• Teach as efficiently as possible:  Balance advancing the student too slowly and too quickly.  Advancing someone too slowly means getting them up 5 times on the boom, 5 times on a 1 foot boom-rope, 5 times on a 2 foot boom-rope, 5 times on a 3 foot boom-rope, 5 times one the full length boom rope, and then behind the boat.  Even though they will easily get up behind the boat after this, a lot of time was wasted (although, depending on the student, this may be the proper progression).  Not only would this take a long time, but with each start, the student gets more tired.  The opposite is also bad.  If someone is put behind the boat (or on the boom-handle) before they are ready, they will keep falling and get frustrated.  This will also take longer than if the student is properly advanced.  Basically, advancing the student too slowly is bad; advancing the student to quickly is bad; and every student is different so it is up to you to figure out what is right.
• You only have about 12 minutes to make the student feel they have learned something before they become tired and fatigued.
• If it is your first time instructing a student who already know how to get up behind the boat, have them “show off and warm up” for about 60 seconds while you assess their skill and what they are ready to learn.
• Every time before the student gets pulled up, they should know exactly what they are working on.  Therefore, after each fall or at the start of a set, tell them what to do next.

Give the kids nicknames, or let them pick nicknames for themselves.  Some ideas:  wing-nut, dingle-berry, fly-high, bosco, meat-loaf, bonez, etc.  Be creative but be sure it will not be insulting to them or their parents, since their parents WILL find out about them.

Do not underestimate your influence on the students.  They look up to you, BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL.

No bad language.  This can include more than just swear words depending on the age of the student (hell and damn are considered swear words).

Remember: The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The great teacher demonstrates. The Superior Teacher Inspires.

Take sunglasses & hats off when getting pictures taken.

Do not wear sunglasses on land.  Only when on the boat. People will trust you more if they can see your eyes.

Turn off the radio during the lesson.  The radio gives people an excuse not to converse. It is the interactions between people that the students will remember.  Most new instructors fight me on this initially, until they try it both ways and see what a big difference it makes.

Stay calm and act confident.  First, assess the situation to see if the student was injured or the fall was just painful but without injury (when pride is hurt more than anything else)

If a child has a painful fall (but without injury) your goal is to quickly distract them from what just happened and keep them from crying:

• Cheer from the boat right a way saying “good job” and “nice one” etc.  This will prevent crying in many cases because they get distracted from being hurt and start thinking that they did something cool.
• When the boat comes back around tell them “that was a nice fall,” or “that looked really cool”.  This often prevents children from crying because they think you are impressed with them.  No one wants to cry after doing something impressive.
• DO NOT show any sympathy, such as, “are you ok?”  or “that looked like it hurt.”  This will result in crying and they will want to come in.

If there is crying (but without injury) your goal is to distract them:

• Ask them where it hurts.  Gently poke their arm and ask if it hurts.  Then poke your arm and ask if it hurts.  (Unless their arm is what hurts, then of course don’t poke at it.)
• Whatever hurts, ask if they think it might fall off.
• Tell them a joke.
• Ask if it hurt half as much, would they still be crying.
• Try to get them to go again.  Make a deal with them like “just one more time.”
• Or have them do something they know they can do.

Notes for injuries:

• Follow the procedures of the American Red Cross.
• If it is the student’s leg or ankle, the bindings may have to be unscrewed from the board.  Once the bindings are off the board, it is very difficult to take them off feet.  The bindings will probably have to be taken apart or cut to get them off their feet.
• If the student is bleeding:
  • Stay calm.
  • Follow the procedures of the American Red Cross.
  • The driver should keep the other students calm, quiet, and stop them from looking at the wounded student.
  • The driver should call 911 if necessary.
  • The instructor should assist the injured student and try to keep them calm.
  • If the laceration is on the students face or head, turn the mirror down so they cannot see the wound.  Sometimes, they won’t even know that they are bleeding.
  • After the injury is taken care of, clean up any blood with a disinfectant.

Rules:

The instructor is in charge.

We are a ski school, not a tow school.  The student should always be working on something.

Instructor responsibilities:

1. Teach students.
2. Put equipment on students.
3. Entertain students.
4. Make sure students in back of boat follow rules.

Boat Driver responsibilities:

1. Drive the boat safely and properly.
2. Make sure students in bow and area next to the driver follow the rules.
3. Entertain students.
4. Make sure there is enough gas in the boat.
5. Keep track of time.
6. Keep track of rope (where it is in the water and pulling it in).
7. Let the instructor know if there are waves ahead.
8. Weight the boat properly. (It is important to have the weight in the boat be horizontally even because this affects the shape of the wakes.  There are exceptions which will be explained later.  In general, keep the weigh even left to right).

