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- Apr 5, 2011
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[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]To the poet, the eyes are windows to the soul. But to a wakeboard rider, the eyes can open doors to executing tricks successfully, smoothly and with style. Visual awareness, what you look at and see while riding, can be the difference between making tricks consistently or being unsuccessful and inconsistent. Top riders understand the importance of having keys to look at while riding and doing tricks. Yet when I coach many riders, they can't say what they saw during the trick. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Obviously, when you do a trick, there are basic mechanics you need to implement to be successful. For example, doing a 360 requires you to rotate the lower body, while bringing in the handle as you pass it from hand to hand. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Or an invert like a back roll requires you to load the line, edging up the entire wake to have the board go over your head and back under. But adding visual awareness will enhance your body position and take your riding to the next level. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Begin by asking yourself what you are seeing when you do the trick. Are your eyes open? [/FONT]
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[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]This may sound obvious, but many riders close, or partially close, their eyes during a portion of the trick. This is especially true on back rolls. When you close your eyes, you are losing any visual connection to your surroundings. Even if it is just for a brief moment, this will detract from success and consistency. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]So, the goal is to build up your "visual awareness muscle". It's like any other skill--like your wake jumps--where you continually hone your technique. Even when just riding and jumping the wakes the eyes are key. Most riders focus their vision on the wake itself, which puts the eyes down and causes you to react to the size of the wake more. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]It is much better to have a wide angle view of the tow boat, wakes, and even the flats on each side when jumping and clearing the wakes. Within this wide angle, you will see the driver and friends in the boat, but this should not be distracting. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]By having a wide view, you will naturally lift your shoulders, head and eyes up to give you a more balanced position, which is important for all jumps and tricks. You've heard the saying "You look down you go down," so keep your eyes level with the horizon. The wide view might feel a little unusual at first. But persevere and with a little practice, this broader view will help you edge better to the wake, pop, clear, and land on the other side of the wake. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]As you add tricks, keep your visual wide angle. Pick a reference point. For example, for a wake 360, looking at the tops of trees on the shoreline is a great way to keep your eyes up and level with the horizon during the rotation. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]For inverts like back roll and front roll, again it's crucial to be visually aware throughout the rotation. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Often riders get anxious to get the invert moving and use their eyes to lead the invert. For example, when edging up the wake to do a back roll, most riders initiate the invert a split second too soon, throwing their head and eyes back, and maybe closing the eyes for a moment. Though instinct says this will help you, it actually slows the speed of the invert, and decreases your air time. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]To use the wake to its full potential, keep your eyes level with the horizon as you go up the wake, and as you go up and over let the head and eyes just follow the board completely. This will pop you over much more quickly. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]So you've kept your eyes on the horizon as you go up the wake and you've been extra patient. Your eyes were open and looking at the big picture. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]The body position with visual cues has let the wake and line do all the work of putting you up and over. Now that you have a nice quick invert and more air time, your eyes can focus on their next task, which is to spot the landing. Seeing where you land is important to becoming really good at inverts. With more air time, the only time you look down should be to spot the landing. As you land, look up at the wide angle view again. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]The same principle applies to the front roll. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Riders tend to edge toward the wake and place their eyes and head down too soon, with the intent of helping the forward roll. But this is counterproductive. You won't get the right kind of help from the wake, and you won't get enough air time. Again, be patient, and first edge completely up the wake. To do this, keep your head up and eyes on the horizon longer. As you edge to the wake, wait to get air first.Then begin the front roll motion. Think about letting you eyes follow the board up and over to the landing. With plenty of air time, you will have the time once again to spot your landing. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]So focus on visual awareness, and use your eyes to open doors to better, more consistent riding. Enhanced visual awareness breeds a great rider, and THAT will feed your soul. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
