The backside 180 is a great trick because you can make it your own in so many different ways. It’s a simple trick so you don’t have to worry about handle passes, which lets you focus on holding a good grab and ratcheting up your style. Here are some ways to do a proper backside 180 and take the style to the next level. — Oli Derome, Malibu Boats team rider
Grab Long, Land Clean On backside 180s, I try to grab my board for as long as I can and put the trick down as clean as possible. Those are the two most important components in making a backside 180 look as good as possible. From grabs and pokes to shifties, there are a million different ways to personalize your backside 180.
Master The Basics Edging in, you want to have a progressive edge that builds speed and tension as you get closer to the wake. Think about riding your board all the way through to the tail so you get a nice, upward pop. As you’re coming off the wake, think about keeping the rope nice and tight and bringing the board up to your hand instead of reaching down for it. When I’m at the peak, I think about either poking, holding the grab or adding a shifty. Next, I try to make sure I’m level as I come down so I land flat on my board for a clean landing. If I’m a little tail-heavy, I lean forward a bit so I’m level and ready to make that commitment to landing blind.
Grab Back Hand First The simplest — and first grab you should do — is a backhand grab. Either an indy, tail, or stalefish will be your first step. With indy or tail, you can poke your front leg. With a stalefish, it’s best to poke your back leg. Then, depending on your comfort level, you can either land wrapped or pass the handle. I usually land wrapped when I do it regular, because I can hold the grab as long as possible, and I pass the handle when I do it switch so I can get on my toes.
Get Tech With a backside 180, the most technical grabs are definitely front-hand grabs because of the handle pass. A method backside 180 is a tough trick, but it looks amazing and it’s worth trying after you’re really comfortable with backside 180s with a front-hand grab.
Ramp Right The 22 MXZ’s wake is especially great for backside 180s because you don’t have to worry about catching the transition perfectly. It has a nice, long transition at the trough so even if you land past the top of the second wake, you’re still going to be riding down transition and getting a softer landing. That long, smooth transition makes for a perfect takeoff on a backside 180. It’s not that sidewalk kind of wake that sends you forward and off-balance when you hit it.
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## 2013 Malibu Boat Guide |
| Get more Malibu with the 2013 Malibu Boat Guide. Explore Malibu’s 2013 wakeboard boats, meet the Malibu Boats team, and see Malibu’s latest innovations through video, full-screen photo galleries and more. See Malibu Boats’ commitment to innovation, performance, style and quality in action, and get all of your questions answered by Malibu Boats experts. Once you’ve found the best wakeboard boat for you, book a test driver with the built-in dealer locator. Experience it now. |
