The Tantrum is one of the most classic tricks in wakeboarding, and is usually one of
the first inverts a rider wants to learn. The Tantrum is best described as being a simple back flip as you'd do one
on the trampoline. It was invented by Eric Perez very early on in the history of
wakeboarding, and it's one of the best inverts for building on. It can be grabbed in various ways for style, and there are a
lot of harder inverts that can be built off the Tantrum like a Tantrum to Blind, Whirlybird, and Moby Dick.
Prerequisties
Before trying a Tantrum you should be able to do the following things:
1. Have very good edge control, and be comfortable with aggressive heelside cuts
and big landings.
Cut out wide as if you're going to perform a very aggressive heelside
wake jump. Wait for the boat to start to pull you back in and start edging aggressively and build a lot of speed towards the
wake.
A Tantrum is different from most other tricks in that you don't hold
your edge all the way through the wake. It's a "trip flip", which means when you get near the wake you want switch from your
aggressive edge with the weight on your heels to standing tall with your weight more towards your toes. When you
perform that movement quickly it feels as if the wake is "tripping" you up into the air. Combining that with
standing tall at the tip of the wake and you'll generate great pop. Make sure you let go with your back hand so you can square
up your shoulders to the wake.
After you get your pop, you want to lead the rotation straight back
towards the shore you're heading towards. Drive the rotation with your shoulders and hips, and it might help to look back
with your head. However, you really don't want to violently move your head to initiate the rotation. Keep the handle in a
bit to retain control and keep the rope tension tight.
As you finish your rotation, get your eyes down towards the water and
begin to bring the handle in closer to your body to be in good control. You're going to need to bend your knees soon to
absorb the impact, so get ready.
When landing keep the rope under control and bend your knees to absorb
the impact. You might land anywhere from on the downside of the wake, in the hole, or all the way out in the flats, so be
prepared.
Style additions
1. Learn it switch
2. Once you've got it down, take it super big by taking a big hard cut at it.
3. Grab it Indy, Roast Beef, Crail, or Nuclear.
Moving On
The Tantrum helps you do the following tricks:
1. Tantrum to Fakie
2. Tantrum to Blind
3. Whirlybird
4. Moby Dick
If you have specific questions about this trick or would like to discuss it further, talk about it in the Trick Talk Forum.
