Re: i keep landing/leaning forward when i land
One of the best things to do before trying to go airborne, especially on toe side, is to cut out away from the wake and hold your edge for a few seconds, as in until you start to either fall over, or pull the boat around. This conditions your muscles for memory. Handle should be at the waist level for most tricks, and for landings the handle must be held in closer to alleviate having your arm ripped off or having the handle pop. You should never already be at full arm extension when landing. Learning to land on edge will also make the landing much smoother. Flat is not good and the front edge...well, leaves you with a sinus/eye flush and a headache.
To learn the proper edge for jumping, shorten the rope, and take short cuts (Would be just outside the white wash of the wake on a comp boat, so maybe 10 feet max). The cuts should start with a gentle turn that then puts you hard on edge, building the most energy right at the wake. You won't have a lot of speed, so it will force you to edge all the way up the wake. In turn you will go up higher, but not fly as far. For some more advanced tricks, like spins, this cut comes into play a lot. Plus it is a much smoother landing on the second wake, not out in the flats. Once you learn the proper edging techniques, you will be able to rail the wake for the HUGE floaty tricks way out into the flats. Can you say "Tantrum!" Where you put your weight distribution also matters. Typically most tricks for now will require you to be front foot heavy. This will give you the pop needed. Try really standing on your front leg on take off and you will see a big difference. Again try it with short cuts first.
