How to Kneeboard Behind a Jet Ski? A Simple Guide

Kneeboarding, or kneeboard surfing, is an activity that most adults and kids aspire to master right after mastering the basic skills of water surfing. You can learn to kneeboard at any age, behind any boat. In addition, moving from one watersport to another is quite simple.

So, how to kneeboard behind a jet ski? You learn how to kneeboard behind a jet ski by practicing a few tips. First, you need to sit with your knees tucked under you and your arms straight while gripping the handle of the towing rope. Then, you need to keep your balance so you don’t fall off.

Learning all about kneeboarding 101 is in the later parts of this post, so keep on reading!

How to Kneeboard Surf Behind a Jet Ski?

Kneeboard surfing is one of the most exciting forms of watersports. Since the beginning of the 70s, it offered a new method to have fun, and it’s still effective in getting more people interested in watersports.

If you want to learn how to kneeboard or teach your kids to do so, follow these simple steps:

Start in deeper areas of the water.

It’s best to start in deeper areas of the water. First, you need to rest on the kneeboard while keeping your arms beneath the strap of the kneeboard and holding on to the handle of the towing rope.

Position your body forward on the board

Place your body forward so your knees are tucked partly into the foam’s indentation in the area where your knees and ankles go towards the boat. Tell the boat driver to go on when you’re ready.

Wait till the kneeboard gets on a plane once the boat starts moving

As the kneeboard gets on a plane, you need to bend down your knees into place once the boat takes off. Then, switch each one of your out over the straps of the kneeboard, and tighten the strap on your thighs while you maintain your weight leaned to the back.

Keep in mind that putting heavy weight ahead will lead to a head plant. So, don’t go too far ahead of yourself and allow the boat to move freely to prevent injured or disorientation.

Adjust the strap to fit your thighs

It may take a few tries, but if you first place your arms beneath the strap, you guarantee that it will be where it should be on your thighs rather than beneath your shins.

Maintain your weight on the back of the board

When you first get up, all you have to do is stand there and hang on. The more experience and confidence you have, the more you will attempt to accomplish alone, such as going over the wake and doing water maneuvers.

Is It Safe to Kneeboard Behind a Jet Ski?

It Is safe to kneeboard behind a Jet Ski. It’s an activity that can be done by both adults and kids because of how safe it is. Despite the high speed, kneeboarding behind a jet ski holds no risks for kids if done right.

Water Safety Tips for Kneeboarding

Here are 7 tips to make kneeboarding behind a jet ski safer:

Look for a simple responsive board with a simple start hook. Advanced riders may wish to opt for one that is more responsive.
Warm up and stretch your body to keep your muscles and joints warm and prevent injury.
Don’t wear the knee strap, so you don’t get stuck to your board if you fall off.
Learn how to have an effective grip. Place your kneeboard on the start ramps and kneel so that your knees and shins are on the board and you are sitting on your heels. Grip on the handle with both hands from the top, and make sure your thumbs are behind the handle so that your hands are wrapped around it.
Ensure high visibility. Make sure you can see where you’re going and when you’re going to start.
When riding your Kneeboard, make sure there are no barriers in your path, and keep an eye out for other people, swimmers, and maybe other obstructions. If you don’t feel like riding around the obstacles, simply let go of the grip.
If you fall off, always check around to ensure that no other riders hit you.

Tips for Teaching Kids Kneeboarding for The First Time

Kids get drawn quickly to kneeboarding after they figure out basic water skiing. This can lead to them repeatedly asking to try kneeboarding for some time. That’s when their parents need to step in to teach them and ensure their safety at the same time.

Here are six tips that can help you with kids trying kneeboarding for the first time:

Kneeboarding can be a little tricky for younger kids. It’s simple to give up trying, but if they have a lot of people rooting for them, they’ll keep trying until they succeed. Make sure to encourage them throughout the process.
Make sure there is only ONE adult teaching them how to kneeboard. Having lots of instructors can distract your kids and lead to their early frustration.
Have an adult with them to assist or to swim out and grab them if they fall off too soon.
Keep the guidelines clear and age-appropriate. For example, “arms straight/knees bent, let the boat pull you” for waterskiing. Merely advise them to maintain their arms straight.
Choose a quiet day and location. Don’t do it on a bad or busy day with a lot of other boats and wakes. You don’t want to turn them off since it will take them a long time to be interested again.
Provide continual reassurance that if they fall off, you will be there to assist them and remind them to let off when the boat returns to shore. Most of this will be instinctual after seeing others ski or wakeboard.

What Kinds of Boats Can You Use for Kneeboarding?

One of the appeals of kneeboarding is that it can be done with almost any boat.

Say you don’t get to kneeboard behind a jet ski; what are other types of boats that can provide a great kneeboarding experience? Anything works, whether it’s deck boats, wake boats, bowriders, pontoon boats, or cruisers.

Wakes are ideal for riders with more experience because it allows them to do more tricks off large wakes, while pontoons are also excellent for pulling youngsters on kneeboards.

Regardless of any boat you choose, you’ll definitely need a motor with more than 25 horsepower to guarantee that the riders can start in deeper areas of the waters. Typically, as riders progress and become more experienced, pontoon boats may not be very suitable.