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Progressive gate


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A veteran skier at Sunspray calls the gate shot that turns in with out killing it then ramps up the intensity at the 1st wake a 'progressive gate' I was coming into 1ball hot and he told me to try this. It resulted in making 34mph feel like 30 mph (well almost) and I skied back hip to handle versus getting slack, tail turning at one ect. as a result of too much speed at one. Getting up on the boat was also key (about a boat width wider than 2-4-6)and not feeling like I had to kill the gate with a power pull but more of a progressive lean.
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@Ed-Johnson, hip movement really does move the ski outbound, giving tremendous width, all I have to do is learn not to give it so much welly, I can easily move my hip on my good side but struggle to get the movement on the offside ?
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@Stevie Boy......A lot of it has to do with how you are positioned at the apex..It is natural to be more closed off on your offside, which in turn, will result in you being more closed off at the hookup...Thus making it harder to lead with the hip, because you would be trying to rotate your hip open, against ZO, basically impossible.

 

Key is having the hip countered at the apex, so you can fall into the turn, leading with the inside hip "COM,' which will result in your being slightly more open at the hookup, and try targeting the wake with that inside hip...Hope this helps you.

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Funny how different people need different advice with my early sets this year I'm trying to get into my pulling position earlier (per rossi's advice) so that I can create more speed at the first wake. I think these concepts all work depending on what you are doing and what level you are at.
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@Klundell. Yep -- always have to aware of your personal situation. Although you ski quite a few more buoys than I do, I recall from a video last year (or so) that your entrance was one of the weaker points of your technique, and that it both started too narrow and didn't generate enough speed.

 

But I do think most people benefit from a "progressive gate" -- IF they get up high enough on the boat and turn in properly.

 

Personally, I find it comforting to know there's things I'm doing wrong*. Otherwise, I can't get any better! (Not that I actually am getting much better, but at least the hope is there...)

 

*Ok, I admit I wish it weren't quite a such a long list.

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I used to be more progressive, building into speed later, and it made me feel "in control" and less fast. However, at shorter lines I was convinced by AM and Chet Raley that I needed to connect to the handle sooner, generate my speed before the first wake, and then ride my speed out and up. Chet told me repeatedly that my ski should be flat by the time I am at the second wake. I have worked on doing this by connecting and moving cross course immediately from full width (both at the gate and from each ball), but without creating a bunch of early load on the line. The result is that I feel like I create more space and time at the next ball, giving it an easier feel than the progressive gate for me.
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@Razorskier1 So much is semantics. The phrase "without creating a bunch of early load on the line" is synonymous with "progressive gate" in my mind. That's exacty what I mean by it. Obviously "progressive gate" brings a different thought to your head! Yet another example of why it's so damn hard to coach (and learn!) this sport.
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Many people on this board are considerably better skiers than myself. However, I have definitely noticed that a good gate shot with good position at 1 ball when skiing 15 off or 22 off is not the same as 35 off. Could just be rope dynamics and I think some things transfer from one to another but I'd be surprised if someone said they take do the exact same thing all the way up the line with positive results.
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@Waternut‌ - great point and yes the rope dynamics are different at those lengths, and I agree with what you are saying. Having said that, go watch Seth Stisher run 15 off again and you'll see a much more aggressive approach to running a longer line...really early. My opinion is that you should strive to run passes similarly as the line shortens. Impossible given rope dynamics, the natural progress of skier improvement, etc. But in premise, changing the way you ski for every pass makes consistency far more difficult. And no, you can't run them all the same, but consistency in your body position, angle, pre-turn mechanics, gate, etc, can help you create the muscle memory necessary for shorter ropes. Longer line skiers have the advantage of BOS to help them better understand what happens as the line shortens - they can use that knowledge to practice those advantages at the longer line lengths & the shorter ones will happen more expeditiously!
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