How To Jump On A Wakeboard?

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One of the most exciting wakeboarding tricks, getting big air provides extreme satisfaction. Luckily for beginning wakeboarders, jumping on a wakeboard is not rocket science, and anyone can master the art with enough practice. 

Before executing a wakeboarding jump, you will need to know the basics of steering and balancing. You will use these skills to ollie, which is jump done in open water, without a wake. Once you perfect your ollie, you can jump wakes. In this guide, we will put our focus on wakeboarding how to jump.  

Wakeboarding How to Jump Guide

To get you acquainted with the wakeboarding jump, we will divide this guide into 2 sections – one focusing on the ollie and another one focusing on jumping waves:  

How to Perform an Ollie 

1. Position Yourself in the Wake’s Center 

After wearing your board shorts and putting on your wakeboard helmet, ride behind the boat with the tow rope in front of your chest and both hands on the handle. Ensure that the board is pointed towards the boat’s stern

To make the trick easier, start with the dominant side forward. Balance your weight evenly between your legs to avoid losing your balance while moving across the water. 

2. Bend Your Knees 

When you feel you are ready to perform the wakeboarding jump, bend both knees slightly, taking the necessary precautions to avoid losing balance. Keep your chest and head up with your back straightened as much as possible. 

Leaning forward places you at the risk of face-planting into the water, instead of leaping out of it. Leaning backward, on the other hand, throws you off balance. 

3. Shift Your Weight to the Back Leg 

Very slightly, lean back on your board to transfer the weight to the back foot. Maintain the bent-knee stance with both hands on the rope to maintain balance. 

When learning wakeboarding how to jump, most people make the mistake of moving their torso. If you move the torso, you may end up leaning forward and losing balance. 

4. Lift Your Front Leg Up 

When popping off the board to execute the wakeboarding jump, lift the front leg. Move in one fluid motion immediately after transferring your body weight to the back leg. 

If it helps, think of the ollie as a balanced reaction, where both your front and back legs need to move at the same time, in the opposite directions. Push down with the back leg so the board rises with the front leg. 

5. Use the Back Leg to Stabilize the Body 

After successfully launching yourself into the air, the next step is to remain cool so that you land safely. Shift your body weight to the front foot so that the back end of the board rises. Next, level out the board when you reach the jump’s peak, which is when you feel the board heading back toward the water. 

6. Bend Your Knees to Absorb the Impact 

While you will need to extend your legs when jumping out of the water, be sure to get back in a stable crouched position at your jump’s peak. Hold this position as you hit the water to absorb the impact. 

You might also like: Wakeboarding VS Kitesurfing: Comparison Guide

How to Jump the Wake 

Once you master the ollie, take your board off the wakeboard rack, put on your favorite rash guard and wakeboard lifejacket, and start practicing jumping the wake. The following steps will show you wakeboarding how to jump:

1. Move Away from the Wake 

Follow behind the towing boat until you gain momentum and establish balance. When you are ready to do the wakeboarding jump, steer your wakeboard toward either side of your boat, and go as far as the rope allows. The side you select does not matter, so go where you feel most comfortable. 

2. Move Back toward the Boat 

Wait until you feel your body being pulled toward the wake. The moment you feel it, steer your wakeboard back with your lower body. Keeping the knees bent, lean back slightly on the heels to put your body weight on the back edge of your board. 

3. Pull the Rope 

Bring the rope as close as possible to your front hip, keeping it about one to two inches ahead of you. Turn the front shoulder and chest slightly to face the towing boat. Avoid turning the rest of the torso to avoid losing balance. 

4. Stand Up Tall as You Hit the Wake 

As soon as your wakeboard hits the top of the wake, pop up into a standing position, pretending that you are jumping out of the water. While this can be tricky, practicing regularly should help you get your timing right – the better the timing, the more the hang time. 

5. Keep Your Back Straight and Bend the Knees When Landing 

As you travel through the air, continue leaning back slightly while keeping your back aligned with the heel edge of the wakeboard. Bend the knees again to form a base that absorbs the impact as you land on the water. After landing, use your weight and rope to steer away from the wake and gain control over the wakeboard. 

FAQs

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Q: How Do You Jump When Wakeboarding?

A: 

To do a wakeboarding jump, you will need to follow these simple steps: 

  1. Move as far as possible away from the wake.
  2. When you feel being pulled to the wake, use your lower body to steer the wakeboard toward the boat.
  3. Pull the rope as close as possible to your front hip. 
  4. Pop up and stand straight as you hit the wake. This will put you in the air. 
  5. Keep your back straight but bend the knees to absorb the impact as you hit the water. 

Our guide carries a detailed explanation for each step outlined above.

Globo Surf Overview 

While it might seem like wakeboarding jumps are only done by people who have been wakeboarding for decades, this is not the case. As long as you have the basic balancing and wakeboard steering skills, you should be able to jump on a wakeboard. In this wakeboarding how to jump guide, we have outlined the steps you need to follow.

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