Announcing www.Fifteenoff.com

M3Fan wrote: [QUOTE=quinner] Next weekend OK? 3/31 or 4/1?

Brrrrrrr!!!!!!!! (I guess I must be getting old...20 years ago I would have been right there with you...today...not so much) Anyway, good luck and have fun.

M3Fan, thats fine with me.

Joel,

Our lake opened up today, when are we getting that course out? I am planning on putting the boat back together and cleaning it up this weekend.

Joel,

Congratulations on your site. I'll certainly need some tips. I'm still trying to accomplish the slalom course at zero off. That's been a goal of mine to complete the course. My weak side is very weak!!

Ken

Let me also say this- when going to a shorter length free skiing, I'll subconciously wimp out on the cuts across the wake. It's like my mind is putting the brakes on because, at say 28 off, the "whip" cracks so much harder. Because of this, the wake feels huge and kills me.

Thanks for the kind words,
teaching is almost as much fun as skiing, more especially the kids.

Yes, pushing your envelope free skiing, can make the course seem slow, if you can imagine.

Hollywood wrote: I've watched some videos

I have as well, but then my wife found them, threw them away and made me go to marriage counseling........ Oh, different kind of video, my bad.

After reading all this great information, I have come to realize that I have been skiing with absolutely horrible form for 30 years. No wonder my lower back always hurts. Total tail dragger with strong leg back, bent arms etc.... I need a total ski makeover.

Thanks for all the help !!

Hmm. Well there's nothing like a great entrance and an early ball 1. But one must keep the amplitude wide so you can maintain keeping that apex pulled back and not loose that advantage.

well if one's trying 28 in the course, one best be free skiing at 32 off, 34 or 36 mph prefereably. Also no advantage going to shorter lines if your boat speeds are still under 34 mph. Read- Transition to 15 off 34 mph before samping 22off at 32. Compromised form at slower speeds won't automatically develop to shortline skills at reduced speed, making the transition to shorter lines, harder, more abrupt, read dramatic spills. Short line length will produce speeds by itself, one best be preparred as one can.

Joel, great site and good thread here!
Tom, your advice is exceptional.
Thanks!

81nautique wrote: What are you refering to when you say "open up the arms or I don't open myself up towards the shore"? Can you elaborate on that a bit. thanks

regarding the arms,
I mean, let the elbows go..don't compromise the shoulders, but let the arms be an extension of the line, with the mildest of bends.


75,
I can't see that pic till later, but I have a good idea what it looks like. I'll check tonight.


I' don't recommend changing the binding position till technique is further remedied, else I've seen some hard falls.

it's going to be hard to weight that front foot when the hips are 'broke', and your cg falls back. With one leg extended and one contacted, one has little fore-aft flexibility below the waist; so the flexibility comes from where it shouldn't, the back.

Try it just standing..ski stance..one leg locked high. sux. Alternatively, skootch down, rotate the hips forward, no, really forward. bend both knees about 25 degrees. Your fore-aft balance changes from upper body to lower body. You should be able to lift either foot of the ground 1/2" with virtually no body adjustment.

You shouldn't see much motion, all this rowing and shifting and breaking...the knees should compress and flex, but the rest is remarkably static.

I'm a proponent of strong-foot forward. Unfortunately most beginners are encouraged to put the strong in the back and its just one more thing to overcome. I also suggest looking where you want to go...the body will follow. that is about 30' ahead of the next bouy so you can make the apex before the bouy, not at it or beyond.

You have a couple things to overcome regarding speed. Try 2-3-4 more free skiing.
Focus more on correcting body position on the cuts rather than the turns. right now your bleeding off too much speed on the pre-turn, combined with lower boat speed, the mind want's to shorten itself to lower cg, hense break at the wiast, like taking a turn on a bicycle at too low a speed, you get all twisted tilting the bike while trying to stay more upright.. add a little speed and the bike-body are more in sync.

That broken, low-speed turn now compromises your following cut because your azz is skiing behind you and you now have to reel it in...too late, one's already hitting the wake and falling apart again.

Carrying more speed into the turn, bleeding it off with pre-turn, keep you hips forward though the arc, if you want to get lower, do it with the knees, not the back; setup is better for the next cut, tilt back, hips pushed up high. It feels like you hips are above your ears, but they're really not (yet).

The end of my red line always is the first to wear out. This just isnt good because, a few years ago i was running 28 off 8 out of 10 attempts. I need to find someone who goes "off the dock" at 22 and purchase their unused red lines. Or maybe i should get back to practicing.
Does anyone have any experience with "river" temp. courses? I have about a 4 mph current.

Larry,

Gotta love the shades while skiing!

Not an expert here but your hands are too high, always pull to your waist, I have read RFF should be RH Knuckle up. To get back under control, or off your heels, I was told to hold body stance and turn the ski a bit as apposed to turning only with your body lean. Last year this time I skied with Seth Stisher and one drill he had me run was keep me eye on the top of the pylon at all times to help position as well.

This topic/Joel's site will be even better when we are all back in the water and actually working on our skiing, cannot wait!

Alan, Im guessing he's referring to a position like these:





The Schnitz site says, "The most efficient skiers utilize upper and lower body separation. Like snow skiing where the chest always faces down the hill, great water-skiers utilize the same body position. Upper body rotation causes the skier to get out of position while accelerating which in turn causes a delay in the edge change which in turn causes slack or down course problems after the buoy." He also says "Reaching down and forward puts more weight on the front of the ski putting more ski in the water, which equals more deceleration and turning."

Lots of good tips on his site. Joel, if youre referring to something else, please correct me.

Hmm, 75, that could be a ski setup issue as well. I'm in no position to give advice, but maybe move the front boot forward a hole or two?