Why is Nate Smith so good

[Horton]

I was thinking this morning about writing an article about why Nate is so good. I really should but am way to far behind so I am throwing it to you guys.

 

Why is Nate Smith so good?

[Chef23]

Because he is an alien. I don't know enough to talk about why he is so good.

[Chuck_Dickey]

Coaching from the Krista!

[danbirch]

Being 20+ lbs(ish) lighter (than his competitors) certainly doesn't hurt, though, he said that in rougher water it is more difficult to keep the ski anchored.

 

He really is unbelievable! When his line goes tight, all of the stars in the universe line up perfectly.

[The_MS]

His arms are as long as SkiDawgs.

[tfriess]

Nate is so good because he knows how to use Zero Off to his advantage. He also comes off the second wake and instantly is off his edge, letting the ski cast out. His edge change is crazy.

[ForrestGump]

1. He can tie his shoes without bending over

2. He lets the ski fully turn under him and then loads from white water to white water

3. He points his knees in the direction he wants the ski to go and then drives his core forward using his knees and ankles

4. He doesn't let a mistake or bobble at a buoy follow him to the next buoy, ala Mapple

5. He doesn't require a tight line off the apex to keep his balance. He just skis into the tight line because of #2 above.

[disland]

efficiency

[disland]

Efficiency in general describes the extent to which time or effort is well used for the intended task or purpose. It is often used with the specific purpose of relaying the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome effectively with a minimum amount or quantity of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort.

[jimbrake]

Because he is the best at staying over his ski (I mean fore/aft, not side to side) through his turns therefore he gets the earliest and best acceleration which results in the best angle, which puts him on a great outbound path. The second part of #3 that @ShaneH listed above. Anyone who thinks they should finish a turn with "the ski out in front of them", well, good luck with that.

[estrom]

I watch Nate and Chris Parrish and to me it seems they let the ski do the work. They are never fighting it and it looks like they're in slow motion.

 

[Laz]

As I struggle with this ridiculous sport, it seems to me that the whole idea is to keep the difference between max speed and min speed as low as possible. An efficient turn leading into smooth transition to the pull is what is keeping me from running 35' off. Perfect handle control and a very smooth balanced turn is Nate's advantage. We should all just ski that way. How hard could it possibly be?

[andjules]

I'm not sure it's the key to it all, but the biggest visual difference I notice between Nate and the other 'greats' is the knees/body at the edge change. It's like his upper body is still in the lean and his lower body is already on the turning edge. As per @ShaneH no. 3 above.

 

From Schnitz' Soaked photos:

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556480_10151022339946296_189078975_n.jpg

[Than_Bogan]

@andjules I, too, believe that is huge. And that's a great shot.

 

I also think people may underrate Nate's core strength because he has a scrawny look. The way he handles the outboand arc proves his core is raw power.

[MrJones]

Good analysis from Shane. Also really agree with Jim about finishing with the ski under you and not in front. A conversation at Nationals was on this topic and about attempting to leave the ski "behind" you for as long as possible at ultra short line.

 

 

[SkiJay]

I've had this conversation with Nate, and even he can't answer it. He isn't as tall as Chris Parrish. His arms aren't as long as Will Asher's. He might be the weakest guy on tour. He doesn't adjust his fin and he uses a two year old stock ski. He never studied or even watched the pros while growing up, and he had no ambition to be a pro until it just happened a couple of years ago. His preparation on the dock at a tournament is pretty much limited to putting his ski on, and his number one tip is make sure you are having fun.

 

Reading between the lines, I'd say his success is the result of a few things. He's been on the water since the age of two. He lived on a lake and skied a LOT, even breaking ice off the course to ski. Where most skiers' heads are overwhelmed with technical details, his is full of confidence in his ability to make it happen no matter what unfolds and whatever it takes. He has a high IQ. He doesn't drink at all. He's fit, light, nimble and young. His technique evolved largely through trial and error, and he told me that most of what he does in the course is motivated by rope control.

 

I think Nate's casual demeanor belies a fierce competitiveness. Neither Nate nor Andy Mapple have been called the prettiest skiers out there, but combine their competitiveness with honed ability and supreme confidence, and technique becomes secondary to getting the job done.

[DooSPX]

One thing I have noticed is Nate looks so fluid when he ski's, and almost always has a tight line. I envy his style. He makes it look like he doesn't even try.

[gregy]

Consistency: He has an unbelievable ability to do all mentioned above every time he goes out. There are other skiers out there that have the ability - Parish has the World record, Asher just tied it unofficially, but no one has the consistency he does. I really admire that, I can ski great one day and the next time seems like I go out I can't even get through one pass.

