Wakeboard Tricks & Jumps

Wakeboarding is a water sport where riders are towed behind a boat while riding a board. The sport was developed through a combination of water skiing, surfing and snowboarding. A wake from the back of the boat allows riders to perform various tricks. The types of tricks are going to depend on experience, water conditions, speed, board size and weight.

  1. Beginner

    • Beginner tricks are for those who are just learning how to wakeboard and learning to perform jumps, grabs and turns. Some of the tricks include a surface 180, bunny hop and method grab. The surface 180 trick requires the wakeboarder to spin on top of the water and swing the tail of the board to the front. A bunny jump is where a wakeboarder leaps into the air, while a method grab is when a wakeboarder simultaneously grabs the wakeboard as he is jumping from one side of the wake to another.

    Intermediate

    • As wakeboarders become more skilled, the tricks begin to come more difficult. Intermediate tricks include the bunny hop heli, scarecrow and palmer. While outside the wake, a rider must hop and twist 360 degrees to perform a bunny hop heli. To complete a scarecrow, wakeboarders need to make a rotational turn while jumping from one side of the wake to the other. During the flip, grab the board and be sure to spot the landing. The palmer requires skateboarders to grab the front of the board while in the air.

    Advanced

    • Tricks for advanced wakeboarders are going to combine more difficult inverts, spins and grabs. These tricks include tantrum to blind, crail and front flip. The tantrum to blind is a spin from wake to wake with a backside 180 landing. A crail is completed when a wakeboarder performs a backhanded grab across the nose of the board during a jump. Front flips are where wakeboarders throw their head and shoulders toward the nose of the board and turn all the way around.

    Expert

    • Expert tricks are for professionals and can be used in competitions. Tricks include the whirlybird, Pete Rose and Hasslehoff. A whirlybird combines a flip with a backside 360 and requires wakeboarders to keep the rope above their head. Wakeboarders can complete a Pete Rose by combining a toeside backroll with a frontside 540. A Hasslehoff is a heelside front flip with a backside 180.