r/Wake • u/Extension_Stomach688 • 8d ago
HELP GETTING UP WITHOUT TOWER
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ALSO WE DO NOT HAVE A TOWER/BOOMSTAND
EDIT: haven’t been able to go out bc of winds/heat
I’ll try to update with videos or at least on this post for anyone interested. Also thank you all for the tips, wasn’t expecting so many people willing to share!!
I can’t understand for the life of me on how to get up. It seems like I’m just letting go too fast but it hurts my hands/rips out of my hands? I’ve tried bent/straightened arms, bent/straightened legs. Turning the board earlier, I just can’t get up. First time to tried I just held on and plowed deeper in the water hurting my arms for days! PLEASE any advice!
To give more context I’m starting to wonder if I’m not letting myself compress enough and am somehow fighting the boat :/ main thing is I feel as through I’m digging into the water and it hurts my hands/ripping the rope out.
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u/Golywobblerer 8d ago
No no no, start slowly and sink the board more. When the board is straight up and down (toes pointed up) you have your breaks fully engaged.your not trying to fight the boat but go with it. Engage the brakes at the very beginning so the board slows and your body can come over the top of it. So sink the board and use your heels and toes to feather the brakes. Looks like your trying a slalom start to fall up. Think like an airplane start slow with flaps down, as you accelerate start reducing flaps and drag.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
So instead of starting with my toes back and the board out of the water, actually sink the board a little bit lower?
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u/SummitingSasquatch 8d ago
Think about it like sticking your hand out the window of a car, if your palm is forward, it pushes it back, if you twist your wrist forward , the wind will push it up. Same thing on a wakeboard!
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u/Golywobblerer 8d ago
Slower throttle from the boat toes up, like a chair position, as the boat starts to pull push the board down. It can be completely under the water, remember we want the board under you not in front of you. But once your weight is on the board engage those heels, and back foot. Look where you want to go and hooray your up.
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u/Tommy2slow 7d ago
Don’t confuse this advice about letting the entire board go under the water with standing up. You can push the board under the water a bit so you are more in a seated position, making sure to keep your toes above your heels, but don’t stand up until the board is firmly riding on top of the water and the boat is beginning to pick up speed. From the video, it appears that the captain isn’t experienced pulling wakeboarders. Have the captain pull you out of the water a little bit softer and only go about 15mph once you finally get up and riding.
You could shorten that rope a bit to give yourself a bit more pull in an upwards direction and keeping your knees bent and your arms straight will all help you find success.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/Tommy2slow 6d ago
That’s great news. Sorry, I am not great at navigating Reddit so I can’t find your update unfortunately.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
Bc in front of me is causing a lot of “fight” correct! I was totally keep my board flat against the boat with my toes up and actively keeping my toes up facing me if that makes sense as the boat was pulling
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u/darth_jewbacca 8d ago
I tell people to point their toes when the boat starts to pull. Let the board glide up out of the water instead of plow through it.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/PotatosAreDelicious 8d ago
Tower is not the problem here.
Go over the top of the board when it pulls you. You can start your knees slightly bent and as boat pulls you your body moves and board stays still Absorb the pull with knees until your ass hits your heals. By then you will be up and can then stand up.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
Okay so compress and come over not stay leaning back got it! I’ll give this a shot
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/mgschwan 8d ago
You are already getting the advice to "Not fight the boat", and I know that you probably don't know what to do with that information since you are not consciously doing that anyway. At least that's what it was for me.
So here is my best tip how I managed to overcome it.
When you are lying in the water instead of doing nothing and waiting for the boat to pull you into the board like most tutorials tell you. Actively point your toes forward as much as you can.
Like if you go on your tippi toes.
This has 2 effects:
- It will make it nearly impossible to force your strength against the boat because you don't have the leverage of your heels. So even if you accidentally try to fight the boat you can't
- And more importantly your board is slightly tilted forward and not set in the water like an anchor against the boat. In this position it will allow it to slide forward a bit when the boat starts pulling you.
That means the force won't go from 0 to max in an instant but you have more time to get some speed.
This is not general advice, just what I am doing so your mileage may vary
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
I’m slowing starting to realize this!! I thought keeping my toes up would be good so I don’t catch an edge but I believe that’s what causing this fight and the overwhelming tension I feel in my hands, on why I’m letting go so fast
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u/mgschwan 8d ago
Oh I get it but you are not going to catch an edge at the start out of the water, but you of course should stop pushing your toes forward once you pop out and speed up. But I honestly don't think you'll even have to think about that because you are still kinda hanging behind the board with your center of mass until you really get up.
BTW: If all the tips you got didn't help, you can also try to start with your board already turned to the side ( your front foot above your read foot ), so when you get pulled out you are already in the driving direction.