[The_MS]

Vision and reaction to what he sees. That is what separates all the good skiers. We all (most of you, not me) know how to ski. It is just a matter of how quick we react to what we see. Timing.

[bishop8950]

That pic is awesome! I have been working on how to make that "reverse C" a part of my skiing for years, felt it a few times, know where near doing it consistently.

 

I love Mr Jones post having talked to Nate, thats good stuff and consistent with what little I know of the guy.

[jimbrake]

Kevin - fyi you do that way more than you realize.

[Razorskier1]

He does a great job maintaining line pressure and staying smooth through the transition from pulling edge to turning edge. Maybe if I watch him on video enough times it will happen for me too.

[E_T]

@chef23 he is not an alien, i would know

[wwk87]

@E_T I see what you did there...

[Wish]

What I notice, along with whats listed above, is how free he is of the boat the second he lets go till his free arm comes back on the handle. I've seen it in several vids of him. It's not slack, but there is not an ounce of tension on the line when he gets to the short lines. Love the reverse "C". No idea how he makes that happen. Is it sucking up the knees?

[BillBartonOldAccount]

Green bones and the reflexes of a cat :)

And a very very nice kid.

[ForrestGump]

@Wish That's exactly what I meant when I said he doesn't need a tight line off the apex.

[Mortyski]

I watched him at the recent event in Calgary. His acceleration is noticeably quicker and his cross course speed is noticeably faster than anyone else…at least it sure seemed that way.

 

I think part of his success is he is on a longer ski with less drag from the ski being sunk in the water. There might be a trade off of surface area drag but for sure he doesn’t sink very deep on that 67 inch ski for his weight. He’s not burly big and he is probably on the longest ski in the field with the exception of possibly Chris Parrish. He is certainly on the longest ski per pound of body weight.

 

Are we missing something here that Nate hasn’t? The common wisdom is leaner, lighter = more balls…how about bigger ski that can turn for the weight = more balls as well.

 

Watching him was a revelation on cross course speed. I have watched a lot of snow and water skiers in my life and I sure noticed something different about how Nate got across the course.

 

[Ilivetoski]

@skijay I think you just hit a huge point. Is all this technical stuff floating around the ski community, actually hurting skiers? Are we getting to wraped up in 1 one thousand of an inch on our fin as opposed to our form and attitude?

[rodb]

no one told him it was hard

[gregy]

@mortyski, you notice the cross course speed in the videos, but yes I saw him in Katy last year and I noticed even more, and the speed through the turn and coming out of the turn is really amazing.

[BlueSki]

I skied a clinic he taught this summer. He was immediately impressive as a level headed guy. I think he approached coaching like he does skiing. He kept it simple, focused on some key things I needed to work on, and now I am consistently running 6 buoys more than before the clinic.

[6balls]

That pic above is pretty cool. Who else keeps their upper body in the lean on a tight line while their lower body is simultaneously allowing the edge change...I got none of that!

[MattP]

@rodb no one have ever told me it was hard either..

[jimbrake]

@mortyski - you hit the nail on the head. no one seems to get this. he stays with his ski through the turn the best so he gets the best acceleration, which gets great angle which gets space and width before the next ball. we've all heard the phrase "carry speed through the turn", right? Well, you do that by staying with or even ahead of your ski through the turn and into the accel phase.

 

@6balls - i would bet if you got video or photos of you from the shoreline you'd see this in your skiing more than you think. Nate does it great, though, for sure.

[Mortyski]

@jimbrake...thanks for the comment.

 

I don't know how Nate did it (carry his speed across the wake so much better than anyone else) but watching him "live" from a slightly elevated place it was obvious the extra speed he was carrying. It's too bad the GPS / Load cell / Dartfish video system I was working on isn't functional I would love to hook him up and see the actual speed data.

 

I still think it's a function of his ski length vs. weight, which complements with his great technique. I doubt he would accelerate as fast on a 65 inch ski which would be closer to the ski length he should be on for his weight. So I think because he is on a ski 2 inches longer than he should be he can accelerate and carry a lot of speed. The 67 inch ski isn’t so big for him that it floats away. It would be interesting if all the pros upped their ski size to see the effect.

 

One thing for sure with the 67 inch ski the starts should be easy for him LOL

 

[DooSPX]

After seeing him in person at Soaked, I envy his style and technique. That 67" X7 he was on at soaked was working for him no doubt.