Tips by Tan Kay Tuck
Video : Kay Tuck
Photo : Kim Yong Il
Most people think you need to be able to do a crow to try an off 540. Personally I think that people who have a crow find it difficult to differentiate between the two and muscle memory invariably makes them initiate the crow instead of the spin.
APPROACH: Come into the wake with an easy progressive edge. Its best to approach the wake with the handle relatively close to your hips as the handle will be the pivot point of the rotation. The last thing you want is to initiate the move with your arms all the way out.
STEP 1 – POP: Make sure you pop straight up. You can develop a bad habit by throwing the trick “off the peak of the wake”without actually popping up first. This will kill any height you might have gotten, causing your knees to take a lot more impact if you actually come around. I cannot stress how important this step is. So, pop per normal. i.e. straighten your legs and extend your body upwards while moving the handle to your front hip. Not like my posture in frame 2
STEP 2 – INITIATING THE ROTATION: Once your board has left the wake, throw your board to the direction you came from, whilst keeping your head and shoulders still. (If you throw your head and shoulders along with your board, you are likely to end up with a limp crow) – this motion of keeping your upper body still and throwing your board away will break your body, initiating the off-axis rotation.
During this time, delay the handle pass and keep the handle close to you, as you will find yourself spinning around it. As I throw my board away, my back hip actually moves towards the handle.
As you start the off axis rotation, turn your head and go for the handle (turning your head and going for the handle will initiate the movement of your shoulders, thus increasing the momentum of the rotation, helping you come around)
HANDLE PASS: As you go for the handle, keep your rear hand snug in the small of your back and you should be feeling the handle very soon. Also, keep your head facing the direction in which you came from (rotating), as you will be spotting the water very soon.
LANDING: Once you spot the water, get ready to bend you knees and cushion your landing. Re-grab the handle with your other hand to help control the landing. Alternatively you can also land cross-handed if you’re comfortable with that.
Tips:
If you can’t get the handle, then you are probably making one or both of these mistakes
A) Freaking out when your back is turned to the boat. Most people swing out for the handle and immediately let go of the other hand. You must deliberately go for the handle while keeping the handle in with the other hand.
B ) You go for the handle immediately when you swing your board away. This makes you spin away from the handle making it impossible to get. You must keep the handle close to you and delay the pass.