Learning to wake board at 48. What am I doing wrong?

[KD4UPL]

So at 48 years of age I'm trying to learn to wake board. I can get up in a crouched position and sometimes stand up briefly. The same thing always happens: The board goes faster than I do and ends up in front of me and I fall backward into the water on my butt.
What am I doing wrong? I've heard that if you try to pull yourself up you will face plant. That is certainly not my problem, I have the opposite.

Thanks for your help.

 

[cyclops222]

Weak muscles, overweight, slow balance system.
Or a little bit of all. Some people can not do it. Without a training boat with a solid pole to hang onto.
I gave up. Still have Bone Lump on my forehead. After 70 years of healing.

 

[racerone]

More than 50 years ago at Johnson dealer , customers came in.-----They knew I did a lot of waterskiing ( including deep water backward starts on trick skis ) if you believe it..-----They asked if I was available to help one of them.------In the boat I observed the one much older than me fall over after dropping one ski.------I suggested he put his other foot in the slalom ski.----And when dropping the one ski to drag the one foot for balance.-----Then try to put the other foot in the ski.-----He went over 100 yards on first attempt.-----No problems on later tries.----One happy customer.

 

[bajaman123]

In my experience of over 40 years of introducing people to boating and water sports, I have found that three things are generally the factors to success (or failure); the TRAINER, the boat driver, and simply the physical condition of the person attempting to ski/wakeboard/kneeboard/etc.
For example, I have NEVER seen or been able to teach anyone that is simply "out of shape", physically. Physical strength comes into play, center of gravity/body mass...all that. Now, I have seen and am an example of someone who learned to do water sports when more physically fit but can still do them while not so (I am a good 30 pounds overweight or over the weight I was "back in the day"!), but still do water sports regularly.
But the teacher/trainer and boat driver have huge influences on success as well; you will learn bad habits as well as good, depending on the trainer. And obviously a "bad" boat driver, one who doesn't understand the skill level of his rider can make-or-break the experience.

 

[southkogs]

Not sure on a wakeboard (never tried it), but on the knee board I didn't lean back as far as on the skis. It was a slightly different "balance" even when we tried making a ski-disc than skis.

Snow skis, you always leaned a little more forward. And water skis, you kinda' dug in a little by leaning backwards. Maybe try "centering" on the board a little more as opposed to leaning back?

 

[cyclops222]

My first skiing boat people wanted to Flat Face me.
All starts were WOT starts.

 

[KD4UPL]

So I don't have a trainer and it's my wife driving the boat. I'm 6' tall and 190 pounds so I don't think I'm really over weight. I kneeboard regularly. I can pop right up on the kneeboard and jump across the wake on it no problem.

Maybe I need to lean forward more somehow. Or, maybe I need to get with someone who actually knows how to ride one of these things.
I was hoping maybe there was a good wake boarder here who would know. It sounds like bajaman123 might have the most experience.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Scott06]

So I don't have a trainer and it's my wife driving the boat. I'm 6' tall and 190 pounds so I don't think I'm really over weight. I kneeboard regularly. I can pop right up on the kneeboard and jump across the wake on it no problem.

Maybe I need to lean forward more somehow. Or, maybe I need to get with someone who actually knows how to ride one of these things.
I was hoping maybe there was a good wake boarder here who would know. It sounds like bajaman123 might have the most experience.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I also learned to wakeboard in my mid 40 s

Could be a couple things would try switching which foot is forward as suggested

Also I have found leaving the board at a 45 degree angle ( for me to the left) vs perpendicular makes it easier to get up. This may not be correct but then as I get up you are going to the left outside the wake before it forms and can lean back.

Also how the boat driver is accelerating makes a difference . From towing for skiers I had to change how aggressively I lay into the throttle vs pulling skiers. I ease into it more and then tow much slower that skiing maybe 15 mph give or take.

I’m 6’2” and 280 so I also ended up buying a really big board and that made the difference for me. At this point my kids and their friends were doing it so I wanted the show them the old man could still do it.

One thing I invested in was a tower. I bought a relatively cheap Krypt tower, being pulled up when getting out of the water makes a huge difference for me. I wouldn’t have bought the tower if the kids weren’t into it but glad I did.

Even with the huge board and the investment in tower, I still suck, but I do it a couple times a year.

 

[ejnichol]

You probably know this but.... stay crouched, don't stand up, lower center of gravity is good. Feet further apart vs close. Also make sure you have correct size board for your weight.

Good Luck I just water ski at 67 double and slalom. Only slalom when I want to feel my 67 years.

I'd like to wakeboard but haven't gotten around to researching and buying one. Did wakeboard once about 15 years ago and was similar to skiing but you pop up much faster and travel slower.