Basic Tricks                

• Cross One Wake    
• Cross Both Wakes (start outside, end outside)

  New riders often find negotiating the wakes a tricky proposition. Making the crossing is simple by following a few steps:

Get control before crossing: make gentle controlling turns from crest to crest, staying inside the wakes.

Steer with your knees: point your knees in the direction you want to go and maintain that angle.

Be ready for extra lift at the wake: your foil will want to climb as you cross the wake. Lean forward and raise the handle just before the crossing to keep your blades down, and avoid bucking.

To put it all together, start your crossing at the far side of the opposite wake. Make a gentle turn across, steering with your knees. Maintain your angle all the way through the wake, remembering to lean forward and lift the handle as you cross. To cross back in, start from about 7 feet out and reverse the process.

-Tony Klarich

Ride with One Hand (minimum 3 sec.)

• Touch Water (one hand) A relatively simple and self explanatory trick.Let go with one hand and lean into a turn while touching the water.
  

• Off the Wake Turn (use outer wake as a reference point to change directions)
  
  
• Moguls (turns across both wakes up-across-down the trough: min. 3 times)

Jumps         

• Baby Jump (any part of front blade must clear the water)
  
  
• Bunny Hop (entire front and rear blade must clear water)
  
  
• One Wake jump
  
  
• Double Wake Jump (ski leaves wake with foil landing past the 2nd wake)

With the boat speed about 15-18 mph, position yourself about 6 or 8 feet outside the crest of the wake about 1/2 way up above the water on the foil.

Keep your body compact with both hands on the handle, elbows into your gut and shoulders square.

Gradually turn into the wake, as you approach the wake crest lean forward slightly to "dip" the board to the water.

Just before you hit the wake crest lean back and pull up slightly on your knees. Resist the tendency to lean forward or push on your feet.

Landings at first are more of a recovery, using your arms and body position to regain control. Leaning forward slightly upon reentry will cause the board to go to the surface of the water. If you keep your elbows in and the handle down then you can extend your arms to help absorb the pull of the rope.

• Smacker (jump off outside of wake during off the wake turn)
  
  
• One Hand Jump (free hand off handle during jump)
  
  
• Fashion Air (free hand above head and back)
  
  
• Mule Kick (wide, board twists into boat w/tip drop)
  
  
• McThruster (wake/mid/wide; tip drop w/ forward hip thrust)
  
  
• Tip Drop nose of board dips below the horizontal)
  
  
• Stiffy (board horizontal to water w/ bottom towards boat)
  
  
• Quiver (wake/wide, move tip of board up and down several times)
  
  
• Typewriter (wide, jump w/ min. four handle passes in typing motion)
  
  
• Flying Chicken w/ Sound (wide, flap arms min.3 time w/ audible bird sound) 

• Undertaker (wide jump with one hand handle grab under both legs)   CLICK HERE!!!
  
  
• Shifty -inside (wide, board spins into boat, then reverse direction for landing)
  
  
• Back-at-Cha (wide, board & head spin away from boat & back)
  
  
• Shifty 180 - outside (wide, board & body spin completely away & back)

 

Variations include baby jumps, bunny hops, single wake jumps and double wake jumps.

Release Moves

• Floater (jump w/ two hand handle release and recovery)
  
  
• Lazy Boy (floater w/ both hands behind head)
  
  
• Spinner (floater w/ min. 360 handle rotation)
  
  
• Nancy (floater w/ two hand rail grab near feet)

Grabs

• Seat Lift (grab near footman loop at side & pull up)
  
  
• Reach Around (tower grab: rear upper vertical tower near top of "wineglass")
  
  
• Method Air (right hand/right rail grab near foot, or left hand grabs left rail…)
  
  
• Cross Rocket Stiffy (Stiffy with rail grab across board near foot)
  
  
• Tail Grab (right hand right rail grab near tower base or left hand grabs left…)
  
  
• Nose Grab (grab nose of board w/ either hand in air)

Inverts: Wake

• Backside Roll (side over side rotation, shoulders moving back) CLICK HERE!!!
  
