Weight back... Straight front leg..... ARRGGGHHH!

[aswinter05]

I feel your pain @Brady . This was a couple of night ago AFTER reading all that excellent advice on your thread.

 

2 coached sets with Seth Stisher next weekend.

 

Slowing the video down really lets me see how TERRIBLE my form is.

 

Should I do some free skiing? I would like to improve on my problem as much as possible before Seth coaches me. I know that's the first thing he's going to see on my opening pass.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbexQG5gdqw

[Than_Bogan]

Well, I can gaurantee you this much: Seth has seen a lot worse.

 

A little open water to slow things down and focus purely on where you're standing might be a good idea. But it can be done in the course, too -- stay at easy passes and don't focus on running it: focus on what you want to do.

[aswinter05]

That's good to hear. There's honestly no place to open water ski at the club lake. There's also slim pickings when it comes to public waters here in Indiana.

 

I'm currently skiing at 30 and sometimes 32 mph. Would you recommend backing off to 26 or 28?

[Andre]

Sorry i can t help.

But man that 200 look nice!Would love to see a pix !!!

[aswinter05]

@Andre thanks man. Horton also loves the green 200...

[ForrestGump]

Again, it's not so much the front leg being straight as it is the back leg being bent. If you straighten that back leg, you're going to improve your stack by a large margin.

[aswinter05]

@ShaneH I love the concept of that. Stood in front of a mirror last night in ski stance. After straightening my back leg (i.e., almost locking the rear knee) I attempted to "sit back"... it just can't be done.

 

I'm going to focus on that a lot more when I "free ski" this weekend. I also like trying to imagine myself being "taller" as Horton says. That seems to click with me better than "getting my weight up over my front foot"

[Than_Bogan]

I love the green, too. Guess it's a love-or-hate kinda thing.

 

I might try to buy that boat if a) I weren't a cheap bastard and b) the 200s would fit through our mousehole tunnel.

[KcSwerver]

@Aswinter05 you can try 26 but in my travels I have found that with the skis most of us ski on, 26 becomes a little to slow to keep the ski feeling the same. Deffinately do 28 that's where alot of my improvement happened. That and 30

[mellig]

I have a coach that has me cutting into the course about 25 feet early and shadowing the balls when I am skiing poorly... For me it works as you are getting good practice relative to the balls but not slamming my turns like ai do when the bouys.... Guess it is a mental thing but seems to work for me...

[aswinter05]

@KcSwerver solid point. 28 should do. I'm currently skiing on a friend's Nomad RC. I think I'll feel comfortable enough at 28 to focus on form and not so much on buoys.

[andjules]

It's amazing to me - as a guy that gets precious little time in the course & has to make do with a lot of free skiing on (abundant) public water - that you can only ski in the course @ the club and that you have no public water. #envy

[alex38]

Doesn't look too bad at all, you're runnin some buoys there. I'm no pro but have skied with some, if I were the only observer in the boat for that set I would mention 2 things:

1. The first pass you appear to be getting progressively flatter each time you go they the wakes. Keep arms straight and pull thru both wakes.

2. We used to have decent success with skiers by telling them not to over think the turn, try not to look at it as a turn but as a "change of direction", get wide, relax, "change direction" smoothly, and go.

When you're at Seth's try and get a couple rides with Adam Caldwell, great instructor.

 

[alex38]

Oh yeah, I have a green nautique too!" (non lime)

[ronski]

First thing I would do is make sure my rear toes are as close as I can get them to the front binding. If that does not help the next thing would be to move both bindings forward one hole as it appears your rear leg is bent a whole bunch while your front leg is relatively straight but you still got a whole bunch of ski out of the water.

[aswinter05]

@alex38 Thanks. Solid advice. I won't have Adam Caldwell as an instructor. Seth is actually making the trip up to Indiana for a private clinic at our site. The wife and I are really excited. I've only heard great things about his coaching style.

[aswinter05]

Just realized that I may or may not have hit my gates on those 4 passes..... a true miracle I'd say

[Brady]

@Horton I practiced an the straight back leg thing last night. I went into the side stretch I do before skiing, where I basically hold onto a pole and then lean out to the side to stretch out my back and shoulders. When I straightened my back leg, the only noticeable thing that happened was that it threw my hips forward. Is that what you are talking about? Felt weird as hell.

[ForrestGump]

HAH. Yes! Hips forward goooooooood!!!!

[Horton]

exactly

[KcSwerver]

Hips forward and up + ski + water= "what have i been thinking these passed two years"

[Joeprunc]

I was playing around last night on open water trying to keep my back leg straight. It wasn't quite clicking for me. I seem to ski the best when I focus on flexing my front ankle, squeezing my butt cheeks, and watching the back of the boat the entire time.

[Than_Bogan]

No doubt different cues work for different skiers.

[aswinter05]

Slowed the boat down... different (shorter) ski. Still having some form issues but I think it looks a bit better than a few days ago. Marking it down as progress. Thanks for all the advice & help

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d20jrLg9OrU

[alex38]

way more symetrical turns, do you see how much space you had at 6 ball? getting a little wider too.

[KcSwerver]

I see tons of improvement. Great job!

[Skoot1123]

I too skied with the mantra of a "straight" back leg last night. Worked wonders for me.....last pass was a 28 off that felt like a 22. I think this is the ticket to more consistent 28's. Here I GO! Andrew - you are getting there! Keep at it! Your chest and shoulders are a little bit forward of your hips as your coming into the wakes, but your improving. Getting some lessons by Seth will help reinforce what you learned at Coble's. He may point out some other subtle things to get you right where you need to be. Keep us all posted!

[bogboy]

@aswinter05, nice skiing, and nice boat...love the lime green...we almost bought a lime green trimmed promo 196 from Baltimore a couple years ago, but decided on a blue trimmed local one. We thought the lime trimmed 196 looked fun. I too am liking 28mph better for me than 26mph. I hope that is a continuing trend for 30mph soon. I can tell you are really working on your form, and getting lessons. Keep up the great work. Good luck.

[aswinter05]

Thanks guys. Yeah thats one big thing i started noticing after slowing the videos down... Head and shoulders leading the way through the wakes. I gotta cut that out. Maybe that explains my recent back pain.

[Waternut]

You're looking like me in the second video now. Much better. One thing I see you doing that others have been telling me to do is stay on my edge longer. You and I both appear to be giving up on our edges way too early. When we realize we can make the next buoy, we let off and change edges. It has taken me some time to get that through my brain. However, pulling longer and through the second wake really makes my speed feel slower, my turns more controlled, and I'm more consistently early at each ball.