learning to barefoot

It is really hard to be in good form hanging directly on to the boom. The higher it is the harder it is to be in correct form IMO (while holding directly on to the boom).

Mark, your hips are coming forward but it still looks like your azz is still behind you. Really try to push your hips forward while keeping your feet in the same spot. This will also flatten your foot and establish a smoother glide. Heel riding is great and all to reduce the faceplants but catching a toe isn't so bad. You need to know where your "upper limit" is then find that sweet spot to GLIDE.

I took a run out to the ski club over the weekend for a 3 day footfest. Sooooo sore today. Many many sets. My 12 year old video'd for me Friday, but Sat/Sun I did not capture any video. I worked a lot on the back deep water start, alternating between the shoe skis and barefeet. I have a small segment of barefoot backerds skiing in this video at 1:30 into it. I wish I had more, but you know how kids are these days. GlassSeeker has been my coach on the back deep since October so I am finally hitting some paydirt:


Hot Summer Footin'

I saw stars until the boat got back to me on Saturday...

Willie told me to do something he'd never seen and he'd help me back in the boat...I obliged

ever see this video?...there are no bindings on the ski...its a walk around   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND1uMYbE1Kw

tell them to go just after you put your head under.

I learned how to go backwards by getting up deepwater on a flipturn ski backwards and stepping off...keep the handle behind your very bent knees to start.

before we got on the 5ft line we would slide out on a low boom and then plop face first in the water...that meant go...Jeff Milbrath taught us.

to me the walk around is just a completely different animal than the flipturn. and the backwards ski start is a whole nuther animal again...all three are tricks in themselves.

we used the flipturn ski with its little toe only bindings to do deepwater ski starts backwards...then stepped off them

I have tried to flipturn and ate it...never got it...I think it looks cool and know its used in the skishows...once you have a backdeep down its time to just leave the skis on the dock.

The 3 amigos went out and did some footing yesterday. The wind was blowing a bit, not the usual glass. I spent the day going backwards (backerds) on the boom and on shoe skis behind the boat. I posted some of the falls I took just to give the good rides a bit of context:

Backerds Footin'

(real) Backerds Footin'

nice work roy!

Good point on the bacerds ski, foot skis rule. I was not open to them at first because I never saw any instructional material pushing them. My bro' Dave learned to get up in a weekend with Davis Small, seeing that opened the door for me.

All that time face down on the water at 30+ MPH going nowhere really paid off when I jumped off the shoes onto barefeet. For record purposes I attempted at LEAST 200 starts on the barefeet, and at least 20-30 on the shoes before I ever rode one away. I would say I have at least 150 of those on video. One of the harder things I have worked on. I got discouraged, but never gave up. Andy could say the same cause he was there every step of the way.

The ONE thing that changed it all was when Andy said arch the small of your back (in a sex similar pull-out move for a guy) and that was enough to start folding in the middle. For me, pressing down hard with the chest and chin on the water never created much bend.

Guys: I am really stoked, I never took a forwards run yesterday, and even started some backwards one-foots on the shoe skis.

for Roy it was two things that lead to his breakthru...arch the back and scarpa big shoes...he had been up on his barefeet a few times but just did not "get it" yet...too much happening too much spray too much thinking...the big shoes got him up and skiing everytime once he tried them, then I had him go on his new KSO's a couple times then on his feet and viola he was up and skiing bacerds barefoot....one other thing was his never give up attitude.

Tim B. is that BFN LH rotation?

Sorry wrong video....

Still a good video.

Bruce, no- the BFN is a righty.

Tim, glad to hear Im not the only one who has struggled with the LL backdeep! Cool video too.

Andy, youre right- Ive been going backwards for about 2 years now. Im doing back ones and back to fronts on the shoes, starting to transition those to my feet. Every spring when I get the nerve up to try it LL, I get hurt- and I limp through the rest of the season without trying it again.

What has happened in the past is I never get my chin off the water- not one foot, not even one inch. I get a good plant and Im up to full speed (or at least 30) when I realize Im stuck and either let go or bury my heels and do the dreaded reverse spread endo. My biggest mistake is not trying it on the shoes first... and I think I have a better way to think about bringing my legs underneath me. Even on the boom, I stay nice and low for a while before settling in- so I dont feel that rushing is my problem. Ive had a very accomplished footer pull me, and he was a little bit at a loss. Ill see if Paul Macdonald has any good tips when I ski with him in a few weeks. Id really appreciate any tips though!

SN206 wrote: Is he still skiing w/ Scarpa. Are you guys having a clinic or going down to Winter Haven?

Yup, he's still with Scarpa- he's coming up here the week before LG.

Tim, its in Mass, not far from the NH border. If youve got free time towards the end of the week, there may still be openings. I think it runs Wed-Fri (Im skiing the 11th). I can put you in touch with the guy coordinating it- shoot me an email: TRBenj@gmail.com

also use a neckbrace...every time all the time