Little Man Z is a Wakesurfer

[MrsZ]

We had a great time out on the lake yesterday. Not a single one of us wake boarded though. We were all to busy skiing and doing that new thing that TeacherT and DriverEd taught us to do. Zachary hardly uses a rope at all and he can go for a loooong ride. What is really funny is that very often the board would wind up sitting on the deck and sometimes would touch the back of the boat. Um, I mean ALMOST touch the back of the boat, Zegm. Is that normal? How far away are other people surfing? Some pictures look a lot farther back.

We went out to eat later and Zachary was giving me pointers on trying to surf longer. :) He and I are very close in skills on the wakeboard but he definitely surpasses me surfing. It is nice in this instance to be second!

Eliza tried several times to slalom yesterday but was unable to get up. It took quite a few tries, she could get up on the surfboard. She loves surfing too. But she does not want to catch the wave. She just likes skiing on the surf board.

[moombadaze]

MrsZ, if you can put some more weight up front or if you have the wake plate try putting it down and that should make your wave longer. It feels like i can get back about 15 feet from the platform. Right now im running the 750lb bag in the rear and filling the front bag.

[Sled491]

Mrs Z, for little Miss Z to get the deep water start either you are Mr Z will probably need to get in the water with her. Help balance her and get a up close look as to where her arms and knees are positioned. I would just hang onto Dakotas vest as balance and as Renee would start the pull and Dakotas position looked good I would release him. It took only 3 times with this technique for him to get up. The very next day and every day since he has been able to get his deep water starts. He and E are the same age this should work. Only difference here is that when I start to swim to the shore I don't have to worry about the gators.

[MrsZ]

Sled, I was in the water with her. And her form looks really good to me. I dont see why she is not getting up, that is why it is frustrating to me. I can usally tell. It looks like she just lets go. She does not go to one side or the other like most people do, she doesnt go over the top. She is just not getting up. Maybe Mike and I should trade spots.

Thanks for reminding me about the gators man!

[Sled491]

She just needs to feel what it's like all the way through completion once. I think they get scared once they get there and let go. We went through a whole period when trying the drop where Dakota would be up but let go of the rope anyways.

[zegm]

Sled,

Notice how the wife now wants me to be the alligator bait!!!!
Eliza is a fantastic pairs skier, kneeboarder, surfer. She is fearless, she could slalom if she wanted to. I now believe that she was only trying this because we kind of pushed her to do it this past weekend. Somehow we have to help her "want" to do it.
MrsZ and I learned a long time ago that we cannot purchase clothes for her. She will NEVER touch them if we do, instead we have to wait until she wants to buy the clothes and let her pick the clothes out. Then she will wear them. Yes we have an awesome skier, we also have a very independent skier!

[Sled491]

Z,

see with Dakota I believe that when he finally was up he was, and I'm not sure scared is the right word, but I think when he finally was slaloming he didn't know what it was supposed to be like or feel. I think he thought that somehow slalom would be dramtically different from pairs. Everything is a step and I let each step progress before I give direction on the next step. Getting up, moving back and forth, then cuts, then deacelerating, body position, driving the ski, sqauring the shoulders, hand position. Each step on its own. With time each manouver becomes second nature and the whole process becomes a fluid motion. With Dakota getting up and cutting all work fine and if you look at his hands in the pictures I sent you, you can see that he has them position correctly for 2 steps down the line. Currently we are working an deacelerating the ski. For him to figure out why, I had to let him flip on his ass trying to cut back. He didn't understand why he always crashed, then I explain slowing the ski down and how to do it and the next step is practiced. Form Pics of Zack and also pics of Dakota the next step is expaining dropping one hand and reaching over the front of the ski to eliminate slack and set up the next trurn.

[Mrs.Daze]

We went out to eat later and Zachary was giving me pointers on trying to surf longer. :) He and I are very close in skills on the wakeboard but he definitely surpasses me surfing. It is nice in this instance to be second!

It's funny when we start to get directions from our kids!

MrsZ and I learned a long time ago that we cannot purchase clothes for her. She will NEVER touch them if we do, instead we have to wait until she wants to buy the clothes and let her pick the clothes out. Then she will wear them. Yes we have an awesome skier, we also have a very independent skier!

LOL, I've got a girl like that too. I'm sure once Eliza sees how much fun you are having she get it. Tammy actually had to help Delainey flip the board up when she first learned (and Delainey's a lot bigger than Eliza).

[MrsZ]

It's funny when we start to get directions from our kids!
I know it! And he really seems to enjoy helping me. It is sweet.

TeacherT had to flip the board for Eliza at first too. She struggled a bit with Mikes new board but she was able to get up on it.

[bamaspiveys]

Z Family,
If you have anyone with a boom it can really help build confidence, it also helps you spot mistakes from the boat. I use mine more for teaching than I do footn these days.
Taught a 63yr lady to wakeboard a few weeks ago, she got up the first time behind the boat after a session on the boom.

Does not matter if I am teaching someone to ski, slalom or wakeboard the order is always the same. It is not rocket science but here is what I do:

The skier holds on to the boom directly, this is to get comfortable with the pull up and gets a good solid riding position. The ability to talk to the skier at speed is invaluable, especially with kids, and you can go slower with them on the boom.

Then we move to a short rope/handle section, this gives them the instability of the rope pull and forces them to stabilize again and ride in the position they learned on the boom. I drop them and do this over and over again until the are just popping up into the stable position without thinking about it.

Then out behind the boat, they have already learned the method for getting up and they have all the confidence because they succeeded so many times on the rope/boom.


Good Luck

[MrsZ]

Thank you for the idea bamaspiveys. I will look into a boom. Actually Zachary has been bugging me to learn how to barefoot so I can teach him!!! You heading to PC any time soon?

[zegm]

Barefooting???? What happens when you pull someone over the alligator? :D

[kaneboats]

Barefooting???? What happens when you pull someone over the alligator? :D

I think they made a movie about that: Footloose