January 8, 2005 - Winter Haven, Fl... Cheeking Outside the Wake
January 8th, 2005 at 1:44 pmthe Wake
The addictive challenge of barefooting is to ski that
perfect
pass where everything flows without the awareness of power
and precision.
To achieve this elusive pass requires facing dangers others
are not willing to faceā¦and to prevail where others are not
willing to sacrifice.
The passion to ride the adrenaline rush of victory over
fear
on our way to the next greater challenge parallels life in
that the successful confrontation of fear defines our
existence.
--Lanemus Maximus circa 2001
Problem:
...When ever i hit the stern rollers i end up falling to one
side
or the other, and actually the other day i really hurt my
foot
when i lost my balance, and my foot got nailed by the
handle.
anyways, i beleive that it has something to do with the
position of the handle, because i have been holding it
against
my hips for the start, but then i am supposed to move it it
forward right? i just dont know when to do this and where
to
hold it excactly. hope to hear from you soon, thanks alot.
-Parker Burke
Solution:
1. Equipment check-
rope: Make sure you are using a barefoot no-stretch rope so that
there is no bouncing going on that occurs when using a
poly-
propylene rope (wally rope that skiers or tubers use).
handle: A barefoot handle such as the slalom
handle is 15 inches
instead of 12 inches. This gives better balance unless you are
a
small child who might be better off using a 12 inch jump handle.
wetsuit: this is not a place to skimp on money. It is critical
that
you use a great barefoot suit and full wrap shorts. For my
recommendations go here.
Fligh High: Tremendously easier with a high pull
2. Boat speed-
This is one of the most common mistakes. Keep your boat
speed
at 25mph or less until you become proficient at cheeking
outside
the wake.
Now that you are on a level playing field with the best chance
of
success, you need to brush up on your butt glide position and
then
learn how to change directions while in the butt glide position
so you
can plant your feet in your three-point position in the calm
water
outside the wake!
Position-The butt glide position should have your knees
completely straight
with either one or both feet on the rope. Knees are together to
keep
water out of your face.
Handle remains into your hips until your feet touch the water in
your
three-point position. Only then does your
handle come out in front of
your knees.
EXCEPTIONS: small kids or women(may need to keep the handle
AT
their knees in the three point)
and BIG DUDES (220-380lbs) who I allow to keep
their handle out further
from their hips to counter balance their beef.
It is absolutely critical that your legs remain completely
straight so that
your knees are never above the rope while in the butt glide
position. A
bent knee is the beginning of many troubles ...trust me on this.
Another huge tip for added control is to make sure that your feet
and your
head are the same distance from the water. This creates stability
by
keeping your weight balanced.
Rolling over in the butt glide position occurs when you are not
balanced.
I almost forgot. Make sure never to put your heel over the rope.
Only put
your foot arch on the rope. This keeps your knees together and
below the
rope.
If you roll over AND have your heels or ankles crossed on the
rope, when
the handle comes out of your hands, it smashes your feet when it
cannot
get away. This usually feels like you have broken bones in your
feet from
the impact...but it usually is just a nasty contusion.
The only exception to heel over the rope is when you are wearing
shoe
skis. In this case, put only one heel over the rope. Keep the
other off
and straight.
Cheeking Outside the Wake-
With your new and improved position, think of the wake as a big
bowl
were you want to get up enough momentum to get up and out.
As soon as you can sit up into your butt glide position, begin by
leaning
to the left to get your momentum started to the left. I usually
tell kids
to fart to the left to go left, fart to the right to go right.
Do not try to get out on your first attempt. Simply start the
momentum
and then as soon as it dies, fart in the other direction. With
two or
three goes at building up your edging speed, you will be able to
cheek
out to the trick curl.
Bonus points-
If you start way off to one side instead of directly behind the
boat, you
can either get one swing and get right outside or even
better...get out
side the wake without having to go over it!
I hope this helps. If you need more help try a layer of SlickFeet50.


