Getting Set up to Ride
Rent or buy a beginner’s wakeboard. Look for a longer wakeboard; longer wakeboards are easier to control and their landings are softer than a shorter board. The size of the board will also depend on your weight. The more you weigh, the longer your wakeboard should be. Get a board with a continuous rocker for a smoother, easier ride. You’ll know it has a continuous rocker if when you’re looking at it from the side it’s in the shape of one continuous curve from tip to tail.
Get a pair of wakeboarding boots. Wakeboarding boots, also known as bindings, go on your feet and hook onto your wakeboard so you’re held in place during your ride. Look for a stiffer, less flexible pair of boots for when you’re just starting out. It will be easier to balance and steer the board if your ankles are tightly locked into place. Your boots will screw into the tiny holes built into your wakeboard. Not all bindings attach to a board the same way, so check the instructions that came with your boots before you attempt to attach them to your board.
Talk to the boat driver. Make sure they understand that you’re a beginner and ask them to take it slow with you. A boat driver should never speed with a beginner wakeboarder. Because you’ll likely fall several times during your first few go’s, remind the driver to slow down before turning around to come retrieve you so you don’t get caught in any choppy waves.
Designate someone to be the spotter. The spotter is someone on the boat (other than the driver) that keeps an eye on things while you’re wakeboarding. The spotter should alert the driver whenever there’s nearby boats or objects or if they see you fall down during your tow.
Decide which foot you want to face forward. If you’re regular or goofy footed in other board sports like snowboarding and surfing, you’ll probably be the same in wakeboarding. If you’re not sure, think about which foot you use to kick a ball with and place that foot in the back. You want your non-dominant foot to face forward. If you’re regular footed, your left foot faces forward on the board. If you’re goofy footed, your right foot faces forward on the board.
Put on a life jacket before you get in the water. A life jacket will help you stay afloat while you’re waiting to get towed, and it can protect you from serious injury while you’re wakeboarding.
Use a short rope during your first few tows. A shorter rope will position you in the narrower part of the wake, making it easier to stand on your board. Use a rope that’s between 30-50 feet (9-15 meters) long.
Practicing with Your Board
Do practice drills on land. Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground in front of you. Stretch out your arms straight ahead with your knees in between, as if you’re holding onto a tow rope. Have someone grab your hands and pull you up to a standing position, as if a boat is pulling you up onto your board via the tow rope. The key to the land drills is learning how to relax when you’re being pulled up to a standing position. Don’t try to stand up on your own or fight the pull. Let the person pulling you up do all the work.
Practice getting in the water on your board. Sit on edge of the boat’s swim platform and slide your feet into your boots. Once you’re strapped in, place your board in the water and slowly slide off the edge of the swim platform until you’re off the boat. Your board should be floating on its side with the front edge at the water’s surface. Bend your knees so they’re touching your chest and stretch your arms out in front of you like you’re holding onto a tow rope handle.
Do practice drills in the water. Practice with someone like you did on land, but this time strapped into your board in the water. Have someone stand on the swim platform of the boat, each of you holding on to opposite ends of a tow rope. Have them pull you in as close to the swim platform as possible via the tow rope and then pull you up onto the swim platform so that you’re standing on your board. If you tense up or fight the pull, have the person on the swim platform release you back into the water. Keep repeating the drill until you’re able to relax and get pulled up onto the platform without resisting.
Getting up on Your Board
Grab hold of the tow rope handle after the driver throws it in the water. Relax your body and wait for the driver to get the boat into position.
Keep your knees bent and your arms stretched out in front of you. Your knees should be close to or touching your chest. Make sure your body is relaxed. The front edge of the wakeboard should be perpendicular to the tow rope and just above the surface of the water.
Signal to the driver that you’re ready to be pulled up. Most experienced wakeboarders will raise a hand to signal the driver, but as a beginner, letting go of the tow rope with one hand may cause you to lose your grip. Instead, hold onto the tow rope handle with both hands and raise it into the air when you’re ready to begin.
Let yourself be pulled up to a crouched position on your board. Once the boat starts moving forward and you feel the tow rope begin to pull, let yourself be pulled up onto your board like you did in your practice drills. Keep your knees bent and stay relaxed. Don’t rush to stand up. Moving too quickly may cause you to lose your balance.
Raise yourself to a standing position gradually. Remember that the boat is increasing in speed, so you want to get yourself positioned in a balanced, steady stance. Keep your knees bent slightly and not locked. Your arms should still be stretched out in front of you. You can lock your elbows around your knees if you face trouble getting up onto the board.
Bring the tow rope handle around to your side. Line the handle up with your leading hip and turn your head to look over your leading shoulder.
Riding the Wake
Look straight ahead. Avoid looking down at your board. You might lose balance or cause the front of your board to dip and throw you into the water.
Lean into your heels and toes to steer your board. Avoid turning the actual board to steer as you’ll likely fall. Applying pressure to your toes (the front edge of the board) and your heels (the back edge of the board) will cause your board to carve through the water and turn.
Keep the tow rope handle in line with your hip. If you catch yourself raising the handle or holding it up to your chest, steadily move it back down. Holding the handle high up when you’re wakeboarding may cause you to fall.
Wait for the boat driver to retrieve you if you fall. Falling into the water on a wakeboard can be painful, but it’s important not to panic. Once the driver has turned the boat around, signal to them that you’re OK. If you want to try again, wait for the driver to put the boat in neutral and then grab hold of the tow rope handle. Get back into starting position and signal to the driver that you’re ready to start.
Using the Proper Hand Signals
Give the boat driver a thumbs up if you want to go faster. Wait until you’re up on your board and the driver has stopped accelerating. Hold your thumb up steady if you want a smaller increase in speed, and wave it up and down if you want a bigger increase in speed.
Give the boat driver a thumbs down if you want to go slower. Make sure your hand is far enough away from your body that the driver or spotter can see it. Do a steady thumbs down for a slight decrease in speed, and a waving thumbs down for a larger decrease in speed.
Pat the top of your head when you’re ready to stop. Once you’re confident the driver or spotter saw you, drop the tow rope handle. Wait for the driver to turn around to retrieve you.
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