Short-Line Swing

[Gloersen]

Here at Victory/Jax for the off-season we’ll be working on creating that “short-line swing” at the easy line lengths; Bill Gladding’s latest brainchild. Naturally I’m the test monkey for his most recent coaching emphasis; always helpful though.

 

Basically I’ve wasted the latter half of the season trying to run easy 32’s based on what I thought were very easy 28’s. But video reveals all; no way have I been maxing my G’s at the 2nd wake, such is essential (not exclusively) for the “short-line swing”. I can run 28’s all day long-poorly, and muscle through 32’s when strong, but it’s not the way to short-line.

 

Take a look at the linked .pdf (below, 20mg file may be slow download) captured from the Rodgers video Brent posted, a ton of coaching tips from the frames. Among the most notable is the fact that he generates his maximum G’s at the 2nd wake (not necessarily his Vmax, that comes a tad earlier). If we equate max G’s to max resistance (purposely avoiding the term max load); Jeff Rodgers is showing us how to do it! His ability to maximally resist into his core strength at the 2nd wake, (front foot pressure, stacked stance, his arm & handle control); it is clearly a direction much of us need to head, surely for myself.

 

Might have to group buy one of those Shadowbox gizmo's; awesome data if that is what overlayed in the Rodgers video.

 

Hope everyone finds it helpful for off-season psych.

 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_V5_MXwwkcDYTU2M2U4YmEtZDE2MC00OTYwLTllYTQtOWQzOGMzY2E3YzVi

[6balls]

Eventually I believe you will find that is not the most difficult part. It is fairly easy to max resistance at the second wake and have piles of angle. In my opinion, the most challenging and critical aspect of skiing shortline come after that point...the maintenance of outbound direction thru the edge change and the handle control required for same.

[MrBrown]

Schnitz teaches the "X-factor", where the ski cross beneath the handle at the prop wash, and the last time I skied with Rossi years ago he was teaching being away from the boat with maximum lean at or near the 2nd wake, very close to Jeff Rodgers edge change which is a later edge change than “X-factor”.

 

I believe” handle control” is very important for all skiers, but it may be more important for the "X-factor" group. When the "x-factor" skier enters the deceleration phase/preturn sooner, he will need to stay on the handle longer to maintain sufficient outbound speed, direction, width, and turning speed. The second he comes off the handle too soon, he will get sucked in narrow.

 

[Horton]

I have spent a lot of time one the phone with one of the designers of ShadowBox and I do not think it is ready for water ski use.

 

I see the Rogers video but...

 

If I thought the darn thing would really spit out useful data, I would have at least one

[ForrestGump]

I'm with 6Balls. I wouldn't get caught up in the difference of where you max out load. Instead you should be working on the mechanics of getting from the 2nd wake out to the buoy. I can run 32 getting pulled up at the first wake as long as I keep my upper body locked in, take the handle with me, and ride the line outbound. This became apparent once I started working on 35. If you take a cross section of elite 34 and 36 mph skiers..... both men and women........ you will find that they are all across the board as to where they max their lean and release. But they ALL take the handle outbound with them from that point, keep the handle in and low, and have an upper body that is in a static position. They also never get behind the handle coming at the buoy line. Even where they come off the handle is vastly different, but even if they come off the handle really early, they will typically keep the handle in very close as they are riding the line outbound and don't start the extension until they start approaching the buoy line(watch marcus brown do this). About the only exception to this is David Miller, who let's the handle out with both hands really early, but he's got exceptional core strength to keep him connected with it so the ski/skier doesn't get behind the handle.

[MJE]

I don't think you can equate his max G's to his "max resistance". G's are affected by change of direction and accelaration. It seems his max G's coming off the second wake are due to the ski contacting the water again coming off the wake (~vertical change in direction and acceleration) combined with the start of his edge change(~horizontal change of direction). It may be more useful to note where he achieves his max velocity.

[Gloersen]

My point on all this is his technique and stance going into the second wake. His G’s progress up to that point with no abrupt increase, I doubt any contribution from the impact at the wake. Any skier that can achieve this posture entering the 2nd wake; more proficient handle control into the apex should readily ensue.

 

There are those such as D. Miller whom initially appear aberrant, but the connection with the stacked core into the 2nd wake is still evident.

 

I’d venture to guess most of us are not connected in this manner at the 2nd wake, we maximize our resistance prior to the 2nd wake, get “separated” and we then are “along for the ride” in trying to maintain some semblance of handle control into the pre-turn. If evident in self-video coaching that a strong, consistent connection at the core into the 2nd wake exists; then that’s a huge step towards creating the handle control we all seek.

 

Whether or not the speed/G data on the Rodgers video is accurate (its data acquisition device unknown), his ability to maintain good handle control into the pre-turn is a product of his progressive resistance with properly stacked core into the 2nd wake; it is evident visually.

 

AM on HC

 

http://youtu.be/Yopcm05LQ28

 

[ForrestGump]

Which is exactly my point. Where the load maxes and releases in relation to a static point is really more of a personal style and NOT a required mechanic to short line skiing. You are keying on the second wake, but that point can be centerline for other skiers. It's not that Jeff is completely stacked at the 2nd wake. It's that Jeff is completely stacked through the transition from one edge to the other(which in his case happens to be at the 2nd wake) and then maintains that core engagement and handle control outbound.