Just a Little Help please

[BlunderDownUnder]

I'm constantly tweeking my techniques and trying to make little changes to get better. Lately my jumps have become smoother and cleaner than they have ever been in the past. Your approach to the wake is key, and varies depending on the trick you are trying to throw. If you are just focusing on pop and clearing the wake, this is might help:

This going to be a tricky one for me to try and verbalize....

When you cut out away from the wake and transition back in on a progressive heel side edge, focus on your orientation in respect to the wake and the boat. As your progressive edge increases, the "vector" of your board is relatively perpendicular to the path of the boat. Changing this angle of approach as you begin to ramp up the wake, will affect your jump. I find that if you aim your path/board towards the boat slightly just as you begin to ramp up, you will get a nice pop with enough momentum to clear your wake. This technique helped me to land wake to wake 360's because it helps your body maintain a nice axis in the air, plus it gives a little more slack in the rope so you're not getting ripped around while you're rotating.

My suggestion would be to play around with your approach until you find something comfortable that seems to be working.

Also, standard jump techniques would apply. Lock your hips and keep your core abdominal muscles flexed as your jumping... making your body solid. If you don't, your body will fold in the middle, absorbing the translational force and momentum that generates your jump.

ITS ALL ABOUT PHYSICS!

If anything I have said is incorrect, don't hesitate to call me out on it.... as I am in persuit of continual improvement myself! : )

[JesseC]

i think my major problem is getting letting up on my edge at the wake and not edging all the way through the wake

Hey Nate I am right there with ya.....this is what happened to me when I tried to clear the wake and let up on my edge at least thats that I think I did Can anyone tell why I did this?

It looks like you hit the wake "head on". You need to hit the wake on your edge with the board pointed more toward the boat. A common mistake is to run straight at the wake with the nose of the board. Doing this causes the board to try and "float" behind you. It is a perfect approach for a raley or back roll, but not for a wake to wake jump. The right corner of your board should hit just slightly before your heelside edge. Remember, how you leave the wake is how you will return to the wake. You need to be at more of a 45 degree angle(give or take, depends on rope length) to the boat on a standard wake to wake. Running head on into it will cause the nose to go way up and your lower body to float behind your chest. These falls HURT!!! Also, don't ride on a full length rope, i learn the inverts and new tricks with one link out of the rope, it is easier to land in the flats rather than on top of a wake.

[Fat G]

I'll go ahead and apologize for no video...and no picture... BUT the picture of Pike looks similar to what I do. Jesse's advice on the angle to cut across helps because I know I cut straight towards the wake, no angle towards the boat. I still think that if I adjust my angle and can possibly get clear the wake I will have no height at all. Should cutting towards the boat help with the height and distance or am I just not "popping" enough? Currently I am running at 21mph and 65'.

[JesseC]

I'll go ahead and apologize for no video...and no picture... BUT the picture of Pike looks similar to what I do. Jesse's advice on the angle to cut across helps because I know I cut straight towards the wake, no angle towards the boat. I still think that if I adjust my angle and can possibly get clear the wake I will have no height at all. Should cutting towards the boat help with the height and distance or am I just not "popping" enough? Currently I am running at 21mph and 65'.

If you are using a progressive edge properly and stand tall at the wake, you will have NO issue with pop. Have you ever tried a toeside jump? Try a toeside jump at the same speed you use on heelside (your speed on the board not the boat) and have the people in the boat pay attention to the height you are getting. The reason I bring this up is that EVERYONE hits the toeside jump with a "stiff" body position and usually gets much more pop than heelside since most heelside riders tend to buckle when they hit the wake which causes you to loose the pop. You may clear the wake, but not very high. The trick to a proper heelside wake2wake is to use the progressive edge and stand tall and "stiff" at the wake. If all of the pictures of you in the air have your knees at your chest, then there is where all your "pop" went. It pushed your knees into your chest instead of your entire body into the air. It is really akwards, but you will get used to it. Have someone do video clips of you with the digital camera and you would not believe how much you will improve watching them! Besides that those face plants in slow motion are awsome!!!

Please post the videos or send them to me and I will host them.

[NateDog]

i think i have fixed my problem. I realized that i was edging in as hard and fast as i could but then i was letting off as i got to the trough. Today i just started my edge slowly and kept the board at the same angle and just edged through the wake. I didnt actually clear the wake, but i was landing on the crest when all of the sudden one of these NC afternoon thunderstorms pops up and runs us off the lake.

[superman]

What type of rope are you using?
________
clear trichomes

[NateDog]

a straightline at 65'