Starting to feel your ride's a bit basic? Want to add a bit of flair to your flex? Grabs are a great way to boost your boardskills and build your confidence when coming off kickers. The extra air time and increased awareness of where your board is underneath you aren't the only benefits of adding grabs to your ride: perfecting a nice little line up of holds can be the refresh that revives stagnant style for good. Technical tricks that make you stand out on the water are a way to showcase precision pop and put your personality out there for all to see. So if that sounds like something you're after, get your teeth stuck into these super sick, style-heavy grabs!
Melon
Cool, clean and great for showing off your control, the Melon is popular with wakeboarders for good reason. You want to reach down for the heel edge with your front hand, your back knee bent and front leg extended. Quickly pull the board up with the back leg and grab in between the boots. A precision grab that looks sick and serves to strengthen your stance in the air.
A grab that benefits from both style AND substance, you want to be making the Melon one of your five-a-day.
Stalefish
Famed for its ability to add instant flair in the air, the Stalefish involves grabbing the heel edge of the board in between the bindings - a dynamic move that demands control and, when executed flawlessly, is guaranteed to give you the competitive edge.
You want to focus using you hips and knees to get the heel edge of the board as close to reaching distance as possible. With repetition, the Stalefish is a relatively easy grab to master and looks seriously cool combined with other tricks!
As impressive to judges as it is to your mates, there's nothing stale or fishy about this grab.*
*It's ok, we fired our editorial team for that one. SHOCKING.
Nose
A wakeboard arsenal essential whether amateur and pro, the Nose has nothing to do with grabbing your personal honker*. Although that would stop water going up all those times you manage to misjudge the landing.
Enter into it using your front hand to make the grab, the combination of a fully bent front leg with a super extended back one is going to make every attempt at this trick a hell of a lot easier. And when paired with a big frontside 180, the addition of a perfect Nose is going to give you one epic feeling — and sick looking — trick.
Guess you really can't beat a classic.
*Why we ever thought we needed editorial help, I have no idea.
Tail
Every grab has its opposite, and when perfected, a proper Tail grab will earn you huge amounts of hype 🤟 Again, the key is to bend the back leg while extending the front. You then use your back hand to reach for the tail of the board. Keeping your front arm strong will avoid you getting pulled over the nose. Once you are confident in your ability to make the grab, try adding in a Shifty to for an extra boned out, steezy trick. Effortless.
Crail
Unconventional, sure, but the Crail's unique style is raising its profile and popularity among riders. A creative grab that looks rad integrated with air tricks, for this one you want be taking your back hand to the nose of the board.
You'll need a bit of flexibility to get it licked, but once you can really pull yourself round* you'll have yourself a proper power move.
Yeeeew!
*Top Tip: Watch the nose of the board as you initiate the grab - it can really help you reach all the way across.
So that's your 5.
A solid set for you to smash out during sessions*, grabs build your stability, showcase your skills as a rider and significantly enhance your style.
For us wakeboarding is all about having fun, and there's nothing better than a set refresh to remind yourself just how much you love sending it.
Now go grab that board.
*And in case you're in need of more inspiration, check out a few we posted earlier...
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