Spraymakers - Season 4 - Episode 20 - Back Foot Bandits

[ROBOT]

Many skiers struggle with standing balanced over their ski. The number one default is standing on the back foot and the boys walk through how to correct this action.

[UWSkier]

[carlm6298]

Another great  podcast Thankyou!    I am a back foot bandit.. 😩

[KRoundy]

This episode is so good! I’ve listened to it twice, and along with some other coaching I think I am finally getting the idea. So much to learn in this sport.

[UWSkier]

I do the glide with my back heel up, and I try my best to timber to 10 and 2, but the concept of having the weight on the balls of my feet is something I just can't make myself feel.

[HMan66]

Guilty. Bad habit from 40+ years of free skiing where “big spray” was the name of the game. I’ve spent this whole summer just working on better form. Course skiing is such a different animal. 

[jhughes]

This is a sport where hearing the right words for you, those words that cause a lightbulb to turn on, is key. Each Spraymakers episode is doing a great job of this. There are really only a couple of fundamental concepts that people don't get, or refuse to get, and they say the same thing in very different ways in each episode. Front foot is the same as balance, not over pulling, alignment, efficiency, pre turn, handle control, line tension, etc etc etc. just said a different way. Great job by these guys, this is the best material out there right now.

[chaloux]

This couldn't be released at a better time for me, haha. Excellent! 

[Przybyla]

The clock face reference is hard for me to understand. Can someone create a graphic to help represent what would be considered 12 for reference when you are riding a high line along side the boat?

[jjackkrash]

I assumed when I listened 12 o'clock would be looking straight down course parallel with the bouy line.   On the gates a move to 2 o'clock would be a move forward but also toward the pylon putting pressure on the inside tip of the ski.  

Edited August 31, 2023 by jjackkrash

[KRoundy]

Rossi has mentioned this before if you go back and listen - you might try one of the episodes on gates? His move to turn into the gate is not back, but forward, at the moment you and the boat match speeds. Noon is straight down the course so 2:00 is a move forward and up to the right, dropping into the turn. I've been struggling with this term, "dropping in" but I think I'm starting to get it. Old habits are hard to break.

[Mastercrafter]

I have this tendency to hear things and then way over-implement them. This was Monday’s attempt to get off my back foot after listening to Spraymakers on the way to the lake.  Nailed it.  

Edited August 31, 2023 by Mastercrafter

[UWSkier]

2 hours ago, Mastercrafter said:

I have this tendency to hear things and then way over-implement them. This was Monday’s attempt to get off my back foot after listening to Spraymakers on the way to the lake.  Nailed it.  

I have a common saying after those.  "That was going great right up until it wasn't!"

[MDB1056]

Outstanding installment gentlemen. Thank you. It's these sessions that help crystallize the issues that we are (90%) subject to doing wrong daily. The requirement to benefiting from them then is daily repetition . For this piece, free skiing is the best way to drill. Step by step by step.      

Edited August 31, 2023 by MDB1056

[tjs1295]

I'm a novice free skier who just listened to this episode. I heard some things that I've heard in the past. Weight on the balls of your feet, stand over the ski, etc. Within the last month or so there was an instagram post reposted on this site from Joel Howley. I don't have instagram, so I can't listen to it again or share it. He was instructing a skier. I listened to it multiple times to make sure I was hearing his advice correctly. Joel told the skier he was too far on his toes, and that he needed to drive more with his heels, and should be pushing the ski out in from of him. This seems to be the complete opposite of this Spraymakers episode. Did I misinterpret either one of these messages? Please help me get the correct info through my thick skull and into my tiny brain, because it's about to explode with confusion.

[MDB1056]

@tjs1295 the main message here is stand over the ski. Too much of any position can be a problem, so yes too much to the front is not good. For most of us mere mortals we need to intentionally be more on the balls of our feet to correctly stand over the ski and offset our auto- response of falling back. Ideally if we’re positioned correctly over the ski we’re well balanced on our feet too ( no extremes) . We all agree you can’t ski well using only half of each foot. If you watch some of the most technically correct pros like Dane Mechler- you’ll see how well aligned he stays always, and standing over the ski. Look at him in the LFF thread clip posted here recently. If you get well aligned over your ski your weight will be more forward . I work on this constantly . 

[jjackkrash]

@tjs1295, my non-expert take:

Without hearing or seeing the context of what Joel was trying to correct with a specific skier its tough to know, but it is quite possible you heard both right and the advice is somewhat inconsistent.  There are different schools of thought in this sport and Radar and Connelly have a different design philosophy on what they want the ski to do.  In other videos, I have heard Joel state that the goal of the Connelly line is to ride deeper in the water but to hold speed.  He has been working on the line for a long time and I suspect it reflects what he is trying to do on the ski.  And the GT/GTR/DV8 is a skinnier ski than the Vapor.  I own both skis and they are very different animals.  The design philosophy of the Vapor seems to me to be reflected more in what Rossi and Trent are talking in about in all their episodes.  Get up over the top/front of the ski and step on the gas. 

I would love to hear a conversation with Rossi and Trent and Joel talking about what they want the ski to do and the best way to get there.  There are going to be many commonalities but I'd bet there are some nuanced differences.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by jjackkrash

[tjs1295]

Thanks for the replies. I can see the video from Joel on his instagram account, just can’t listen to it anymore. He definitely said to press through your heels and have the ski in front/ahead of you. Spraymakers said the complete opposite in this episode. Man, it’s just confusing for me. I’ve heard the Spraymakers advice way more than the other way around though. Oh well, as long as we’re having fun. 

Edited September 2, 2023 by tjs1295

[MDB1056]

@tjs1295- I’ve been in Connelly for many years and they do ride very deep, but do still require proper positioning over the ski to make it work correctly as @jjackkrash noted of riding deep but not losing speed .