Rich

I find it interesting no one has talked about what really causes tip rise in the 1st place. (hint, it isn't about minor adjustments to the fin blade) It happens because the skier loses outbound direction, travels in the direction of the boat and loses speed. It may feel like when this happens the skier is going fast, however the distance traveled becomes less if you lose outbound direction. When you travel in the direction of the boat instead of outbound the ski actually turns to sharp causing tip rise. The turn should look like a big half circle radius. If you lose the radius in front of the ball, you will get tip rise at the completion of the turn. The turn starts at the white water and ends at the white water. @Toddl that is a good point, practice standing on the ski outside of the course in a stacked position, ankles bent forward, knees bent forward so you can achieve that postioning in the course. The toughest work begins at the white water in the preturn. Most skiers start to relax here. They have "pulled" to hard through the wake, relax in the preturn, lose outbound direction and "hook" the turn. It should be resist through the wake, keeping the ski on edge, resist more off the 2nd wake and rise up with both hands on the handle, feel the momentum of the boat try to rotate you toward it and resist this with the leading arm through your core.

I run 38 95% in practice. Learning 39 is tough. Best score in tournament this year is 2 @ 39 5 @39 in practice. I have found by breaking down technique and discribing it in the forum helps me to articulate what I feel. I'm very kenestic (sp) I'll get thru 39 soon. Goal is to always make 38 and be consistent at 3-4 @39; in Men 5 that will just about do it.

You are a good skier, and do many things right, however you have asked for help on getting to the next level. here is some additional feedback. Your 1st movement appears to be back. When you turn in for the gate you let your hip fall back, this creates a "windshield" wiper turn. Consistently you do 2 things that you can improve on. fall back. don't stay on handle long enough (get twisted toawrd boat) To correct, stay on the handle longer and stand up more as you approach the apex with your hips up on the gate lean out. Counter more with 2 hands on the handle before you relase hand for turn in. Once your 2nd hand gets back on the handle Feel the pressure on your leading arm, point your knees in the direction you would like to go, allow your ankle and knees to bend as you allow the force to build in the leading arm. Keep you hips up, knees bent. don't allow you hips to fall back. Feel the load in the lead arm all the way to 1 ball. Stay on the handle longer as you approach 1 ball. As you move out from the center line, off the 2nd wake the pull from the boat will try to twist you towards it, resist this (this is where you really resist and counter) stay on the handle untill the line and handle go slightly behind you. This will look like your right arm is straight and your inside left arm will be bent, this will allow you to come up over your ski more. The line should be pulled slightly from you, you don't reach, it will be pulled from you if done correctly (If you loaded to hard to early at the turn in it becomes harder to feel the line being pulled away). You will be more stacked or aligned over your front foot if this is done correctly. As the line is pulled away the ski will swing out around the ball. The ski will then come between you and the boat as your 2nd hand comes back on the handle. Allow the load to transition to the lead arm as you move forward toward the 2 ball. (offside for you) repeat and resist.

To me it looks like you get a little more tip rise on the off side. You could add length to the blade. However it appears that you never get in a stacked position when there is a load on you. I believe this is about core strength. I would work on getting stronger core muscles with plyo drills, box jumps and other athletic movements,and yoga movements like these. Try adding Bikram Yoga to your offseason this year. Go 4-5 times per week. This will help in standing over your feet on your ski. Good Luck!

does it have anything to do with the eyes being closed?

I have heard of this "method" I heard it was actually perfected by Dennis Schriber. However I believe this is the position and wanted to get some feedback...

I watched you ski all rounds. My take is that you have to come up on this ski on the onside turn. It is less critical on offside for some reason. ( Ielieve it has to do with the forward rocker on this ski) That is my take. My experience with the ski is that if I get over the ski on my onside it turns really good, if I don't rise up as I approach the onside apex I will end up with a tail turn. The offside is the best I have ever had and seems to have eliminated the dropping of the inside shoulder that was so common for me and others on the offside to get a ski to finish. Before you start changing settings and binding placement try coming up on the ski as you approach the apex of on side turn, I believe that will solve the problem. My 2 cents after watching you and also my experince of the ski.

okeeheelee is a great site, deep water, still, as long as a strom doesn't blow thru. I have always had great scores there. However I have skied in a few rain stroms too! Had my best performance in white caps! LOL !!! 3@39

correction; traditional shaped nano

No, Terry was not on Nano one he was on a traditional shape 65.25 9900 Thats a fact!

http://www.goode.com/nanoone-preview.htm

when going towards 2 ball lead arm is left, going to 3 right

sking men 5 & Big Dawg

he did get a reride

Great comments Ed, I really like your discription. I agree with all and agree that COM will face outbound off the 2nd wake more with this technique. I do believe that most of the load is always on the lead arm untill the moment you actuall release. I also like the idea of keeping the inside elbow on the hip before you release @Marco . As I think more deeply about this I believe that you keep the pressure on the outside/leading arm, As you release the load from the lead arm give a moment and maintain body awareness to the inside elbow and maintain it at the hip before you allow the extention. Nate does seem to do that. This has been a great discussion. By the way in my mind there is no old school / new school. There is efficient or in efficient. I want to be as efficient as possible.

