In today’s article, we are going to cover the steps involved in a standing dock start!

The dock start is one of the coolest ways to start your wakeboard session. Not only does it keep you dry (if done right) but it’s a great way to show off your skills and impress your audience in the boat.

There are a few different ways to perform the dock start, you can start by sitting at the edge of the dock, you can stand at the edge of the dock, and for extra points, you can stand back a few feet from the edge of the dock and slide of the dock as the boat takes off.

There are some prerequisites to the dock start to make sure everything is setup before hand. You should be very comfortable riding a wakeboard, confident with your deep-water starts, as well as your wake 180s. These will allow you to be prepared and balanced when learning how to do a dock start.

Another very important step is to make sure that your tow-rope is not tangled or knotted up, this way there are no issues as the boat starts to move away from the dock.

Once this is all set, you can start to prepare for the dock start:

1) Strap into your board and get in position by the edge of the dock, where you intend to start from (you may also want to wear a helmet if you are not comfortable with dock starts yet).

2) Have someone on the boat pass you the tow rope. (*Important – before proceeding, make sure the rope is not caught or tangled around any part of your body, board, dock, etc.)

3) Signal to the boat driver that you are in proper position and that they can start to move away from the dock.

4) As the slack starts to leave the rope you want to keep your body relaxed, your knees slightly bent and your hands out in front of you, holding the handle.

5) Right before the line gets tight, push of the dock with your feet (almost like doing an ollie on the water), you should start to feel the boat pulling on you as you are in the air.

6) Keep your weight centered and your feet underneath you. Maintain an up right position as you move from the dock to the water.

7) As you are about to land on the water prepare for impact and bend your knees to absorb the landing.

8) Stay in control of your balance as you settle onto the water and ride away from the dock.

9) Once you are comfortable, give a big thumbs up to everyone that you pulled off your first standing dock start.

Learning the standing dock start takes time and practice. If you find yourself getting hung up on any particular step, sometimes it is helpful to setup a camera or have someone record you and watch the playback so you can see where the mistake might be.

Adding the dock start to your arsenal of tricks is a great way to impress your friends, stay dry before your session and expand your skills as a wakeboarder.

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