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Top X Training Tips For Wakeboarding Without Water
Just like most sports, wakeboarding definitely has an on- and off-season. There will be months when it is too cold to even step outside in a wetsuit, let alone go get wet and try to do tricks while compensating for uncontrollable shivering. Aside from drooling over professional quality wakeboards to buy in the shops, there is actually plenty you can do to improve your balance, your spin, your air and your fitness for wakeboarding over winter. Here’s how to make the most of the on-season, by making the most of the off-season.
General fitness for wakeboarders
There are several areas of the body you should focus on to maintain your strength for wakeboarding – but do remember that just about any activity is better than nothing! If you want to stay focused on your wakeboarding muscles though, you should:
* Work your legs with squats, extensions and curls
* Keep up your core strength – work on your abs and back, and concentrate on your pelvic floor also
* Use the rowing machine (or go rowing!) to combine a cardio workout with strength training for the shoulders and arms
Flexibility exercises
Pilates and yoga classes are great for focusing on flexibility. They also help cultivate the type of muscle fibers you want for wakeboarding- long and strong for stamina. If it all gets a bit mystical for you, though, martial arts training often involves an extensive stretching component.
Wakeboarding simulation sports and activities
There are actually quite a few ‘real’ sports that will help your wakeboarding immensely, without a lake in sight! Try out:
* •Snowboarding: Snowboarding uses many of the same muscles as wakeboarding does, and when you master a trick on the slopes it is ten times easier to do it on the wake. Snowboarding is great for balance and board control.
* Skateboarding: is much more universally accessible and much cheaper! Make sure you practice riding switch on a skateboard – it is much more difficult to do on wheels than on water, so when you get back behind a boat it will seem like a piece of cake to ride switch.
* Trampolining: If you can set up a wakeboard handle to hang onto while trampolining, you can get some awesome invert practice in. If you can, look for trampoline bays with padding for the springs – sometimes the natural temptation to go for the other side of the wake – which would be the hard ground on a trampoline – is too strong!
Watch instead of do
Watching wakeboarding videos, especially instructional videos, is a great way to help with your own visualization of tricks, both old and new. Some studies show that people who visualize a task actually learn it more effectively than people who are told how to do it … so sitting down and exercising your imagination muscle may be the best preparation for summer!
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About the Author
Waterskiers World & Ski Surf & Snow are specialized retailers for all you watersports, surf and snow equipment. We stock a huge range of waterski’s, wakeboards, kneeboards, tubes, wetsuits, life vests, ropes, gloves and anything else you need for a fun day out on the water. For more information or to view our range, visit <a href=”http://www.waterskiersworld.com.au”>Wakeboard</a>
Travis Parker’s part from Lame Snowboard Video