So you have already experienced this relatively ne-w sports craze? The follo-wing is some -wakeboarding tips to make your riding a -whole lot easier. Keep them in mind and you -won't get a hard time as a ne-wbie -wakeboard rider.

· Make sure that you is comfortable -with -whatever foot you placed for-ward. Sometimes, just s-witching feet is all that is needed to easily learn to -wakeboard.

· Put your arms on each side of your front knee. Your -weight should be about 60% for-ward on the board. Keep in mind to place more than half of your -weight on the front foot -when getting up. Shift your -weight to the back foot only after you have successfully gotten up.

· Squat do-wn as much as you can to easily s-wing to an upright position -when close to the board.

· Keep the board on its side -while in the -water. Relax and let the boat cause the board to s-wing around into the for-ward position. Do not attempt to stop the board from s-winging around either. Just go -with the flo-w.

· Don’t get too fast. Someone said "give him full throttle until he’s up"; this is one biggest problem that people (especially large people) have -when getting up. Don’t go too fast. If you have a problem in getting up, try going slo-wer.

· Go for a short rope, attached to a ski pylon if possible. It helps. After you’re up, it’s just as hard to stay up, as it -was to get out of the -water (at least for the first couple of rides). The short rope -will cut do-wn on the amount of slack. Use about 4550’ rope.

· once you get used to staying up on the board and getting out of the -water, you -will probably -want to adjust your speed to some-where bet-ween 1419 mph depending on -what type of tricks you’re attempting. You -will also have to adjust your rope length to get the bestformed portion of the -wake.

Drivers

· Gradually increase your speed. It’s so hard for a beginner to keep his balance on this ne-w "slippery" feeling board. Any sudden movements is going to contribute to the ne-wbie losing balance. It’s good to drag them a little and let them get the feel of the resistance before starting, but even -when you hit it, be sure it’s very gradual and smooth.

· Stay slo-w. After the ne-wbie gets up, keep the speed under 16 mph. This requires a good driver -who kno-ws his boat -well enough to get it planed -without going over 16 mph. Don’t rely on the speedometer. A common speedometer often has false readings until the boat is planed out. Just get a feel for keeping the boat slo-w.

In addition to the above tips, al-ways read and listen to -what the expert riders have to say about the sport. They can give you much -wider insights about basic riding, executing tricks and more.