JTSRF CLUB guide
How to ride a JetSurf: warm-up to your first pop-up
Applies to: All boards
Last updated: Sep 2026
Watch on YouTube ↗ · JTSRF CLUB coaching notes.
If there's one skill to focus on before anything else, it's throttle control. Get comfortable with how the board responds to the accelerator, and everything else — balance, planing out, standing up — gets a lot easier. Most of what feels hard on your first session comes down to how gradually you're getting on the throttle, not anything about the board itself.
Warm up the motor before you launch
Don't put the board in the water cold. Warm the motor up on land first:
- Insert the magnetic key into the control handle — this activates the board.
- Remove the key.
- Insert it again — this starts the engine.
- Let it idle for a moment, then lightly accelerate.
That's your board warmed up and ready to launch. (Full pre-start checks are in Starting your board.)
Get your gear positioned before you're out on the water
The engine key is a wristband, and which wrist you wear it on depends on your stance — whichever foot you'll have forward, wear it on that same arm.
Getting on the board and starting the engine in deep water
Once you're in water deep enough — waist-deep or above — and ready to climb on:
- Climb onto the board and grab the handlebars and the control handle at the same time, with the control handle in your forward hand — right hand if you're goofy, left hand if you're regular.
- Use your other hand to take the key (the wristband) and insert it into the control handle your forward hand is holding.
- If the board is already active, that single insertion starts the engine. If it isn't active yet, insert the key once to activate the board, then again to start it — the same two-step sequence as the warm-up on land.
What happens right after the engine starts: you'll hear the engine catch and start to rotate within 2–3 seconds. On gas boards, accelerate right away once it catches — if you don't get on the throttle in time, the engine stalls and you'll need to remove the key and run through the start sequence again. On electric boards, there's no rush — this isn't a concern.
Get a feel for the throttle lying down
Ride around on your stomach for about 5 minutes. This is just about getting used to how the board responds to the throttle — no need to think about standing up yet.
Move to your knees
Once you have a feel for how much throttle it takes to keep your balance, climb up onto your knees. Ride around like that for another 5 minutes. You're building on the same thing — getting a feel for the throttle — but now you're also learning how much you'll need to press it to get the board up on plane for your first pop-up.
Popping up
When you feel ready to stand up from your knees:
- Place your back foot into its binding first.
- Push up through your arms so your hips lift and your torso comes up off the board. Your body forms an A-shape — your arms bracing down on one side, your back leg (already in its binding) on the other, hips at the peak.
- Kick your front leg back, lift it, then swing it forward between your arms into the front binding. Just get your foot on the pad — don't worry about hooking your heel in yet.
- Once both feet are on the board, let go of the handles, stand up, and pull back on the control handle to find your balance. Remember — you should be gradually accelerating throughout this whole process, not just at this last step.
Congrats — you just popped up on a JetSurf.
Common beginner mistakes
- Not accelerating when the engine comes on.
- Not accelerating enough to get the board balanced.
- Rushing through or skipping the order of steps.
More on stance and the deep-water restart in How to start riding.
