Ski Sunset Ranch Blog

Water Ski Lesson: Make a Balanced Turn

Written by Doug Trimble Owner/Coach SkiSunsetRanch

In my previous blog post I talked about running the correct line in the slalom course.  If you agree with my suggestion about running a more efficient line, it does beg the question, how do I acomplish that?

So, here are some ideas to get on the correct line...The first step to getting on the correct line begins with your turn.  You will need to get comfortable making a turn balanced on your ski.  In order to acomplish a balanced turn you need to feel as if you are weighting your front foot.  Once you are on your front foot the turn becomes as simple as leaning your body in the direction you want to go.  If you are turning to the right, you will pull out to the left of the boat.  Stand up tall feeling preassure on your front foot and while you are feeling that front foot, push your hips forward with slight knee bend, arch your back squeezing your shoulder blades together. 

Riding water ski in a balanced stance

 

Now you will be gliding on your ski in a balanced stance; to turn, keep your shoulders level and facing forward, keep your hips forward and simply lean your body to the right. 

Leaning in to turn

Now repeat on right side of the boat and practice a balanced turn to the left.  This type of turn will keep the ski flat on the water so when you lean to the right or left there will be more ski edge in the water and in turn generate the angle you need to ski the correct line.

Don't get discouraged when working on making balanced turn, if it feels awkward you are probally on the right track.  Here at SkiSunsetRanch water ski school, a common error I see is, not keeping the hips pushed forward.  Many skiers let the hips drop back as they start into the lean to the left or right, this very small movement puts the skier weight on the back foot.  Weight on the back foot causes the tip to rise so there is not enough edge in the water, then the ski cannot generate angle and you are already off the correct line and it becomes time consuming and difficult to turn.  Students taking water ski lessons here at our private lake in California will practice drills working on their stance.  At SkiSunsetRanch we video everyone, so guests can see exactly where their current stance is.

Stay tuned for more water ski lessons...

Join us this season, to improve your water skiing!

written by Doug Trimble owner/coach SkiSunsetRanch

Take a Better Path on your Slalom Waterski

Over the years as more guests pass through the ranch, I have begun to recognize a few technical concepts that seem to plague many of the skiers we see.  The first one that comes to mind is the concept of running the course early.  I’ve seen many versions of what individual skiers consider “early”, that is not.  In this article I will give my explanation of the path that skiers should strive for that would really get them “early”. 

A typical scenario at the ranch is when we drop at the end of the lake to discuss the last run and I ask, was that pass early or late?  Most of the time the skiers reply is, “oh, pretty early but could be earlier”.  My answer is most often is actually you were about 20 feet past ball one at the start and got a little later as you went through the pass. 

Typical down course path

I often get a puzzled look and the answer ok, I will be earlier next pass.  After the next pass we have the same discussion with the same results, although no earlier.  As many of you who have been to the ranch know we spend time discussing this concept and looking at our paths during video review.  What I believe here is that the skier is really not sure what being early is, looks like or how to get there?  Most all skiers see the buoy, pass the buoy (although close sometimes) and turn, that is not early.  The common response to my coaching them to get earlier is, I can’t get any earlier I will hit the buoy!  Which is true, if you turn sooner on that path you are running you might well hit the buoy.

Typical path same as above, just turning sooner

Running the course “earlier” is not turning tighter or faster.  When skiing truly “early” it is very difficult to actually hit the buoy the way it knocks you down.  I’ve seen the pros do it on occasion, but it is rare.  To really be early in the course, the path has to be established (preferably) from the gates.  That early path is a very different path than most of us have ever traveled.  The "early" path is a giant key to slalom skiing success and continuing to improve, go faster and/or run shorter line.  Pro skiers and other successful short line skiers get that concept and always run that other path. I believe they even see the course differently because to run short line they have to, however running the “early” path needs to start way before “short line”. 

 

 

 Early Path

 

Spend some time wrapping your head around this concept in the off season, this is a great “visualizing exercise”.   So, when we hit the water next season, you see it and believe it and will be willing to act on the change.  Taking this path in the slalom course will bring great rewards.

