What I got from a few sets with Seth

[ForrestGump]

Some interesting points I got from @sethski last weekend:

 

1. Initiate the transition of the ski and lower body outward, independent of the upper body, by squeezing the trailing elbow into the vest at the centerline behind the boat. This actually rotates your shoulders a bit towards the boat before they follow your hips outbound and the ski goes onto a high edge angle. The slight rotation back to the boat was counterintuitive feeling, but the ski ends up on a wider arc with more space.

 

2. He told me "Don't turn. Go! When you're at the widest point, drive the knees(by flexing the ankle) and slide the inside hip towards the next buoy". Rather than turning the outside hip back to the wake and closing the hips to the boat.

 

3. I mentioned I felt like I created too much space at one point in time. He looked at me like I was stupid. Obviously, I am. lol.

 

4. He said you should always be able to draw a line between the bindings, hips, handle and pylon. If you are lined up like this, the ski will go out and will turn underneath you. Also that you'll always have control.

 

5. Speed isn't bad. Speed without control is what's bad.

 

Point 2 was eye opening for me, once I felt it. I realized I've been doing this to some extent at 1/3/5(onside) but then trying to steer the ski at 2/4/6(offside) while standing on top of it instead of moving back in with it. Once I was cognizant of it, the onside got even better and the offside became a much more dynamic and efficient turn, and set me up to be MUCH wider than I anticipated at the next onside buoy. I also realized that I had been experimenting with this technique at the gate turn in to get the ski tip engaged and my core mass moving across. I'd just never thought through the implications of doing it in the course. It also explains to me, now, how the elite skiers initiate getting those insane gateshots with the core mass moving ahead of the ski so well.

[gregy]

Your point 2 is what Seth had me working on, starting at the gates and then trying to carry it through the course. I've played with using hip movement to initiate turns but never with a forward component. Can't wait to practice it some more. Made for some nice arcing turns, felt good but its going to take some work for me.

[thompjs]

@shaneh As much as I joke about Seth's visits to Houston and my sets with him, I really like how he explains how one movement leads into the next. Occasionally I'm lucky enough to feel the flow.

[Ed_Johnson]

@ShaneH..."Thanks" for sharing that with us...Seth is one of the nicest guys in the world and I really value his insight and coaching ability.

[ForrestGump]

Shortened to 35 for the first time this year. First few attempts were on the back foot and then having to force the turn. Sat at the end of the lake and told Jeff I was not doing it the way @sethski showed me. Next pass, smoked 35. All it took was squeezing that trailing elbow in behind the boat and all of a sudden the ski was free to move out.

[skibug]

@ShaneH, just to be clear...your trailing arm is your left arm going to 1, 3, 5?

[ForrestGump]

@skibug yes. Left going to 1,3,5 and right going to 2,4,6.

[skibug]

@ShaneH, Thanks.

[Texas6]

@Shane, great review. I was scheduled to ski with Seth last Sunday but tweaked a muscle in my back skiing Saturday so I pulled out. My home sits at one end of the lake he was coaching on so I sat on my back porch for a while and listened to the advice he gave good skiers who I ski with frequently and measured it against the things we all coach each other about. He had some great observations that none of us had picked up on, and a unique way of explaining the advice to people that really seemed to resonate. On top of that, he's a really good dude that genuinely wants to help people improve and clearly enjoys what he does.

[DW]

@Shane: Great post, thanks.