More help please - Video 5@39

[Klundell]

Last time I posted some video of myself it was 4.5@38 and the Ballers really helped me progress. Today I got to the 5 ball twice at 39. More then anything I've been working on getting in better positions of leverage and not giving anything back to the boat. The side by side video is my 4.5@38 that I posted last time compared to my 4.5@39 today. I need more advice to get me through this pass! Help please you don't have to be able to ski 38 or 39 to comment.

[6balls]

@klundell tough to critique a monster like yourself so unsure of this but take food for thought; could you be a little more upright in your approach to the ball so you don't rush the finish, over-turn and rear up? Totally understand if you think I'm off base here...never got that far on 39 but did run 38 twice yesterday : )

[Klundell]

@6balls good skiing. I'll try that.

[Wish]

So its strange and will look closer later but for a righty, that's a big sweeping turn on 2,4 and not a lot of angle out of the ball. This could very well be a symptom of something before, perhaps a long pull to 2 4. Having to wait on the ski to turn and bit of a tip rise from to much speed. Very good that you are patient with that turn. Perhaps a little more open/countered shoulders coming into your 135. A bit closed and rotating your shoulders a bit to soon out of the turn giving you a little bent forward position at the finish of the that turn. Then comes a body correction to get stacked. Happens in a millisecond. This then gives you a later load and a forced long pull to 2 4. Keep a bit more countered into and through the 135 turn. Let the hip come to the handle and load a bit sooner and then off sooner. This should give you a tighter radios turn at 2, 4. Seriously though. That is fantastic skiing. Great knee bend, great patience.

[ToddF]

Warning: Advise from someone who doesn't run 38 or 39.

 

Go to the home page about 6:30 in. those show will and nate at 41,

When Will finishes the turn he loads the rope and goes. nate almost gets stood up, then loads

but neither one gives any energy back through their legs compressing.

 

When you load off the two ball your knees really compress or go soft like a compressing shock vs a compressing coil spring and it looks like you give away your cross course speed and angle/energy.

[Brady]

I have some great advice for you @Klundell. Make sure you film every single damn pass because you are going to run 39 within the next few weeks and you definitely want to have it on film when you do!!!! I think I am going to start calling you "Kevin the Beast" (you have the beard for it!!!) :)

[A_B]

Great skiing!

I am seeing you pull the handle into your chest at one ball, with arms fully bent, then dropping them out, and getting pulled a little forward to 2 ball. I will go out on a limb and say that you need a slightly wider and later gate so you can get to one ball a little quicker and then turn your hip around and pound the handle down to your hip with straight arms and lean away with your chest up. I think the approach into 1 is what is causing the less than max position at the finish.

Does that make sense? It looks like your getting the ski out in front of you good, but the finish is not happening perfectly, and I don't think there is a lot of wiggle room there...

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Get more width on your gate.

 

On the turn in and at the gate push your right hip up. It's dropping behind and creating load without speed.

 

On both sides carry the handle longer. This will allow you to keep the inside shoulder up and counter rotate. The inside shoulder is dropping badly on both sides.

[markchilcutt]

AWESOME!!!!!!!

[Klundell]

@ToddF That is a great observation. I totally agree with you that any energy given back to the boat in the form of excessive knee bend is energy that isn't going cross course. Unfortunately that is a symptom of a problem and not the problem itself. The load is so great coming out of two/four that I have to do something to soak it up in order to hang on.

[Klundell]

@wish you are right the problem really develops in my inability to get out of the two ball which is weird for a righty. My line into that ball is just not quite right. The interesting thing is when looking at the video I think I protect the handle better at 2/4 then I do at 1/3/5. I'll work on coming up even earlier and see if that puts me on a better arc at the ball. I think I need to do more of my arcing inside the bouy line so I don't create so much down course speed (causing the big sweeping turn at the finish).

[Than_Bogan]

Cool stuff. My eye is a little too slow at 36 mph, but I did immediately see one of the things Bruce mentioned: You don't appear high enough on the gate for -39. Considering how far you're getting, getting just a little higher start might be enough to push you through.

 

Then you can use the rest of the excellent advice above at -41! :)

[Klundell]

@Than_Bogan @Bruce_Butterfield I've been working on getting higher on that damn gate all year. I'm definitely higher then I've ever been in the past but I still have work to do. Look at the difference between my old 38 and the new 39 video - a lot higher but I think you are right a higher would be better.

[Klundell]

That being said there are lots of different ways to get it done in this sport. Look at the difference between nate's gate at 41 (2:20) and Wills (2:38). These are the two best in the business and they couldn't have more different approaches to the gate. Nate is super high fast and Will is much lower.

[Wish]

Just make sure you have adequate momentum out of 1 (hip to handle/earlier connection) to the centerline. If that's not there, coming off edge earlier wont do any good. Plus 1 for wider at the pull out.

[A_B]

I might as well delete my post.

 

[Klundell]

ha ha ha poor @AB. You were the first to talk about getting higher on the boat. All the Cred goes to you. However I don't really agree with the first part of your critique. Pulling your arms in and letting them out is just how you deal with load at short line everybody does it. And I also don't really see myself getting pulled forward into two ball either. I paused it at the first wake and you can't really get any more stacked then that.

[A_B]

If you don't have to pull your arms in, and bring the handle to your hip and lean away, you will be in a better position at the onset. If you are pulling your arms in, I think you are doing something wrong (prior to the pull in). I just watched a bunch of successful 39 videos and I would say I saw very few handles being pulled into someone's mid section or chest area. Yes, when scrambling.

 

I watch a guy run 39 in practice quite a bit, and I don't think he has ever run it pulling the handle in to absorb slack or load. If you are free of the boat and turn your hip under the handle, it would be a much better position to handle the load.

 

Just my observation, use it or not.

[Klundell]

Nate does it at every turn @39 in the above video (1:38). Just my observation...

[Texas6]

First of all, congrats on some amazing skiing! After watching numerous times; I think both you and @AB make valid points. @Klundell is having to absorb more slack than he should with his arms and it seems it all starts due to less than optimal angle into one ball, and then gets progressively worse through out the pass. That is a symptom and not the cause. Bruce made a great point about you dropping your shoulder on both sides and AB nailed it on your pullout. I've got nothing to add, great advice in this thread