Flowrider- Standup Tips and Tricks

[cruisingislife]

Hello fellow Flowrider addicts! I leave for my next cruise in a little less than 2 months on Freedom of the Seas, and I cannot wait. So in the meantime, I wanted to start this tread to keep me sane while waiting. Please share your favorite tips and tricks for riding the Flowrider standup. Here are a few of my favorites...

 

1. Keep most of your weight on your back foot (about 80%)

2. Always keep your shoulders parallel to the board/water flow to keep from falling

3. Once you get your balance you can rotate your shoulders slightly to turn

4. To go backwards, sit down on your heels

5. To go forward, stand up on your toes

6. Make sure to wear a cover-up to prevent wardrobe malfunctions

 

Please add whatever you can. I will try to add more later.

[QE2_Fan]

Lol, having not done flowrider yet, my tip would be to hang on for dear life and hope to not fall off in less than 5 seconds! [emoji23]. Some good tips there though, hopefully will remember them when we try flow rider on Ovation next Feb!!

 

 

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[CRUISEFAN0001]

Based on my 2 times of successfully conquering the Flowrider (and enjoying every minute), I think your list in Post #1 pretty much covers all the key "tips".

[topnole]

Experienced flow rider's probably don't need too many tips that would help on a forum. However if you're new to it probably the most important tip is learning how to fall correctly. Don't try saving yourself. Watching newbies it seems this is where they often get injured. If you think you're going to fall just go with it and get a low center if gravity. I try to get low to the ground and then fall on my side. And then I try to make sure after falling I get my butt on the ground with legs facing the top of the flow rider. That way when you get pushed over the top you can hop right up on your feet and the hard plastic great at that Top won't hurt you. Many people end up in neck braces because they don't fall correctly. I'm surprised they don't teach you this when you sign your waiver.

[John&LaLa]

In YouTube videos you often see a rope used by instructor and student. I've never seen that on a ship. Is there an issue with it?

 

BTW, I've tried stand up twice, fell quickly and frequently.

 

Banned for life by Laura. :(

[topnole]

In YouTube videos you often see a rope used by instructor and student. I've never seen that on a ship. Is there an issue with it?

 

BTW, I've tried stand up twice, fell quickly and frequently.

 

Banned for life by Laura. :(

 

From my experience those are smaller flowriders (not as wide). Rci uses doubles so they are wide compared to many. I think this makes it feasible to side load vs front loading with a rope. Perhaps risk manangemnt suggests side loading equals less chance of injury or they just do it that way for no particular reason, or flowrider suggest one of several practices for companies to use. My guess is it has nothing to do with risk management from rci.

[LeCricket]

I paid for the private lessons for my girls the first time they went on Flowrider, and it was so worth the money. We did it right when the cruise started and they were addicted after that. I think the private lessons boosted their confidence and they enjoyed it so much more than they would have if they had learned on their own. I think it was around $70 per person.

 

 

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[xpcdoojk]

Keeping the weight on the back foot is key to learning, and once you learn how to keep the board straight, you have to learn how to turn. Step one for me was realizing where your bottom goes the board goes.

 

Stand up sideways like you are on the board. Push your bottom out behind you, and notice what happens to your feet, toes come up and heel down, then pull your bottom in, i.e. Push your hips forward again what happens with your toes? Weight shifts to your toes and your heels rise. You have just made the two turns required to successfully ride the flowrider.

 

JC

[mil76]

In YouTube videos you often see a rope used by instructor and student. I've never seen that on a ship. Is there an issue with it?

 

BTW, I've tried stand up twice, fell quickly and frequently.

 

Banned for life by Laura. :(

 

I think the rope is the worst way to learn. By default the new rider leans forward more towards their front foot since they are holding onto the rope, and the key is to keep your weight on the back foot. Usually as soon as they drop the rope they do a face-plant since they are already inclined to lean forward due to the rope.

 

The most successful method I have seen for new riders is to load them in from the front with someone laying at the base of the wave holding onto the front of the board. You put them on the wave and hold on until you get them in the right position (leaning back and hopefully relaxed), and then let go of the board. Since they are not holding onto a rope or the hands of the instructor loading them in from the side, the letting go is easier since they don't have the focus of holding onto something with their hands.

[Heather1972]

6. Make sure to wear a cover-up to prevent wardrobe malfunctions.

 

Do NOT wear a bikini top on the flowrider especially if laying down on the board! There was a woman on the flowrider on our Anthem cruise... well let's just say we all got an eyeful of what was beneath her top. She had no idea it had come all the way down. :eek:

[Paulxyz2004]

Do NOT wear a bikini top on the flowrider especially if laying down on the board! There was a woman on the flowrider on our Anthem cruise... well let's just say we all got an eyeful of what was beneath her top. She had no idea it had come all the way down. :eek:

 

Great idea, if it Comes off anyway, don´t wear it in the first place:D:p:cool:

[Scrap Addict]

My daughter (14) is a big surfer. We'll be on the Indy next summer - is the flo rider similar to surfing? Or should I sign her up for a lesson the 1st day?

[A&L_Ont]

Great tips already mentioned above. I always emphasize stretching before, during and after riding. I always state to new riders, if you think you are going to fall, just sit down. It is by far safer to fall under a controlled method VS a wild wipeout.

[A&L_Ont]

My daughter (14) is a big surfer. We'll be on the Indy next summer - is the flo rider similar to surfing? Or should I sign her up for a lesson the 1st day?

 

I have met surfers and they say it is not similar. The lesson is really your choice but IF she is going to do one the first available is the best.

