VIDEO: Offside turn issues

[TazyMike28]

I need some advice on my offside turns >>> https://youtu.be/2gvOdJUszmw

I'm skiing 15 off, 58 kph and breaking at the waist into, during and out of my offside turn. I just can't seem to get the feel what a good offside entry, turn and exit should be like. I've been reading topics on the net but I can't seem to find a concept that helps me understand what step to take to improve my pre-turn, turn and stack. All comments welcomed.

 

http://www.waterskimag.com/features/2010/08/26/how-to-balance-your-offside-turn/

 

http://www.waterskimag.com/features/2010/03/24/how-to-fix-your-offside-turn/

[ForrestGump]

Please take video from the boat. The perspective of that camera view isn't telling us much.

[MISkier]

Agree on taking video from the boat. Also need to see what happens at the previous buoy and the pull across the wake. Often, problems at one particular buoy start earlier.

 

But, I do see this:

 

1. As you pull through the second wake, the handle seems to be away from your hip already. Also, it seems that you are releasing the handle a little earlier than you should be. I think this is costing you width and space before buoy. Both will cause you to finish the turn differently than you want to.

2. Your right shoulder is too closed coming into the turn. Counter-rotate and get that shoulder back a little.

3. At :10 (just about 6-7 feet before the buoy), you look right at the camera. I don't think that is where you want to look just yet. Probably should look downcourse or at the back of the boat. A cross-course look (and a brief one at that) should happen as you round the buoy or immediately after.

4. At :11 (just as you round the buoy), you are already about to take the handle (too early). That is closing you off too soon and likely getting you pulled forward with the handle pulled away from your body (at :21 this is already happening). After this, it just carries more problems into the next buoy and so on.

 

That is my .02

[Deep11]

You will get LOTS of conflicting ideas as there are a number of concepts that allow you to get round in reasonable shape.

One you can add to your list is NOT to try to turn the bouy. What I mean is that at the moment ( from what I can see - which is limited with a video from this angle) you are starting to try to turn straight off the second wake. Instead think of the course as 7 starts:

Like your gate - Get out wide as early as possible, pause while you equalise speed with boat and get balanced, then drop into to your connection to the other side. Do it again .

I would also say that at the level you are at you would do well not to just find a way of running this pass, but start to use a technique / concept that will nurture the good habits you will need as the line shortens.

Trying to get rid of over practised bad habits is what causes us all to plateau.

[gregy]

There's something I tell myself and other that Bruce Butterfield mentions in his What the heck is Handle Control article. Pretend there is a cable connected from the handle to your belly button. As your handle goes out that cable would pull you hips forward.

 

That's pretty basic and easy to remember. Some of the other stuff will start falling into place if you can get your hips forward.

[OldboyII]

Besides issues of skiing technique... which Im not competent at all....

 

Such a lovely morning, sunrise and water like a mirror ..... very nice shooting point & very nice video. Take five!

[mwetskier]

in my opinion you are doing just about everything exactly wrong in that offside turn. you seem uncomfortable with allowing the handle to get too far away from your body during your ' reach ' so you can't open up in the turn. the very second you begin your release you start rotating your upper body around following the arc of the turn and reaching around with your right hand while the handle is still out in front of you.

 

this absolutely dictates that the point of connection with the boat will also be out in front of you so you're instinctively forced to shove your butt out behind you to maintain some sort of balance. therefore it becomes impossible to get to a stacked pulling position. you cannot find a single top skier who pulls across the wakes with his or her handle out in front like you are trying to do.

 

No one is strong enough to resist a pull from out in front like that so you get ' broken ' at the waist. the only way for you to overcome this problem is to stop closing your body off to the boat in your turn. learn to align both shoulders and hips with the rope so that you allow them to open up through the finish of the turn. then *never* reach out for the handle with your right hand. instead ski back to the handle in your open position so your connection point to the boat is with your right hand and handle and right hip together.

 

 

[lcgordon]

This is a carbon copy of the way I ski. So thank guys for all the input. I am going to practice what you guys are saying for him to do.

[TazyMike28]

Thanks guys!

 

@ShaneH point taken - I'm uploading one now.

 

@MISkier @Deep11 @mwetskier @gregy those are all really helpful ideas! thanks.

[TazyMike28]

@OldboyII We've got some great footage skiing on the Swan River, Perth. Take a look at this video I put together:

 

https://www.facebook.com/hitski/videos/10153090635662694/

[TazyMike28]

Video from behind the boat:

 

https://youtu.be/ipaS8i1LCsY

[Than_Bogan]

Watching the boat video, I'm much more concerned about how little speed and angle you are taking into 1/3/5 than I am about your offside turn.

