Tips by David Ngiam
Video : David Ngiam (Tail Grab)
Photo : Christie Lee
Once you’re good at getting some air, grabs are a stylish addition to a jump. There are many variations of grabs out there, but the basic principle is the same. Try the indy grab first (your back hand grabs the board in front of your toes).
The thing to remember is to bring the board to your hands instead of bending over to grab the board. Try it out on land first (without a board). Jump up and bring your knees to your chest, keeping your upper body upright and tap your toes.
To do it off the wake, come in on a seated approach and get a good pop. After you pop off the wake, don’t rush for the grab. Instead, wait till you are almost at the peak of your jump before releasing your hand to go for the grab. Releasing the hand too early is a very common mistake as this will cause your line to slacken which would kill your lift. So you’ll actually get less air than you would on your regular wake jump. Once you release your grab hand from the handle, keep your handle arm in. Often times beginners will let out their handle when going for the grab, and they either get pulled forward by the line tension either in the air or when they land. So its important to maintain handle control even with one hand. For a good grab, you can easily land the trick one-handed.
Grabs can be done not only on wake jumps, but during spins and inverts for added style and difficulty.