[John&LaLa]

I have met surfers and they say it is not similar. The lesson is really your choice but IF she is going to do one the first available is the best.

Bethany Hamilton had to do it on the Amazing Race and had all kinds of problems at first.

 

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[Scrap Addict]

Sounds like a lesson is warranted - 3e'll go sign up as soon as we board the ship.

 

Cheers!

[xpcdoojk]

Lessons, sort of depend on how many people are on the wave if you are sailing during a popular time spring break, Xmas, etc, then yes lessons are a great idea, or renting the wave, you get better by surfing repetitively. People are willing to teach you in the regular line. so, if lots of young people on board, lessons and private sessions are awesome, if not, then there is no need of private time.

 

However, falling is shocking, and most people do not like it. Most people try a couple of times and never return....

 

JC

[Roughboy]

Great tips already mentioned above. I always emphasize stretching before, during and after riding. I always state to new riders, if you think you are going to fall, just sit down. It is by far safer to fall under a controlled method VS a wild wipeout.

 

 

This is a total different animal! I can surf, ride a ripstick, and skateboard, but none of that helped me with the flowrider. I have heard some people say it is similar to snow boarding, but others say no. the board is somewhat similar to a snow board though.

[Russ Lomas]

In YouTube videos you often see a rope used by instructor and student. I've never seen that on a ship. Is there an issue with it?

 

BTW, I've tried stand up twice, fell quickly and frequently.

 

Banned for life by Laura. :(

 

 

Thanks Laura for banning John from the flowrider. It keeps the lines shorter for the rest of us riders;p

[Russ Lomas]

Hello fellow Flowrider addicts! I leave for my next cruise in a little less than 2 months on Freedom of the Seas, and I cannot wait. So in the meantime, I wanted to start this tread to keep me sane while waiting. Please share your favorite tips and tricks for riding the Flowrider standup. Here are a few of my favorites...

 

1. Keep most of your weight on your back foot (about 80%)

2. Always keep your shoulders parallel to the board/water flow to keep from falling

3. Once you get your balance you can rotate your shoulders slightly to turn

4. To go backwards, sit down on your heels

5. To go forward, stand up on your toes

6. Make sure to wear a cover-up to prevent wardrobe malfunctions

 

Please add whatever you can. I will try to add more later.

I know some people say put a lot of weight on your back foot, but I find that totally wrong. Equally balanced works best. Especially when carving a turn, you don't want 80% of your weight on your back foot. The only time to put that much weight on the back foot is if you want to ride up to the top of the wave.

 

I fully agree with other comments - learn how to fall and stretch first (especially if you are over 35). 48 hours after riding, you will have a good idea of why you should have stretched. I find stretching the forearms (you tend to put your hands down to brace yourself if falling forwards - and pull those muscles) and stretch your neck very well (often feels like you have whiplash a day or two later when you do not know how to fall properly. Stretching helps a lot.

 

Best advice for a beginner - ask those who are on the flowrider and know what they are doing for some tips. The majority of the stand-up flowriders are a great group of people and always happy to help others who are interested in learning.

 

Advice - stand up TALL. Do not lean over and throw your weight off. Keep your shoulders aligned upright over your hips at all times when learning and just bend at the knees. Look up when surfing, not down at the water and at the board (kind of like where do you look when you drive? At the hood of your car?)

 

A lot of times when people are learning they either bend over and fall face first or they wave their arms around a lot. Keep your arms still - one to the rear of you and one out in front of you held higher up (you don't do this later when you know what you are doing, but it helps your weight distribution when learning). If you find your board turning and you do not want it to, it is likely you have moved one or both of your hands and they are now in front or behind you and not to your sides. SLOWLY put them back where they should be (like driving again - do not over steer back or you will spin out the other way.

 

Hope that helps a bit. See you on the flowrider.

[ThirstyCruiser]

I wonder if instead of a rope the instructors instead used one of those foam pool noodles to provide a little balancing help. From the front they could actually push back on the noodle in case the newbie leaned to far forward. And they could stand to the side with the noodle extended to provide an extended hand hold.

 

Yeah, knowing how to fall is the fastest way to being able to stay up. Because that ensures you can fall over and over without injuring yourself, meaning you get reps in all week, meaning you're shredding by the end of the week. OK, maybe not shredding, but at least making baby carves left and right instead of groaning as you try to pull yourself up out of the lounger by the pool due to whiplash. Been there, done that.

[3happyferrets]

I paid for the private lessons for my girls the first time they went on Flowrider, and it was so worth the money. We did it right when the cruise started and they were addicted after that. I think the private lessons boosted their confidence and they enjoyed it so much more than they would have if they had learned on their own. I think it was around $70 per person.

 

 

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I second this! My husband had a lesson on the Freedom once. It was a group lesson but there were only two other people doing it and they quit after a few rounds so he got it all to himself and loved it. He did great although to be fair he was a gymnast in high school and college so it helped with balance. But fair warning, he was legitimately sore for 2 days afterwards. Don't know your age but he was late 30s. Hasn't deterred him though, he's doing it again with our teenagers on our upcoming Navigator cruise in two weeks:) Hope you have a blast!

 

 

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[Lordnlkon]

They don't use the rope off the front padding because it's very damaging to the padding. Flowrider charges a lot of money to replace them. I'm friends with one of the owners of one that is local to me.

[surf cruiser]

Yes, FlowRider is much different than ocean surfing. My daughter got to help Bethany Hamilton learn to surf on the FlowRider at Wave House in San Diego. Lots of great lessons and tips on YouTube. See FlowRider School.

[csnarpy]

It's more like Snowboarding than surfing. Weight distribution is the key, especially for turning.