Light on the line - again ! (I know!)

[Deep11]

I'm not allowed in the advanced topics thread (yet ) but thought I'd have a stab at this anyway.

This year I've been working on creating as much speed as I can in whatever way possible - lean / pull whatever - the result is that As my technique improves I am working harder than I ever have into the wakes and the drivers are noticing me less. Far fewer hits and my bouy count has gone up (gained 4 to 5@11 this season ) with my consistency at 32 ....

- So :smile: -

- Light on the line = as little "drag" as possible.

you can lean as hard as you like just make sure that it's a lean that creates acceleration and speed NOT one that imparts more drag. In fact perhaps that's the goal at 12 and below - to achieve as much leverage as efficiently as possible?

 

[RazorRoss3]

That sounds similar to how I think. Speed is great when in the right direction since it creates space. In the department of speed generation versus load generation it may be good to call @Razorskier1‌ into the conversation mix.

[Chef23]

I also think that light on the line is a function of when you hit the boat. If you let the ski finish and hookup just before the whitewater you can work as hard as you want and you aren't going to feel "heavy" behind the boat. If you rush back to the handle and get on your pull right away you are going to feel heavy behind the boat.

[Deep11]

Hey @Chef23‌ totally agree - I raised this on a thread a while back and called it the "sweet spot" (double entendre with "another sweet spot was on purpose :) )

[6balls]

It's relative to the skier, too. I think about being light because default for me is very heavy. Heavy turn, heavy pull, and the predictable consequence. What I work on is keeping my upper body off the water in pre-turn and as I round the buoy. My tendency is to get my center of mass (top heavy dude) to the inside and then the ski turns one way and one way only.

 

If I can keep tall over the ski into the ball outbound, be patient at the turn, it's ok to work it behind the boat but better yet if I'm efficient behind the boat because it makes management after the wash easier for me.

 

The pro's clearly give it more behind the boat when I look at their depth and aggression but they can also handle that on the far side. If I give it that much I'm hot and narrow on the far side. Work in progress...but I think lighter for longer in my head to keep line tension and ride wide and keep myself from an early transition/release that ends up with shoulders "in" at the ball. Why is this so hard? GRR.

 

[Horton]

My short version is take as much angle as you can manage (that may not be all you can get) but do not lean away as hard as you can. Only lean as much as needed to maintain your angle - no more.

[Razorskier1]

Agree with @Horton. In my youth I was taught to lean as hard as I could and AWAY from the boat. My Dad used to say that your goal was to stop the boat. That was before we ever saw a slalom course. What I've learned is that the goal is to be moving across the course, not away from the boat. For me that means that all I need is enough load to maintain my position. As a guy coming from the too heavy on the line side to start with, this is my mind-set: turn the ski and connect to the handle. As soon as you feel pressure in your hands, don't lean away any further, just maintain your position and move your COM across at the same speed as the ski. Loading more than that is too much for me. Loading less won't work either. Also, moving backward on the ski (getting behind it) or forward (getting ahead of it) don't work. I need to move at the same speed and stay straight over the bindings.