Begin to visualize your 2012 trip to the ranch and running the “earliest” pass you can imagine and stay tuned for suggestions on how to begin skiing “earlier”…

2012 Reservations Open in January, book early to get the dates you want!

 

Written by Doug Trimble

Coach/Owner

SkiSunsetRanch

 

 

 

 

Preparing for your Waterski Vacation-Step 1

Since I handle the bookings here at the ranch and am in contact with most guests before arrival by email or phone, I am often asked by future guests, what can I do to prepare?  However, most often I am not asked about what things to do to prepare for my waterski vacation.  In the past I have assumed that the future guest has an understanding of what they are about to experience and most times things work out great.  Going forward I will have a series of reference articles guests can read to familarize themselves with our program.  To better assure everyone has the most successful waterski vacation possible!  Also, to cover the bases for those of you who might forget or may be to shy to ask, I will share on this blog post the "numero uno" thing a guest can do to prepare for their waterski vacation.

Take as many "deep water starts" as possible before arrival, simple, easy and just that short!
Now for those of you who maybe thinking huh, what, why that?  Let me explain...

Let's just say you do all your skiing on open water at the lake.  Typical day is get in, get up go until your arms cry get back in the boat, done.   Sound familiar?  Now, you show up at the ranch ready to go and in your first lesson you take 8 deep water starts.(if you don't fall)  That can be 1/4 of a seasons starts right there...we typically take 3 lessons per day and a "Short Stay" typically has 10 lessons that is "80" deep water starts, in 4 days, not to mention the "Weekly Stay at around "150"!!  way more than many folks have done ever!!!!  Even those of you who ski at a slalom lake or on a course most likely do not take 80 starts in 4 days, while skiing harder that you ever have in your life.  Getting the picture??  Don't risk being too tired by getting up, to be able to work on improving skiing techinique!

So, now if you are in a panic that you won't be able to acomplish the homework before arriving, take a deep breath there is hope.  First, speak up we will appreciate it and so will you, let us know where you are at with your starts and what is typical for you.  We will adjust your ski schedule as necessary, we can spin the boat at the ends of the lake so you don't have to drop in, take longer breaks between lessons, shorten the length of the lesson and tons of other options.   After all, it has been said a million times success is built on quality not quanity!  The last thing past guests will tell you is that they did not get enough ski time. So, don't worry, just keep us informed of where you are, what your experience has been and where you want to go...we will do our best to get you there!

Ski ya soon, Robby

What is the future of Slalom Waterskiing?

The question, "Is slalom waterskiing dead" has been posed many times here at SkiSunsetRanch and over cocktails with friends many other times.  So, I thought I would throw in my two cents, feel free to chime in with your own yeah or nay.

This can be a pretty widely debated topic, especially when over the last several years it has looked like the entire boating industry in the USA is on it's last breath.

I believe slalom waterskiing is going to live on...First, let me say that old school "tournament waterskiing" is and has been dying a slow painfull death. That skiing genre is often what is used as the barometer for slalom waterskiing which is most likely the reason for all the bleak forecasts. 

A guest who was just hear asked me the question again and here is what was my reply...

Years ago when Doug and I cooked up our hairbrained idea that we would open up our world class private slalom lake for skiers from all over the world to be able to come to and enjoy in for a waterski school/ waterski vacation experience here in california.  We went with the "if we build it they will come" philosophy....and so they have come.  From many more places in the world than I had ever dreamed of, countries I could not even imagine had waterskiing.  There are tons of waterskiers out there young and old, many of the younger may have started in the wakeboard boom.  Now many of those boarders want to continue to be out on the lake and have mastered all wakeboard tricks they can.  Those younger skiers are starting to do what the rest of us have done for years looking for a challange and finding it in slalom.   The great thing about a slalom course is there really is no end and there is always one more buoy just out of reach.  The rest of us, that I am speaking of many of which are open water skiers that have skied for years, many having lake homes in the family for generations. Those folks often are really good skiers, also looking for good waterski coaching to put those years of skiing to the test to see just how good they are! 

They seek out a waterski vacation, or take a lesson the door opens and the buoy addiction begins; before you know it they are putting a portable course on their lake or searching out a local club to join.  It is now our mission to foster the slalom waterski life, to see that that first buoy or first full pass happens and the rest is history...

Fuel your Addiction Here...

 

Thinking About A New Waterski Ski?

If you've been skiing for several years and you've been hunting for an increase in buoys and overall better performance, then perhaps the next generation of skis might be something you need to invest in.  Over the past decade materials for skis have changed drastically.  Between the amount of carbon used and the types of cores within the skis almost all manufactures now produce top world cup stock skis. Now, to narrow it down a bit, ski shapes have drastically started to change for the better.  At the moment four ski companies have really started to think out of the box and get back to actual ski shape design.  There is a new phase coming in water ski design where water ski companies are designing skis with and for pro athletes.  In previous years there has been a lot of ski shape copying only to make small changes and then call it their own.  Ski shapes now are starting to be built with a specific style and person in mind and the shape design starts from scratch.  These are the fundamental elements that make up pure ski design.

