Is This Stacked?

[Brady]

Got a shot from today's skiing. Looking for some feedback, besides, "drop 100 pounds!" Working on that one already.

[gregy]

@brady that looks really good. Post some videos, lets see the rest. Looks like your making some good progress.

[A_B]

Looks like you are inflicting some serious pylon pain!

[Chef23]

It is a decent start but it is tough to tell without seeing how the wake crossing looks.

[Texas6]

You are indeed stacked in that picture. Possibly back on the tail a bit, but certainly stacked. Nice work @Brady!!!

[skibug]

@Chef23 is correct. It is what happens from here to the wakes that is important. Do you hold this position and keep your hand/elbows on your body as you head through the wakes; or, do your arms separate from your body in the next frame?

[Marco]

Hey Brady- Lookin good! As an improvement, I would suggest a bit more ankle flex to get your hips up front a bit more. It will help get the ski in the water. Since you paid for the whole ski, you might as well use the whole thing :)

[ral]

Stacked, but lots of ski out of the water.

[Skoot1123]

@brady - LOADS of improvement buddy!! That is stacked - but your putting a lot of pressure on the rear of the ski (at least it looks like it from the picture). If you were able to let the ski come around a little more from the turn and still be in that position your weight distribution would be a bit more even and more of the ski would be in the water. Keep on working - great improvement though!!

[BlueSki]

Is there any specific thoughts that some of you use to maintain the stacked position, leaning hard, through the wakes? I think most are thinking pushing with the legs, maintaining trailing arm pressure, or just pure effort. I would like to hear more ideas. To @Skoot1123's point, coming out of the turn well is a known essential, but whether it is a bad turn or just a beginner learning the course, many go from stacked to pulled up by the time they hit the wakes.

[ForrestGump]

I would never tell anyone to push with their legs. You can never get stacked if your chest points down. If your chest is pointed to the tree tops, it's very hard to drop the hips behind.

[Brady]

@Garn. Is this position being maintained thru the wake? I appreciate all the feedback. I have been working so hard on getting "tip-dipped!" (that should be a definition) It is a total change of how I was skiing. To answer your questions, I am maintaining this thru the wakes...sometimes...I think. Garn?? When I do, I seem to have literally forever to wait for the ball. But, many times, I get bent over after the turn, and fail to get into a stacked position, causing me to play catch up. Putting 6 of these together is happening more often, but still, this is a work in progress. I will say, when my cuts look like this, it is so easy to hang onto the rope. When I wally turn, or get bent, I can barely keep a hold of the line.

 

How can something be so frickin hard, yet so fun along the way?!?!?!? At least I am now able to change my photo to something real instead of something artistic!!!!

[Jordan]

First of all congrats! you are getting the key idea to inprovement. That is huge!!!!!

 

If you want to link 6 of these together, strangely, you will need to be patient and wait for the turn to finish before you start to get stacked again.

 

Hard to say for sure without video, but the most common cause of getting bent over in the turn is trying to pull too early.

 

If you try to pull/lean before the ski comes all of the way around you will get pulled forward by the boat.

 

When you get a good stacked pull, get to your inside edge trying to ski outward. Try to keep both hands on the handle until you are well into the turn. Then release you hand and ski your outside hip back to the handle- DO NOT REACH.

 

It's wierd, but the faster things happen the slower you want to make your transitions.

 

Good skiing!!

[A_B]

@Brady, I do have to admit I was disappointed when opening this thread after reading the title. Not in your skiing, but I was thinking something more devilish from the title......

 

I would agree with the being patient and don't reach comments. Let the ski finish, work hard at getting the outside hips around to the handle on both turns, then hold on to the ride!

[Klundell]

@brady stacked... Yes. However the problem with this picture is exactly what we were talking about when you were at the lake. Your center of mass is behind the ski (falling back towards the two ball instead of falling the direction you want to travel... towards three). Imagine trying to run forward with your center of mass falling backwards, or with a backwards lean, you aren't going to go anywhere very fast. Compare to this picture. I'm stacked but you can see my center of mass is ahead of the ski, falling in the direction I want the ski to go (across course).