Raimi Merritt, 2013 Masters Wakeboard Champion and IWWF Open Women Wakeboard World Champion, is sponsored by MonaVie, Nautique, Hyperlite, Rollei Actioncam America, Breathe Boardwear. OrigAudio, Wakami, Peripheral LS and Fly High. For all her latest news, check out www.raimimerritt.com. Raimi also offers personalized coaching in Orlando, Florida. E-mail raimi@stevemerritt.com to schedule a lesson. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]For more fun on the water this summer; watch for more tips from Raimi and take advantage of great pricing on watersports items from iboats.com. Just click here to find what you need for your summer fun. http://www.iboats.com/Watersports/dm/view_id.19 [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Obviously, when you do a trick, there are basic mechanics you need to implement to be successful. For example, doing a 360 requires you to rotate the lower body, while bringing in the handle as you pass it from hand to hand. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Or an invert like a back roll requires you to load the line, edging up the entire wake to have the board go over your head and back under. But adding visual awareness will enhance your body position and take your riding to the next level. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Begin by asking yourself what you are seeing when you do the trick. Are your eyes open? [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]This may sound obvious, but many riders close, or partially close, their eyes during a portion of the trick. This is especially true on back rolls. When you close your eyes, you are losing any visual connection to your surroundings. Even if it is just for a brief moment, this will detract from success and consistency. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]So, the goal is to build up your "visual awareness muscle". It's like any other skill--like your wake jumps--where you continually hone your technique. Even when just riding and jumping the wakes the eyes are key. Most riders focus their vision on the wake itself, which puts the eyes down and causes you to react to the size of the wake more. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]It is much better to have a wide angle view of the tow boat, wakes, and even the flats on each side when jumping and clearing the wakes. Within this wide angle, you will see the driver and friends in the boat, but this should not be distracting. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]By having a wide view, you will naturally lift your shoulders, head and eyes up to give you a more balanced position, which is important for all jumps and tricks. You've heard the saying "You look down you go down," so keep your eyes level with the horizon. The wide view might feel a little unusual at first. But persevere and with a little practice, this broader view will help you edge better to the wake, pop, clear, and land on the other side of the wake. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]As you add tricks, keep your visual wide angle. Pick a reference point. For example, for a wake 360, looking at the tops of trees on the shoreline is a great way to keep your eyes up and level with the horizon during the rotation. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]For inverts like back roll and front roll, again it's crucial to be visually aware throughout the rotation. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Often riders get anxious to get the invert moving and use their eyes to lead the invert. For example, when edging up the wake to do a back roll, most riders initiate the invert a split second too soon, throwing their head and eyes back, and maybe closing the eyes for a moment. Though instinct says this will help you, it actually slows the speed of the invert, and decreases your air time. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]To use the wake to its full potential, keep your eyes level with the horizon as you go up the wake, and as you go up and over let the head and eyes just follow the board completely. This will pop you over much more quickly. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]So you've kept your eyes on the horizon as you go up the wake and you've been extra patient. Your eyes were open and looking at the big picture. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]The body position with visual cues has let the wake and line do all the work of putting you up and over. Now that you have a nice quick invert and more air time, your eyes can focus on their next task, which is to spot the landing. Seeing where you land is important to becoming really good at inverts. With more air time, the only time you look down should be to spot the landing. As you land, look up at the wide angle view again. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]The same principle applies to the front roll. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Riders tend to edge toward the wake and place their eyes and head down too soon, with the intent of helping the forward roll. But this is counterproductive. You won't get the right kind of help from the wake, and you won't get enough air time. Again, be patient, and first edge completely up the wake. To do this, keep your head up and eyes on the horizon longer. As you edge to the wake, wait to get air first.Then begin the front roll motion. Think about letting you eyes follow the board up and over to the landing. With plenty of air time, you will have the time once again to spot your landing. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]So focus on visual awareness, and use your eyes to open doors to better, more consistent riding. Enhanced visual awareness breeds a great rider, and THAT will feed your soul. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
Raimi Merritt, 2013 Masters Wakeboard Champion and IWWF Open Women Wakeboard World Champion, is sponsored by MonaVie, Nautique, Hyperlite, Rollei Actioncam America, Breathe Boardwear. OrigAudio, Wakami, Peripheral LS and Fly High. For all her latest news, check out www.raimimerritt.com. Raimi also offers personalized coaching in Orlando, Florida. E-mail raimi@stevemerritt.com to schedule a lesson. [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]For more fun on the water this summer; watch for more tips from Raimi and take advantage of great pricing on watersports items from iboats.com. Just click here to find what you need for your summer fun. http://www.iboats.com/Watersports/dm/view_id.19 [/FONT]