Waterski mag - May

[travnews]

On page 69 question 5. it asks, "How important is it to switch my grip to the standard hand on top?"

Then it answers, "As a rule, left-foot-forward skiers ski with their right hand on top of the handle and vice versa for righties. However, a handful of top skiers abandoned this rule and enjoy great success . . ."

 

Am I reading this correct? Are they saying that I, being a left-foot-forward skier, should hold the handle with my right hand on top (fingers on bottom)and my left hand on bottom (fingers on top)?

 

I seem to have been taught the other way around, left-foot-forward and left hand on top, and it seems all the pics in their mag agree with the way I was taught. I'm thinking I'm either reading it wrong or it's a misprint.

[Onside135]

I'm not sure about your description with "fingers on top for your left hand," but a left foot forward skier should typically hold the handle as if he were batting right handed, and a right foot forward skier would hold the handle as if batting left handed. If you look throughout the rest of the magazine, you'll see mostly examples of this. At least I did, before I switched grips last summer.

 

I free skied till age 31 with what would I guess be the unorthodox grip for a LFF (left hand on top), and just switched mine up last summer, my first in the course, and I'm glad I did. I think it gives me a little more strength, stability, and helps with keeping my shoulders square to the boat, especially on my toe side. It took a few times out to get used to it, but it feels natural now. I figured that there must be a reason almost everyone does it that way, but there are certainly some exceptions. Jeff Rodgers is one of them, but that dude could probably succeed with any grip he wanted!

[Onside135]

@travnews As I read your post again, I think you and the article are both right, just thinking differently. The article is assuming the handle is held vertical, and you may be assuming a horizontally held handle...

[travnews]

Maybe - but I've never heard of instructions with the handle being vertical, unless you're comparing it to griping a baseball bat. It seems that the only time the handle is vertical, is when you are holding it with one hand. I still think it's a misprint or very misleading.

[ForrestGump]

The conventional grip is as if you were holding a bat. Left hand batters(with their right hip leading) put their left hand on top. Right hand batters(with their left hip leading) have their right hand on top. Same as when skiing. Most left foot forward skiers(think leading with the left hip) have their right hand on the top and vice versa. Most skiers will follow this naturally.

[crashman]

this video explains it

http://waterskimag.com/features/2010/05/06/how-to-fix-your-grip/

 

[The_MS]

That was the best issue of WSM that I have ever read. I cannot believe all of the quality content that was in it. I now know what type of bikini bottoms to wear.

[crashman]

@MS how about the article on how to throw the biggest spray? before I met you guys I thought that was the entire point of skiing.

[travnews]

Video is good, says something like "left-foot-forward skiers with right palm will be facing up." That makes more sence than "left-foot-forward skiers ski with their right hand on top of the handle."

[MAD11]

MS, I thought page 19 was cool, but I'm slightly biased.

[Ham_Wallace]

Too old to learn new tricks.

[The_MS]

@MAD11 That was the best part of the mag. Proud papa. She has a handle just like mine.

[Drago]

I think it's an English thing. I recommend keeping the handle horizontal regardless of which palm is up

[pjirsa]

I'll get some pics of MS in his booty shorts tonight. or are you going with the bikinis?

[Triplett]

This got me too, immediately was like this makes no sense. After being told the vertical thing I got it but still, for the masses it should have read, "Left foot forward skiers should have their left palm down, and for right foot forward skier the right palm down." This makes more sense to me at least.

[ToddL]

It amazes me sometimes how many different ways we can try to say the same thing... fingers up/down, this hand above that hand, this palm up/down... Just put two simple pictures of hands on a handle darn it! One with the caption "Left Foot Forward" and the other for right... Not rocket science here. A picture is worth 1,000 words...

 

Google + Paint = pic...

[teammalibu]

That right forward grip looks scary to me.

MS cant wait to see you in your new bikini next weekend!! Mad11 awsome pic of Bailey!!

[travnews]

@teammalibu does it look scary because the right foot forward grip has two right hands?

[Laz]

Left foot forward = left thumb centre. Right foot forward = right thumb centre.

[The_MS]

@teammalibu I cant wear that down south, only under a dry suit.

[MattP]

@flya750 left handed people only make up 7-13% of the worlds population. So given that and the fact that this is a small niche sport with only a fraction of the entire community on this website it would probably be around 2-3% of respondents I would say are left handed. Correlates to which foot forward? Well I know a ton of right handed skiers that are both RFF and LFF that ski super short lines. Not to sure what the numbers would be. Could be cool to see.

[liquid d]

I'd mess up the statistics..write left handed, do everything else righthanded...and LFF. Here's something interesting about the grip- I'm lff and have right thumb center. If you ski like this or are the rff with left thumb center, if you switch grips- you will start to hammer your offside turn. This may help you if you tend to overturn your onside and need a bit of help on the offside. You'll notice the difference in the first set. Definitely takes a few sets to get used to skiing the other way. I tried and went back to my comfortable way.

[DW]

RFF and LHup on handle, write & throw LH, bat (baseball) & use scissors RH, kick a football LF.

[Triplett]

@mattP, have @horton do a poll. I am right handed and hold a hockey/lacrosse stick left handed and am LFF. It is just one of those things. In hockey you throw a kid a stick and he will grab it the way he feels comfortable, kinda like when you push someone they will lead with their dominant foot, not necessarily the same as the dominant hand.

[The_MS]

Right handed, RFF, LHup on the handle, I shoot left handed in hockey. Lucky says go with whatever is comfortable.

[ForrestGump]

I don't see any rhyme or reason to foot forward preference. I see just as many right handed people skiing right foot forward as I do left foot forward. The conventional wisdom is that you put whichever foot you kick a soccer ball with back. But then I know of people who are opposite. I honestly think for a lot of people, it's whomever taught you to ski told you where to put it years ago and you adapted to that.

[Onside135]

I have always seen the way to figure it out as having someone stand with feet shoulder width apart, and when they aren't expecting it, push them in the back. Whichever foot naturally goes forward to stop them from falling is their front foot.

[ForrestGump]

Yes, same essentially as what I posted above. You'll typically catch yourself with your plant foot(not the one you kick with). But even then, I know plenty of people who are opposite of that.

[teammalibu]

I can see you trying that Shane and ending with a face plant to the pavement. You got any good stories from this off season. After all you have a reputation to live up to.