So in the last two weeks I've taught 7 people how to wakeboard! For no particular reason, completely unplanned, people just kept coming with some of my friends that have never wakeboarded so I've just had a bunch of opportunities to do some coaching. It's really really cool to finally talk someone into trying it, and then know that they leave in a great mood because they ended up getting up and riding. I love spreading the fun of the sport.
I just wanted to start a small thread on things that people do to coach more efficiently, for me, it's really hard to talk about things that are so basic that I don't think about them anymore. It's truly hard explaining how to get up to someone that has never even seen watersports in person.
The first thing I tell people, is when they're sitting in the water to envision themselves sitting on the ground, with their knees slightly bent and their arms relaxed around their legs. Then to envision someone giving them a hand to pick them up off the ground. I really think that motion is pretty accurate to what it's like getting out of the water, and it seems to be working. Two out of the seven people I taught, got up on their 1st try, and none of the others took more than 10 tries.
Any other tips to ease the coaching process?