Wakesurfing continues to explode in popularity this Summer! Gliding on the board makes one extremely satisfied. Once you’ve mastered the basic techniques, it’s time to challenge yourself with advanced wakesurfing tricks!🏄♂️
Cyrus (@cyrus.l222) and Tyler (@mankatsun) are both personal trainers and started their wakesurfing journey two years ago. The two are so fascinated by the feeling and challenges this sport brings. They practice every week, even throughout the fall season. Tyler loves this sport so much, he’s even become a part-time wakesurfing coach.
“I love how challenging this sport is. It requires tremendous body control, balance, and coordination. The waves come in different ways every time, like underflow, or waves caused by other boats, thus we always have to be ready and adapt to the changing environments.” - Cyrus
Tyler won 1st runner-up in the 2022 Hong Kong Wakesports Championships Wakesurfing Men’s Novice division.🥈
“I’ve always liked surfing as it is a cool and exciting sport, but beaches in Hong Kong don’t make big waves, and there are seasonal limits, thus I haven’t gotten the chance to try surfing. Wakesurfing has less limitations as it is propelled by waves generated from the speed boat.
Nature washes off any tiredness from this concrete jungle (Hong Kong) and rejuvenates my body and mind. Wakesurfing with like-minded friends and exchanging skills and experience is a positive and energetic experience.” - Tyler
Tyler and Cyrus are sharing tips and their experience with our AmSTRONG community. Join us to experience this sport!🤙🏼
#1 Ollie (Difficulty 3/10)
Jump with your wakesurf board and get a little airborne
💁🏽♂️Key Techniques
Keep your shoulders, hips and knees in a straight line with the board. Put enough weight on your front foot and bend the knee to jump. Then, shift your weight to your back foot and pop your board up with your front foot to get the board out of the water, land with straight legs.
🙅🏽♂️Common Mistakes
1. Not keeping a sideway stance. If your chest is facing the boat, upper body twists will cause instability in the lower body, resulting in a change of directions.
2. Back foot not compressing in time.
3. Overbending the upper body either forwards or backwards when jumping, resulting in loss of balance.
#2 Boardslide, Lipslide (Difficulty 4/10)
Boardslide: Turn your board at 90 degree, facing the boat
Lipslide: Opposite to the boardslide, the lipslide will be on the top of the wave, with hips facing the boat end
💁🏽♂️Key Techniques
To attempt boardslide, start with gaining momentum and then propel yourself towards the top of the wave. Open your shoulder with chest facing the boat end. Use your back foot and kick the board towards the direction of the boat. Your weight must always be on the front foot. Lipslide uses the front foot to point to the top of the wave, with hips facing the boat.
🙅🏽♂️Common Mistakes
1. Kicking the back foot too early (before the board reaches the top of the wave)
2. Putting your weight on the back foot, making your body lean forward, and not allowing you to stay on top of the wave.
#3 Slash (Difficulty 5/10)
💁🏽♂️Key Techniques
Gain momentum by riding from the back of the wave, once you pick up enough speed, increase the range of motion. As you hit the top of the wave, shift the weight to your back foot, causing the board to be slightly perpendicular to the boat which causes splashes at the top.
🙅🏽♂️Common Mistakes
Forgetting to shift weight to the front after the splash part at the top, resulting in a loss of momentum and lack of wave slashes.
#4 Air (Difficulty 6/10)
Jump as you ride up the wave and turn the board out at 90 degrees before landing.
💁🏽♂️Key Techniques
Keep your weight on your front foot. Jump as you are in the middle of the wave and just before your jump, make sure both feet are pressing down on the board. When your feet are straight, open your chest and face the boat, making the board turn out 90 degrees, then bend your knees. Landing on the wave bottom, keeping your knees slightly bent.
🙅🏽♂️Common Mistakes
1. Jumping before reaching the middle of the wave.
2. Weight on the back foot when jumping
3. Jumping towards the wave, and not upwards.
#3 Backside 360 (Difficulty 8/10)
💁🏽♂️Key Techniques
Steadily reach the side of the wave, use your hands to touch the water and make the board change direction, keep your weight on the board and don’t overbend. Once you reach 180 degrees, press the tailend to the wave and complete another 180 degree turn.
🙅🏽♂️Common Mistakes
1. Not lifting the fins and doing a 360.
2. Too much weight on the back foot causing a delay.
3. Overbending the hips when changing direction, causing an imbalance.
Cyrus also shared that there are two types of wakesurfing boards: a skimboard and surfboard. The skimboard is thinner, with a shorter fin, suitable for beginners, as it’s relatively agile and easy to control. Once you’ve mastered the basics techniques, you can switch to the surfboard, which allows more explosiveness for advanced jumping tricks.
01-INSULATED BACKPACK caters wakesurfing with an insulated section to store cold drinks for this energy demanding sport.
Gear up for good times🤙🏻
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