trying to learn deep water slalom

[slalomjunkie]

Step 2: tell the driver "go"

Oftentimes Go and NO sound the same. I use 'hit it', 'yep', or 'lets rock and roll...'

As the driver, i say "in gear..." rope goes tight, and I say "here we go"

[MasterCraft Ranger]

Oftentimes Go and NO sound the same. I use 'hit it', 'yep', or 'lets rock and roll...'

As the driver, i say "in gear..." rope goes tight, and I say "here we go"

Good catch. I do try and avoid “Go” for the reason you stated. And I did get a good laugh as I also say “in gear” and “here we go”. Every single time.


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[JohnnyB]

As soon as its tight hit it...

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[JohnnyB]

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that my problem was giving it too much rear foot. Couldn't be happier! Don't have any video equipment at the present time, but will share when I do.

Thanks everybody!

Bill[/QUOTE]

Leaning back/back foot heavy you fight the boat. Let the boat do the work...it should pull you up. If your rear heal stays in your butt crack til you are out of the water, you should be putting your weight in the correct place.

Awesome!!



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[slalomjunkie]

Good catch. I do try and avoid “Go” for the reason you stated. And I did get a good laugh as I also say “in gear” and “here we go”. Every single time.

lol... ive been known to say 'i'm ready when you are", 'you lead i'll follow' and 'let it happen captain...

On the last pass, I might say "last one, unless i run it..."

[mikeg205]

lol... ive been known to say 'i'm ready when you are", 'you lead i'll follow' and 'let it happen captain...



On the last pass, I might say "last one, unless i run it..."

That funny ****e

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[boscoman]

That is great news, Bill. The purpose of the V handle is to create a sling for the tip of the ski that helps keep it straight as you come out of the water.

Did the trainer handle help the last time you got up? I couldn’t tell from your story.

Just to be clear, the ski goes inside the triangle and NOT up close to the handle. I had someone do that by accident. Bad idea.




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Yep, I got that. Nice illustration. I admit when I first looked at the products, I didn't see where the ski went.

[boscoman]

The purpose of the deep V handle isn't to directly hold your ski straight. It's so that you don't have the single rope with a traditional handle pushing the ski off to the side.

That makes more sense.

The one other suggestion I'll throw in that helps some people and doesn't help others, is the 2-step start. I'd suggest giving it a try and you'll know pretty quickly if it helps you.

.[/QUOTE]
Yes, we've tried that a couple times. It seems way more comfortable to me to have a 'running start' in the water.

[88 PS190]

Only trouble with a running start is the best way is to just make sure your driver does it when you say hit it. People who want in gear and then wait to say hit it and sometimes ask you to hold up gets tough on the driver. Working on your start to be less picky and more bulletproof in terms of bad pulls is a good thing to do.

I know I often struggle when taking lessons as most of the drivers pull very smooth and soft compared to some of the tournament pulls you get.

[boscoman]

Tried to upload a video, but got this message:

Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing or mismatched.

If this occurred unexpectedly, please inform the administrator and describe the action you performed before you received this error.

Anybody encounter this before? If so, what do you do about it. Not sure how to inform the administrator.

[mikeg205]

Tried to upload a video, but got this message:



Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing or mismatched.



If this occurred unexpectedly, please inform the administrator and describe the action you performed before you received this error.



Anybody encounter this before? If so, what do you do about it. Not sure how to inform the administrator.

Something is going on with MC website , please stand by.

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[boscoman]

Well, after that first success, I was getting up about once in every 10-12 attempts. Yesterday we went out and I've got it down to once in every 3-4. At least I'm making progress! Yesterday's water temp was 75 and I was comfortable with a 1.5mm shirt with a 2mm jacket over it. Pants were 1.5mm. Season will soon be over, hope to get a little more consistent this season, so the beginning of next won't be so much like starting over.

[88 PS190]

Figure out that video?

[boscoman]

Nope, tried just a photo and worked fine, so maybe prob with my video

[FrankSchwab]

I'm a fan of the two-step start. "Arm It" gets the boat in gear, "Hit It" is, well, hit it. Neither one can be confused with "no", "Stop", "Slow down", "#%***#@#", or whatever else the skier may be saying as a result of your incompetence as a driver, an incompetence which I still exhibit on occasion.

The fact that people get up easily with just the front foot in is a critical piece of information - it means that NO FORCE ON THE REAR FOOT IS NEEDED.

My approach to getting up (and what I teach others) is:
1. Use the V-rope until you can get up all the time. No, you don't look as cool - but you're a beginner, looking cool isn't gonna happen anyway. Note: As soon as you're comfortable getting up, transition to a normal handle. It's rare, but in a fall your arm (or head) can get into the triangle in front of the handle, and nothing good happens at that point. It can still happen with a normal handle, but would seem to be a lot less likely with the much smaller triangle.
2. Crouch, and put your rear heel in the crack of your *ss.
This is a "completely specific, no room for interpretation, not vague, don't need to think about anything" kind of instruction. It forces the ski into about a 45 degree angle pointing forward and up, physically puts most of the skiers weight on the front ski during pull-up, and even my 60 year old knees can accomplish it.
3. Hands in front of the knees, elbows around the knees. This enforces good position in the crouch, and keeps your body compact.
4. Stay in the crouch until you're on top of the water. There's no reason to try to stand up until you're skimming across the water - the crouch position is stable and you could ski across the lake that way (well, until various muscle groups give out). People standing up too early is one of the common reasons for failure - sure, when you've been skiing for 20 years you look cool standing up as you come out of the water, and you can do that when you've been skiing for 20 years. For right now, stay down.
5. Once you're up to speed and the ski has planed out, start standing slowly.
6. As you stand, note that your body is going to be leaned back about 30 degrees relative to the lake surface - and that's where you want it. The force from resisting the rope should go straight down from your shoulders, through your hips, and down to your ankles. You shouldn't feel any strain in your back (which you'd feel if you were leaning forward). Your weight should be evenly spread between your front and back skis. Take stock of your body position - your shoulders, hips, and ankles (OK, the big toe on your rear foot) should be in a straight line. Many beginning skiers end up bent forward at the waist - Consciously think about pushing your hips forward to get them in line.
7. Have fun - for some, that's just following the boat. For others, gentle slaloming inside the wake. For others, jumping the wake like a wakeboarder. For others, pure slalom. Whatever rocks your world, I say.