 

In both directions, your upper body is forward, especially during the critical time from the buoy to the first wake. This causes you to pitch forward as you land off the second wake, and act like a brake on your cross-course speed.

 

Focus on where your shoulders and hips are to get your alignment right vs. the boat. Then you'll have so much space before each buoy that you can turn however you feel like :).

[Chef23]

I agree with @Than_Bogan I don't think it is an offside turn issue as much as a stack and gate issue at 14.25. You are much narrower in your gate at 14.25 and aren't working nearly as hard behind the boat as you were at the longer lengths. I see that a lot at new line lengths.

 

Overall I think there could be some improvement on your position behind the boat on both of your pulls. That will create more space before the buoy and make it easier to turn the ski.

[Wish]

@Than_Bogan is correct in your body position. Looks like a big lake worth doing some free skiing and practicing just body position (stack) without the little red buoys getting in the way.

 

I'll add that I don't think the one handed gate is doing you any favors. It is a high risk move in my opinion and serves little advantage for a righty. It is a hard thing to time as the line gets shorter. I'd go back to 2 hand for better control both outbound (you need to be further up on the boat and free of its pull) and inbound for the gates. As the line gets shorter, you get sucked in before you turn in for the gates and get little to no momentum accross course as the boat pull catches you early at the turn in and separates your arms from your hips (no stack..no speed..no angle). This low pendulum start affect continues down the course and you never really catch up to the boat by being higher on the boat at each turn..causing the same separation out of each ball. I do like your patients at ball in the turn. That helps you regain composure. If you continue to do that and work to get higher up on the boat at the gate (which should keep you high in the course), as well as better stack (higher should help that), you'll be runing that short line with ease.

[TazyMike28]

@Than_Bogan @Chef23 @Wish - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!

 

I must admit, while 'getting stacked' always seems to be the answer, I actually find it really hard to go out and implement. My body is so nervous to generate that extra speed (hencing backing off like @Than_Bogan recognised) because I haven't got the feeling of wiping that extra speed with a well timed and executed edge change.

 

@wish I'll try out the 2 handed gate.

 

I'm like @mwetskier 's comment about being uncomfortable when I release one hand on my offside turn - in all the footage I've taken, the desire to reach with the outside arm and grab the handle halfway through the turn is so strong but completely wrong - I need to learn to ski around to the handle.

 

Lots to work on.

[Than_Bogan]

You're nervous to get the speed because of that very same bend at the waist. In that position, the ski "hits the brakes" off the second wake so a lot of speed can go away in a hurry and turn into an OTF.

 

When you get your hips up with the ski and your shoulders in line with your body, that entire feeling will change, and speed will feel GREAT. In fact, the entire pass will end up feeling much slower because of the space you create.

 

Try not to think about "scrubbing speed." In most places in the course you want a ton of speed. Cross-course speed is almost never bad, and sometimes you even need a little down-course speed as the rope gets shorter. If you get enough speed and angle, that creates the room you need to take that speed around the ball and right toward the next one!

[porsche52]

You bend at the waist to get your weight on the front of the ski. You carry your speed well and can dig in on your on-side, but back off the pull too early because you are already hauling butt. If you can hold cross course angle through the wakes ( handle to the waist ) then the out bound direction of the ski will let the ski continue out bound into the turn allowing you to counter rotate and handle your speed in a controlled and relaxed manner. Also, DON'T REACH OUT FOR THE ROPE! I have done it for years. Stops your turn and reduces cross course angle and makes you have to "hook a great on side turn." But screws up the pull and next turn. Had to paid a coach to help me with that one. LOL. I recently moved into a MId-ride and now my off side is better than my on side. Feels awesome and turns on a dime.

 

By the way Kudos on doing as well as you do.!!!!

[TazyMike28]

I've had a break through - on the back of the things you guys said and another key bit of advice. I got some professional coaching two weeks ago and its given me a completely different 'feel' through my offside turn.

 

She says I initiate my offside turns with shoulders - causing my hips to drop back and an inability to get stacked. At first it was hard to get the feel right because I over compensate for the shoulder initiation by over rotating my body, so if I rotate my hips to the same degree then the ski to pointing too far towards to opposite shore.

 

Really concentrating on drive my hips around the offside turn (with a touch a counter rotating) has really worked. I'm now back into 28 off!