How to make a ski "click"

[KcSwerver]

I am getting super good results with the 2013 A3. I set the fin to stock, but im still not always comfortable on it, i just feel like its not quite right, any theorys or ideas? How do you know when a ski is "just right"

 

I have set a new personal best on it today and i am running more of my harder passes than ever before. I just feel like something is wrong, im falling back alot and slapping my ear to the water, i know this is a body position thing but i have never had this issue before, in fact i have always been too far forward. I guess what im trying to say is that i am having a hard time staying balanced on this ski, i always feel like im being jerked around on it.

 

Thanks,

I know this is just probably something i am doing wrong but anyones help is so welcome

[tbrenchley]

Without video to watch it would really just be a wild guess at what is causing it.

[A_B]

If you are falling over at the ball, making you "fall on your ear", I have found that most times it is the ski not coming back under me and headed out down the lake, which was due to not enough fin length, too deep, or bindings too far back. I would adjust in that order.

 

[KcSwerver]

Here is a video at 36 -15 where out of my turn i just get out of balance. Also i am always getting hit with a ton of slack at one but ot on three or five

[KcSwerver]

On the other hand, this was one of my best 34's

[gregy]

@kcswerver There might be something not quite right on the ski but you definitely are a little back, tail weighted, hips back. You get your hips up and weight more balance on the wider part of the ski it might feel more stable.

[ToddL]

During your glide before the gates on both passes, your front leg is almost straight and your back knee is bent. This puts your hips back over your back foot or behind it.

 

To fix this, bend your front ankle and push your back leg until almost straight. This will push your hips forward over the ball of your front foot. You will then feel too far forward, so without changing your feet/legs/hips, just tilt your shoulders back. In other words, the push with rear leg thing makes you so far forward that you have to compensate with shoulders back. However, since your hips are still forward you end up more stacked.

 

Get into this position as soon as you are up on the ski. Stay in this position for the lean out and glide. Pivot into your gate lean still in this position. You will not have to lean nearly as hard when stacked, but you will end up with more space before 1 ball. Keep you head and shoulder up as you approach the buoy. Think of your lower body as doing the leaning. Finish the turn with patience by simply letting your left hip start to move toward the boat's center line. The more you can stay heads up, shoulders level and patient at the finish of the turn, the less you have to lean away at the start of the turn.

[Spencer_Shultz7]

@Kcswerver @ToddL hit the nail on the head. Along with keeping your head and shoulders up coming into the buoy, try reaching up and away from your body with the handle when you release. This will make you put more weight on your front foot and should allow for the ski to decelerate properly, make a tight turn, establish your angle and have a tight line.

[Skoot1123]

@kcswerver - I feel your pain. Last Tuesday I skied terribley and though I should change the fin settings and adjust - although admittedly I figured body position had something to do with it. This past Friday I skied again - no fin changes - and I skied very well. I should have made more of my 28's but I fell at 4 and 5 ball. (For those I was super early - just messed up the turn) After thinking about it a bit and Trying to figure out why I skied terrible on Tuesday but well on Friday it hit me. I wasn't turning the ski: I was leaning/dipping my shoulder to initiate the turn which would cause me to get unstacked and have my hips fall back and shoulders forward on the ski, making me scramble. Once I realized that I ran my 28 with ease. (34 mph - I wanted to get back to basics)

 

+1 for what @toddl said. Front leg needs to have flex in it and back leg needs to be "straight" and then you'll really begin to feel what wide and early is like. Also on your turn in, your handle only goes to your mid-section vs being on your left hip, wait just a touch longer and let that ski obtain it's angle and your handle will be planted on your left hip and you'll be super early for one ball.

 

You have been there before, you know what it should feel like, relax a bit, then go do it.

[Chef23]

@kcswerver I never felt really comfortable on the A3 it just never felt settled to me. I did only ski 3 sets on it but I usually can change skis without much trouble (not like Horton but easily for a guy at my level). By the end of the 3rd set I felt a little better on it and if I skied it a bunch I could make it work but I didn't think it would be worth the effort. I do think the ski is sensitive to where you stand on the ski and I struggled to find the sweet spot on it.

[KcSwerver]

Thanks for all the input. I do feel like sometimes it clicks and sometimes not at all. I know i have a terrible time getting a consistent leverage position. Sometimes i get it and BOOM its there. Other times i really really dont get anywhere.

 

I am super excited on the prospect of getting pro coaching, there are great guys at the lake that can help me but i feel like someone who does coaches for a living might help me get a few things theough my thick skull

[KcSwerver]

My position over the ski has been a problem all my skiing life. I need to change that. On the other hand i did my first couple back grabs on a trick ski yesterday!

[Skoot1123]

@kcswerver - one thing to consider - how long have you been skiing the course? Time on the water will help you improve quite a bit if you keep working on fundamentels - but don't forget to stretch out your comfort zone a bit as well.

[KcSwerver]

This year was my first year skiing in the course, its a blessing and im super happy with my progress i made. My goal was to be able to get a look at -28 off by the end of the season, i am on schedule. By streatching out of my comfort zone, i have tried skiing at -28 at 32mph but i could barely make it to the ball, and when i did, i got hit with rope-in-the-water slack, sill fun to try itbut its kind of discouraging, i like -22 off alot.

 

Now that tournaments are pretty much done in kansas i have stopped skiing at 36 so much, i know i can have a little more fun at 34 because i know i can run it everytime at -15 and -22