learning to barefoot

Too long for the WE I´m anxious to hit the water and give it a try....

quinner wrote: A slow start is important to success, up to around 10-12, get yourself stable, moving your azz forward or back as needed, one hand holding the other can help here if needed. After stable if you can this would be a great time to just throttle up, your feet will actually raise position.

We are talking about barefooting here, I think you accidentally posted on the wrong forum Chris.

Hands wide on the handle, knuckles up.

There was mention of getting back on the board, you may need to feel that out, on a kneeboard I start slightly back of center, once on plane I scoot forward a bit, just forward of center.

Perhaps Hollywood could give you some pointers on falling correctly, he has a ton of experience there!! LOL!!

And while were at it. Here's my little nephew the very FIRST time off the boom...The little $H*t!

Boom

Yeah. I learned real quick to tuck my chin into my chest when falling. That way the water doesn't snap your head off

well so i did try.. condition were far from being perfect.. river was full of boaters.. last summer day beatifull sun.. so everybody was out there.. choppy waters... so I had to wait till dusk to get some decent flat (so pics were impossible) waters.. Even though some other boats were there screwing around....
So I used the wb and getting out was ok, driver was a little unfamiliarized with the boat so when i say go fast he just went what he though it was fast but not eneugh for me to.. after some thing with the legs where to put them to prevent drag pulling them back i got out of the wake and handle the board ok....
So after a few attemps I got the board out and think I managed to go a few feet but not enough speed.. btw I need a mask...tons of water in my face.. (to much pressure on the heels?)another attemp i did the scorpion move..damn my back felt compressed, not to menction my neck... its stil stiff...
another few attemp and got to ride for at least 600 ft.. but heres the other problem... when going with the board I pulled out of the wake but when I released it, inmediatelly i was set back in the middle of the wakes and being hte rope not hat long I think I had some issues with the turbulence of the rooster tail?
or maybe it was´n that fost i was going...
Then I had to quit as it was almost nigth and was very difficult to find the board out there...
Those few seconds standing on my feet were worth...and got the bug there so tomorrow is memorial day here... I will be up early to give it a new try

yes you can use the wakeskate(as long as it works for you) it should work just fine.

at this stage you will be eating alot of spray, keep your runs a little shorter, they can get longer as you get better plus the spray will get to be less, you are most likely heavy on the heels and can try to keep your thighs/knees together with the feet about shoulder width(that will block some spray from your face)

good job!

I was trying to unknot an old wake rope non strech but night was coming so I went whith that....
I will take your advise for tomorrow´s attemps...

so I went yesterday... woke up at 7.30... kids were up prepare averything but was able to get out of home at 9.30... getting the wife that early its impossible... got to the river at 1030 and was ready to hit the water but conditions again were awfull.. some wind and a couple of boat fooling around. After decrumbleing the old line I set the two ropes together... they were long...first attemp... got unstable by a wake while seating.. crap.. then as it was so long driaver didn´t notice and went aver the line... got stucked in the propeller...after fighting for 20 we managed to get out.. after doing some surgery (cut the line) the bad thing the good rope was the one damaged... I was bursting I wanted to hit my driver.. (friend)... a few more attemps and got out about 300 meter... but I was struggling there first some butslide then put the knees together but really hard there... speed was around 40 according him... then I quitted trying as it was impossible to many boats out there....
So you think i need more speed... Toninght i will post some of the vids o got from my attemps....

^^^^^^Hollywood is right^^^^^^^


And one other thing about barefooting...."always blame the driver!"

Speed I according the speedos..that were set with a gps... so I think the reading should be accurate...
I like the 6am idea... the only thing is that the round trip to the ski spot is about 70 minutes.. I wish I had a lake here were I could just dock start and ready to ski. But sometimes we have to drive like 1 hour to find a good spot. (which is better than fighting for a flat spot on the usual place) Its a big delta down here... And thats the reason I put so many hours on the boat....

the other thing is to go where no one goes...its a big delta...so go where people do not go...we have a big delta here in calif...1000 miles of waterways but there are the popular areas...I never go there...we find skinny spots where waterskiers and wakeboarders cannot get way outside the wakes without hitting shore and thats where we barefoot, the channels that are too narrow for the yahoos

ah also some narrow rivers are just not ski allowed and you could get fined if cought by the CG...
so here the far you go the better because the high cost of the fuel.....and not many cg....

Thanks for at least putting me in the back.

From the video, your start looks pretty good however once you start coming up off the water, be sure to keep your knees bent. It looks like you are straightening your legs out and pushing your feet in front of you. Try to stay in a seated position and keep your feet under your knees.....just try to hold that starting position.