need to do is pull your rope a few inches off your frontal hip.
When you pull the cord back, make sure that the rope is tight and that your arms are in the correct spot for landing. When you’re ready to hit the ground, don’t forget to bend your knees.
You’ll have to pull outside of the wake as far as you can and stay there for a brief time if you want to try another jump.
When you feel the tug of the boat on you, make a turn and roll up onto the edge to make a progressive cut toward the wake. You should try to improve tiny jumps until you’re ready for bigger ones when learning how to do this trick.
Tail grab
Here’s an advanced technique for you folks who’ve mastered the Ollie. If you’re popping up from a jump and finding yourself in the air, you may try a tail grab. To execute it, use your backhand to grab the board’s backend or tail.
When you’re in the air, the board’s nose will be high in the air already, making it difficult to get the grab just right.
Push harder off the backside when popping off if you want to make things simpler. If you like, you may bring the board closer to your hand by pulling your back knee up. The frontside tail grab is another form of the tail grab.
Try performing an Ollie 180 or adding a tail grab to spice things up after you’ve mastered the guidelines and methods.
Wakeboarding Tricks: Surface 360
This is one of the most difficult and challenging wakeboard tricks, but it’s a lot of fun once you’ve got it down. You must be able to do an Ollie before attempting this move.
Start out by traveling at a moderate speed and make your way to the top of the wake. You should be about fifteen feet away from the boat when you reach the apex.
As you approach the wake, extend your legs and dig your back foot’s heel edge into the water. This will help you to pivot on the board.
When you get to the top of the wake, jump and turn your body and the board in a complete 360-degree rotation.
Once you’ve made a full rotation, land with your feet in the same position that they were in when you started the trick.
The key to making this move is to keep your body and the board as level as possible throughout the entire rotation. It takes a lot of practice to get it down, but it’s definitely worth it once you’ve mastered it.
360
A 360 is just like a 180, except you spin all the way around so that you end up facing the same direction that you started in. To do a 360, you need to really dig your back foot into the wake and get a good pop off of it.
Frontside 360
A frontside 360 is when you spin your board around in front of you. To do a frontside 360, you need to pop off the wake with your nose pointing down and then spin your body and board around in mid-air.
Backside 360
A backside 360 is when you spin your board around behind you. To do a backside 360, you need to pop off the wake with your nose pointing up and then spin your body and board around in mid-air.
Wakeboarding Tricks: Ollie 180
This is a fairly difficult trick that requires a lot of practice, but it’s definitely doable for most people. The Ollie 180 is a great move to add to your repertoire if you’re looking to take your wakeboarding to the next level.
To execute this trick, start by traveling at a moderate speed and make your way to the top of the wake. You should be about fifteen feet away from the boat when you reach the apex.
As you approach the wake, extend your legs and dig your back foot’s heel edge into the water. This will help you to pivot on the board.
When you get to the top of the wake, jump and turn your body and the board in a complete 180-degree rotation.
Once you’ve made a full rotation, land with your feet in the same position that they were in when you started the trick.
The key to making this move is to keep your body and the board as level as possible throughout the entire rotation. It takes a lot of practice to get it down, but it’s definitely worth it once you’ve mastered it.
Front Flip
The front flip is a complex trick, but it’s worth learning since with practice, you can master your first front flip in no time.
It’s a cartwheel design with an end over, allowing you to pick it up in several ways and add your own flare to the flip. But first, you must be able to do trampoline cartwheels, go upside down, and heelside big wake jumps.
The Elephant
The elephant is the last of our five tricks. Wakeboarders employ elements from other disciplines to perform this trick, which borrows characteristics from a number of things. This trick has a backwards 180 that’s done forwards from rearward and a scarecrow.
The fact that the board will be yanked rather than making a landing switch is where the elephant and scarecrow’s resemblance comes from.
What you need to do is rotate and pretend to be performing a scarecrow, not a toeside front roll, in order to ensure that you execute the technique successfully.
Before attempting to do an Elephant on your wakeboard, check to see if you’re capable of performing a large wake jump toeside as well as a toeside that necessitates hard edging and a major scarecrow.
Wakeboarding Tricks: The Cow Mobe
You must simultaneously execute a toeside front roll and a frontside 360 in order to perform this Cow Mobe correctly. The two movements are not only separate, they’re also simultaneous.
The Cow Mobe is not a difficult trick to learn. And if you can pull it off and perform it correctly, your audience will be astounded.
The Cow Mobe is also one of the most popular inflatable water slides. It’s easy to use, it doesn’t take too much space and it doesn’t require you to get a lot of air when you jump off the water.
It’s also possible to complete a tandem without having to do a mid-air handle-pass if you’re new to it.
Before you attempt to gamble on the Cow Mobe, there are a few skills you should master in order to get the most out of your efforts.
The rotatable scarecrow is one of them, which should be straightforward to accomplish. Another approach is a toeside 360s, and it would be fantastic if you can do it while passing the handle without passing it.