Ski at the Ranch this season

The wide ski from Goode was one of the first skis to begin to think differently and focus on helping a fluid style of waterskiing and to get back to the roots of ski design.  As of now Goode ski technologies offers two very different type world cup ready skis.  The 9900 SL WIDE RIDE AND 9900SL.  While both skis are for high end competition each ski is for two different styles and/or purposes.  The 9900 SL WIDE RIDE was designed to maintain speed through the finish of the turn for aggressive skiers while also allowing an abrupt sharp finish for short line turns.  The 9900SL was designed with having a more rounded smoother arc in mind and has essentially been one of the most successful overall shapes and has been one of the highest selling skis of the past decade.  If you're as into waterskiing as I am and are wanting to find that extra edge to improve your skiing then I would suggest looking into purchasing some of these new age skis.

written by nick Parsons

 

Waterski Two On-sides

We naturally have an "on-side", and an "off-side" turn in slalom. What many skiers try to do is to overcompensate on the off-side by trying to turn, and rotate the whole body to get the ski to rotate around. This just makes the off-side worse. Why do we have an "on-side" and an "off-side" turn? It's the stance... On our on-side turns our hips are naturally opened up, making it easier to keep the shoulders level, and get the lower body weight moving over the inside of the arc. The off-side is more difficult because our hips are closed up.

To improve this situation, what can we do? Well, think of a snow skier. They have two even, or on-side turns. By being able to move the feet individually of each other a snow skier can open equally well on both sides. Approaching a left turn, the outside foot will drop back a bit making the skier essentially a left foot forward skier. On the other side the left foot will fall behind the right foot a bit making them a right foot forward skier.

Come to the ranch to develop your two on-sides!

A slalom waterskier isn't allowed to make quite as much change in stance, but we can improve our off-sides by making them more like our on-sides. As you approach your off-side turn try to mimmick that snow skier movement as much as possible. If you could you would drop that outside leg back. Well we can't move our feet, but we can move our hips. Try taking that outside hip back as much as possible. If you're a right foot forward skier approaching the 1 3 5 buoy side twist your hips to the right. Bring the right side of the hips back, and the left side of your hips forward. You're trying to open up your hips so your left hip is now more over your front foot, and your right hip is brought back more to the middle of the ski. A left foot forward skier will do this on the other side of the course, on the 2 4 6 side. Bring the right side of the hips forward over that left foot, and allow the left side of the hips to trail, staying over the middle of the ski.  By opening up the hips as much as possible into and through our off-side turns we can make the ski turn equally well on both sides of the course.

written by Terry Winter

Waterski Lighter, Waterski Earlier

 One of the hardest things to do while slaloming is to not overdo the pulls. You always feel like you're running just a bit behind, and pulling harder is going to get you earlier to the next turn. Problem is, it's easy to get the angle at first, but much tougher to maintain that angle long enough to be beneficial.

Remember that with the new Zero Off boats the harder you pull against them the more gas they give you in return. What happens is you get to a point that you can no longer increase or even maintain that kind of load, and then you lose everything you had just built up including your outward direction into the next turn. It's more important to have good direction from the second wake out to the buoy than it is to have lots of speed and angle from the buoy to the first wake.

Come to SkiSunsetRanch in 2012

One thing you need to experiment with is how light you can cut, and still get to the next turn in good position. Instead of coming out of the turns and immediately pulling as hard as you can, try this... think about completing the turn, and getting your best possible body position right away. Once the ski has turned and is pointing towards the wake, and you have your handle close to your hips just see if you can maintain that all the way from the finish of the turn right through the second wake. Don't try to pull any harder than what you have from the finish of the turn, and don't let your body change positions.

What you'll find is that by skiing lighter you'll be able to maintain better body position, and you'll be skiing earlier in the course. Proper body position is much more effective than a hard pull.

Written by Terry Winter

 

Pre Season Slalom Waterskiing

I often get asked about how I start the season. Pre-season skiing is tough, especially if you're skiing in a colder climate. Muscles are cold and stiff, and not as strong as they were in the summer. Cold hands and feet make it tough to get a good feel for the handle, and what the ski is doing underneath you. Also, the ski rides differently in the colder water, riding higher and giving a sense of less stability and more speed.

