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7 Things You Need to Know Before Taking Wakesurfing Lessons

It’s cool that you’re finally doing what you’ve been wanting to do. And we’re glad to welcome you on board. Wakesurfing is among the most enjoyable things you can do. That’s why we prepared this article to show you what you should know before taking your first wakesurfing lessons. Are you ready? Let’s create those waves and have fun!

How to stand up and balance yourself

You will start by lying on back in the water. You should have a nice life jacket or vest to keep your head afloat. Place your foot up on the board, make sure that your back foot (usually your right foot) is near the tail of the board and your other foot somewhere around the middle. 

Now, once the boat starts moving, what most beginners do is push their heels against the board and stretch their legs. What it does is it pushes the board away from you. 

What you should do here is to keep your knees as close to your chest as possible. If you do it right, you will notice that the backside of the board will start to get submerged. Pointing the direction of the board towards the side you should be on, start to get up very slowly. It’s important not to do this part abruptly. 

How and when to release the rope

You’ve learned how to stand up and now you’ll be learning how and when to release the rope. The most important thing to keep in mind at this point is to take your time. It will take some time to get used to the wave. Most beginners experience feel weak on their knees during their first tries. This is normal.

Let yourself get used to the wave, how it all feels against your feet. What you need to do before letting go of the rope is to try touching the wave with your free hand. For example, if you’re holding the rope with your left hand, try to bend a little to touch the wave to your right.

Balance yourself nice and slow. Now it’s time to let go of the rope. Notice that we didn’t say “throw it aside”. If you do this, the whole thing will throw you off balance. Once you’re ready, you just need to let go of it. Remember that your stance at this point is having your both arms stretched to each side. You’ll want to maintain this. That’s why you shouldn’t throw the rope because that means you’ll be putting your arm down for a while.

If you find yourself getting off-balance after letting go of the rope, one thing you can do is put both of your arms forward and bend a little. Your instructor should be able to teach you more about this.

How to brake and speed up

This one should be easy to remember: your rear foot is your brake, your front acts as your gas pedal. It’s nice to practice with this while you are still attached to the rope. One thing you should not forget though: never make large adjustments to your speed. Gradual, small changes should do it. Although you may experience it during your first few tries, you’d really want to try not toppling over.

Another technique is moving your back foot a little towards the centre of the board. This will shift the weight towards the front side and will push you forward. This one is especially useful if you find yourself falling back behind the wave.

Where to find the sweet spot

Practising to find the “sweet spot” is best done while you’re holding on to the rope. But remember not to pull the rope to get there! You will put what you’ve learned about braking and speeding up to good use here. Again, making small adjustments is the key. Shift your weight on your front or back foot but don’t do it so abruptly.

How to create large waves

You must have seen video of people wakesurfing and noticed one thing: the boat is favouring one side and tipping to create the wake. You can achieve this by weighing the boat evenly with integrate surf system to create a BIG, nice, long and clean wave.

How to get started on the tricks

This is the most awesome part. To be able to ride that wave so expertly and do tricks you’ve never imagined you can do before. But how do you get started on them? There are a number of tricks that you can start up with. The most effective way to do this is to practice while holding the tip of the rope, just enough so that you’re not actively letting yourself be towed. You can try out stalling, pumping, practising your posings, etc. The rope will provide some sort of safety net. Once you’ve built up enough muscle memory and gained more confidence, you can let go of it and try other tricks.Getting started on wakesurfing is easier than you think. You just have to take the courage to do it and everything else will fall into place. Remember to trust only reputable instructors, use proper gear, have a great time, and be safe!