Lock & Load or Lock & Hold

[Stevie Boy]

So there have been many discussions, when and where to change edge, two trains of thought to get you wide and early, off the wake or hold your edge longer, do you lock & load and change edge early to send you wide, bearing in mind with this method you would probably not be able to hold your edge as long, or do you lock and resist the urge to load and try to maintain your edge longer, through too or past the frothy water the other side of the wake.

[6balls]

Habit is load, working on hold. I'm lots lighter, but still pull too hard especially if I get late.

[Razorskier1]

I try not to ever "hold" a position, even the lean. The lean itself, IMO, should be one continuous movement. You reconnect with the handle, progress into the lean, progress out of the lean, create your next turn, etc. Whenever you quit moving your vision quits moving and your ski quits moving, creating a less fluid transition to the next part of the course. Connect, progress in, progress out. Try to never stop moving.

[jlittle]

Similar to what Razor said. Chet R. told me once you must never quit skiing. In context with this thread... if you load hard, change edges and release out bound but are just standing on the ski gliding out to the bouy becasue you are so early... essentially you have stopped skiing and then have to start skiing again when you reach your time to turn. Stop skiing, start skiing = no no. Or that's how it was explained to me.

 

Easier said than done. Mostly because I love the feeling of loading hard, the accelreation and gliding outbound real early with no worries. However, it always catches up to me as the line gets shorter.

[6balls]

A "hold" on line tension does not mean stagnation and lack of continuous movement. For me it means keeping consistent, proper line tension rather than going for more in the pull. Less variation in tension, less variation in load/unload, less variation in speed, less movement on the ski and hopefully more fluid, continuous motion. Do as I say, not as I do...I'm a work in progress!

[Dusty]

For discussion- If there is tension on the line, I can't see there being no edge/load during acceleration...? Edge is load is tension?

[Horton]

I've worked on this a little. Last summer I ran about six back-to-back 35s in one set that were super low effort. I finished the turn & took the angle and tried to not to load harder. What I did not like or never understood or did wrong was that I felt like I had so much less angle the wakes. The passes were easy but it concerned me to approach the ability from that angle.

 

 

[Ham_Wallace]

Horton,

 

How does it work in rough water?

[Horton]

who skis in rough water?

[Than_Bogan]

@Horton: Anybody skiing in M3 Nationals 2011. My experience with those conditions was probably a big reason I beat my seed.

 

@Razorskier1: Yes, exactly. Everything is a continuous movement. Easier said than done...

[Sethski]

I like @6balls point about the real idea of "hold" and I agree personally (and I am also in the do as I say not as I do group he mentioned). A semi-static position (especially with the upper body) doesn't mean you are stagnant. IF you can maintain the things @6balls mentioned, you can move through your transition much more fluidly and therefore maintain line tension and control on your way out to the buoy.

 

In general, I think power is necessary, but just always realize that for any power that you exert on the boat, it counters your action...especially with the solid pull of ZO. So, don't take more than you can handle. Also, relative to the comment Horton made, you may feel like you don't get as much angle, but don't confuse ski angle with travel angle. The ski may feel like you are going more down-course when in fact the overall path is virtually the same or better. We often turn at skis to 90 degrees knowing forgetting that we aren't really capable of crossing the course at 90 degrees. Additionally, a lot of the angle gained is given away as soon as you transition because you aren't able to maintain...a whole additional thread needs to be started on that one.

 

By the way, Ham, I like to test all of these ideas on Guntersville lake on the weekend in the main part of the river on a windy day with jet skiers, tubers, and barges all around...damn, I miss the good ole days of just spending the weekend on the public lake. Gonna hit you up to meet in Guntersville sometime this year.

[Ham_Wallace]

Seth,

I'll break out the 66 Nautique for some ankle workouts and positioning at the wakes! I'll even bring the beer!