How to "Turn-in" for the gates

[aswinter05]

I REALLY need to work on generating more lean/speed, etc. in the course (thanks for all your suggestions to my video posts). Some of you pointed out that my gates are weak and if I can get more speed and width into 1 ball, the rest of my pass will improve. ( thanks @MattP )

 

I'm LFF so my turn-in for the gates isn't the strongest yet.... but I'm working on it! My main question is what specific movements with my hips, etc. should I be focusing on at the gates.

 

I watched Andy Mapple during the Moomba finals and when he "coasts" before his turn-in for the gates, it almost looks like he is putting a lot of weight/pressure on his rear foot to slow himself down. He then falls slightly back and towards the wakes.

 

Thanks for your kind words in advance.

 

 

[gregy]

Some of the pros have some odd habits on there gates I wouldn't get too caught up on the particulars, and I'm sure that they experiment some as well. Keep it simple. Where are you going to ski school? They should be able to help you.

 

I start from just outside the wake and try to make a nice gradual pull out starting when the front of the boat gets to the 55s. I end up about 10 feet outside the buoy line at 15off. My goal is to be in nice balanced stance with shoulders, hips everything aligned. Check out the video below.

 

 

The rest I'm going to be working on a lot this summer.

 

 

[aswinter05]

@gregy thanks. i will watch the video when I'm back home. Going to Coble. I'll get plenty of good information. Just trying to get as much info and tips as possible.

[ForrestGump]

Whatever you do, do not try and emulate what AM does by putting pressure on your rear foot. If you approach the gates in this manner, you are going to do more harm then good. As with everywhere else in the course, you don't even need a back foot other than for balance. You should be rolling out, gliding, and rolling back in with the weight on the ball of your front foot.

 

Honestly, you are approaching all of this from a "ready, shoot, aim" perspective. Work on seth's lean and whip drills and get your body in the right position from white water to white water. Once you are better there, the turns and the gate shot will work themselves out.

[gregy]

@aswinter05 Check this one out.

 

[aswinter05]

@gregy , thanks a bunch. I've not watched that video before. A little advanced for me but still helpful.

[Alberto Soares]

@aswinter - My gate is 2 handed. I have a lot to improve, but thats what I try to do:

 

Start my pull out when the boat is about 1 boat before the 55. I go really easy to the outside until the bouy line and just cruise there for a while keeping my handle close to my hips and staying tall on the ski, thinking on pressure my front foot. When the boat is about 2m before the gates I start to turn in slowly and progressive, trying to have my strongest position behind the boat.

[PBD]

In my experience you want to get stacked or "connected" in a strong position as soon as you make your move to the gates. Due to the extra time the glide gives me after the pullout I've often had the problem of leaning into the gates and letting my hands get away from my body. This leads to not being in a stacked position.

[bogboy]

I attended a real productive guest coach clinic yesterday, and learned some good stuff. Apparently, I was being too dainty through the gates, and manning up later in the pass to complete it, instead of starting the gates with a strong, edge, lean pendulum. I then did that, and it helped me get better, cleaner, wider passes.

[Dusty]

I think you will find as LFF (especially), that unless you are moving forward on the boat (a little faster) in your pre-gate glide, there will be tension in the line and you are losing width. If you are maintaining width by staying on a turning/cutting edge, you are delaying your turn-in even more and sacrificing potential angle. To paraphrase one coach- "you can turn or you can lean but you really can't do both at the same time". Skis turn better when there is minimal line tension (not slack...)

[bogboy]

@dusty, thanks, I have a habit of starting my pull out maybe a little too early, even before the 55's. I will try a little later pull out, thus maybe enabling me to maintain my speed better? It's worth a try.

[bogboy]

There is more than one way to skin a red lechwe from the Botswana Okavango swamp.

[Chef23]

@aswinter05 you have gotten some good advice regarding your body position and the importance of being stacked behind the boat. From watching video you posted earlier your issue with the gates relates to not having enough width on your pullout then not being stacked and pulling through both wakes.

 

For a role model as a LFF skier I really like to watch Chris Parrish. Granted I am not 6'5" like Parrish his technique is outstanding and very simple without a lot of extra movement.