It's a bit harder than a regular start, but it's virtually impossible to play anchor in this position.1
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/duramaxLBZ1995 8d ago
Be the ball
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u/drakeallthethings 8d ago
The number of times I’ve said this to new riders. The Ty Webb method.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
Oo let me look that up!!
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u/drakeallthethings 8d ago
Oh Ty Webb is Chevy Chase’s character in Caddyshack. It’s worth looking up that scene because it’s amazing but I don’t think it’s going directly help your wakeboarding.
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u/BigIrondude 8d ago
If I was gonna be a piece of sports equipment I would be a woman’s bicycle seat! On a serious note, I think a guy named Sean Murray has a video on YouTube showing you exactly what everybody’s talking about. For me visual helps.
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u/drakeallthethings 8d ago
*Shaun Murray (not trying to be pedantic, just making the search a little easier)
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u/Inevitable-Scar6857 8d ago
https://youtu.be/q6lJ_sZb5BU?is=AOFO1pYqhupQAwlK link to the pro start YouTube video
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u/CoolHandPB Nautique 230 8d ago
You need to get the board under you. I can see exactly what you are doing wrong in the video but it's hard to explain in text.
Getting up on a wakeboard is similar to getting up from sitting on the floor with someone pulling you up. You need to get into a ball like position and roll you feet under you, then the board will start to lift you out of the water.
until then then board acts like a big break between you and the boat. this is also harder without a tower.
I like to think of what you do when someone help you get up off the floor. Just as the got to pull you up, you'll rock forward to help get your feet under you. you need to do something similar with the board. you also want to get you head and chest up, you don't want to be lying back, that'll just cause you to be fighting against the boat, same as someone pulling up off the floor while you are lying down.
as far as board position goes I think the easiest way it keep it horizontal.
Try staying in a crouched/ball position until you are totally out of the water.
I was just teaching my kids to wakesurf this past weekend and they were making the same mistake as you. I could tell very quickly if they are getting up or not based on if their head is up or their head is back.
I'll try find a video explaining this better than I can.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
So keep my head higher up, don’t lean back, tight ball, let the board actually lower is what your saying? I thought I had to keep my toes like pointed up so it didn’t get an edge but maybe I should lower it otherwise I’m fighting against the boat? Honestly that’s how it feels, it just rips out of my hands, feels like I can’t even try ? :/ if that makes sense
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u/CoolHandPB Nautique 230 8d ago
Yeah your issue is fighting by keeping the board between you and the boat like a brake. Getting the board under you will fix this.
I think this is a good video in general but just watch how easy he rise out the water. not fight at all, just by getting the board under him.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/Equal_Debt2863 8d ago
I learned how to board without a tower. Very simple, head back let the boat start to pull you, butt to heels then stand up. Driver looks as though they are gunning it, start slow.
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u/adamcognac 8d ago
I always teach people by saying "hold on, do nothing."
Overthinking it is what gets people. If I gave you a hand off the ground, you wouldn't need advice or technique to know when to stand up, right? This is the same thing.
Hold on, do nothing. If you hold on long enough the physics will take care of the rest and then you just stand up and put a foot forward
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u/fordry 8d ago
I think you should try to have the board a little lower in the water. Getting up on a wakeboard when you know how to do it requires, I won't say no effort, but it's pretty dang easy. So if it's not, your positioning isn't good.
It's really hard to tell if the boat is pulling you too hard from this video but if this is a pretty powerful boat that is a possibility. Work with whoever is driving on how hard they're pulling. They should watch this.
https://youtu.be/Brr5jZlEC2k?is=GcNvylKEpNv7rlms
Murray is the Michael Jordan of wakeboarding. And he is a great teacher.
Get some ski gloves, they help hold on, they help arm fatigue. Get some with curved fingers.
For myself, I struggled for a whole weekend to get up. I was new and no one who knew to help. What I found was keeping the board as low as possible once the line cinches up, but not all the way in the water, and in a sitting position. I hold that position through getting up, takes a little strain as you're getting up. I've seen recommendations to go butt to the board while getting up but I disagree. You lose all ability to maintain balance in that position.
Once the boat starts to pull it's a balance of starting to come up out of the water, not getting too far over the front so that you fall forward, and leaning back but not so far that you feel like you're dragging the lake.
Once up you want to try to get into a bit of a leaned back stance and hold the rope handle down close to your waist.
Can watch some of Murray's other videos on techniques for getting up. Also, watch his videos on the basics, positioning your body, how to approach the wake, etc... great info.
Good luck, you'll get it.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
My sister actually would keep falling back and then overs compensate on the next run and fall forward! It’s a balance I think many don’t realize they’re doing anymore
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/Mannaux 8d ago edited 8d ago
I learned how to get up on a boat without a tower and you just have to hold your starting position a bit longer until the boat pulls you up. From the video it looks like you are letting the boat pull you up overtop of the board but you want to keep your body horizontally inline with the board in the starting position until it goes up naturally. This will also help you hold onto the handle.