What I like to do when I start is make it as easy as possible to get back in a good rhythm, and give my body a chance to get used the strains and hard pulls again. I typically start off at a slower speed. I'll drop it down to 34mph for a while, and go through the line lengths. This gives me more of a sense of how it usually feels when I ski, whipping up wider on the boat and making some harder turns. If I go back to my top speed too soon I usually can't run too many line lengths, and it takes longer to get a good sense of skiing well.

Start your Spring at SkiSunsetRanch

When I do feel comfortable again at the slower speed I'll go back up to my top speed, and stay at the easier line lengths for a while until I feel that I can run each one very well. I'll run a lot of 32 off's until I feel that I'm really dialed, and have some of my strength back. Then I'll go shorter, and try to dial in the next pass. The point is if you're first pass is sketchy or tough the next one is going to be worse. Give yourself some time to feel like you're really used to your ski again, and your body position is back on point.

Give yourself plenty of time to work back into skiing. I might ski slower for a couple of weeks, and then go faster and stay at the longer line lengths for another couple of weeks. The more time you can spend getting your ski and body position dialed at the easier passes the faster you're going to progress through the tougher passes.

Spring is a great time for a water ski vacation in California, by April the air and water are warming up here.  Skiers from colder climates get a start in more favorable early season conditions then semi frozen lakes, water ski lessons taken in the spring at SkiSunsetRanch will give you techniques to work on all season.

Written by Terry Winter

 

Waterski Separating the Edge Change from the Handle Release

One of the more common struggles in slalom skiing is how to manage control of the handle and body position throughout the edge-change process.

Many skiers make the mistake of combining the release of the handle with the edge-change. What achieves greater results is separating the two... the edge change should occur somewhere close to the center of the wakes, while the release of the handle should be done about half way out to the width of the buoy from the center of the wakes.

Book Now at SkiSunsetRanch for a great waterski vacation!

What you're looking to accomplish is maintaining a hip-to-elbows/handle relationship that stays the same all the way from the completion of the turn, through the wake crossing, and up to the release (again, about half way out to the buoy from the center of the wakes). As you complete the turn feel your hips and your handle come together. You should be able to feel your elbows pinned against the sides of your vest. If you have any gap at all between your vest and your elbows, then your position is not as strong as it could be. As you approach the wakes soften your legs, and allow the load you have built up through the cut to release the ski from its cutting edge on to its inside, turning edge. The key here is to keep your body's core tight. Maintain your position of the hips, the handle, and the elbows. The only body position change here is in the lower body. With your ski on the inside edge, ride it out halfway to the buoy's width. This is where you can start your handle release. Allow your self to ski out, and away from the handle.

Click Here for Lessons!

By maintaining this strong body position through the edge change, and waiting longer to release the handle you will set yourself up for much earlier, wider turns.

 

Written by Terry Winter 

Waterski Binding Adjustments Part 2

Hi Nick, 
 
It was great to read your article as i've recently purchased a new ski and feel i haven't quite got it set up right yet. Whilst i'm uncomfortable making fin adjustments as i don't have the knowledge or tools to do it i have tried moving my bindings. As a basic rule how does binding adjustments impact the performance of the ski. i.e. By moving them forward does this put more tip in the water and cause a sharper turn? Are binding adjustments similar to fin adjustments in terms of impact on ski's performance? 
 
Cheers, Simon Posted @ Sunday, January 10, 2010 7:56 PM by Simon

Simon,

The basic rules for binding adjustments are as follows.  A forward movement with the bindings (from stock position) will add more nose pressure and make a smoother slower or longer arcing turn.  Backwards is the exact opposite.  A backward movement with the binding (also from stock position) relieves nose pressure and makes the ski carve a tighter arc with a more abrupt finish.

     There are fin adjustments that can simulate binding movements.  It's almost opposite of binding movements.  Moving the fin backwards is a similar movement to moving your bindings forward and forward with the fin is the opposite.  If you are unsure in your fin adjustment abilities I'd recommend leaving the fin in the standard setting.  Try experimenting with forward and backward movements of the binding and see what works best for you.  If you are interested in increasing your fin and binding adjustment abilities I'd recommend a one on one water ski lesson here at the ranch with either Doug, Terry or myself.

Cheers, Nick

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