Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a water sport where the rider stands on a board and is towed behind a powerboat. The board will ride on the wake produced by the boat.

Wakeboarding has become very popular in the 21st century and is included in the X-games, an annual extreme sports event hosted by the ESPN.

The wakeboard

Wakeboarding is done with a special board (the wakeboard) which is much shorter than a traditional surfboard and come with foot bindings.

The wakeboard rope

A typical modern wakeboard rope is less stretchy than a water-ski rope, and has been treated with a special coating that decreases stretch.

The wakeboard helmet

There are helmets designed specifically for wakeboarding. Among other things, they are lightweight and designed in a way that makes it easy for water to drain out of them.

Tips for getting up when you are a beginner

• Make sure the foot bindings are tight, yet still comfortable enough for a ride. With bindings that are too lose, it is very difficult to attain the right balance and control on the board.
• When you are floating in the water, prior to getting up on the board, keep the flat side of the board towards the boat at a 90-degree angle to the water’s surface.
• Bend your knees; don’t keep the leg straight.
• Try to keep both your knees and arms fairly relaxed while holding on to the tow rope. It is easy to get way to tense when you are trying to learn.
• Do not try to pull yourself up. You should let the boat lift you up, while you merely hold on. Stay in a crouched position with your arms extended straight in front of you.
• When you finally pop up, you should do so with your dominant foot forward.
• It is of course easier to learn if you have a knowledgable person driving the boat, e.g. someone who knows the best rate for accelerating when you are trying to get up.

Background

• Wakeboarding grew out of water skurfing.
• In the early 1990s, the first compression-molded neutral-buoyancy wakeboard was launched by the O’Brien Coae it much easier to start in deep water, and this board was also easier to turn.
• Today, several different wakeboard styles are available, including extra curved ones that makes the ride smoother.
• In the early days, water-ski ropes were used, and they were pretty stretchy. Eventually, braided polypropylene became a big hit. Thereafter, wakeboarders started using ropes with very little stretch, since they desired a more consistent pull on the rope.