Kneeboarding (towsport)

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This article is about the towsport. For the surfsport, see kneeboarding (surfsport).

Kneeboarding is an aquatic sport where the participant is towed on a buoyant, convex, and hydrodynamically shaped board at a planing speed behind a motorboat. In the usual configuration of a towsport kneeboard, the rider sits on his heels on the board, and secures himself to the deck with an adjustable strap. As in wakeboarding or water skiing, the rider hangs onto a tow-rope. The forte of kneeboarding vis-a-vis other towsports seems to be an easier learning curve, and not requiring as much speed from the boat to have fun.

1 History
2 Getting Started
3 Tricks
4 More information / References

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History

Kneeboarding originated in Southern Califonia around 1965. This happened because many of the surfers of the area tried using homemade boards behind tow boats. By about 1970 kneeboards were starting to be designed specifically for being towed behind a motorized boat. Kneeboards were originally much heavier than modern boards. In 1983, The American Kneeboarding Association (AKA) was founded and started to produce competitive events. As the competitive scene started up, interest in the sport grew. By 1988, the American Kneeboarding Association was given official sports division status from USA Water Ski.

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Getting Started

To get started, you simply need a tow rope, a kneeboard and a boat that can go about 20 mph (32 km/h). The good thing about kneeboarding is that the start is fairly simple and you don't need to travel very fast so if you happen to fall, it won't hurt. To do a start (known as the deepwater start), do as follows:

Before you begin, loosen the strap so that it fits snug, but you can still slip into it.
Lie on the board on your stomach.
Hold the handle at the end of the board, palms down.
Signal the boat driver to take off SLOWLY once you are comfortable.
As the boat speeds up, inch forward on the board, bringing your knees under you to a kneeling position.
Let go with one hand and pull the strap over your knees.

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Tricks

Here is a list of basic (and not so basic) kneeboarding tricks: For reference, there are two basic grips - the palms-down grip and the baseball bat grip. Palms-down grip means both of your hands are facing down while holding the ski rope. Baseball Bat grip is self-explanatory: you hold the handle just like a baseball bat.

Getting up - Follow the "Getting Started" section
Riding - Ride with your arms at full extension (this keeps your arms from tiring,) your knees in the holes, and the strap on.
Turning - While riding, hold on tightly to the tow rope, and lean your body to one side. This should put the kneeboard on its edge, and take you outside of the boat's wake. To come back straight behind the boat, lean in the other direction. To turn more aggressively, pull in on the rope with your arms and lean harder
Side Slide - Position yourself directly behind the boat with a palms-down grip. Rotate the board sideways without turning on edge - the board should slide. As you slide sideways, lean back so the boat doesn't pull you forward.
Riding one-handed - To ride one-handed, make sure you have a good grip on the tow rope, and let go with one hand. It is exactly like riding normally, but with one hand
"Jumping" - To "jump" while on a kneeboard, simply cut hard out of the wake, get as far away from the boat as possible (to one side,) then cut hard back toward the wake. Lean back slightly, and you will launch off the wake of the boat, sending you into the air.
The rodeo - To perform this trick, you must combine the skills of balance and riding one-handed. You pull in the tow rope, pulling in hand-over-hand, until you are holding the rope roughly 6 feet beyond the handle. From there, you hold the rope in one hand, near your hip, and then swing the remainder of the rope, along with the handle, above your head; you are imitating a cowboy's lasso at a rodeo.
Surface 360 - This trick is very similar to the side slide. Slightly rotate to one side to build momentum, and then fully rotate in the opposite direction. If you are spinning to the right, release the rope with your right hand, spin, grab the rope again behind your back, and then pull yourself through to finish the 360.
Riding Backwards - You go through the exact same motion as a 360, but instead of pulling yourself through the 360, you pause while both hands are behind your back. You must lean forward while riding backwards - leaning what is forward to the rider will push the nose down and the tail up. Otherwise, the tail could go under the water and flip the rider.
Wake Front-to-Back - Make a hard cut from outside the wake, using the palms-down grip. Right before you hit the wake, stop cutting and pop up in a jump, focusing on pushing your knees away from your chest to give you added height. As soon as you are airborne, rotate your body to the right and pull the handle to your hip. As you spin, keep a tight grip on the rope, and lean forward slightly. Keep leaning forward (away from the boat) as you hit the water. Once you have landed, you should be riding backwards, and can continue to ride with both hands behind your back.

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