If you love water sports, wakeboarding is an essential for your bucket list. This breathtaking adventure involves being towed by a boat while clenching on a rope. It’s not only a fun sport, but also accessible for beginners. However, you need to be careful and make your vacation safe. Here are some wakeboarding safety tips every beginner must follow.
Have the right gear
It’s advisable to go for expertly engineered wakeboarding gear from Aerial Wakeboarding to improve your safety. Look for a longer board to gain more stability and better floatation. Choosing the right board also depends on your preference. Don’t forget to include a fit jacket in your gear collection.
Start smoothly
Even the most renowned sporting legends started slow. You should start with a good, smooth, and tender pace. Ensure you don’t haul yourself while wakeboarding. Bend your knees and keep your arms straight. You need to let the boat pull you up and maintain balance. Avoid pulling the rope no matter how hard it is, and keep your arms down. You only have to keep your body balanced as you let the boat pull you along the water. Focus on the boat’s natural forward movement, keep your eyes on the distance, and keep the rope at your lower hip.
Your best foot should be forward
One of the best wakeboarding tricks is placing your best foot forward. Use your dominant foot, or the foot you normally use to kick a ball or regain your balance. If you don’t know which foot is your dominant one, stand with both of your feet together and lean forward, taking note of which foot stops you from falling. This is the foot you should put in front of you.
Go for the shorter rope
It’s better to choose a shorter rope to clinch upon if you’re just getting into this exciting water sport. Beginners will likely need greater communication with whoever is driving the boat, and a short rope will help narrow the distance between the two of you. It will also enable you to stand up easily, since you’ll be working with little to no slack.
Take your time
The most important wakeboarding safety tip is to take your time, and stay calm and relaxed. Remember, practice makes perfect, and you shouldn’t lose hope if it doesn’t go well at the beginning.
Enter and exit the water properly
Ensure the engine is turned off before you exit or reboard the boat. Apart from making it easier to communicate, it eliminates any risk of coming into contact with a moving propeller. It also eliminates the danger of carbon monoxide exposure, which can build up behind the boat when the engine is on and is harmful to your health.
When are you trying your first wakeboard adventure? You must be looking forward to it if you’re a real water sports enthusiast. Don’t forget to keep these safety tips in mind. Accept that you’re going to make many mistakes as a beginner and take them as a learning opportunity. Have fun!
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