# Wakeboarding (cable)



## thetraveler (Feb 24, 2010)

It was my first day cable wakeboarding yesterday. It literally hurts me to write this. 

I took a two hour pass on the cable and ended up getting beaten up like a bitch before eventually standing up and riding. 

Most painful is the forearms/hands/fingers. I feel like the cripple from the Usual Suspects. I ended up having to light cigarettes the way he does when I went out tonight. Let me tell you no girls will come up to you to ask you how you picked up that injury. They're too scared your face is going to do something they saw Sean Penn do in My name is Sam. 

Everything else hurts, too. From the top of the head down to my effing toes. I have that feeling that I worked many muscles I did not know existed.

Anyone else doing cable wakeboarding out there? Can you learn to avoid feeling like this after spending a day on the water?


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## JeffreyCH (Nov 21, 2009)

LOL.....Riding cable is a lot easier then behind a boat. After a couple days on the lake I'm beat to death, and I've been doing it for years.


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## ColinHoernig (Aug 26, 2009)

Started wakeboarding this summer, such a good off season training tool  Having been skateboarding/snowboarding for years, it's only natural to try the water version of it! It's definitely a kickass sport, and I love it. After a few days out on the water I'm usually destroyed..never done cable riding, but i'm sure it's awesome.

Just keep doing it, it'll get easier as your muscles get used to riding.


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## thugit (Sep 29, 2009)

I hate wakeboarding, for the love of me I cannot stand up.
I've gone with countless people who say "Oh, 1 day in the water with me and you'll have it down" but it's all bullshit.


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## ColinHoernig (Aug 26, 2009)

thugit said:


> I hate wakeboarding, for the love of me I cannot stand up.
> I've gone with countless people who say "Oh, 1 day in the water with me and you'll have it down" but it's all bullshit.


I feel completely the opposite. I think that's exactly true for most people who have snowboarded/skateboarded before. I got up my first try and was already popping off the wakes my second run. Third run I was fuckin' around and attempted a 360, and surprisingly came very close to landing it.

Have you been able to get up and out of the water? If you just can't stay up, throw all of your weight on that back leg. Keep your back leg bent and your front leg straight and just lean as far back as you can.


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## thugit (Sep 29, 2009)

ColinHoernig said:


> I feel completely the opposite. I think that's exactly true for most people who have snowboarded/skateboarded before. I got up my first try and was already popping off the wakes my second run. Third run I was fuckin' around and attempted a 360, and surprisingly came very close to landing it.
> 
> Have you been able to get up and out of the water? If you just can't stay up, throw all of your weight on that back leg. Keep your back leg bent and your front leg straight and just lean as far back as you can.


Nope, never been able to get up and out. There's just a mental block, no matter what people tell me to do I never seem able to go through with it.
It's just not my gig, I can surf, skateboard, snowboard, but not wakeboard.


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## JeffreyCH (Nov 21, 2009)

The way I always explain it is, squat like a frog over the board, leading edge under the water line and point your toes at the boat. For some reason women get it easier then guys do, every chick I've had go for the first time gets it in one or two trys, while some of my guy friends don't get it at all. I think it's cause guys try to fight the boat and muscle thier way out while chicks just go with it. It's a matter of letting the board plane out naturally, if you fight the boat you will loose everytime.


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## thugit (Sep 29, 2009)

That's exactly what my problem is.
I can't seem to just "go with it" like you say.


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## JeffreyCH (Nov 21, 2009)

You're probebly over thinking it. Think about surfing, when it comes time to hop up you just know and do it. You can stay squatted on the board even after you come up, let it slide for a few then stand up and roll it forward.


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## thetraveler (Feb 24, 2010)

thugit said:


> That's exactly what my problem is.
> I can't seem to just "go with it" like you say.


its different on a cable. you start off at full speed and you can make a dry start, if you want, so there shouldn't be any issues with getting going. 

however, once you get going it might not be as fun as riding behind a boat. you don't get a wake riding on the cable so best you can do is pop ollies and do stuff on obstacles (rails and jumps). its still very good fun riding on a cable, IMO.


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## Halborr (Oct 5, 2009)

thetraveler said:


> its different on a cable. you start off at full speed and you can make a dry start, if you want, so there shouldn't be any issues with getting going.
> 
> however, once you get going it might not be as fun as riding behind a boat. you don't get a wake riding on the cable so best you can do is pop ollies and do stuff on obstacles (rails and jumps). its still very good fun riding on a cable, IMO.


I wouldn't say that cable is necessarily more limited than boat. Have you ever seen someone throw an air raley (or air trick of any sort) on cable? When done right, it's MASSIVE.

