Basic steps and basic safety

precautions of wakeboarding
How to Wakeboard: A Guide for Beginners

Unlike most watersports, wakeboarding comes with a

satisfyingly steep learning curve. Depending on your previous
experience on the board and confidence, you can be carving
up a watery storm and popping ollies after just a few tries.
Wakeboarding is one of the most fun and adrenaline-
inducing sports you can ever try out. While it’s fast, furious,
and exciting, it can be a little intimidating for first-timers.
But that shouldn't deter you. All you need is the right
wakeboard gear and some confidence to get you started.
Let’s hop into the basics of how to wakeboard so you can
start gliding across your favorite lake.
What is Wakeboarding?

Wakeboarding is essentially a combination of water

skiing, surfing, and snowboarding. It is an extreme
water sport where riders, standing on wakeboards,
are towed behind boats across the wake at speeds of
up to 30 miles per hour. As you glide above the
water, you’ll feel like you’re riding an endless wave
and can perform aerial maneuvers.
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps

Step 1: Choose the Right-Sized Wakeboard

Choosing a well-sized wakeboard is your first step to
improving the skills needed for stability, control, and
balance on the water. When picking a wakeboard,
you should consider your height, weight, and
wakeboarding skill level. Wakeboard sizing can make
or break your wakeboarding experience.
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps

Step 2: Tie the Rope to the Motorboat

To set yourself up for success, you need to tie up the
rope as short as you can to the wakeboard boat. It’ll
increase the amount of upward pull from the boat,
allowing you to stand steadily when gliding. The
wakeboard rope and handle should be strong for
your safety.
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps

Step 3: Set Your Wakeboard Properly

Set up your wakeboard, ensuring your feet are
shoulder-width apart and slightly turned out. This
will give you stability when gliding through the water.
You also need to stand facing outwards toward the
back of the boat. This allows you to sit on the swim
step and squat your way into the water.
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
Step 4: Get Lined Up With the Wakeboard Boat
When wakeboarding, you need to let the boat do the
hard work for you. To start, get lined up with the boat
with your arms straight, resting on your knees. Once the
boat starts moving, let your knees bend toward your
chest. This way, the boat can help you get up while on
the water.
As a beginner, you may find yourself straightening your
legs. This is not recommended as it will only keep you
out of position. Instead, hold the crunched position
until you’re over the top of your wakeboard.
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
Step 5: Stand Up Slowly
As soon as you’re over the top of your board and the
boat pulls you forward, you can start standing up.
Do it slowly to reduce your chances of falling over.
Once up, gently rotate your dominant foot to the
back to start wakeboarding. You can now start
performing some wakeboarding tricks that you are
confident in.
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
Basic safety tips for
wakeboarding
How to Wakeboard: Beginners
Steps
Wakeboarding is a fun sport where the rider’s skills develop
as they practice and try new maneuvers.
Maintaining basic wakeboarding safety rules will allow you to
have a more rewarding experience without taking risks.
Those who have tried it already know that many things can
happen on board, but they also know that there are
accessories and proven techniques that make it a safer sport.
If you are just starting out and you are interested in standing
out as a professional rider, you should know the safety
measures that will make you have fun safely on the wakes.
Safety tips for wakeboarding
Life jacket

This is what your survival will depend on if you ever

get loose from the board.
An approved wakeboard vest is the one that will
allow you to float, the important thing is that it is
comfortable to perform maneuvers in the water.
Choose the right size according to your weight,
covering your chest and back.
Life jacket
Equipment check-up
This should be part of your routine.
Every time you enter the water, make sure that the
equipment is in good condition and that it is the right
one for you, in terms of size and specifications.
The board should have no protrusions or sharp edges
that could hurt the rider; the ropes and other
accessories for fastening to the boat should be in
good condition, any sign of fraying or breakage
should be brought to your attention.
Equipment check-up
Start signal

When wakeboarding with a boat it is very important

to communicate effectively with the rider.
Only when you are really ready, i.e. when you have
checked that there are no obstacles in the way and
that the rope has the right tension, neither too tight
nor too loose, can you give the start signal to the
rider.
Communicating with the
wakeboard boat crew members

Remember that they will be the ones dragging you,

but you will be the one to tell them what to do
according to your ability and intentions at the time.
There are some institutionalized signals so that they
can understand each other, we share the most
important ones with you:
-OK sign: indicates that all is well.
-Thumbs up or down: shows when to speed up or slow
down.
-Move your arm up and down in a cross: indicates that
you are close to the swell.
-An arm in a cross with the index finger stretched out and
making turns with the wrist: you are asking to make a
180° degree turn.
-Tilt head and hand: you are asking to balance the boat.
-Hand or finger making a neck cut signal: you are asking to
stop the boat.
-Hand on the head: stop the activity to return to the
starting point.
Avoid shallow water

The depth of the water should be considerable so

that if the rider should fall in, he/she can swim or
float.
In shallow water you could hit the surface in a really
dangerous way.
The board out as a signal

In crowded sailing areas, one way to signal that you

have fallen off the board is to raise it to the surface
and tell the other boats to stay away from that area,
which can prevent many serious accidents.
The board out as a signal
The co-pilot

In a boat used to pull a wakeboarder there should

always be a helper present who will be the observer
of both the boat and the rider.
To conclude

These are some of the most basic wakeboarding

safety measures that we can give you if you are
starting out in this exciting practice.
To conclude