How to: Wakeboard Backflip

Many people who ride wakeboards are not content to simply let the boat drag them along atop the water. They want to carve in and out of the wake, or jump the wake. The most courageous among them use the wake as a sort of springboard to vault them into the air. One trick such riders perform is a back flip or -- in wakeboard parlance -- a tantrum.

Instructions

    • 1

      Tell the person driving the boat to drive between 18 and 23 mph and travel in a straight line.

    • 2

      Lean to the left or right to go outside of the wake. Ride as far out of the wake as you can.

    • 3

      Hold the rope with both hands as you lean toward the wake and begin traveling toward it. Stop leaning just before you arrive at the wake; the board should be flat on the water.

    • 4

      Ride the wakeboard to the top of the wake. Arch your back as you hit the top of the wake, and let go of the rope with your back hand. Your momentum should propel your feet around your body.

    • 5

      Hang onto the rope as your feet rotate around your body. Bend your knees to absorb the shock when the wakeboard hits the water.