How to practice gates?

[Guest]

Hi Ballers. Long time reader, first time poster.

 

What are the best ways to practice gates? I’ve trolled the site, understand the Gut Gate in principle, and listened to SprayMakers. I am looking for a way to actually practice this in open water with a visual marker against the boat.

 

Is there a mark on the boat you look to hit when leaning out at the 55’s? Is there some angle/relation to the boat you look to hit? As high as the transom? Higher for short line? Trent and Rossi were saying 80-90 degrees - I am nowhere close to this. I realize our pullout sets the arc we are now committed to in the pass. Mine is often narrow.

 

We open water ski at 32/32 the few miles of glass on our way to the course. This gives us a lot of water to practice the pullout - but no visual marker other than looking at the boat. I'm currently working on 28 in the course and adding mph.

 

We can also put a zero ball in at our course easily. Has anyone put one of these in as a width/height-on-boat marker for training purposes?

 

Thanks for the help, this community rocks! My gates, not so much.

 

[keithh2oskier]

Welcome to BOS.

 

My $.02...

 

I think your going to have a big challenge free skiing at 32,-32 and then trying to replicate a gate pullout in the course at 28mph (-15?) The speed of the glide, the height you need to get on the boat are all significantly different between those two speeds and rope lengths. For example, if your goal is to get to the width of the 2/4/6 buoys, the angle you need your rope to be at on the boat is going to vary pretty significantly from your free skiing setup to your course setup. I recommend you use free skiing to work on body position for things like pulling across the wake and just be conscious of using every pass in the course a chance to work on the gate timing. Feel free to post video as well.

 

 

[MrBlack]

Thanks @Keith2oskier. Here is a vid:

 

Sorry to not be clear. I'm working on 28/28 in the course. I ran a 28/30 once that felt great. My gates, sucking that they do, means i end up narrow and losing my stack...seen clearly at 4 ball.

 

I'm 6'4" about 185 on a HOCX SL 67 ZO @ B2. I used to be on a 69" of the same ski...then i got serious about skiing and lost over 45lbs.

[MattP]

You are way inside the 2/4/6 line when you turn in. You need to be much wider on your gate so that you can turn in with speed. Start pulling out earlier and hold it longer.

[MrBlack]

So basically try to be as even with the pylon as possible as the result of energy created by the pull/lean-out?

 

If that is the case, I can work on that over and over heading down river to the course.

 

Thank you very much guys!

[aquaman35]

Is that the Niagara River near Grand Island? I have seen a course there for years but never seen it used.

[BobF]

I know that course! Was fortunate enough to be able to ski in it a few weeks ago. That end is very challenging to get a good gate due to the approach the boat has to take. I think on the way out your goal should just be to get up as high on the boat as possible, while maintaining speed and a tight line on the turn in. Nice skiing!

[Horton]

@MrBlack being almost parallel to the pylon should be everyone's goal but at 28 off it is not necessarily realistic.

 

The point of being wide on your gate is to make speed to the first wake so you can just cast out to one ball. in that video you are drifting and blending in and not really creating speed on the way to the gate.

 

The perfect gate requires you to be as wide as is practical, turn in for the gate at the exact moment that the boat is moving down the lake faster than you are, and then make as much speed as possible to the first wake without losing control.

[MrBlack]

@BobF, I think you were in my boat a few weeks back with your son and lady friend. Open invite. Nice skiing back at ya...dont spike ZO.

 

@aquaman35, 3-4 times a week early. Most saturdays we have 3-6 boats hanging out or around the point tricking/free skiing. Course is in until 10/15ish and we ski until 10/31 open water. Ping me if you want to meet up.

 

@MattP and @Horton, I’ll be putting this to work free skiing and in the course tomorrow AM - thank you.

[EFW]

@aquaman35 Hey Ron when are you ever going to come up to Teresa's? That was the first course I ever skied on in my life in 1984. I think Dave Holler put that in. I don't know if you'll remember he got killed taking a friend's cabover hydro for a spin in the fall years back on the river and it broke up and he broke his neck. It's kind of cool to ski there. If you fall on the side of the river rather than the island you can feel the current start pull you towards the falls.

 

https://greaterniagarawaterskiclub.com/2021/03/28/how-to-water-ski-for-beginners/

[EFW]

@MrBlack - from the Peace bridge it's 20 minutes to here. Come on over.

