Back arm presure Clarifacation

[Donski]

“Back arm pressure† Clarification- I have been working on or thought  I have ben working on amongst other things, taking more of the pull through my back arm and getting my hips up through my off side wake crossing. On one of my sets last weekend my boat driver and fellow skier mentioned he was working on keeping his inside elbow tight to his vest. I gave it a shot and it really help me to stay open to the boat and brought my hips up and forward. Back at the dock somebody said applying that back arm pressure really helps.  My comment was no that’s my front arm, my back arm would be my shoulder furthest from the boat right?

Why do we use the term back arm pressure when trailing arm would make more sense?

[HO 410]

Because this sport needs to have one more tricky aspect.

Use the wakes as your reference point. There will be no confusion. The arm that is farthest away from the wakes is the back, trailing, or outside arm. Use all three terms in the same sentence to really confuse people.

[h2odawg79]

The "Reach arm" becomes the leading arm and the Trailing arm is the one that grabs the handle... It makes more sense if you picture the skier sq.'d to the back of the Boat @ the wake crossing.

[Donski]

Thanks guys, i have to laugh at my self, spent a good part of this summer working on back arm presure just the wrong back arm.

[Than_Bogan]

Wait -- WHAT!?  The "back arm" is the one closer to the boat?

I must admit I've never particularly focused on "back arm pressure," but I'm skiing deep into -38 and would have sworn that phrase was referring to keeping load on the arm further from the boat.

In light of this, I can only conclude I also don't know what "pressure" means in this context.  I had assumed it meant "load," but I can't think of any meaningful way I could load my arm that is closer to the boat and have something good come of that.

So what exactly is "back arm pressure"?

[slow]

The Marco Brown west coast video refers to the back arm as the trailing arm or the arm just coming back on the handle. Loading this arm more keeps apparentlly keeps you more open to the boat and also seems to keep more centered on your ski.

[kpickett]

I'm no expert, but I asked Marcus directly about "back arm pressure." The problem is that the term "back" doesn't make a lot of sense when we're essentially sliding sideways. The arm coming back onto the handle (ie left hand, after coming around 2 ball and heading to 3) is the "back" arm. Marcus worked with me to try to feel most of the pull in that left hand, because that really squares you up to the boat when you reach the center of the wake. He also felt that it was important to feel the back arm, so as to get it ingrained in sense memory, so you don't have to think about it.

[HO 410]

I think this is one of those tips that combats the difference between what you think you feel and what it actually happening. Such as when you feel that you are balanced on the ski and your coach says, "I really want you to stomp down on your front foot in the turn." It's not that you want to put 100% of your weight up front, it's that you weren't as balanced as you though you were. Back arm pressure. It's not that you are closed to the boat, but you are not as open as open to the boat as you might feel.

[PBD]

I'm with you Than,  I'm glad I haven't been working on back arm pressure.  I would have been "pulling" with the wrong limb.

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

Huh -- looks like I have something to play around with tonight!  Good timing since I'm a little sick and probably won't want to go much beyond my opener.  Should give me the time to try some things and see what I can feel.

[Horton]

Going to 2/4/6 the back arm or trailing arm is your right. When you transfer load to the back arm it opens your shoulders and more importantly it moves your center of mass forward in relation to the ski. It also loads the hand that you will keep on the handle as you swing out to the ball.

This should be done in a subtle way not a radical way. I tell skiers to simply squeeze that hand on the back arm or maybe feel the pull a little more on that side.

If you have more load on the leading arm you will tend to close your shoulders to the boat and get lean locked. Again going to 2/4/6 if you have a ton more load on your left hand, when you switch edges you have to transfer the load to your right hand… how are you going to get that done?

[Horton]

Hey Donny,

I maybe around a little this weekend. Not sure if I am skiing but will come out. Call me if you want me to ride.

Do not listen to Wolfie