learning to barefoot

worth a try, steve. It will give you some insight as to what (or how good) you need to be on the shortline. The main reason LL is harder is it magnifies all your weaknesses on the shortline. That, and the water is rough.

Great water last night, interesting results - no success, but some good videos to study. Video's uploading on youtube now, will post here when they are done...

Ok, here is the video. The first couple of short line attempts were me and the driver working things out (not shown is a bouncy bouncy ride on my balls and the one where he drowns me), by the third clip, you can see we got it together.

Second half is long line. I guess all and all I wasn't disappointed in the attempts, not sure you can really see what was going on. I think, just like with fronts, it is sensory and processing overload, which means essentially I got overwhelmed and forgot the basic, mainly patience. Having said that, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, much easier then learning the front long line deeps.

Alright, now for the expert feedback

Steve:

Well dude, I can say this, ya got balls. Way to get in there and put your sack on the line. If you have the tenacity, you are 90% there. Will counts for a lot in the barefoot game.

Your shortline starts looked pretty good, really. The one time you got blown out the back, was what you thought, lack of patience. The shortline run where you skied it away, you were a ball of spray. What I could see, you look really stiff legged. Sometimes if you "leverage" off the water v. bend and pooch the ass up, you come up stiff. Just a thought there. Push your ass to the handle and get some knee bend.

Also your driver may have had you slow. What speed were you at anyway?

On the shortline failed attempts there were a variety of issues. One problem, I did not see a methodical "plane-plant-ski" progression. Have your driver pull you a bit slower on the plane, establish a controlled plane, then plat your feet, when YOU are ready.

When you had a successful plant and are established in the plant, maybe your driver needs to give you a bit firmer acceleration. There were points in some of those starts your were poised to progess but I did not hear any speed given. Don't want to blame the driver outright, but acceleration DOES aid in getting up.

On the LL all I can say is right on! Most of those looked really good for first attempts. Maybe go with a slower, longer plane, you can keep a foot over the rope to remind you to stay in the plane. When planting set them on the water easy. When the driver accelerates start going through the checklist: am I looking out the back? Check! Are my arms long? is the pull even? Check? Is my core tight? Are my abs engaged or am I floppy in the middle? Check! If you are still hanging onto the rope, your driver has begun to accelerate. do I have weight on my chest/chin, is my ass pooched up? Is my 3 point SOLID? Check! Now, wait for speed, pooching the ass up, pressing down with the chest, or at least keeping the head down. Got speed? Ready to ski? Check! Now wait 2-3 seconds with the head down, bring the feet closer, put some bend in the knees. Ski it.

When I do this, and run through these checks, I usually make the start. if I lose focus, rush, forget to make the start a "progression" I usually screw the pooch.

Not sure how your driver is, but driving counts for a lot. I have worked with my wife on pulling my up backwards behind the boat. Last weekend we did not miss a start. Ideally you should be able to get up with any driver, but when your learning it makes a difference.

Nice work!

Hey Roy....Probably the best written description of a back deep I have read. I agree with your checklist 100%. Excellent... Skied with B Paige last Sunday with Ryan (SN206) and again today. Working on LL Back wakes. Currently at 6 crosses in 15 sec. (2 foot) Would love to improve this by doing them on 1 foot. Any suggestions?

All,
Don't let Tom(tbeard) fool ya, he's a southwest 4 champ in the making! We locals have started calling him "The Sand Bagger"! Thanks again Tom for the pulls!

keep arms long fully extended (don't pull) with tops of wrists touching hips/butt---handle welded to your butt

above for back deep and wakes


Just a note: things like "can't bend my knees" are what we call getting an idea in your head...
These problems can be overcome with practice. A perfect example is the line step position one foots...I got into the line step position and tried to do a one foot, no matter what I tried it was like both shoe skis were glued to the water, DS says thru Headzone "raise your left arm- higher...higher...higher: and all of a sudden my foot lifts up! and I can do both one foots. Just because I raised my arm.

Here are some recent pics doing 2 foot back wakes that I am trying to improve to 1 foots.

Same run

Tom,
The pic looks pretty good, looks like you are "crabbing" across with pretty even weight on feet. looks like normal progression. get your body to turn a little more which will put a foot closer to the boat(the one you want 90% of your weight on) and start to cut across, get the foot on edge (don't shift any weight back on the other foot or its over) cut/edge hard all the way thru the wake, if you flatten the foot out you will get some air off the lip and you will be testing the neckbrace. Don't gas pedal.



   

I had a bad habit on the BFN wake of coming off the cut flattening out the foot and getting air off the lip and then pointing the toe to try to keep contact and wiping out rather spectacularly, I had to learn to cut all the way thru just like a slalom skier on a ski- slice it - all the way across.

your arms look straight yes

Went today, nice winter day, cold and windy.
Exlored and found anice spot, long protected river. Narrow for wakebaord but perfet for us footers.
After a 1 run decided to try bacerd wo the shoes.
I was out on the firts attemp. Man once you got the timing is easy. Did 6 runs all out with no problem.
Need to clean posture but man thought i would nev er be able to do backs.
I'm happy!
Vid to come!
Yeah

Nice run......Good form until the end where your butt got pulled forward and reached the point where it was over your feet and the dreaded backward fall. Standing tall like that (toward the end of the run) is fine if you have a ton of experience but my advice would be stay semi low looking on the horizon for a while. Excellent run though.

Yes I do not were one but Andy has convinced me to make it apart of my gear. Placing a order this week. What brand do you wear? Is it comfortable?
My 20 year old son is learning back deeps. He started footing in May this year. Last weekend skiing with Brandan Paige he got up on both the shoes and then his feet backwards. I have never seen him so excited:) Awsome sport!

Nice job sebby. You took to the backwards quickly. Crazy start. Not sure how that really worked, but you worked it out. I will offer you the same comments as Steve. This is what I told him:

On the bent knees Steve, I really struggled with that. Physically, just trying to bend my knees never work, I always feel constrained by the calf-achilles connection.

OK, try this on dryland: grab the handle, backwards position, lean away at fair angle, maybe more than you would ski, legs with not too much bend, like a stiff legged skier. OK, try to bend your knees simply by trying to put a bend in the joint. Likely they are not going to bend. Now, move your feet 4-6 inches "under" you, as in away from the boom. Feet "under you" is really important. That's why I commented earlier that you did not need more "lean." Bend in the middle, that is stick your butt to the handle. Bend your knees. As you bend in the middle more, you will be able to bend in the knees more. The the backs of your hands should right in the butt. you will be bent which will give you good leverage, not get pulled over; the bent knees will keep your feet flat.



the handle progressively got pulled away from you. relax the arms, and get bent!