Teaching Kids How To Get Up on a Wake Board or Waterskis
By: Mike Suyderhoud, July 15, 2005

There are few things in life as rewarding as teaching your child or a friend of your child how to get up on water skis or on a wake board. Once that feat has been accomplished a whole new world is opened up for that child. Not only will they now have the potential to experience a life time of enjoyment, but unlike activities like tubing, their thrills are actually enhanced by the use of their skills.

First the initial significant hurdle needs to be crossed, and that is the deep-water start. For that you need to first commandeer the right equipment. Foremost is supplying the kids with comfortable and well fitting life jackets. They need to be fitted tight enough to not slide up over their arms when contacting the water on a backwards fall. Yet they need to be comfortable enough to allow sufficient freedom of movement. Their skis or board need to fit their feet properly and should be sized for their weight. Skis that are too big become too buoyant and are hard to float with in the ready position. Wake boards are also very buoyant and an adult board for a small child equates to floating frustrations. It’s always a good idea to let the kids practice floating with their skis or board on before attempting it behind the boat.

The moment of truth comes when that boat takes off for the first time with that eager or scared child hanging on tightly to the handle. Before that moment arrives, though, it is important to communicate to that child what to expect and how to properly respond. The easiest way to describe what is going to happen, from my experience, is to equate their upcoming attempts to any of their previous history in roller blading, skate boarding, ice skating, snow boarding or snow skiing. If they had previous experience riding on slippery contraptions that moved freely under their bodies, then explaining that their upcoming attempts will create a similar feeling will provide some similarity and help to remove some of their anxiety. Tell them to pretend to be towed on their skateboard behind a bike and hanging on to a rope. Like on land, if they begin to fall backwards, pulling in on the rope will not bring their balance forward. The same will happen on skis or a wake board. Basically the pull of the rope should just propel you forward and should not be used as a balancing object. By staying strong with their body and keeping their elbows low they can better neutralize the rope pull and make it easier to control their balance.

Be sure to tell them that while coming out of the water on two skis to stay low with the butt, keep their body tight, elbows low and to just let their increase in speed cause them to plane on to the surface of the water. Once they begin to plane just tell them to lean back against the pull of the rope and stand up until the legs are almost straight. Making slow corrective movements (not in a panic) will make it easier to keep their balance. On a wake board have them come up with the board pointed sideways and toes aimed to the boat. Again they need to keep their butt low, elbows near their stomach, body tight and toes pointed down to reduce board drag. Let the speed increase create their board lift, and have them lean back against the pull of the rope as they rise up. When they come up out of the water have them turn their board 90 degrees to whichever foot they feel comfortable in the forward position. Skate boarders and snow boarders already now how they like to ride. If they have trouble keeping their board pointed ahead have them let go of the handle with the rear hand. Like on double skis, instruct them keep their knees slightly bent in a forward manner and again remind them to make slow moves to maintain balance.

Falls will occur, but its only water and won’t hurt. Just tell them to let the handle go when they begin fall so that their feet stay in the bindings. Each time they get up and go for a distance it will help them to gain the needed experience to feel confident. Remind them to stay calm so that they can better feel what is going on and what is happening to their body. Not only will this calm attitude make it easier to learn but it will also allow them to enjoy their experience more.

There you have it. Just follow these simple guidelines that I have laid out for you and you can become a hero to your kids, not to mention your spouse. Like learning to ride a bike, your kids will likely retain these skills for a lifetime.