to jim, yes when your arm comes off the handle it won't be straight, and that is a few feet before actual apex, the ski will go out further and hit the final apex.

to Ski dog, the trailing arm doesn't work for me, and doesn't appear to be what he does

slack is always from a lack of outbound direction

at 35 in the bag speed is always good. What you discribe is losing cross course direction which feels fast, but actually means you are going in the direction of the boat which feels fast. (And is actually slower) Andy Mapple does it best. He can stay on his leaning edge longer than anyone, and still be strong enough to maintain outbound direction keeping his torso away from the boat. Nate Smith also does this with an earlier edge change. Andy is a different beast and I believe is very strong in his ability to stay on leaning edge and still keep outbound direction. Speed is always your friend and it means you are maintaning angle, which increases distance traveled, which will feel slow & controlled.

I believe that most of the load is in the lead arm. I feel the trailing arm is more for stabilization. If my lead arm is loaded, ankels & knees bent, pointing in the direction of travel works best for me. I have read where some pros disagree, however after considerable experimentation I believe that my discription is the most efficeint way to both get the ski on maximum edge, which creates more angle from white water to white water, it also alows to maintain outbound direction. This out bound direction is the big seperater between good skiers & great skiers.

This is what seperates the 28 skier from the 38 skier in my opinion. I believe I have mastered this technique and my sking at 38 has gotten more consistent. It starts at the white water on the turn before the edge change. When your second hand comes on the handle. The leading arm must be in a locked postition completly straight like a steel pole. Maintain that leading arm straight all the way to the apex of the next turn without allowing your upper body to rotate toward the boat as you move out off the second wake. As you leave the water water, if you have done this your inside arm will begin to bend, keep the inside arm on your vest, maintaing the outside arm striaght. Not only will this maintain outward direction it will also bring your body up over your front foot at the apex so the next pre turn, (It should really be the turn, as the turn begins at the white water in front of the buoy and ends at the white water after the buoy) When done in the manner described the turn will look like a half circle from overhead.

40 years ago this summer I met a Dark, loud, muscular man in the Delta at Diablo Water Ski Club who would become like a BIG brother to me. Rich was one of the best boat drivers and even in 1972 was pulling and practicing with one of the best slalom skiers at the time, Leroy Burnett. Once you got to know Rich it was easy to see this man had a heart of gold. When he pulled you through a difficult pass he would tip his cap a little sideways and with a giant grin say " Piece of cake" I was lucky enough to be able to stay with Rich at his house in the summer and train for many regional & national tournaments. At the 1974 Regional tournament at Obien Lake (now Radar) Rich had big aspirations of skiing well, however missed his 36 Longline pass, and walked slowly up the shore, Rich was a big muscular man, slowly he lumbered, head down, how ever when he saw me & my family he shined that big smile at me & my Dad and said "Bucket of honey out there, you'll do great" Rcih and I continued to cross paths and for the last 20 years were members at Twin Cities Ski club, Rich was the chief boat driver for all of our tournaments. Rich could be quite a task master, making sure everything went smoothly in his gruff manner. At the end of the day, that light side of Rich would come out, after the intensity was no longer needed, he'd have a nice glass of red wine, tip his cap a little sideways and smile that big smile of his letting everyone know that they all did a great job that day. Rich was the chief boat driver of the Nationals in 2006 and was a tireless supporter of the sport of water sking. In the last couple of years he focused more on his son Ricky & baseball, Ricky is a varsity baseball player as a freshman at Deer Valley HS. A chip off the old block. You see Rich was a Baseball player at Fesno State as a young man. As a sophomore during a routine physical they found Rich had lymphoma, he went from a 175 lbs to 130lbs undergoing chemo & radiation. He beat it!!! and went on to raise 2 wonderful daughters Monica & Lindsay, befriend a 15 your old kid (me) and grow some of the best old vine zinfidel grapes in Ca. I could go on about this man, and what he meant to me. I hope some of you BOS can share your memories of Rich Pato here. I will miss you big brother, and I know you will always have a camara eye on the boat path for me ! Say a prayer for Rich & his family.

Good stuff, and I agree. All the top skiers do seem to stay behind the handle. As you go outbound off the 2nd wake I'm working on keeping my outside arm straight, however allow my body to move up on the ski. I do the same thing as I lean out for the gate, much easier to feel at the "0" ball than in the course.

By the way, I skied behind a jet boat in 1973, could run 28 @ 36 behind that beast. The day before a tounament I'd get a ride behind an inboard Keaton from Lloyd Fox, or the Morrison family. Simple times, sweep minivera stop watch, hand timing. Very simpole compared to what we have now!