The driver and instructor should rarely talk to each other.  Exceptions:

1. The conversation is including everyone on the boat,
2. When making a suggestion or request,
3. Some safety issue is involved.

Instead talk with the students.

Other responsibilities include:

• Keeping the boat clean.
• Keeping the premises clean.
• Wiping down the boat at the end of the day.
• Keeping equipment where it should be.
• Talking with students and parents before and after the lesson.
• Having the boat ready in time for the lesson
• Helping students carry their equipment to and from the car.
• Making sure there is enough gas on the docks.
• Getting gas from the gas station between lessons.
• Keeping equipment out of the sun.
• Making sure waivers are filled out.
• Keeping drinking water in the boat.
• Making students wear sunscreen.
• Weekly oil and filter changes.
• Putting everything away at the end of the day.
• Showing up with plenty of time to prepare for lesson (20 minutes early if first lesson of the day, 15 minutes early if not the first lesson of the day.
• Making sure oil and trans fluid are proper level and fresh.
• Keeping the water filter cleaned out.
• Keeping the boat clean.

WB:    Wakeboard, wakeboarding, or Wakeboarder

WS:    Waterski, waterskiing, or Waterskiier

Beginner (WB):    Someone who has tried wakeboarding, but cannot do wake-to-wake jumps.

Intermediate (WB):    Can do wake-to-wake jumps, but no inverts.

Advanced (WB):    Can land at least one invert.

Beginner (WS):    Uses 2 skiis.

Intermediate (WS):    Uses 1 ski, but no slalom course.

Advanced (WS):    Skis the slalom course.

Progressive cut:    When the cut continually gets harder as you approach the wake.  (This is how it should be done).

Loading the line:    Same as the progressive cut.

Flattening out:    When the board comes off edge and rides flat up the wake.  (This is bad).

Cutting out:    Cutting away from the wakes.

Ollie:    Bunny-hop.  Jumping with no wake.

Boom-handle:    The handle located at the end of the boom.  It is about 5 feet long, but may be wrapped up to any length shorter than that.

Long-line:    The 55-80 foot rope behind the boat.

Fakie/Switch:    Riding with your unnatural foot forward.

Goofy/Regular:    Goofy-foot is when the right foot is naturally forward.  Regular is left foot naturally forward.

Heal Side / Toe Side:    Refers to which edge of the board is being dug in the water on a cut.  Abbreviated HS and TS.

Frontside/Backside:    Refers to the direction of a spin.  Frontside is when the rider’s chest faces the boat for the first 180 degrees of a spin.  Backside is when the rider’s back faces the boat for the first 180 degrees of a spin.

Blind:    Refers to either a backside spin, or when a rider lands holding the handle with their back hand, which is around their back.

Rollers:    Waves created by other boats.

White-wash (whites):    When there is white foam on the wakes.  Due to slow speeds or unevenly weighted boat.

Wake-to-wake:      When the rider lands on the downside of the second wake.

Clear the wakes:    Refers to doing a wake-to-wake jump – Either landing on the downside of the second wake or past the second wake (in the flats)

Catching the wake (board catching):    When you land on the top side of the second wake, when you intend to clear the wakes.

The flats:     The area outside the wakes.

Landing short:    When you shorter (horizontally) than where you intended.  Usually refers to catching the wake.

1. ALWAYS Be Coaching (ABC). During a lesson, the student should always be attempting something. When they fall, you should always say or do something to help them improve.  Even if you are not sure what to say, try something and pay attention to how well it works. After enough lessons you will have encountered 95% of all situations. When that rare 5% situation arises, you will be adept at finding new solutions.
2. It’s always YOUR fault. This isn’t meant to make you feel bad if a student isn’t learning, it is meant to motivate you to find new and better ways to teach. It’s never the students fault. Know that there is always something you could say or do which will help the student progress. If you truly believe that the student just isn’t capable of improving, hire me to come out and I’ll show you how it’s done . This philosophy should extends beyond just teaching and into every aspect of the job. If you’re the boat driver and you run over the rope because the instructor didn’t bring in the rope like you asked them to, it’s your fault. If you’re the instructor and the boat driver runs over the rope, it’s your fault. Take responsibility, being an instructor requires a lot of it.
3. You can ALWAYS improve. Your learning never stops.  You will never improve as an instructor after the day you decide that you know everything about a topic.  For example, if you think you are already a good enough boat driver, you are never going to become better at driving a boat. (Most people think they are already good boat drivers, yet I’ve never met anyone who I wasn’t able to help improve even more.  Every summer even I learn new ways to improve my boat driving).  Same applies to all areas of instructing (and life, but we’ll focus on instructing here).  In 11 years of teaching watersking and wakeboarding, I’ve learned new tips, tricks, and techniques every summer.  So will you if you realize you can always get better.