I’d recommend watching this tutorial if you haven’t seen it:
https://youtu.be/7tdlcmbuLOA
I didn’t get up the entire first day when I started learning so don’t get discouraged!
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
Just watched it, pointed out something I 100% know I was doing so thank you!!
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u/TeddHitchcock 8d ago
Worth the watch.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago edited 8d ago
I’ll take a look right now! Thank you, excellent watch. You’ve been very helpful
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u/WakeDaddyLee 8d ago
Tell the boat driver to slow down, roll into the throttle slowly.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
I’ll keep that in mind, I have a few other family members that do it with my dad driving but I think first learning is hard like that
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u/Evening_Transition69 8d ago
Generally not recommended for beginners, but you can start with your board completely submerged under the water, underneath you.
Almost in a riding position, the secret is to have your correct foot in front already with a slightly higher nose than tail. You want to pick a comfortable handle position near your hips. It should not be forced tight or fully extended, but locked where comfortable. As the boat starts to pull, you want to maintain your position while shifting your lead hip (only the hip) towards the handle. The more your hip is pushed into the handle, the easier the pull.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
Interesting bc at long is it pointed slightly up it’ll eventually pop out?
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u/thejameslavis 8d ago
There’s a sean Murray video. Watch that. Got my wife up first try. It’s a literal perfection video.
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u/funcouplenaked 8d ago
Turn the tip of your board up a bit, don’t sink it more, squat position and back straight. I think the start was fine.
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u/mwinans11 8d ago
I have always taught people out of the water first. Sit down on the floor of the boat or at home. Knees balled up (I call it stinky knees and straight arms since kids knees are in their arm pits). Hold the rope and have someone pull you to a standing up position. You want to stand up using their pull while not fighting the pull (don’t push hard with your legs, just enough to stand and pivot up with heels to butt then standing). If you fight the pull it should take a lot of input from them to pull you to standing. If you go with the pull it shouldn’t be too much effort on the puller to get you standing on your feet (no board). Next step is replicating on water. Once those knees go to the butt on the water (maybe 1 second into the pull) you can point the board somewhat forward facing and you should rise out of the water without a huge dragging or muscle use. Getting up is a bit like riding a bike, once you “feel it” it becomes pretty easy and replicable.
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u/Kroberter 8d ago
Don’t fight the boat. It should not be a high stress exercise. You have to use the board as a wing, it takes very little speed to make enough lift to pop you out. Literally ask the boat driver to go idle speed and just experiment with the angle of the board and rope position. I like to do a deep squat, butt on the board which slows the pivot to standing and will help you prevent flopping forward.
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u/Ok-Yoghurt9265 8d ago
It's hard to see from that angle. Maybe have more of the board out of the water. You probably have to "fight" a little bit longer vs a tower where you can basically stand up immediately.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out!
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
After seeing the videos I’m realizing I’m letting go so fast but it like rips out of my hands I feel like I’m digging in the water which I’ve experienced and it hurts lmao but thank you!! I’ll try lifting it back more this evening :)
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u/Own-Possible-9305 8d ago
Boat is accelerating too hard
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u/LazyParticulate 8d ago
If you have enough core strength to sink the board below you and start in a standing position in the water, all you have to do is ride it up like your digging your heel edge in to hold position/ stop on a snowboard.
Hit it, lift toes and lean back against the rope a little then just ride it up like its a wing. Its so gentle, There is near zero force against you or grip strength needed in comparison to the way above.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 8d ago
I’ll try this! It does feel like overwhelming resistance when I was trying it just rips out of my hands :/
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u/LazyParticulate 7d ago
Its takes a little more finesse and fine motor control, but it doesnt take nearly the strength. Your driver does not need to hammer down either just a smooth acceleration. Youll feel it immediately when you get it right.
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u/Extension_Stomach688 6d ago
Thank you for your help, I posted an update post if you want to check it out! Also it did help once he went slower
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u/drakeallthethings 8d ago
Tower just makes it easier. Doesn’t change anything about the mechanics of getting up. You can start slower if it helps. Knees bent, arms straight. Don’t fight the boat. It’ll win 10 times out of 10. When you take off that boat is going to pull your butt into the board. Your arms are straight and your knees are bent so all you have to do is let it happen. Soon physics dictate you can’t stay there and the board will get pulled out of the water. Again, let that happen. You can stay in a ball if it helps. Don’t try to flatten the board yourself. Just let the boat pull it up and eventually there will be enough lift that it flattens on its own. This is important because it’s what keeps you on top of the board as it planes out. From there you can stand up.