webbdawg99

As is the basis of this post, not all people interpret what is being coached to them the same. For years I heard the phrase "counter-rotate" but was never quite able to put it into practice. However, after my ski partner got some lessons down at Trophy, he came back with a new interpretation. He told me to "twist". Although this may seem to be a small or indistinguishable difference to some, that little change in verbage opened up a whole new level of skiing for me!

Yep.....IE was the problem. I guess I'm old school

Are there any known problems currently? There is no video when I load the page. There's just a large blank space with the write-up by George below....

Is he still rocking the stache?

Generally speaking, having a "starting point" may help some newer skiers get a feel for the dimensions of the course. However, as a tournament skier, relying on that marker could prove more hurtful when you show up to a tournament and your usual point of reference is not available to you. When I was first learning the course, Ray Crenshaw gave me some very simple yet good advice. Pull out when the boat goes through the pre-gates, get wider than the 2-4 ball line, and begin your roll in for the gates as the boat passes through the gates. Ever since then, I have used the boats relation to the course as part of my cues of when to pull out and when to roll in. Obviously, those points change with speed, line length, and experimentation. But the good news is that no matter where you ski, you'll always have a boat you can reference instead of a turn in marker!

@OB Makes perfect sense to me. However, according to some others on the thread, "anticipate" is not a good word.....although I still can't figure out why....

@smanski I've never seen anyone go around the zero ball at 35, make the gates, and still be in good position for 1. I did watch Will Asher RUN OVER our zero ball at 35, and ski inside of it at 38 and 39. No ONE point will be the perfect starting place for all line lenghts. But as a general place to mark....that seems to be a good one.

@OB can march around Disney for 3 days, but per his own email, he can't help work at the lake this weekend. BURN!!!! By the way....HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD GUY!

@MS I know we briefly discussed the Txi on another thread. Do you ski different ZO settings behind the Txi than a 200 or MC? I could NOT ski behind that boat to save my life. I'm sure its 99% in my head, but thought I'd ask....

Where the zero ball, or seventh ball would be. Same relation to 1 ball as 2 ball is to 3 ball.

I think a big part of being a good driver is not only being responsive to whats happening with the skier, but also being able to ANTICIPATE what is going to happen. For example, knowing at 1-3-5 you're going to want to steer a little left to compensate.....and a little right at 2-4-6. I like the phrase, "give the skier the ass end of the boat". I think getting this technique down and being able to time it appropriately, with the right amount of correction, is a big part of being a good driver. And as already mentioned before, this can only come with time behind the wheel!

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@MattP 8-9 thousandths is a huge move.....and you don't have to be getting deep into 39 to feel it

I'm having an internal struggle on how much time to spend focusing on particular line lenghts..... Here's the scenario: I ski 2 sets, 2-3 times per week....4-6 sets per week total. My goal for this year was to get my ranking average into 38 off. I decided to spend more time practicing 35 this year than I did last year. It has paid off as I have run 35 in my last 2 tournaments. However, when I get to 38, its almost like I'm just taking a stab at it. I've only cut to 38 2 or 3 times this year in practice. My typical first set is 2 passes at 28, 2 passes at 32, and 2 passes at 35. My second set I make a tournament round. 28, 32, 35, 38, back to work at 35. I'm very consistent at 28 and 32. I'm currently running 35 about 60% of the time. I want to spend more time on 38 now, but don't want to neglect or overlook my other passes. Any suggestions and or advice on what my sets should look like to better prepare myself this year?

I've been a LOYAL HO skier for years. I started skiing the course on an HO VTX, then went to a Phantom, then Phantom Truth, then a System 8, and now an A1. I am leaning towards the A2 as my next ride, but some of my ski buds tell me I need to get outside the HO "box" and try something else. I have not tried the A2 and honestly don't know much about the ski. I'm REALLY curious about the Strada. I think Horton did a pretty extensive A2 review. The truth of the matter is that ALL of these skis (A2, A1, Goode, X7, Strada, Elite etc) are capable of running 39+ off. So at the end of the day, I know its me and not that ski, but if one ski "fits" or helps better than another, I'll take every competitive advantage I can get! I may look into doing a demo program through H2Osmosis. Every ski I've bought in the past, I've bought blind, without a test ride.

