learning to barefoot

Managed to get out this morning. Certainly some improvemet with the boom out the drivers side. Kristin is becoming more comfortable with the differences in driving forwards vs. baccerds. Got some video in but gave up on trying to edit so posted one of the vid's to youtube. Things were pretty comfortable whent the speed got dialed in (other than my arms being spent....) As noted by others earlier in this thread that comfort / planing zone is right at 11 mph. Hopefully the water will be nice tomorrow afternoon and can try to get back on the water.
Perhaps the impatience in me but I am thinking that I am using up alot of energy in the earlier runs practicing foot to water and switching back ot the other foot.
One of the better pulls is in the attached link that starts about 145 in

Greg 6.22.14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGTP1zY_OB8&feature=youtu.be

Went back out last night and feel as though progress continues.....A couple videos below

Greg_01

Greg_02

Need to swap out the 5 blade prop for the 3 blade to better manage the slower speeds. Bring on the comments as I hope to get back out this weekend.

Cheers

Grrrr........

The above links are the same.
Here is part 2

Couple of things, have your videographer rotate the phone 90 degrees, it will allow us to see more of what is happening, that ends my area of expertise.

On the footing part (and I have no business giving any advice here) I didn't really see any bending at the waist. As you turn your toes down, you should be bending at the waist too.

Come on Adam, keep up. Also, if you have your speakers on, you will detect that its an outboard....must be Carl's boat.

NCH20SKIER wrote: Kap The driver is Carl Rubidge a buddy that used to teach @ Scarpa's, he is originally from South Africa More videos to come for all to enjoy and provide pointers / advice

Thanks guys - went off and left the Ipad at the house so all we had was the phone....

Greg - Trying again

Thanks Roy. Drivers comment and analogy was pretend to be a stripper working for tips and not be afraid to get the arse in the air. Plenty to think about as this is all happening (and I have never been confused with a quick thinker- lol). While it does not look it in the video's I could actually feel the "boys" lifting off the water and feeling as though the rest of the body was off the water as well. Got to admit I was pretty pleased with last nights progress and home it continues.

Thanks Dave. I am anxious to get home this week and get back out there and continue the process (and hopefully the progress). If nothing else I am getting used to coming up out of the water baccerds.
I need to get you connected with my brother when he is home again as he one of those who like to get in some early morning sets. He is on Little Sebago off RT 85. He has a 2003 SN 196.

And by the way I can almost see myself in the shine on that boat of yours!

glad to see you joining the ranks of the amature footers tony, keep after it, its addicting.

a couple tips-
1. get a barefoot suit. not a wetsuit, a barefoot suit. you can sometimes find them used here on the site, or ebay or ski it again if you don't want to buy new cause they are pricey.
2. get a barefoot suit. barefoot international, eagle, kso, to name a few.
3. get a pair of barefoot shorts to go under the suit.

I personally have a barefoot international iron suit and matching shorts. Some people say that suit is too stiff for them, but they're good barefooters. The stiffness helps make up for the fact that I spend a lot of time gliding on my ass or falling down, but its all a matter of preference. There was a thread titled something about a eagle barefoot suit a few months ago that went into the matter in detail, search for it and you'll learn a lot.

Is there anyone you know near you who knows how to barefoot or has experience driving the boat and pulling skiers? You can learn with no suit and your girlfriend running the boat WFO (and a lot of people did), but it is definitely not the easy or comfortable way.   When you're beginning any watersport, your success is 90% driver/instructor, 10% water conditions, and 10% skier.

If you don't have an experienced teacher/driver, see if somebody on here lives close enough to give you a pull, or try to attend a clinic put on by a pro. The cost of admission will be well worth the immediate payoff.

If you are forced to go it alone, tell the driver to aim for 34-36 on the boom (maybe get a gps if your speedos are wonky?), you looked like you were flying. you had a somewhat unusual problem, it seems like you read the advice on here where people said get your feet under your butt...well, yours were a little too far under, that's why the went out behind you. although you do want them as close to your butt as possible, they do have to be in front of your body for you to stand up, that's just physics.

Good luck, and always take the camera on the boat, its proved to be my most effective training tool.

Tony - there are a couple of folks on this thread that live our your way. At a minimum, head to the CT mini reunion in August and meet a bunch of these guys.

Tough to tell with the video you posted, but in my opinion - WAY too fast. Even at 215 lbs you will be able to stand on your feet with good technique on the boom at 28 to 30 mph, definitely should not be going more then the 34 -36 mph as suggested above. More speed will make the water "harder" but it also will magnify any little mistake you make and the wipeouts will be way more brutal...

skutsch wrote: At a minimum, head to the CT mini reunion in August and meet a bunch of these guys.

+1

Speaking of which, Tim, you got a weekend picked?

you gotta dig deep to give 110% Kap. haha

Way to go **mtrbtr**. Nice conditions!

my lake time has been minimal this year due to kids, work, etc. I was able to get some time this weekend working on back deeps. My driver is new to watersports and had only watched a back deep on youtube prior to these attempts but he was all I had.

The video is grainy and not shot from the best perspective but if there's anything that can be critiqued, I'd welcome the comments.

attempt 1

attempt 2