Changing the way I think about the exit of off side

[Horton]

I found something last night that I did not expect. For a few years I have been working on keeping my free hand off the handle longer at off side. I have a bad habit of rotating my upper body too much & too early at off side. When I control it better I run more balls.

 

Until last night the focus was always delaying my shoulders or my free hand. I was screwing around last night just trying to run super smooth 35s. Instead of thinking about delaying my upper body I changed my focus to pointing my knees and feet across the lake at apex. Standing on dry ground this seems like exactly the same as delaying with my shoulders but ShazZam! Holy Crap! It is not the same. I have never run 35s that easy.

 

This change in focus achieved what I was always trying to do. The result was that I was making a longer arc to the inside before I took up the load, hooking up later but with about the same angle and less load.

 

The guys on the dock tried to tell me that they have heard @SethSki talk about something like this before.

[Wish]

If you laid a photo of me and u coming off the off side with the typical to early to soon, they would look identical. I've tried everything from delay handle to more counter longer to looking down the buoy line. But this I need to try. So, @Horton I think I get what you are saying but when you say point, what exactly are you doing to accomplish this. What muscle groups are you engaging. Or is it simple the thought that gets it done.

[ForrestGump]

This is exactly what @sethski was teaching. When I did it with him in the boat, it felt awesome.

[Horton]

@Wish

"What muscle groups are you engaging"? Really? Did you really just ask that? Holy SHeep Dip! I have no idea. Shoulders level and lower body heading to the inside. Maybe think about pointing your knees forward and to the wakes.

 

Looking down the ball line is too radical for me. I end up going past 90 and out of control.

 

Funny @SkiDawg says I make this to technical....

[skidawg]

@horton...what muscle groups are you engaging to do this! That's like saying what muscles are you engaging to raise your right arm!!!' Just raise your right arm. KISS-Horton!

[Sethski]

Minor clarification in my wording, but same desired effect based on what I think you are saying @horton:

I try to encourage people to keep the body more upright and facing slightly to the outside of the tip of the ski...then as you approach the buoy, the the hips AND the front knee need to maintain slight inbound pressure or pressure on the inside edge of the ski in order to "guide" the ski through the turn rather than forcing it through the turn. A ski on edge with a balanced stance from the skier will turn provided you don't rotate your upper body to the inside and stifle the carving action that is already in motion. If the transition into the offside turn isn't effective enough to cast the ski OUT onto the turning edge, then you will have to do more work to turn the ski. This I where we all make the major mistakes on our offside in my opinion. It's more than just getting early. Being early and having the ski stuck underneath you because of an anxious off side stance is the root cause of most offside turn issues.

 

My 2 cents and sorry that it is a run-on paragraph of waterski babble...a direct result of early morning, pre-coffee, IPhone posts.

[Razorskier1]

I have had a tough season of struggling for consistency. New ski, some new coaching from Chet, and one and soon to be two knee surgeries (along with a short season in MN). Last week I decided to go back to my Razor for a couple of days. One, wow is that ski freakin fast cross course! Two, I didn't improve. Came back to my M6 and moved the bindings back and took a degree off of the wing (was at 30.3DFT and wing 9). I also put the back binding up close again. Also figured out that I was turning with my shoulders. Yesteday went out on the M6 and the ski felt lighter and faster. Focused on finishing the turn with my vision still down the buoy line instead of having my vision "lead" my skiing cross course. The result was the same as what @Horton and @Seth are describing. Now I was connecting to the handle and going cross course with my head and shoulders up and level. Things got stupid easy for the first time all season. Two sets of 10 passes without a missed pass including seven 35s. Ran 4 at 38 twice which is the first time I've really thought I had a shot all year. Amazing to me how little things make a difference.

 

As an aside to that, my ski notes from last year say "let your vision lag", which to me is what keeps my head and shoulders level, keeps the ski moving, and keeps me from loading the line. Hurray! I might have a season after all!

[A_B]

My guess is that you are now achieving the Holy Grail Reverse C position....