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How To Setup & Mount Wakeboard Bindings

How To Setup & Mount Wakeboard Bindings

How To Setup & Mount Wakeboard Bindings

Wakeboard can be a thrilling watersport activity when done right. To enjoy a comfortable ride, you must think about the placement of your wakeboard bindings or boots.

How you set up and mount your wakeboard bindings will influence the way you stand on the wakeboard. By securing the bindings properly, you can take the necessary steps to prevent wakeboarding injuries.

This post will equip you with information on the following aspects of setting up your wakeboard bindings.

  • Factors that influence wakeboard binding
  • How to set up your wakeboarding binding?
  • Common wakeboard stances

Setting And Mounting Wakeboard Bindings

This is not rocket science. It is merely a straightforward task that requires you to be attentive to how you stand!

Let’s take a look at the two main steps involved in securing wakeboard bindings onto the wakeboard.

Setting Your Stance

When setting up your wakeboard, the term “stance” comes up a lot. Stance is a common term used by wakeboarders to describe how the rider stands on the wakeboard.

Before securing your stance, you should figure out which foot of yours will ride forward and which will go back.

Then to decide on the width, you can do a duck stance – stand comfortably and then squat. You will find your feet and knees slightly angling in the outward direction. The angle of this duck stance varies from rider to rider. The end goal of this stance is that it should be symmetrical.

This symmetrical stance gives you a firm feel of how the wakeboard moves, giving you better control of it. As a result, you avoid possible injuries.

Mounting The Bindings

If you have the stance of the bindings prepped, time to mount them.

Then thread the first screw through the mounting bracket into the drilling hole just a few times. This will keep binding loose to decide on the angling first. Angle it at 12 degrees outwards until you can decide your stance preference.

Once the angling is done, thread in the screw on the other side of the binding a few times. When you see that the binding is angled and aligned correctly, you can tighten both the screws. You then follow the same guidelines for the other binding.

You are now ready to wakeboard with your secure bindings!

How To Determine The Best Wakeboard Binding Setup?

Your stance is the most important part of a wakeboard binding setup and mounting. The default stance angling and width can only do you good for the short term. You will have to determine a setup, designed to fit you best.

Here are some aspects of the binding setup and mount that you need to consider.

1. Stance Width

The end goal with your stance width is to find a balanced position. This means minimizing the stress on your legs, hips, and back while you squat down on your wakeboard.

So, typically, the starting point of your stance width will place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. It puts you and your bindings in a balanced position, lowering the chances of falling over the board’s nose and tail.

As you position the bindings, make sure it gives your knees enough room to stand properly over your feet. You safeguard your knees against injuries to knee ligaments and cartilage..

Your body type can also influence this standard binding stance width. The width between the bindings can be narrower or wider depending on your built.

2. Body Type

You will be making slight adjustments to the default stance. For the most accurate adjustment, it would be best to determine your body type.

To know your body type, stand with your feet touching each other. Then look at their form in a mirror. There are typically three types of shapes that your legs make.

Let’s see how they come into play with the wakeboard binding setup.

Straight Legs

When you have straight legs, your legs will appear straight from hip to feet. There will be a slight space between the knees. For this type, you should ideally mount your bindings at a starting stance of 12 degrees outward. It will allow equal pressure on the legs and knee joints.

Even if straight, legs are not always perfectly proportional. So you can adjust the mount in either direction if you require more flexibility. All you have to do is make sure the stance aligns the knee’s movement with your foot – not too inward or outward.

Bowed Legs

Bowed legs have much more space between the knees than straight legs. The legs from hip to feet arch outwards, like a bow, hence the name. Knees also tend to track outwards to the sides of the body.

This tracking motion requires a wide stance and thereby mounting bindings wider than shoulder-width apart. A wider stance ensures that the outward track of your knees and legs do not get hurt by hard impacts during landings.

Although it requires a slightly wider stance, make sure the bindings are not too far apart. Too wide, and there will be an unbalanced pressure on one side, straining the side of your legs. One side will experience a harder impact while wakeboarding, increasing the risk of injury.

Knocked Knees

Knocked knees have no space between the knees. There is some pressure between the knees as they cross each other when you walk, run, or wakeboard. Since they cross, the knees also tend to knock each other, hence the name “knock” knees.

To manage the knees’ inward tracking motion, you should adjust the default starting stance to be narrower. The narrower stance will be easy on your knocked knees. As a bonus, the narrower binding width will also help with faster control over the direction of the wakeboard.

