LearnWake

The Set up for Toeside Jumps differs slightly from the set up of Heelside Jumps because of the differences in the two positions as you transition from the edge out to the edge in. In this video I'm going to explain how these differences affect your set up for TS jumps and how the set up can directly effect your edge in and pop at the wake. First lets compare the two setups so you understand how your body position on the board can hinder your momentum.

During a Heelside Jump setup you edge out Toeside and During this Toeside edge out your body twists but then untwists as you coast and then transition to your other edge to start your approach. Since you are untwisting to transition from one edge to another there is nothing hindering or slowing the start to your edge. It flows smoothly and more naturally then the opposite setup for Toeside jumps.

For a Toeside jump it's the opposite, you edge out on your heels to set up but then as you transition and start your swing or edge back in you must twist up your body to get into the toeside edging position. This awkward position or twisting up motion cuts your momentum a bit and can cause riders to slow down in the water or actually sink a bit in the water since they are slowing down.

When you sink too much during the transition you have to work harder to get the board going again and this usually results in a sharper turn and then a flat edge at the wake. Most riders don't realize that their lack of control, pop at the wake and instability the air can be caused by something that is happening in between the transition from the edge out to the edge in during the set up.

So to compensate for this twisting up motion that slows your momentum during the set up you have to make sure the edge out and start is dialed. Take a look at these common mistakes that are made on the way out which directly effect the end result then we will compare them to the proper way to set up.

The first is a multiple edge out on your Heelside edge to set up. Most of the time riders edge a bit to get some speed, then let off their edge to check their distance from the wake but then edge out again and again until they are happy with their setup distance. These multiple edges bog the rider down and usually cause them to hang on the outside. If you are hanging on the outside your are slowing down and sinking in the water which contributes to a lack of momentum and a bad start to the inward approach. To start the edge in the rider usually turns sharp and then flattens off the wake which causes them to fall backwards in the air in an out of control fashion.

The second common mistake is edging out too slow and long, and then hanging on the outside till you are ready to approach the wake which will also kills a lot of your momentum as you transition from out to in. Again since you are holding and slowing down on the outside the board will sink in the water and this causes the rider to transition from Heels out to Toes in quickly. This sharp turn to start your movement inward often causes riders to flatten off at the wake resulting in a loss of pop, control and stability in the air.

To correct these common problems and compensate for the twisting into position that occurs during the start of the approach it is important that swing out properly. Start at the wake on the outside in the trough of wake. This is your start point. Now before edging out drift up the face of the wake a bit or go uphill a bit so that you can fall back down the wake, or down hill, to build speed. As you fall down the face of the wake start an aggressive edge out but make sure that it is only one edge out. If you edge more then once or have any hitches or bobbles in the the edge out you have broke you rhythm and momentum. Go back tot he wake and start over. After you edge out and build enough speed out, come of edge to flat so you coast freely with a lot of momentum.

Now here is the big difference. On Heelside you can hang a bit longer because your position doesn't effect your transition as much. Toeside we have the problem of twisting up and the loss of momentum when this occurs. To compensate instead of coasting for a long period you will try to keep moving, meaning don't wait. As soon as you come off your out edge to coast flat try to keep moving and transition smoothly to your inward Toeside edge to keep the board higher in the water and the momentum high and to also avoid sinking in the water or slowing down between the out and in edge. Make sure that you don't turn in fast enough so you get slack in the rope. A perfect transition maintains speed without sinking or slowing, keeps the rope tight avoiding a slack line but also starts the edge inward with a natural swing and slow smooth start of the edge to ensure that you edge at and up the wake with out flattening off.