brooks

McCormicks is good, Parker Staver is the main one coaching there and he knows his stuff. Good ski lake, new Ski Nautiques, good coach, can't go wrong.

gates, always a fun topic! I think the easiest way to think of it is you want to carry the same speed from your pullout through the turn in for 1. If you pullout hard you are going to have to slow down and then speed back up to get speed through the gate. If you are slow you are going to have to pull hard in for the gate. By continually carrying speed through your pull out/turn in you never have to spike the line with a pull from a wide point. By continually building your speed from a wide point you allow yourself to release and carry speed off the 2nd wake as opposed to dumping your speed and ending up inside.. some keys to remember. if you move out with your shoulders you will get pitched back to the boat so initiate with your core. if you move away until you move back in you never have a point where you are stagnant and imbalanced. by carrying the same speed through the pullout and back in you can gradually build your speed to a point that is containable. Width is your friend on the gate. A lot of people focus on one ball too early and are narrow from the start

@horton you are on it! @chuck what he said is right on @skibug that is a great article I would recommend everyone read it. The big key I focus on is as you turn begin feeling pressure on the trailing arm. If you stay all on your leading arm you will pitch back to the inside off the second wake like Horton described. As you exit the second wake a lot of people begin to feel that pressure again in the leading arm so they can feel themselves stay away from the boat. As opposed to telling people to pull from this position I often tell people to be aware of where that arm is so you can be conscience to continue the direction outbound. I wrote an article last year called Freedom(http://www.thewilsonbros.com/2011/05/freedom.html) that touches on the release off the second wake. Maybe give that a look.

Okay @Roger I see what you are saying now. I just looked at the fall issue as well. It seems that the mag did write ups on Nate in both the March and Fall issues and both fall on page 65, crazy. What's interesting too is that in the fall 2011 issue in the 1st bullet point the say to feel the pressure on your lead arm though the edge change which would be a direct comparison to the March article except correctly identifying at as the leading arm. This whole discussion has been a maze!

@horton i'm a little upset it is in writing because i would deny it to the death otherwise

I have now looked at the article, it is in the march issue which most of you said, not sure where you got fall @roger but it is page 65 like you said! He is referring to his right arm as the trailing arm. When I coach I would refer to my left arm as the trailing arm in this position and I know many others would as well. The terminology is definitely confusing in the way it is written but the principle isn't a bad one. In this situation I tend to think of it a little different than him because It can be confusing to people which is evident by the discussion, but hey he's the one crushing 41 right now! Ultimately a lot of you guys are right on with what you are saying. I believe what Nate is trying to describe is the feeling of keeping everything moving away from the boat and making sure the line stay tight by carrying the direction away from centerline. When he is talking about pressure in that right arm it is used to carry himself over his ski and making sure he is connected to the handle. I will still refer to my trailing arm the same way as I described in my previous post and I would say 99% of the time you will hear it that way as well

The goal with reaching is to get outside the bouy. If your ski is continually going outbound and the line stays tight as you reach you've done it correctly. However if you reach a wide point and then reach back to the boat crating slack you are not doing it right. I try to teach my students to constantly think about going out until you begin to move back in. @Than and @Horton are right on!

When I am coaching I refer to the trailer arm as the one that comes back on to the handle after the turn. So coming out of 1,3,5 this would be the right arm and coming out of 2,4 it would be the left. After you complete the turn and put your trailing arm back on the handle it is good to then begin to feel the pull through said trailing arm. By doing this you can feel the pull evenly, allowing you to stay balanced behind the boat. I was just looking for the mag to see what article you were talking about but couldn't find it. I will look for it again and see if I can clarify what was said there.

ya tony!! sick shot, go vote!

We might just have to get on that one, i like it!

Well that sure is a lot of good stuff to write about. I better get to it! look for some new threads in the coming days. As for a gate article, there will be one in the next waterskier.

Radar makes double handles, I can see this turning into a contest, could be fun! http://radarskis.com/#!-/ropes/-/6DbleHndlw75

I am starting to work on some new articles. What topics do you guy find interesting or want to hear more about?

@MS i've been staring at page 24 for a while now, you talking about the bouy being yellow?

That would be fun @richarddoane, we'll stay in touch! @horton can't come though

I was up there in the beginning of the year for a few days after the Portland Boat Show but hoping to get a trip up there this summer

@OB That is very true, you want to reach your maximum speed at the right hand gate ball. If you turn in hard you are too slow by the time you reach the second wake and can't carry the speed out. You definitely seem to be on the right track. Keep it up.

Anytime guys, love to talk skiing, feel free to ask questions whenever

There is definitely a mental side of it but the physical has more to it. You can think about the position you want to be in all day long but to do it is actually one thing. It's not easy to be in a "stacked" position, actually it's difficult. To be in this position requires a lot of core strength which is why if you dont finish a turn balanced it is very difficult to get your hips up to the handle. leaving your hips behind and sagging is much easier to do and is a much slower, safe feeling. Your speed cross course comes much easier in a stacked position. You move through the wakes quicker and carry speed out better but if it was so easy why wouldn't every one do it? A lot of people I see fear going out the front when they are in this position however going out the front comes from leading with your shoulders. Being "stacked" or "in-line" as I like to call it is when your feet, hips and shoulders are in a straight line with not a particular one of the three ahead of or behind the other. Most people fear this position when crossing the wakes which is why you can do it pulling out for your gate or to drop at the ends. As people turn bouys and head to the wake a lot of times you can see them get into a "safety" position which results in dropping your hips behind you. I encourage people to slowly work on this as it can be difficult to go from one extreme to the other. Work on the finish of turns and bringing your hips to the handle and moving cross course. Slowly work on getting them closer every time and if it doesn't happen right away don't get frustrated but keep working to get it better. I dont normally recommend skiing with your ski in front of you but for some people they feel more comfortable at first if their feet are a little ahead of the rest. If you are like that it is okay but as you continue to progress keep everything working to the final goal of being "in-line" bringing your hips up and feet back to a balanced position. Kind of long winded but hope that helps.

We are in Orlando for anyone else that wondered

Let's get it planned out!

Awesome Jim, keep working at it!

we hardly ever wear speedos, for the most part, sometimes

obviously us righties have a bit of an advantage going toeside on the way out but a leftie can still be good at it. I try to get people to move their hip set forward and think about being on the balls of their feet. this can be a tricky concept though because it has a tendency to make people use their shoulders to initiate the move. All moves should be initiated with the core and ideally everything moving in the same direction at the same time.

being back on the water must be an awesome feeling, good to hear!!