My turn

[Cam]

After the great feedback I received last month on my wife's skiing, I would appreciate any comments and tips that I can work on through the  winter.

Thanks

Cam

[6balls]

Hey Cam, I'm sure you will get lots of tips from the great skiers on BOS.  You have good fundamentals...so keep tweaking and you will improve greatly.

When I look at you particularly out of 1,3,5, I see a progressive rotation as you approach the wake to predominantly back foot pressure.  This is not a leveraged position against the boat, and causes your ski to hop nose-high over the wake.  You are then unable to carry the angle you worked to establish outbound.  The course is won wake to buoy, not buoy to wake, so being able to carry outbound is key.  In your case it appears that by the time you are at the wake out of 1,3,5 the pull is coming through your right shoulder (rearward shoulder w/r/t desired direction of travel).  This will cause an unload upcourse rather than maintaining outbound, and will really hurt you as the rope gets shorter. 

Tie up a handle on land and simulate a lean out of 1,3,5.  Hold on w/your hands and don't pull, just lean away.  Adjust your position to feel a pull/stretch all along your LEFT arm and shoulder.  Compare this position w/one where you feel it in your right shoulder.  You should notice that when coming through the left arm/shoulder, it draws your weight forward over your bindings into a more powerful, leveraged position.  Out of 2,4,6 obviously this is the opposite, you should look to feel it through your right arm/shoulder.

In practice, I find it very important to make sure my arms are straight.  This may sound silly, but if I "pull" my arms will have a slight bend and my biceps will be working.  If I "lean" w/arms straight, I feel it in that back arm and I ski better, more efficiently, and w/less effort.  If my arms are straight it also counters my tendency to go for more behind the boat when I should ride my established line w/consistent leaning pressure.  Hope this helps.        

 

[Horton]

Agree. - biggest thing I see is that you are collapsing your back leg out of 1/3/5.  You do not have any power on the way to 2/4/6.  You want to leave your shoulders relitivly open on the way to 2/4 but you could close your hips a little and stand up.

 

I do the same thing and it kills me.

[Cam]

Thanks, got straight onto the handle and what you describe above is how I feel on dry land, it just doesn't seem to transfer onto water, there are occasions when I cut through the wakes going to 2,4,6 but mostly I get the kick although I do try to keep my arms straight, but obviously don't when I look at the video.

[jipster43]

I'm a total duffer when it comes to skiing in the course - 15 off at 30mph - but I've been told to concentrate on getting more pull out of my trailing arm. The opposite of what yer sayin' 6ball. Am I misunderstanding something somewhere? JP :)

[6balls]

Nope, same advice just a point of reference terminology issue...pull on trailing arm.  Back or trailing arm by your description is the arm "away" from the boat.  Going to 2,4,6 this is your left arm.  Often this is referred to as "back arm pressure" 

If you reference your direction of travel cross course, however, the left is likely in the lead--more toward the front of the ski.  In either case, left arm pressure heading toward 2,4,6.  Right arm pressure heading toward 1,3,5.

Cam, could you focus on leaning your upper body away from the boat but more toward your desired direction of travel rather than leaning away and back?  

[PJ]

dear leanlock, err i mean 6balls. maybe somebody else can jump in here. but i think that is bass ackwards. the trailing arm is the one that is trailing, not leading.

 somebody straighten me out if i'm wrong. 

[Horton]

going to 2/4/6 the trailing arm is your right.

[6balls]

Ah yes, I mis-wrote what I was thinking, and there is a terminology issue too that is confusing.

 In a lean toward 2,4,6 the arm I am suggesting feeling the lean through woudl be the left arm.  This arm is away from the boat (which is what I'm calling "back arm"), but leading the direction of travel (thus not the "trailing arm".)  Sorry about the goof above.

If I were to kill the notion of trailign or back arms...I was suggesting that if Cam leaned through his left arm and shoulder going toward 2,4,6...that it may help draw him toward his direction of travel and more toward his front leg.  My assessment is that he is allowing the pull to come through his right arm by the time he gets to the wake...which puts him back on his ski and then the ski hops the wake, losing the angle he worked to attain.

 Clear as mud, right? 

