Beginner Wakeboard Tricks You Can Master
A great beginner wakeboard will help you progress from a beginner to intermediate wakeboarder
It’s not hard to get the hang of wakeboarding, and once you know what you’re doing it won’t take long for you to start doing tricks. Beginner wakeboard tricks are easy to perform, and there are some that are especially easy for beginners.
If you’re ready to step up your game and start doing some wakeboard tricks, we’re going to give you a list of easy beginner tricks that you can master in no time at all. Wakeboarding is relatively easy, so you should be able to get the hang of these tricks quickly.
Before you begin learning tricks, though, you want to make sure that you have the basics down first. Make sure you are comfortable with pulling up out of the water and with riding without discomfort. Also make sure you have the proper equipment for safety and success and that you have the right wakeboard rope length. Removing the center fins on a wakeboard may be helpful once you gain confidence.
Don’t be afraid to make some mistakes while you’re learning wakeboarding tricks; it’s all part of learning. With enough practice you’ll master these tricks and be well on your way to more advanced tricks.
Wakeboarding tricks you'll want to learn
There are many wakeboard tricks that are fairly simple to learn and master. It’s best to start with the easy ones before you attempt the harder ones. Like any skill, it takes some time to get good at it, so be patient with yourself, and most of all, practice! With enough practice you’ll be showing off your tricks like a pro.
Some of the easier wakeboard tricks that you can start with are:
- Crossing the Wake
- Surface 180
- Ollie
- Tail Grab
- Jump the Wake
Give the best chance of success - start with the best board
Basic wakeboard tricks to get you started
Before you attempt one of these tricks make sure you understand it enough to be able to try it. If you’re having trouble visualizing the steps look for a video that shows you how to do it.
Crossing the Wake
This is the first trick you can do once you’ve mastered control of your wakeboard and are comfortable with edging the wake. Crossing the wake means you are moving across the wake from one side to the other. This trick is essential to learning other wakeboard tricks, so make sure you have it down before moving on.
- Open your chest and shoulders towards the boat and look in the direction you want to move in.
- Bend your knees.
- Move the handle to the inside of your front hip.
- Put the weight on your heels.
- Don’t pull on the rope; let your body do the work.
- Keep the board pointed across and through the wake.
- Once you are across the wake and ready to go back the other way, push your knees in the direction of the water.
- Put your weight on your toes.
- Turn your shoulders and hips in the direction you want to move in.
- Angle in with a smooth and gradual approach.
Keep practicing going back and forth and going from your heels to your toes to cross seamlessly.
Surface 180
Also known as a “surface spin”, Surface 180 is a wakeboard trick in which your board stays on the water while you rotate it. It’s a prerequisite for other tricks like the Ollie. When you perform a Surface 180 your front and rear feet switch positions as you spin.
- Lock elbows at your sides.
- Bend at the knees and put your weight on your heels.
- Using your hips to turn your body, initiate the spin with your back foot and spin 180 degrees.
- Make sure not to look down!
- Spin back in the other direction to complete.
Ollie
Ollie is a beginner jump in which you are able to propel yourself up from flat water without relying on the wake to propel you. It’s good practice for other, more difficult jumps. You can do Ollies over small obstacles like a buoy to start with.
- Jump down on your wakeboard’s tail so the water pops you up.
- Bring up your front leg quickly and level out your board.
- You can let go with your back hand to help keep your body straight.
- Absorb the landing by bending your knees.
Tail Grab
Once you’ve mastered the Ollie you can try out the more advanced wakeboarding trick of Tail Grab. It involves grabbing the tail of your board as you are in the air from a jump.
- Perform an Ollie.
- While you are in the air, grab the tail of your board.
- Push harder on the heel side of your board and pull up your back knee to make it easier to reach the tail.
Jump the Wake
Jumping the wake is a bit more difficult than an Ollie, but with enough practice you’ll get this wakeboard trick down. Start by attempting one wake at a time.
- Start as far away from the wake as you can.
- Once you feel the boat starting to pull you back to center, lean back on your heels and progressively lean farther back as you get closer to the wake.
- Keep the line a few inches from your front hip.
- Bend your knees slightly.
As you leave the top of the wake, push down on your legs and jump. - Straighten your legs right away.
- Lean back while in the air to maintain balance.
- Bend your knees as you land on the other side of the wake to absorb the impact.
You've mastered the beginner wakeboarding tricks - looking to upgrade to a new board?
Practice your wakeboarding tricks
If you struggle with any of these wakeboard tricks at first, don’t give up! In every skill practice makes perfect, and water sports are no different. The more you work at them they better you’ll get, and before you know if you’ll be able to perform these tricks with ease, and you’ll be able to move on to more difficult and spectacular tricks.
Follow the directions for these wakeboard tricks, and spend a little time watching videos that demonstrate them as well if you need a little visual help. Most of all, spend as much time out on the water as you can!
