The first thing to do when trying to jump, is to make sure your ride is up to par. If you don't have it set up properly, you may experience some difficulty in catching air, especially the big air. Too much lift in the foil can cause you to be bent over uncomfortably. Not enough will put you in the lean back state while riding, and since this is the way to make the foil go up normally, you may already be tapped out as far as your upward projection. I suggest setting up your lift so that you have to lean over the front of the board just slightly. This gives you what I think the best control, and the maximum comfortable air.
Once you have the ride set up proper, technique is the next thing to work on. If you have mastered the riding, meaning you can get up consistantly, and cut across the wake back and forth without concentrating, then you are ready to jump. I start riding high on the wings just before I want to jump, and then dive down at the water. I then pull up just as the board is about to touch the water. A perfect set up is when your board barely skims the water. When that happens, you want to lean back, and press the handle down, and hold that position all the way into the air. As you come back down, avoid the urge to use your feet to land on. Pressing down on your feet will cause you to go out the front. When you land, keep your shoulders back, and wait for the board to touch back down before assuming your normal riding position. (on some of the newer efficient wings, you may actually take flight again without touching the board. If riding one of these wings, as soon as the foil stops going down, assume the normal riding position.)
I usually have people start outside of the wake on the first attempts to jump. Depending on what side you try it on, you want to place the handle on the side of the wake. So if you are jumping on the drivers side, or the right side, you push down on the handle, and keep the handle in line with the angle of the tow rope.
When you start going off of the wake, you must keep your handle down all the way into the air, and keep the handle in the middle. Whatever edge or cut you take into the wake, or outside of the wake, you want to continue to cut all the way into the air. If you let off of your cut prematurely, you will end up falling on your side because your wings are flying one way, and you are leaning the other, causeing rotation. Stay on edge thoughout the jump.
I hope this helps. If you are still haveing trouble, I give lessons here in Winter Haven. People sometimes need one on one training when trying to get to the next level. You can save yourself much time by having a professional take a look at you.
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