If you’re ready to hit the water on your wakeboard, you’ve probably got the fundamentals down, such as staying upright in the water and pre-requisites like crossing over and edging.
This article will teach you how to master the basic wakeboard jump, which is used in many of the more complicated wakeboarding manoeuvres.
What Does Jumping on Your Wakeboard Entail?
Jumping on your wakeboard means flying across a wake with your wakeboard, a maneuver you’ve undoubtedly seen professional wakeboarders do. While there are several variations of wakeboard jumps, as a beginner, you should start with the fundamental one.
A basic wakeboard jump is made when you get air after gliding to the top of a single wake. The fluffy waves produced by your towing boat are known as wakes. Each side of the boat has two distinct streams of waves. Begin by jumping across one of these wakes and then move on to leaping from one wake to the next.
How to Prepare for Wake Jump
Before you start wakeboarding, make sure you’re confident standing on the water. You should also know how to do basic wakeboard tricks like edging and crossing the wake.
You’ll be able to jump with ease and wipe out fewer times if you learn how to do these movements. While it’s possible to leap successfully on your first try, learning how to leap smoothly takes time and practice.
How to Jump on Your Wakeboard
- Begin by cutting out until you feel yourself being towed back to the boat.
- With your back to the wake, pull on the tow rope and let it push you. Your knees should be slightly bent, with your elbows tucked into your body for maximum control and balance.
- Raise your left arm and pull the rope over your head. Adjust the tension in the line so that it’s taut yet not too tight, and make sure it’s roughly one to two inches away from your front hip.
- Begin slowly and gradually increase your speed by digging your toes and heels into the edge harder and harder as the rope’s difficulty rises. The objective is to hit the wake at full speed.
- When you’re closer and closer to the wake, you should learn against the rope further and further until your board’s curvature throughout the water is altered.
- Extend your legs like someone attempting to head butt a soccer ball as soon as you hit the wake; this technique will aid you in gaining as much height and distance as possible.
- As you leave the wake, pull your knees in against your chest to attain the highest possible altitude.
- Lean back at about 45 degrees, grasp the tow rope near your waist, maintain line tension, and then focus on your landing spot while airborne to keep balance.
- You should bend your knees as you come down. The impact may jerk your joints and cause injuries if you land with your legs locked.
- Maintain the same angle for a few minutes after you start to glide away, or you may tumble prematurely or catch an edge. You’ve just completed your first wakeboard jump.
Tips to Perform High Jumps Fast
Following are some ideas and suggestions to improve your jumping ability when performing tricks.
Learn Progressive Edging to get Bigger Air
It’s amazing how seasoned wakeboarders generate enough thrust to perform the stunningly high and long leaps. Progressive edging may help you do this, as well.
Progressive edging is a technique that involves gliding into the wake from a slower speed and gradually increasing your speed until you smash into it. Cut out and gain some slack on your tow tope when using progressive edging during your jumps. Then glide towards the wake.
Begin with a light rhythm, gradually increasing your pace as you dig your toes or heels into the edge and pushing harder and harder against the rope’s resistance. Go all out until you reach the wake with the greatest momentum possible.
Glide at a Greater Speed and Push Off Hard for a Higher Jump
With this jump technique, you’ll need incredible leg strength and a board that’s very quick. Glide away from the boat but don’t make a big arc; rather, cut back in at a sharp angle and ride heelside. Once you’re atop the wake, lean your legs into action to propel yourself even higher.
However, on flat water, you’ll be outside the wake when you jump. As a result, you’re more likely to lose your balance. Furthermore, controlling tension is going to take more effort for you.
Use a Shorter Arch for Less Hang Time (Speed Jump)
This jump is ideal for practicing your leaps. Even though you don’t have much elevation, it gets you across the wake fast.
To execute it, glide away from the boat as you reach the end of the arch. However, before you get to the conclusion of the arch, return in. You should not, however, push off until after you have passed through the wake. Maintain your balance and ride on the heelside throughout instead of pushing off prematurely.
Executing a Beginner Jump Without Using Legs
This is the most common mistake made by novices. You’re likely to make a typical wakeboarding blunder as a newbie, relying only on thrust in order to perform a significant jump.
However, if you jump without strongly pushing with your legs, you will not gain much height. As a result, in order to compensate for the lack of ‘leg power,’ you’ll need considerably more speed.
The trick is a decent outline, which you can practice by jumping from the rope. All that is required for this move to work is a clean jump with good form (and not much speed). You’ll need good board control if you’re riding heelside and making a sharp cut toward the wake.
So it’s an excellent first jump, especially if you haven’t mastered timing your leaps.
To make this jump, get as far away from the wake as possible, then glide back. You should remain in a crouch posture till you land on the other side when you smash into the wake, unlike in other basic jumps where you extend your legs.
Jump Often
If you’ve already mastered jumping, it’ll be difficult to become a good wakeboarder. To perform perfect leaps often, you must practice for years. There will be many instances when you fall awkwardly or smash into the water, but if you keep practicing, in time, you’ll be able to leap mind-bowing heights with ease.
