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By: Mike Schwenne / West Coast Wakeboard Camps
Though most every wakeboarder would rather go out freeriding with a bunch of buddies, than spend a weekend at a contest; contest have become an important tool for a rider to establish himself within the industry. Contests are also a great way to meet new riders that can help push you to the next level. The big problem that can arise for some people is when there riding becomes more about winning than progressing. Let me explain: Contest are made up of a down and back pass for a rider to showcase 8-10 of their best tricks. Most judges will dock you so much for falling that you’ll have no chance to move to the next round or podium, unless everyone else falls also. This leads good riders to throw only tricks that they can land 110% of the time. In order to do well with this type of format, you must practice your tricks over and over again. I’ve seen many riders in the sport at all levels get so caught up in perfecting those ten tricks, that they neglect every other aspect of their riding, leaving you on a plateau. It’s important to have a good balance between practicing for contest and progressing your riding. A good example of a well balanced rider is Derek Conway. He spends most of his time dedicated towards learning new stylish moves, and then takes a small portion of each of his sets to perfect his contest pass. Below are some techniques that I picked up from world Champion Darin Shapiro that you may find useful. (One quick note for all the parents out there looking to help their kids out: Basically, just be there for your son or daughter without pushing them or dictating how they should ride. Let them do everything on their own (meet sponsors, confront judges, and meet other riders); if they really love doing what they’re doing, this should be natural and vital for their success as a rider.
10 Stock Passes: You’ll want to start off by creating two passes, each with about 5 or 6 tricks. These tricks you’ll want to have down 110%. I recommend doing your tricks with the most amplitude (big air) first, and ending the run with a more technical trick. (ex. 1)Beginner-Intermediate: big airs and grabs in the beginning-180 are at the end. 2) Advanced-Outlaw: Open with a big flip or spin- end with 5’s, mobes ...
Finals Passes: 2-4 Substitution Tricks: You’ll want to 2-4 of those bigger tricks that you’ve just learned and can land approximately 80-100% of the time, and substitute them in with the weaker tricks in your pass. You’ll only want to substitute these tricks in when you’re in the finals or if a couple other people have already set the bar high in your heat.
Don’t worry about the other riders: If someone has an on day so what. The probability of doing well is much higher if you stick to your plan. If you start trying to throw in tricks that you’re only landing 50% of the time, there’s a good chance you’re going to fall.
Three areas of focus:
- Individual style: Doing tricks that none of the other riders in your heat are doing is a big bonus for judges. Even if it just means adding a grab and a little bit of your own style. Anything to differentiate yourself is going to help boost your score.
- Amplitude: Showing the judges that you can go big even if it’s only on a couple tricks will help convey your overall ability to the judges.
- Difficulty: Most judges for some reason put a huge influence on difficulty. I personally believe that a riders control and style with the board is more important than hucking yourself all over the place. But the chance of me being your judge is slim to none. Once you get to the pro ranks, the judging gets a little better.
Try to mix in as many different types of tricks as possible, to show that you’re a very complete rider. Link your tricks together so that it looks like you’re comfortable with any type of tricks. Ex. If you do a trick where you land switch, instead of sliding back to regular, mix in some sort of switch trick if you can. You want to give the judges the impression that you’ve got hundreds of other tricks in your bag that you’re just not able to show them because of time restrictions.
Practice: During competition season, try to throw your pass once every set out (without falling). If you keep falling, you need to modify your passes. A couple days before a big event; it’s a good idea to go out and just throw your passes (Hard and easy versions) several times.
Experience: The more contest you do, the better you’ll get at them. The first couple contests you do are always nerve racking. Don’t be frustrated when things don’t go as planed. Your time will come eventually. It’s all about the one contest you do well in, not the many that it took to get you there.
You can find out more about Mike Schwenne and his wakeboard camp by visiting his site at WestCoastCamps.com
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