 

https://greaterniagarawaterskiclub.com/2021/03/28/how-to-water-ski-for-beginners/

 

Great people. Just so you know I live in the states. I have a better time with these people than I do on my own course.

[aquaman35]

EFW -Ed, I will be up there next year. I have a issue with my foot. I should be healed up soon.

[EFW]

@aquaman35 Right on man! Lower body injuries - sounds familiar.

[h2onhk]

@horton "The perfect gate requires you to be as wide as is practical, turn in for the gate at the exact moment that the boat is moving down the lake faster than you are, and then make as much speed as possible to the first wake without losing control."

 

This is a great simplified statement on gate timing. Question is, how do you maintain that "exact moment" if you pull out too early or too late? When my pull out-glide timing is perfect, my turn in is in tune with the boat and I have a solid ball 1 with very little slack. If i'm early, I drift back and loose my opportunity to create enough speed. If i'm too late, I rush the turn before i'm completely connected with the boat. This really hurts me the most on my 32off passes and I get killed at 35. Are there techniques to open the skiing window to allow some minor error on the gate?

 

34mph

[Horton]

@h2onhk

 

Simply put if you pull out too early or too late you're screwed.

 

You need to strive for consistency. You need to always stand in exactly the same place in a relation to the wake before you pull out. You need to try to have a mindset to make your pull out to the left as consistent as possible both in intensity and in length of lean. Once you are consistent on all these points then you need to only adjust one of them at a time.

 

As a coach I tried to never tell a skier they should pull out harder or later or whatever but tell them they need to be wider or earlier or later at turn in and let the skier adjust the one parameter that they're comfortable with.

 

NOTE: I'm not saying anything about technique. Before you can apply some technique you have to have a consistent baseline pull out. You need to be able to do it the same over and over and over again.

[lpskier]

“Your gate goal is to turn in from the same width at the same spot with the same speed every time.” Jeff Rodgers

[lpskier]

Jeff also said: “Pull out. When you’re at your spot, wait. When you think you’re going to miss the left gate, wait three more feet and then go like heck.”

 

[h2onhk]

Fair enough. I figured there wasn't a magic solution. Practice Practice Practice

 

great excuse to ski more!

[Joeprunc]

I'm not a tournament skier, so take it for what its worth....I've gotten better at my gates by not worrying about going though them....hear me out here. I've seen too many people start learning the course and modify their lean in or cut (to the gates) to ensure they go through the gates. Which usually results in a extremely loaded line, or a soft pull. The pull through the gates is what is going to get you wide and early to 1. If one were to only focus on getting wide and finding the correct skier to boat speed to cut in, your muscle memory of a good pull out and efficient cut will start building consistency. Once that consistency is built then work backwards and adjust your initial pull out.

 

I don't get paid to ski so take it for what its worth.

[MDB1056]

A lot of great advice above, but IMO the best is on consistency and timing. When to pull out based on where you or the boat relative to 55's, is a start. Practicing is easy, just do it over and over. I do find it harder to get wide on a longer line (15-22) than shorter lengths. At the longer lines I'm more focused on the turn IN than maximizing width on the pull out as there is plenty of rope at those lengths to run the pass if I get a good gate. So the proper timing of the turn in is more my focus to help insure an early turn on 1 ball to set the pace for the pass.

[MDB1056]

[BobF]

@MrBlack Yep, that was me. Thanks again for the pull! Same goes for you if you're ever in MD or eastern NC. Let me know and I'll get you a set.

[MrBlack]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

I managed one epic gate a few weeks ago.

 

I ended up even with the pylon at 28off/30mph and figured this is what I have so let’s cut in and get after it. For the record, I had no intention being that high on the boat.

 

The result...the fastest I’ve ever been to 1 ball. By 2 ball I was so early and wide I was ready to turn back for 3 and I was not at 2 ball yet...which resulted in a fall as I tried to adjust.

 

It was addictive and I’’m after another hit!

 

Our weather has turned and the boat is about to hibernate. Offseason goal is muscle gain and conditioning to manage loads from shorter lengths.

 

Next year...goal is consistency, consistency, consistency of getting up on the boat at the same spot pre-gate then driving that handle to the shoreline.

 

I appreciate all the help. I’m jealous of you warm climate ballers.