3 minute read
Want to take your wakeboarding to the next level? dryrobe ambassador and 3 X European Wakeboarder of the Year David O’Caoimh shares his expert advice for anyone looking to improve their skills on the water.
The 25-year-old from Dublin, Ireland has spent most of his life out on the water, taking up waterskiing at the age of 5 before progressing into wakeboarding. David dropped out of college at 19 to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wakeboarder and now travels the world, competing and coaching with the very best.
Here are his top five tips for improving your wakeboarding:
1. Practice
Although this sounds obvious, time on the water and repetition of what you can already do is invaluable for progress. Going for a ride without trying something new is as beneficial as learning a new trick since it will increase your board control and improve your general wakeboard fitness.
2. Small steps
When attempting new tricks try to choose something that is within your reach. Sometimes small things like adding a grab or an extra 180 are far more achievable than trying something outside your capabilities - for example: you should learn all the basic 180s and grabs before attempting any inverts. Small steps can also help avoid injury.
3. Ride with friends
Spending time on the water with friends is important for so many reasons. Not only will it make the entire wakeboarding experience more enjoyable, it will also benefit you by watching friends ride and learning new tricks no matter what their level. In addition to this, an extra pair of eyes on your riding can also be very valuable.
4. Cross training
Very few of us can get out on the water as often as we like but there are many ways of improving your wakeboarding off the water. Although being physically fit from the gym and other activities/sports can help massively, nothing compares to working on your balance and aerial awareness in terms of improving your riding. Trampolining, skateboarding and snowboarding are amongst the best ways of increasing aerial awareness and the muscle usage can be similar across these sports.
5. Fresh Legs
Avoid wakeboarding if you are tired or if your muscles are sore as you will never wakeboard as well as when your legs are fresh. The value of a fresh body is far more than it might seem. This is particularly important if you are attempting new tricks as you need your brain and body to be 'fresh'.
Follow David:
Instagram: @davidoc
YouTube: David OC
Facebook: David O'Caoimh Wakeboarder
Website: davidocaoimh.com
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