tips on water skiing

The key to running the slalom course at all ability levels is being able to create angle, maintain it as you accelerate through the wakes, and decelerating before the next turn. Here are three of the many strategies offered in the Interactive Guide to Water Skiing which will help you create and hold your angle during acceleration and deceleration. Be Patient After you reach towards the boat finish your turn by skiing your outside hip around and up to the handle. Try not to pull in. Be patient and allow yourself to completely finish your turn before you begin to accelerate. Create Leverage The more leverage you have behind the boat, the more angle you will be able to maintain. By keeping your weight evenly distributed across both feet you will be able to bend your knees more. By bending your knees more you will increase your lean and leverage against the boat. Time The Wake Learn to use the wake as a timing reference. We realize the next turn buoy is on the other side of the wake. With this given we can aim straight across the wake and know to change edge only after passing the second wake. Make sure that the tail of your ski has cleared the second wake before you change edge.

Yes, it is true. Spin tricks are the most underrated tricks on the list. Yet 540 and 720 rotations are much harder than many inverted tricks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's go over a few reasons why: 1. You don't edge through the wake to keep the line tight, but instead flatten out the board and even advance to the boat. 2. On rotations you have to turn your head away from the boat. 3. A trick is more difficult any time there is a handle pass involved. Of course this all begins with the basic 180. This is done by keeping your head up and looking towards the boat and rotating your hips 180 degrees on the way down from your wake jump. Simply pull the handle to your trailing hip to assist in the rotation. This will be a crucial element for having success with the bigger spinning tricks. The pull on the rope is how you gain the momentum to spin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When learning 360's and 540's, it helps to remember a few key points: 1. Edge into the wake and flatten your board out for a good pop. Jump up and toward the boat a little. 2. Turn your head in the direction you're going to be spinning. Pull the handle to the middle of your back. 3. Keep your chin up with your chest out and your eyes focused on the horizon. Once you have mastered 360s, go for 540's. Toeside 5's are much easier than backside. Remember, don't throw the spin too early. Wait until you are in the air before you start your rotation. Keep your head up, if you look down you will go down. On 540s, look further past your rotation and be a little more aggressive off the wake. To add some style to your rotations, try poking out the board or grabbing it somewhere. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EQUIPMENT Skis Your biggest headache in terms of the equipment you buy will probably he your first pair of skis. If you're a beginner, it's reasonable to assume you won't be too clued up on what's out there, so for heaven's sake make sure you get good advice. The most important thing we can tell you right away is that you don't have to waste lime and money buying a ski before you've actually learned to waterski. Whoever teaches you to ski, be it friend or coach at your local club, is bound to have one you can borrow. Get used to the sport first, get used to the feel of the water, then start looking around to see what's on the market. As with anything else, you get what you pay for. Your first big decision will he to choose between a combi pair or a basic set of skis. A basic set of skis will, indeed, be basic. A combi pair will last you quite a bit longer, though, since one of the skis will already be equipped with a rear toe loop So. you can move on to mono skiing whenever you're ready and not worry about parting with any more of your hard earned cash just yet. Wetsuits These days, you're really spoiled for choice. Wetsuit manufacturers are wag-ing a colour war out there. with just about any colour combination available to suit any taste. Depending on the flexibility of your cheque book, you can buy a wetsuit off the shelf or go all out and have one made to measure. But again, don't rush into it; maybe settle for something more basic at first until you become a bit more knowledgeable about what's out there. The wetsuit wardrobe of a really serious waterskier will include a sum-mer shorty (short legs and short or convertible arms); a summer one-piece for chillier days, perhaps also with con-vertible arms; and a nice thick steamer to break the ice in winter. A popular compromise between a shorty and a one-piece is a 3/4-leng~h suit - that is, calf length legs and convertible arms. Also, cold weather skiers - particularly if you ski on the sea - often go for a drysuit (instead of a steamer) under which you can wear a one-piece thermal undersuit or even your own clothes to keep you really warm. Once you really get into the ski scene, you'll soon become aware of an even greater choice in the waterwear line, including long johns and boleros, neoprene swimsuits and ski shorts. When you do go out to buy a wet-suit, keep these handy tips in mind: make sure it's a skintight fit, since the water and your exertion while skiing will loosen the neoprene a little; if the suit feels almost uncomfortably tight around the neck when you first try it on, it's supposed to - once you're up and skiing, you won't notice it; check how many seams there are in the wetsuit's design. For cold weather skiing you'll want as watertight a suit as possible, but it works the other way for warmer water - more action panels mean greater flexibility; be sure to try out all the straps, zips and fiddly bits before you buy your suit, because some of them are downright annoying. A lot of people prefer velcro straps to buckles, for example, and there's nothing worse than groping behind your back for a zip pull that's too short; one last thing - take your swimming cossie with you, since that's what you'll (presumably) he wearing underneath your wetsuit! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips on bare footing Surface Hop Once you are stable in the two foot stance try the surface jump or surface hop. In a two foot stance get a good balance and bend at the knees getting into a sqaut possition, then spring up with your knees and lifting your feet out of the water. Be careful not to shift your weight forward during your lift, this could resolt in a crash.. This trick is one of the easiest tricks to learn but you should try this of a boom first. If you put the boom up further in the air than normal you can lower your boat speed 3-5 MPH. This goes for any tricks when done on a boom. Remember a responsible driver makes any skiing more enjoyable... One Foot Forward In a good two foot stance slowly shift your weight to one foot, this is done by shifting your sholders over that foot and the slowly standing on that foot taking all pressure off of the other. Once your weight is over your foot lift your other out of the water. Do not put it out to the side or in back of you, this may shift your weight. If you bring it out front of you, be careful not to put it out to far this may also may shift your weight. When you put your foot back in the water, don't shove it in just set it in, and then shift your weight back over both feet..Again a boom is a good learning tool..During this trick your boat speed should be 3-5 MPH fast than your two foot speed.. Boat speed is your weight divided by 10 plus 20.. Rope on Foot After you are comfortable with the one foot forward try the toe hold.. Get into the one foot forward stance and be comfortable, then lower your handle and keep your weight slightly forward. If you lean back to much it will be hard to put your foot in the toe hold..With the handle low put your foot in the toe hold, once your foot is in and you are stable slowly release the handle.. Keep your hands close to the handle because if you put them out to the side and or back to far this will shift your weight back and result in a control problem..During the trick and most any other barefoot trick, keep you knee bent and your head up..After your run is done put your hands back ont the handle and release your foot slowly setting it back in the water.. Again boat speed should be 3-5 MPH faster then your two foot stance.. Backwards One Foot After you are stable and have mastered backwards two foot try this trick.. position your weight forward with your head up and with your feet slightly apart shift your weight over one foot. Same as you would with the One Foot Forward trick. Lift your foot out of the water and bend your knee to put it behind you, if you put your foot behind you with a stiff leg you could shift your weight and fall backwards. Don't put your foot in front or to the side as this to could shift your weight also.. setting your foot back in is the same as any other one foot trick.. Again boat speed should be 3-5 MPH faster then your two foot stance..

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