Obviously, Goodes dominate the podiums for the 34 mph guys. But it seems there's a mixed bag among the 36ers. It looks like from the M1 photo there were 2 HO's and 1 O'brien. So, I'd say A2, X7, and Strada are the top 3....in no particular order. I've been on an A1 for 2 seasons now. Its taken me to my PB of 4@38...but I'm thinking about making a swithc. I can't decide if I stay on the HO train or try something new. But I'm pretty sure it won't be a Goode....at least not until I reach M3!

In my opinion, the biggest difference when going to 36 is that your edge change needs to happen a split second sooner than at 34.

Not including those that are sponsored to ski on certain skis, what brand/model of ski was most common on the podium at Nationals for 36 mph skiers? (B3, M1, M2)

I've incorporated it into some of my training. It's definitely great for endurance for skiing sets. But whats best about it is the fact that it ramps up your metabolism for days!

I can understand and somewhat agree with the sentiment of running a pass "perfectly" before practicing the next loop. However, it's now tournament season, and I don't want my first look at a new loop to be in that situation. Comfort and confidence is a huge factor at any length....and the only way to get there is practice and repetition.

I'm not sure I buy the "ski it just like 35" advice. When someone is trying to run 32, I say ski it like 28. When trying to run 35, ski it like 32. But something changes at 38 in my opinion, and that article in Waterski Mag highlights that point....which was the original reason for this post. Following the "ski it like 35" advice....if you ski 32 like 28, 35 like 32, and 38 like 35, then you would ski 28 and 38 the same. Something is very different at 38. Maybe it's the fact that, for the first time, the handle won't reach the buoy. Idk, but Wade Cox and Waterski Mag argued that 38 was skied differently than 28-35. Maybe it's due to my current lack of ability and/or understanding, but I tend to agree with them. I'd like to see the percentages of amateur skiers running 35 vs the number running 38. Id expect to see a significant drop off. I'm a M2 skier....running 35 put you on the podium at 2010 Nationals, and running 38 is done by only a handful of guys.....almost putting these guys in the Open division. Part of the problem here is that I'm talking about 36mph, and I believe most on this forum are referring to 34. I would be inclined to believe that 35 and 38 are more similar at 34 than 36. I think the increased speed only highlights and amplifies whatever differences do exist.

Yes. 3@39 at 36 is the same buoy count at 3@41 at 34.

I see several comments regarding not backsiding the ball and feeling late. This is something OB and I have discussed many times. It seems that at 38, the ski travels outside the buoy at the peak of its arc. If I did that at another line lenght, I'd feel late and try to make it up behind the boat. I think accepting that you AREN'T late is a big part of it. Obviously, being comfortable with a pass takes lots of practice. But I think its also important to understand the physics, angles, and dimensions. @Than Bogan, I'd like to see the article done again with a Nate Smith or Chris Parrish. Wade Cox was the man of his time. I'm curious if the same change in speed at 38 would occur with the younger generation. I'd venture a bet to say you'd see the same speed increase at 38. I'd love to get Waterski Mag to do it again!

I slowed the boat to 35.5 today to get a better feel for the dimensions of 38 off....ran clean through 4 and came just inside of 5. Thought I had it ran. I'm pumped!

Several years ago, Waterski Magazine did an article featuring Wade Cox. If my memory serves me correclty, they used a radar gun to record his speed through the gates at 28 through 39 maybe? All of the recorded speeds for 28, 32, and 35 were exactly the same. However, when he shortened to 38, there was a 2-3 mph speed increase. The conclusion of the article was that maybe this speed difference is why so many amateur skiers can run 35, but not 38. I'm starting to consistently run 35 @ 36mph now....but running 38 seems like a near impossible task. What are your experiences and opinions on this increase in speed or other fundamental differences between 35 and 38?