By Luke
Mon, Jul 11 2011 1:00 am | Comments

Grab

Grabbing the board is the first way most riders demonstrate control. A grab shows you’re in such control of a trick that you can take one hand off the handle. It also just looks good. One of the most common mistakes with grabs is letting go of the handle too soon to get the grab, which results in a low-flying, short-of-the-second-wake jump. Both power and control are generated by holding the handle in the same position as you go up the wake, so you should keep both hands on the handle at least through the top of the wake and, ideally, close to the peak of your wake jump. Once you have every bit of pop, reach down for the grab while pulling the board up with your legs — never bend over to the grab. Do your first grabs with your back hand so you don’t get pulled into a 90-degree spin.

Ben Greenwood on grabs

“Flexibility is key. Increase your range of motion and you’ll increase your ability to grab deep and poke moves out.”

“Keep away from the no-no zones; nose, tail, melon, stale, indy and mute are where I try to stay. I left my crossed-up nuke grabs in the early 2000s with my Palm Pilot.”

“To make a good grab better, go bigger, hold it longer, spin slower and poke it out.”

“Reaching for grabs can look and feel out of control. Instead, I think about pulling my board to me by sucking my heels to my butt rather than just bending my knees.”

“Grabbing your board is the ultimate sign of control. When I learned my first wake-to-wake 7, I thought, ‘How can I grab this?’ not ‘Time to take it 9.’”