{"id":286,"date":"2020-09-05T06:08:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T06:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aquaticglee.com\/?p=286"},"modified":"2023-07-27T04:00:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T04:00:26","slug":"kneeboarding-meaning-history-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aquaticglee.com\/kneeboarding-meaning-history-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Kneeboarding? History+ Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you love water sports or at least stay close to a huge water body like an ocean, kneeboarding is something you must have heard of. It is basically gliding through the water, on a board pulled along behind a boat. It is practiced as a recreational or competitive activity. Read on to learn more about what this water sport is comprised of, history plus cool videos of the sport in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Kneeboarding?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kneeboarding is water sport where the partaker or rider is pulled\non a buoyant, board at a planing speed, in most cases behind a motorboat. This\nsport blends the features of surfing, water skiing, and wakeboarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kneeboarding
kneeboarding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a typical situation, the kneeboarder kneels on the\nspecially-created surfboard with grooves for the knees.The board has an\nadjustable strap that allows the rider to strap themselves over their thighs.\nThe rider then hangs onto a tow-rope. The forward motion is provided by the\ntowing boat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most water ski kneeboards do not have fins to allow for\neasier surface spins. Kneeboarding on a surf style board with fin(s) is also\ndone in waves at the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advantages of kneeboarding compared to other tow-sports\nsuch wakeboarding are that it is easier to learn and the fall-off impact is\nmuch reduced owing to the fact that the rider is closer to water surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Kneeboarding <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kneeboarding is a relatively recent\nwater sport as it stemmed mainly from surfing and water skiing. The first\ncommercial production of kneeboards was in the 1970s where only a few thousand\nboards were sold per year. This figure has grown tremendously with more than\n100,000 kneeboards being sold per year presently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the 1970s, waterskiing was among\nthe most popular water sports. With time, the riders would try kneeling on\ntheir surfboards rather than standing as it\u2019s typically done. Come the 1970s, a\nfew manufacturers would tap into the popularity of the kneeling posture by\ncreating boards with grooves for knees and calling them kneeboards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1972, Knee Ski became the first\ncommercially-produced kneeboard. The creators of this board were originally\nsurfers who became interested in the popular sport of kneeboarding. From this\npoint, may other companies would come up with their own products. Among them\nwere Glide Slide, Hydroslide and many others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The International Kneeboard Association\n(IKA) was formed in the early 1980s by Roland Hillier. Hillier, a champion in\nseveral water sports, created the rules for kneeboarding and even wrote the\nfamous book Kneeboarding A – Z.<\/em> These rules are used to this day all\nover the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kneeboarding Videos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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