Announcing www.Fifteenoff.com

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).

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

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.

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 !!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

M3Fan, thats fine with me.

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.