Riders must make sure the binding width is not too narrow, or else it will keep you getting pulled out of the front.

Other Considerations

Your legs and feet are not the only body part determining the stance width. The entire body built plays a huge role in deciding how wide your stance should be.

Height is the number one factor for deciding if your stance should be wider or narrower. This is because it influences the length and stability of your legs.

3. Stance Angle

Today, you can find modern bindings that come with a stance adjustment and angle system attached to the binding plates. Binding manufacturers add them to make mounting bindings on the board easier.

You are currently mounted with bindings at zero degrees when you stand on the board with your feet forward. It acts as a good baseline for stance degrees. You will then either move inward or outward from this point to accommodate the knee tracking motion.

4. How You Wakeboard

How wide the bindings are mounted will also depend on your riding environment.

The two ways to ride wakeboards are either “behind the boat” or riding “at the cable.”

A wider stance is preferred for riding behind the boat as it gives a rider more stability when going over boat wakes. Boat wakes are multi-directional with rapid transitions that require side-to-side stability.

As for cable riding, a narrower stance will be your best bet. You tend to land on flat water in cable parks. A narrow binding width will align your body to handle the landing impact as evenly across the knees as possible.

Some Tips To Keep In Mind

Here are some useful tips that will properly help you set up and mount your wakeboard bindings or boots.

1. Setting The Binding Width

An easy and fun way to decide the width at which bindings should be set apart is by jumping in the air! Since you do curves and hops during wakeboarding, the stance you jump down is similar to the wakeboarding stance.

The way your feet land on the ground will give you a general idea of the binding width.

2. Use The Correct Screws

All bindings are secured in their position with binding screws. If you are not using factory screws, make sure to get screws of the correct length. The binding screws have to be shorter than the wakeboard’s thickness.

You should also get plastic washers for the screws to protect the binding plate. A loose screw means that the binding can come off at any time during wakeboarding. You damage your board, bindings, and more importantly, you can hurt yourself.

3. Last Checks

Before you become one with the waves, check if your bindings are snug and secure in their position or not. This way, you take the extra measure to prevent any injuries. Your stance will remain stable as you wakeboard side to side.

Common Wakeboard Stances

How you mount your bindings depends on the experience level you are at currently. Different stances are designed to work best with beginner, intermediate and advanced riders.

Let’s take a look at these.

1. Recreational Stance For Beginners

This stance is a good way to get you started on learning basic wakeboarding tricks. The recreational stance trains you to perform deepwater starts, simple jumps, hops and turning, and carving.

You will have to focus on pressing your weight onto the rear fin by pushing the back binding as far back as possible. This way, you will have an easier time controlling the wakeboard and navigating it through the waters.

Back Binding

Zero degrees at the farthest back position on the board.

Front Binding

Point towards the front of the wakeboard at a 15-27 degree angle, 2 to 3 holes from the binding plate’s center. It should be placed at a natural distance from the rear binding.

2. Advanced Stance For Intermediate Riders

Once you have had your fair share of time wakeboarding the waters, you can start challenging yourself. Here, you will move the bindings forward, closer to the center of the wakeboard.

A centered binding setup will make it easier for you to take on fun wakeboarding tricks. You will be able to do spins, surface tricks, “fakie” riding backward tricks, and more! The more advanced your stance gets, the more you can reduce the angling of your front binding.

Back Binding

It is angled at zero to nine degrees, about one hole from the back of the wakeboard

Front Binding

The front binding is angled at approximately 18 degrees, about 4 to 5 holes from the back of the wakeboard.

3. Expert Stance For Advanced Riders

You reach the advanced stage when you can comfortably ride the wakeboard forward and backward. In the expert stance, you set the back binding slightly back from the center. The front binding is set slightly forward from the center.

It is considered to be a “neutral” binding setup. If you have a hard time figuring out this stance, think back to how you stand on land. Your feet will be angled somewhat similar to the duck stance!

With this kind of binding placement, you can perform tricks in any direction.

Back Binding

It is angled at 9 degrees and about three holes from the back of the board.

Front Binding

It is placed at 9 degrees as well. The difference is that the front binding goes four holes from the front of the wakeboard.

Wrapping Up

By now, you have put together a picture of what an ideal binding setup and mounting should look like. It mostly requires wakeboarding experimentation so that you can make tweaks to the standard stance and angle.

A bonus tip here would be to confirm the compatibility of your bindings with your wakeboard before mounting. You get the assurance of supportive bindings that can be perfectly mounted to make your movements more efficient!