That said, I've tried cable, and I'm definitely a boat rider through and through.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

thugit said:


> I hate wakeboarding, for the love of me I cannot stand up.
> I've gone with countless people who say "Oh, 1 day in the water with me and you'll have it down" but it's all bullshit.


old topic I know. What kinda boat you behind. Does if have the ponies to pop you out?? Did it have a boom??
Always wanted to try this, but don't have a boat and when I went with friends their boats wouldn't get me out on a solum, had to drop, hated that!!!! 

-Slyder


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## thugit (Sep 29, 2009)

oh no, not this thread again.
probably and yes, i'm just mentally handicapped and can't pop up.


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## AjP (Oct 1, 2011)

i couls never afford a wakeboard untill recently, so i learned on a knee board. i started on my stomach, then knees, then feet. it was hard as hell because i was never in bindings. well i mastered that and did that with the water skiis and knee board that came with my boat. i have to say, every time, you learn about new muscles. i was sore in new spots every time, but never in thhe same spot twice.


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## threej21 (Jan 2, 2011)

i will give this a quick go to the guy that CANT get up. ive been wakeboarding for 7 years and have yet to meet someone that i cant get out of the water...granted this is trying to type it on the interwebz tho..

couple things first...how much do you weigh?? bigger guys will have the most problems, so if your bigger, your gonna have to be more patient

and two, like someone else said, what kind of boat is it? if your bigger and on an inadequate in power boat, it will be very difficult..

that being said, lets give this a go....

first, a good way to practice is on dry land....lay on your back with your feet flat on ground and knees bent, put the handle in hand and have someone pull and use the rope/handle as leverage to stand up while pivoting at the ankles....basically the same way as when a friend helps you up from the ground by giving you his hand...you want your legs/knees somewhat locked out but dont fight it. i like to use the word "load" when describing it...as the force is trying to pull you up, you "load" up your legs and put your weight/pressure down on your feet, again, just like you would to stand up from the floor on dry ground
a common mistake is as your getting pulled up, people pull back and up with rope and fight it.. just have a sure grip and let it pull your upper body slightly forward while keeping your butt back a bit and start standing up...

i know this prolly seems iradic but doing best i can while typing...that is the just of it, and now a few pointers that have worked with others in the past...

1) you can point the nose of the board to the boat a lot sooner than most people think they can...as soon as youve got some pressure on the board from the pulling boat, you can start pointing that nose, which makes the board come up out of the water much easier

2) if you havent tried this one, do, its almost the fail safe for struggling getter uppers.... while in the water with the handle and all, instead of having your knees apart and your arms on the inside of your legs holding the rope, try putting your knees more together with your arms going around the outside of your legs...this really helps with bringing your chest/upper body forward while still keeping your butt back...usually after the first try like this, people may not pop right up, but it really lets you get the feeling for how your body posistioning is supposed to be as you are getting up

and lastly 3) if all else fails, i have seen people have success with a deep water start, or a 'pro' start as some people call it...
instead of being in water, kind of laying on your back with the board in front of you as most people do...see if you can get balanced with the board down in the water under you, kind of standing on it but kind of squatting in the seated posisition...as the boat begins to pull, you will dig your heels down and pull your toes up, very similar to what your feet are doing in a heelside plow on the snowboard...if you keep your heels dug and your toes up, while keeping the board slightly in front of your upper body (but still over it, underwater) the board will start to waffle up to the surface with you standing over it, now just point that nose and ride


hope this info, while being kind of hard to understand, will help you in your ventures












enjoy the ride!!!


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## carolina (Mar 2, 2021)

thugit said:


> I hate wakeboarding, for the love of me I cannot stand up.
> I've gone with countless people who say "Oh, 1 day in the water with me and you'll have it down" but it's all bullshit.


OMG! I feel the same way..... I was so excited on my first day, I thought it was going to be easy....I love snowboarding, so I thought it would be similar...but Nooooo....hated it, couldnt get up no matter hoy much I tried.... specially hated those people that say "one day on the water with me and you1ll get it"....definettle never trying it again!
Im glad to know Im not alone in this


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

carolina said:


> OMG! I feel the same way..... I was so excited on my first day, I thought it was going to be easy....I love snowboarding, so I thought it would be similar...but Nooooo....hated it, couldnt get up no matter hoy much I tried.... specially hated those people that say "one day on the water with me and you1ll get it"....definettle never trying it again!
> Im glad to know Im not alone in this


I'm not one to brag, but I got up on my very first attempt and only fell when I came to a corner and didn't know what to do. There's a YouTube clip of it somewhere. I'm kind of a big deal.

Also, this thread is 10 years old.


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## carolina (Mar 2, 2021)

Snow Hound said:


> I'm not one to brag, but I got up on my very first attempt and only fell when I came to a corner and didn't know what to do. There's a YouTube clip of it somewhere. I'm kind of a big deal.
> 
> Also, this thread is 10 years old.


Good for you.... I for one am not going to try this again....I truly hated It.... And Im not going to waste any more time on that


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