After getting used to wakeboarding, starting to do tricks on the wakeboard becomes both irresistible and incredibly exciting.
Once you set your mind on learning, you should let your instructor know exactly what you’re aiming to do so that they’ll assist you in achieving it. That way, performing the below wakeboarding tricks for beginners can become a piece of cake.
Whether you’re a goofy-stance person or a regular one, you can also reach the point at which you perfect your skills.
Some folks want to master wake riding, others aim to do rotational tricks, do grabs, or get some air. The good thing is, these are tricks that can be learned at a beginner level and we’re going to discuss them and more down below.
Without further ado, here are 9 easy to Learn wakeboarding tricks for beginners:
Jump to your preferred section!
1. Cross the Wake
When you’ve reached a point at which you feel that you’re in total control of the wake and the board, you can start trying to cross the wake. You’ll feel the wakeboard start turning if you lean into your heel and toe edges and pull the rope away from the boat. One of the most important aspects of accomplishing a good turn is fluidity. You must carve through the water.
When you’re riding behind the boat, turn your chest and shoulders towards the boat and look where want to go. Move the handle to the inside of your hip and transfer the weight of your body into the heels.
Your movement must remain controlled and slow. Your knees must remain bent and the wakeboard must often glide over the water surface. Do not steer with the rope or you’ll risk falling. Move only the lower part of your body and will start crossing the wake.
In case you want to cross the wake in the opposite direction, press into your toes with your knees pushed towards the water, and turn your hips and shoulders in the direction you want. Change your direction by going after the other wake if you’re directly behind your boat. To continue to cross the wake, you’ll have to keep repeating these actions.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
2. Jump the Wake
Edging toward the top of the wake then gradually picking up your speed as you approach is what you have to do to start performing the wakeboard jump. You have to keep the handle at your frontal hip and your knees must remain bent as you stand up and start straightening your legs when you approach the wake. This will grant you the push required to perform the jump.
You will start getting a sense of air and if done right, you’ll clear the wake. The last thing you need to do is pull your rope a few inches your frontal hip. By doing so, you’ll make sure that the rope is tight and that your arms are in the right position for the landing. Don’t forget to bend your knees when you’re about to land.
If you want to go for another jump, you’ll have to pull outside of the wake as far as you can and remain there momentarily. Once you feel the pull of the boat on you, make a turn and roll up onto the edge making a progressive cut towards the wake. When you get the hang of the jump, you should try to improve the small jumps until you’re ready to take on bigger jumps.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
3. Surface 180
If you’re a beginner then this is a trick that you can learn and master easily compared to the others on this list. A surface spin is when you rotate your wakeboard 180 degrees. Since it doesn’t require you to leave the surface of the water, it’s a good way to get used to the board before attempting more challenging tricks.
First things first. You have to keep your elbows close tight to your body, keep your knees bent and rotate the wakeboard by turning your hip or by pressing on your heels. Once the wakeboard points in the other direction, you’ll either be riding backward or in a switch. When it comes to the switch, you’ve got two types: frontside (toeside) and backside (heelside). For the front side switch, your chest must turn towards the boat when you spin. As for the backside switch, your chest must move away from the boat.
Your best opportunity for doing a surface 180 comes when you’re being pulled out to the surface and the boat hasn’t reached maximum speed yet. At these lower speeds, you can slide your board around with ease without worrying about catching an edge. You can also practice alternating between regular and switch.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
4. Ollie
This is yet another easy to learn wakeboarding tricks for beginners, and it’s a good way of jumping in the air and feeling the breeze while riding. What you’re going to do essentially is jump out of the water without being launched by the wake.
The trick starts in the following manner, you have to compress the water by jumping down on the tail of the wakeboard and pulling the front foot up at the same time. What will happen is a force that’ll be applied on the board which will push you out of the water. The harder you push on the tail, the more you’ll be pushed out.
Try to focus on the wakeboard’s tail and practice the push down to make the water pop you up. After that, you can focus on the bouncing. Take your time with the Ollie, and when you get comfortable with it, try to manipulate the nose by pulling it up.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
5. Tail grab
Now here’s an advanced trick for those of you who’ve mastered the Ollie. A tail grab can be attempted when you pop up from a jump and find yourself in the air. To perform it, you have to use your backhand to grab the back tip or tail of the board.
When you’re in the jump, the board’s nose will already be quite high in the air, so it can be a bit tricky to get the grab just right. So, if you want to make it easier, push harder off the backside when pop off. If you want, you can also bring the board closer to your hand by pulling your back knee up. A different variation of the tail grab is the frontside tail grab.
After getting comfortable with the tips and tricks, try pulling off an Ollie 180 or add a tail grab to spice things up.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
6. Wakeboarding Tricks: Surface 360
This involves both a frontside 180 and a backside 180. For the front side, you’ll have to slide the back foot around bringing it to the front. After that, do a backside 180 and lean backward from the pull of the rope to lean away from your boat. When rotating, this will help you avoid the back edge. After that, grab the handle by your outside hand and start bringing the back foot up to the front.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
7. Front Flip
This flip is an advanced trick, but we’re including it in our list of the top wakeboarding tricks for beginners because, with practice, you can perfect your front flip in no time. It’s a cartwheel style and end over which lets you grab in in different ways to add your personal touch to the flip. But before you try to attempt it, you must be able to perform cartwheels on trampolines, go upside down and do heelside big wake jumps.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
8. The Elephant
We now come to the elephant. The elephant is a trick performed by wakeboarders by borrowing elements from different stuff. This trick features a rewind 180 that’s executed forwards from backward as well as a scarecrow. The resemblance between the elephant and the scarecrow resides in the fact that the board will be pulled before landing instead of performing a landing switch.
To make sure that you perform this trick correctly, what you have to do is rotate and seem as if you are going to perform a scarecrow, not a toeside front roll. But before you try to attempt doing an Elephant on your wakeboard, be sure that you are able to perform a large wake jump toeside as well as a toeside that requires hard edging and a big scarecrow.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
9. Wakeboarding Tricks: The Cow Mobe
What you have to pull off in order to do a Cow Mobe correctly is not only a toeside front roll but also a frontside 360 as this trick involves the two. The Cow Mobe is not a hard trick to perform at all. And if you come to master it and perform it in the correct manner, you will have yourself a very impressed audience.
What’s also great about the Cow Mobe is that it doesn’t require you to gain a lot of air as you jump off the water. And if you happen to be a beginner, it’s even possible without having to do a mid-air handle-pass. But before you attempt to try your luck with the Cow Mobe, there are a few tricks that you should master before to get the best results. One of them is the rotating scarecrow which you should be able to do rather quickly. Another trick is a toeside 360s, and it would be ideal if you can perform it while passing the handle and not passing it.
Here’s a great video that shows this trick:
Conclusion
Wakeboarding in and of itself is fun, but if you really want to experience the thrill of this sport, then you have to try some wakeboarding tricks for beginners, such as the ones listed above.
What are you waiting for? Get your wakeboard, call your instructor, and start practicing!
You might also want to check some of our other articles and guides:
- Is Wakeboarding a Dying Sport?
- Can You Use a Wakeboard to Snowboard?
- What’s the Average Cost of a Wakeboard?
References:
- My own experience!
- https://activesafe.ca/wakeboarding/
- https://daisylinden.com/wakeboard-tricks/
- https://riders.co/en/wakeboard/boat
