Beginner looking for feedback

[david_quail]

I got up on one ski for the first time 6 weeks ago!

Self taught on open lake and tried the course at 27MPH. 2 balls and then wasn't even close (and felt reckless for those 2 balls)

Would love some feedback on things to focus on from

I'm 6'0, 184lbs skiing on a Radar Alloy Senate 67. Got up on one ski 6 weeks ago and have been out 8 or so times since (behind a Bayliner 135HP - which I know isn't ideal).

Seems like I'm not stacked while crossing the wakes (bending forward at the waste). Weight maybe a bit on the back foot too much?

Lemme have it! Harsh feedback won't hurt my feelings. Bound and determined to get better. Have done a few cartwheels going over the wakes so would be lying if I said I wasn't a touch nervous crossing them aggressively.

[david_quail]

My big face plant crash at the end of the video is something I've done about 4 times. Seems like it's a symptom of not being stacked? Bending at the waste leaving me subject to the pull of the boat exiting the wakes?

[wskierman8]

Looks good for just starting out! 2 things I would focus on before anything else:

 

1st, the most important thing I tell anyone that is just starting out is to always keep their shoulders and hips in alignment. Pretend they're connected by a steel rod that will keep you 'stacked.' This will reduce your headers and cartwheels. What I would do is not worry so much about crossing the wakes yet, instead I would do a pulling drill where you pull out to one side of the boat trying your best to achieve the perfect pull position. (It helps if someone in the boat is yelling at you to get your hips up, shoulders back, knees bent etc...) Once you have it down on one side switch over to the other. Do that until dropping into a good pull position feels natural and anything else feels wrong. Then you'll be ready to tackle the wake again.

 

2nd You look like your trying to steer yourself with the handle (moving the handle in the turn). Try reaching the handle towards the boat and turning back to it this will help you keep better balance in your transition from turn to pull.

[david_quail]

@wskierman8 Thanks! I try to focus on staying stacked when pulling out initially - but even that could definitely be better. But when angling back to the wake I seem to forget what a stack is. It's essentially the exact same position - except traveling towards the wake and through?

Thanks much for the tips!

[BrennanKMN]

The pullout drill mentioned above is a really good way to get a decent stack and good practice; additionally you know when you did it right vs when you could have been better right away.

 

This is how it was described to me by Wade Cox a while back.

 

Start on your ski just outside the wake and get good and balanced. For most people this means getting more wight on your front foot. Bend your knees and your ankles into an 'athletic' position. Keeping the handle low and by your hips. Drive your outside hip out a few inches. Think about just moving your hips and nothing else. You are using your hips to initiate the turn/cut out. Once your drive your hip out WIAT for the ski to come under you. This is the hardest part honestly - the waiting. You cannot take the load on the line effectively until the ski is under your center of mass. Once your ski comes under you, you should almost rocket away from the wake and get up on the boat. Then coast back to the boat and do it again, and then again. :)

 

For just getting up on one 6 weeks ago you look great. I couldn't tell from the video, but make sure you are holding the handle in a baseball bat style grip.

[ToddL]

1) Stack - use any and every drill to improve stack. When you are riding your ski, always be stacked. Never relax. Ever. Make stacked the new relaxed posture on your ski.

2) Once stacked, start crossing the wakes at your level of control. Don't worry if you aren't wide enough for buoys. Just be smooth, confident, stacked and in control. As you develop good habits, the width needed for buoys will come.

3) Lean is the word. We do not pull. Pulling suggest bending the arms. That only happens as a symptom of inefficiency. Relax your arms. Your grip and your shoulders do all of the work. Just hang on the handle and then lean at the level you feel in control.

4) Point the ski and hips where you want to go. Skiers who slalom are always pointing the ski across the boat's path when leaning for a wake crossing. Do this again at a level you feel control. Your hips are your slalom steering wheel. They initiate a change in direction. They should be leading your body where you want to go. The shoulders follow the hips.

5) The effort on slalom is that of leaning such that you put the away edge of the ski into the water. (I used to say lean away from the boat, but if you don't have your ski pointed across the boat's path, then this instruction is incorrect.) If you snow ski, you know that control comes from edging the skis. Water is the same. Lean such that you are making your ski edge.

6) Timing - effort is from the end of the turn until the center line of the boat. Think of a volume dial. Your effort is small (low volume) as you finish the turn. You crank it up a good bit as you approach the first wake. You maintain this louder volume until the center line of the boat. Now, you let a little volume bleed off, but you are still loud. After the second wake, you continue turning the volume down until you have edge changed. You NEVER add more volume after the second wake.

7) Turns - these are the ski's job. Your job is to be stacked and enjoy the ride on the turning edge of the ski. Your goal is to ride the turn until the ski has come around with the tip passing under the handle rope. Then, you can begin to lean for the next wake crossing.

 

Basically, do all of the above while never losing stack. If you lose stack or feel out of control, then back off the intensity until you can keep stack. With all of the above, you will find that width will come as will confidence. Then the buoys are easy.