[Garn]

@AB, there are other forums you can go to for that. I know some good ones if you need any suggestions. :)

 

@Brady, going from 2 to 3, and from 4 to 5, you stay stacked pretty good right through the wake. That is your onside pull and you do well with it. Your offside pull (1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6) isn't as good though. That's the side that you normally get pulled forward and bent at the waist. And even when you don't get pulled forward, your hips tend to be more back and your shoulders are more forward. So you need to work on a better stacked position on your offside pull. But really, that is something that everybody works on and is constantly trying to improve. Overall, there is a night and day difference from how your were skiing earlier in the year and how you are skiing now. One thing that I do is I have a handle attached to my back deck at my house where I get in a good position and hold it to get muscle memory of how a stacked position feels. You can do this anytime by yourself. But be careful ... you never know when your wife is going to walk in on you. *LOL*

[mwetskier]

i think if you stay frozen in this pulling position the wake is going to hit you like a brick wall when you get there which is why you end up getting stood up or broken over at the waist a lot. even from this position if you work to get your upper body twisted toward the left making your shoulders more open to the boat the ski tip will come down and youll have more ski edge in the water. that will let the ski slice through the wake instead of slamming into it and then youll have better angle and maintain better speed coming into the next ball. if you think pulling like this gets you early just wait until you learn to pull like the pic of klundell.

[estrom]

Prayers sent for the boat pylon.

 

[Horton]

@shaneH I always tell skiers to push with legs

[andjules]

(a) @Horton @ShaneH I've been seeing more and more threads about focusing on straightening the back leg and for me, at least, it's helped a great deal, thinking about it as I'm heading towards the wakes (I've generally had a not-bad stack on approach, but tend to absorb too much/give too much back at the wakes). I think the first mention that got me thinking about it was yours @Horton, so thanks. But does work best when the chest is pushed out, of course.

(b) @Brady - good work! But @Garn's comments are interesting as I was already thinking how important it is that @Klundell posted an offside photo (everyone posts onside photos in these stacked discussions!)

[6balls]

@brady also note the look on your face compared to the look on @klundell's. His stack allows him to be effortless and efficient. Your face shows lots effort. When stacked properly and balanced over the ski, effort should go down.

 

You are on your way, though, and given your size and the speed of the boat at present it is a tough order. Nice work.

[jimbrake]

@klundell - great explanation. Saved me from a longer post. @Brady - in that picture you are driving with the gas and the brakes on at the same time. Your hindering your acceleration when you need it most. That is also a recipe for getting flung out the front across the wakes. Sure, who doesn't love that, right?, but you won't finish your pass.

[gregy]

@Brady sometimes when I feel myself getting back on the ski like that I'll flex my ankles and push my knees forwards more, its like the ski switches gear and takes off. It's noticeable. I had to exaggerate weighting the front inorder to achieve a balanced stance. Your making some good progress. There's some really good skiers that don't have as good of stack as you do there. You might try doing some free skiing and try making some cuts across the wake while trying to maintain the least amount of resistance against the boat.

[ktm300]

For people who naturally bend their knees, stacked looks different from those who don't. IMO keeping the ski moving through the turns and dynamic is also very important. Getting into a static position with your body for the sake of being stacked is not all that helpful. Ride the ski like you would a skateboard. Ride the ski into a stacked position as opposed to forcing a stacked position. Watch some video of David Miller. He may on occasion lose what some call stack but he always keep the ski moving which trumps his lack of "stack". He gets his body in behind the handle. Another skier I always liked to watch was Jamie B. Moved like a big cat.

[A_B]

@Horton, I agree. One of the problems I see with beginning course skiers is they let their knees bounce too much and the ski rolls off edge. I have had better success telling them to push (resist in reality) through and attack the wakes.. If they don't think push, they let them bounce. Bounce = Bad.

 

@Brady, the dryland is a good idea, or on pylon with handle bridle hooked up. Get equal weight on each foot, equal knee flex, and lean away in the good form you are displaying above, chin and chest up, handle close to waist. You should do this right before getting into the water. Also, it is really important on the gate pullout, as that is your wake up call to your muscles. I even practice good form when I pull out and drop at each end, cuz I am old and my mind is going.

[TheBigHead]

@AB good call on the practice you can get at each end for the pull out and drop in. As LFF this has always been off side for me so its a great opportunity to practice.

 

[londonskier]

Awesome Thread. thanks @brady for starting it, just what I need, as I too am working on exactly the same thing.