Nate Regina Andy Kris Bob - all right palm down - does it matter ? YES !

[swbca]

@TEL give it some time . . it will be worth it. Tie a rope to a tree in your yard and get into the new habit. Its snowing here, so I have it my basement as part of my daily workout.

[MDB1056]

Jeff Rodgers, Wim Decree, Kristi OJ, etc, etc...... "Correct" is more common yes, but certainly not required to ski at any level

[cruznski]

@VONMAN I need to give credit to Gordon R too, he guided me to correct grip during a visit to Ski Paradise in the late 90's, I did not do so till 01-02 timeframe, it helped my symmetry a lot. One of my ski partners is RFF skis with incorrect grip and always slams 2,4,6 ( @BG1 ), for him that's just how he skis. I would even maintain that those who ski at very high levels with 'incorrect' grip get it all done on their on-side (Jeff Rodgers for instance).

[MISkier]

Mike Kjellander also has the "incorrect grip", I believe. I always wondered if that was a factor in the 1,3,5 slam dunk style.

[Adam Caldwell]

There are mechanical reasons behind why the grip influences stack, connection and ultimately the turns. Learn what those are, and just aim to improve on the weaknesses with whichever grip your using.

[jeblanc]

I'm RFF and was right palm up for years because I didn't know any better. I switched last year when I started skiing on a course and did notice a difference. I spent weeks holding a rope handle the correct way while I watched television to get gain muscle memory. It made switching a lot more seamless.

[lpskier]

@roger Yes, but he won a world championship with the “correct” grip!

[DaveD]

I'm planning to order a bent handle to help with a golfer's elbow issue. Will I lose some of that "mechanical" advantage of the correct grip by using a bent handle?

[Skoot1123]

@DaveD - no. It feels a little different at first, but the bend is so subtle that you’ll hardly notice it your second set. You’ll also find less stress in your elbow. Out of curiosity sake - what handle diameter are you using?

[lpskier]

@CBR51 If it was “back in the day,” those LFF slalom skiers could have jumped Texas style and not needed to switch grips.

[A_B]

I have been told this pic of Camille shows RFF and Right hand up, but I am having trouble finding the handle...

 

 

[DaveD]

@Skoot1123 I use a 1.062 dia handle.

[swbca]

@Horton Another great skier who gripped "wrong". Cindy Todd at 1969 Nationals in Berkley. She isn't current but her beauty is timeless so she gets a picture.

 

I was skiing with the Berkley Club at the time and snapped this shot from a spare judge's tower.

[Skoot1123]

@DaveD - going up in diameter also helped me with elbow pain.

[swbca]

My 14 year old son never became famous.. Was it because his grip was wrong ? B)

 

 

[Horton]

@swbca that shot of Cindy is awesome. I'm totally stealing that and repurposing with appropriate photo credit given. :-)

 

I believe at the time of that photograph she was living in training at my parents lake in Newberry.

 

Do you have more classic photos in the archive?

 

In the 50 years since that picture of Cindy at Berkeley we learned lots of new stuff. The sport has evolved. The question about what is the best way to hold the handle is no longer a debate. Obviously there are a handful of skiers who have done well backwards grip but they are the absolute minority.

[swbca]

@Horton I'm hoping that correcting my grip will offset the additional of 35 years of age this coming season . . . can always dream.

 

If you wish I can clean up the original high resolution scan and send you a download link. I did a 5 minute cleanup for the photo you see, but the high res image hasn't been cleaned up. If you would rather wait for the better version of Cindy, let me know . . it would be later today, or when ever I hear from you.

 

I don't have any other water ski photography of known skiers.

 

In 1996 I bought a Nikon 35mm scanner and scanned all the worthwhile negatives and slides going back to my Dad's stuff from 1950. I am always surprised that no one is ever curious how I have "new" looking photography from 50-70 year old pictures (when posted on facebook etc). 35mm negatives deteriorate badly, so scanning the old negatives I had 25 years ago, couldn't be done today.

 

The best accidental archiving of photography is from contact prints sitting around in attics. A 100 year old black/white print from a 4x5 negative is better than any 35mm negative or transparency.

[lpskier]

@A_B Yup, Camille was RFF left palm down.

[TEL]

Today will be my first day skiing the course with the correct grip. I have skied 5 sets free style over the past few weeks getting comfortable, after many years doing it wrong. Still not sure. Will update later, just waiting on my ski bud to drive. He is trying a new ski today should be an interesting day

[swbca]

@TEL As you know skiing in the course has different demands than free skiing. When you call on your slalom course skills, the wrong hand is likely to come back intermittently. Let us know how long it takes for the "correct" grip to become comfortable in the course. I have to do the same thing . . when the ice goes out. It will be interesting to hear out it goes for you.