Skip to main content

PRO TIP: May/June

By admin
Published

One of our goals with this newsletter is to engage our in-house experts and invite them to share top tips so you can learn best practices to improve your time on the water.

This month, our own Alex Brown in the sales department shares his secrets for getting kids comfortable and teaching them to wakesurf or wake-surf.

Alex, a former pro wakesurfer who spent five years on the international competitive circuit, also owned and operated a wakesurf school and conducted traveling coaching clinics. Over the years, he’s taught countless enthusiasts of all skill levels how to ramp up their performance.
As a dad of two youngsters and as a seasoned instructor, Alex is well equipped to advise and brings a wealth of first-hand experience and enthusiasm to benefit our RNO customers.
TIPS FOR INTRODUCING YOUR KIDS TO WAKESURFING
By Alex Brown
When it came to teaching my son Brecken how to wakesurf, I was expecting it to be effortless, but it was tougher than I expected.
He wanted to learn at the age of four, and that was the youngest person I had ever tried to teach. We tried a few times with no luck. He got frustrated so we stopped trying for awhile; I figured he would learn when he was older.
One day we were out boating and he was swimming and floating around the lake, laying on his belly on my adult-sized board. I gave him the surf rope and told him to hold on; I pulled him by hand toward the boat. He loved it, so after that we did it a few more times. I started up the boat and just idled with him behind the boat on his belly on my big board. He had a blast that day, and I realized my approach needed to change for a four-year-old.IMPORTANT TEACHING POINT:I slowed down and let him play instead of forcing him to do it my way.
At first, he was happy just idling behind the boat then after a few times out he wanted to go a little faster. Then, while still on his belly, he learned if he leaned left or right he could move around and go outside the wakes. One day while still on my big board, he decided he wanted to learn to stand. Using my big board made it much easier for him to learn to stand because the board was much more stable and we could go slower without the board sinking. He started from his belly, put one knee on the board and then slowly stood up. I was only driving at three miles an hour, so when he fell, it was just like jumping in the water. Initially, he was able to stand up and ride for about 20 seconds at a time. He felt super accomplished!
After awhile, he was ready to try on his kid’s board again. We did a deepwater start because he couldn’t start on his belly while on his kid’s board. This time, equipped with the knowledge he’d gained on the big board and his comfort being behind the boat and knowing how to lean, he was able to pop right up.
I loved watching the look of excitement and accomplishment on his face … that will forever be one of my favorite days on the water!
Top Tips to Teaching Your Kids How to Wakesurf
Step 1:Make sure your child is comfortable. Have them swim with and play around on the board in the water.
Step 2:Run with them along the shoreline or let the rope out long on the back of the boat and pull them in by hand.
Step 3:Start off with an adult board, preferably one with lots of padding or those Zup trainer boards. Have your child lay on his or her belly to get the feel of holding and being pulled behind the boat. You only need to go 3- 5 mph at first. No ballast in the boat. Spend as much time as is needed at this stage until they are ready to progress to the next step.
Step 4:Try a deepwater start. Have your child lay on their back in the water a few feet behind the boat with their feet resting on the edge of the board closest to them. Their feet should be spaced shoulder-width apart on the board. Give them the rope and pull them in by hand to let them practice getting the board to stick to their feet.
When you start to pull them in, they will need to push down on their heels to get the board to flip up to their feet. After the board is flipped to their feet, they will keep their knees bent and look up toward the tower of the boat.

After they are able to keep the board stuck to their feet, they are ready to try and pop up behind the boat. Start the boat at an idle to allow them to get the board flipped up to their feet. Then give the boat a little gas, just enough to get up to 4-5 mph.
Step 5:When they pop up, the goal is to get them outside of the wake. To do that, hold the rope for the first few times so that you can help pull them outside of the wake. Once they are up and outside of the wake, start having your child practice going up and down the wake so that they can feel how the wave moves them.
Final Step:If they point the board at the boat and put weight on their front foot, the wave will begin to push them along and the rope will get slack so they can start working on surfing without the rope.
Remember:each child will learn in his or her own time, so don’t worry so much about how long it takes for them to accomplish each step. The most important thing is to just let them have fun!
2025 © Regal & Nautique of Orlando

WEBSITE & SEO by NATIVERANK

Shop Boats (407) 543-2864