  
• Frontside Roll (side over side rotation, shoulders moving forward)   CLICK HERE!!!
  
  
• Blender (Backside roll with helicopter wrap) (counts in Backside roll group)
  
  
• Gainer (must rotate end over end)
  
  
• Front Flip (must rotate end over end)   CLICK HERE!!! 

Inverts: Air (No wake)

• Pogo Roll (Backside air roll: side over side rotation, shoulders moving back)
  The wake backside roll is an inverted trick that contains side over side rotation. If you want the challenge, get completely comfortable with 2-3 foot high wake to wake jumps first. Build up to your roll in steps, and take your time.

  Buckle on your helmet, wear a USCG-T3 vest, hook up a trick release, and set the speed at 18-22 mph. Use a low stretch poly-E rope at 15' off (60'). A vertical extended pylon can also help you get more hang time to complete the trick.

• Submarine (Backside air roll to complete submersion w/ recovery) CLICK HERE!!!
  
• Frontside Air Roll (side-side rotation, shoulders moving forward)
  
  
• Air Front Flip
  
  
• Air Blender (Backside roll with helicopter wrap)
  
  
• Show Gainer (back flip cutting to left, must rotate end over end)

  Cut to the outside of the wake on your weak side.

  Fly the foil over the wake with a hard cut to the outside.

  About 10-15 feet outside the wake, square up with the boat (i.e. turn to match the boats path).

  Make a big jump, let go of the handle with your outside hand, lower the handle to your inside hip.

• Gainer (back flip cutting to right)

Inverts: Combos

• Jump Combo Jump (double wake jump to immediate air jump)
  
  
• Jump Combo Roll (2 wake jump to immediate Backside Roll)
  
  
• Double Combo Roll (Backside roll to immediate Backside Roll)
  
  
• Frontside Combo Roll (Frontside roll to immediate Frontside roll)
  
  
• Triple Combo Roll
  
  
• Quad Combo Roll

  Miscellaneous Moves

   

• Skidder (bottom of wing rides on top of water, 2 second minimum) CLICK HERE!!!
  
  
• Jump to Skid (double wake jump to skidder, board can’t touch water)
  
  
• Wake Cross Skidder (skid crossing both wakes)
  
  
• Skid with Floater
  
  
• Skidder Wake Jump (skidder 2 wake jump to skidder)
  
  
• Skinned Knee (skidder while holding handle vertically w/ knees)
  
  
• Skid Roll (Backside or Frontside roll to skidder)
  
  
• Power Turn (low slalom turn with weight supported on hand "surf turn")
  
  
• Body Slide (entire arm and side must be supported by the water)
  
  
• Air wrapped helicopter
  
  
• Wake wrapped helicopter
  
  
• Air hand-to-hand helicopter CLICK HERE!!!
  
  
• Whip-tic (air 180, land backwards to front)

Dismounts

• LD (long distance gliding)
  Adding a dismount to your run is one easy way to get better. Hydrofoiling competitions also include dismounts as part of the scored run. The long distance (LD) glider is one of the basic moves to start with. Pick a landing spot that is plenty deep and free from obstacles. Cut out from the boat to gain speed, and throw the handle. Lean forward to keep the foil down (the extra speed will increase lift). As you coast try to keep the foil in the water, and ski off the water. Your gliding distances can improve to great lengths with some practice. Also, try the gyro glider, a 360 turn in the water after you let go.
  
• Backwards landing
  
  
• McSkidder (go to skid before or after releasing rope)
  
  
• 360 Tick-tock (back landing w/ release to front)
  
  
• 360-540 Gyro (rider carves turn in circle)
  
  
• Roll Over (Frontside roll)
  
  
• Gainer
  
  
• Gainer Combo

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