Your climate doesn’t always allow for wakeboarding all year long. The weather gets colder and forces most of us to put our boards up for the winter. However that does not mean we should stop practicing. Here are a few ways to improve your skills during the off season.
YouTube
Check out some great videos on wakeboarding. The professionals have thousands of videos out there begging to be watched. Be active with them by rewinding and watching in slow motion. Analyze the trick and make it your own. Nothing is more fun that practicing a new trick to show off to your friends.
Snowboard
Snow is a great place to practice. Snowboarding helps tremendously with your wake boarding. Practice your jumps, tricks, and your switching. In fact switching on a snowboard is almost exactly the same as wakeboarding.
Skateboarding
Similar to snowboarding. This is great for balance and coordination, as well as having the added advantage of being really inexpensive. Ride switching is also much harder on a skateboard, making it seem that much easier on the water
Trampoline Training
This may be the most helpful tool for improving your wake boarding. It allows you to practice tricks over and over perfecting the technique. If you don’t have the space or the money for a trampoline, many towns have local gymnastics facilities where you could use their equipment for a few dollars a day. Just make sure to throw your tricks straight up, otherwise you will bounce off. This is the number one cause of injury. You can also tie a wakeboard rope to a nearby tree or pole to better simulate the tricks you are doing. Also if you remove the fins on an old wake board, you can better simulate your tricks.
Sports
Any sport will help keep you in shape and keep your endurance up for the next season. Anything is better than sitting on the couch.