 

[Horton]

terminology  confusing - YES

[PJ]

why does this have to be so complicated? it's almost like a real sport. http://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif

[colo_skier]

Another duffer here. I have been told that going throughthe gates that I should concentrate on left hand handle load and front foot pressure. (Left foot forward for me) to get me more outbound for the 1 ball.  From there on after the turn I have been working on coming back to the handle and not loading the line until the second hand is on the handle. I am also trying to be open to the boat and thus taking more tension on the right hand when going to 2, 4 and 6 and more tension on the left hand when going to 3 and 5. This appears to be counter to what is being advised above. Am I also wrong/confused?

[6balls]

I don't think you're confused...Cam is too far back on his ski as approaches the wake.  Was trying to draw him forward instead of simply saying "you're too far back on your ski at the wake"

 

[colo_skier]

Thanks 6 Ball, I was not really looking forward to OTF's trying to get line load after the turn on the hand that stay's with the handle in the turn. I think I see that you are trying to get CAM to get more up on the front of the ski as he approaches the wake. Also Horton suggested closing his hips a little and standing up going to 2/4.  Is the intent here also to get more forward foot pressure on the ski from his offside turn?  As this is out of his offside turn does closing the hips help keep the tip down? Just wondering as I find myself trying to get my hips as open as I possibly can when coming out of any turn and back up to the handle. Is there a point on the offside turn were to open puts you on the back of the ski just because of the dynamics coming out of the offside turn?  I think I can see how this may be a possibility. Sorry for hijacking this thread CAM, your skiing looks good to me with a lot of patience going out to the bouys. I wish I could get my sking to look that controlled.

[Cam]

Thanks for the above posts, won't be on the water for another week to try it out.

I think my position comes from too many face plants in the early days, but I am aware of it as I planned skiing at a slower speed on an HO triumph to iron out some faults but no matter what I tried I couldn't stop the ski launching on my offside pull through the wakes so gave up on it.

[colo_skier]

Cam,

Were are you sking at in the videos?

[Cam]

Colo_skier,

Skiing at the National Waterski Centre in Scotland, I think it was in May or June this year.

[HO 410]

A lot of the tips I've heard and seen come from the camp that our perspective is skewed, and in order to create a balance, we have to think in terms of imbalance.

 

It may be slighlty hijacking the tread, anyone read Rossi's article on Tail Turns in the lastest issue of waterskier?

[colo_skier]

I thought I saw the source of iron_bru in the vid's. 

[Cam]

Colo_skier, have you either been to Scotland or know someone Scottish?

[DanE]

Cam, have You skied with a Dutch guy named Martin at the center? I think he might have been a driver/coach there some years ago.

Just curious if You´ve met the guy, inspiring coach and a funny chap as well.

[Cam]

Yes, I skied with Martin and his brother Jamie in Poros  and then was instrumental in getting him a job at the Centre, he was with us for 2 years and then went back to Poros for a year.

He opened up his own place in Loch Earn this year but I haven't been up to see it yet maybe make the journey next year.

[colo_skier]

I thought the iron bru would give me away. I have spent time in Scotland and also know a bunch of blokes in the Glassgow area.  Also I am a transplant from South of Hardrian's wall many decades ago. I have been in the USA for so long I don't use word's like bloke any more. It was the power lines in the background and the greeness of the surrounding area that made me think it was on the East side of the pond. What is the length of the ski season were you are at?

[Cam]

Official ski season is April to September with a few skiing March and October and a small group of us ski all year as long as the loch doesn't freeze, last year was the worst as it was frozen solid for 3 months, we usually get away with just a couple of weeks.

[DanE]

I´ve never been to Scotland myself, I met Martin in Poros and for sure he´s my favorite coach down there.

Too bad You locked him down in Scotland, (marriage I think ?) he is sorely missed in Drephani (Poros).

[Kal]

Hi Cam,

How are the home made clinchers coming on? - couldn't feel fingers after 2 passes yesterday. If they work, could be worth a post.

[Cam]

 Kal, Got all the material just need to stitch them together when I get home on Wednesday, test them on Friday. Had a dry run with one stapled together and it seemed OK.

 DanE, I skied at Poros twice a year from 99 until 07 did we ever meet? I taught Emma Martin's girlfriend to ski, that is how he ended up in Scotland.

[DanE]

Cam, I don´t think we have met. Allthough I´ve been to Poros every year since 04 except 07. I always go there the 1st week of June, weather is perfect and it´s a convenient time for me and my family to get away.

Now, ever since Sotiris opened his new hotel at Drepani it´s been very quiet that time of year in Poros at the waterski centre.

That´s why I don´t think we have met because there has been mostly locals and Athens people around that week.

Almost forgot, went there to ski the Poros Cup in oct 06.