• Burning Feet…Winter Haven, Fl October 10, 2005 By Lane "Dawg" Bowers "Fundamentals win it. Football is about two things: It's blocking and tackling. I don't care anything about formulations or new defenses or tricks on defense. If you block and tackle better than the team you're playing, you win." – Vince Lombardi NFL Coach If you insert 'Posture, Glide, and Power Band' as the fundamentals of barefooting, then Vince Lombardi's advice holds true for us. It would be nice if there was a little trick or gimmick, but great barefooting boils down to the three principles that make average or below average barefooters into great barefooters. Here is an email about burning heels that I would like to answer; Lane, Here's a question for you. Am I putting my feet in the correct position when barefooting? I can go all the way around our lake but often choose to let go because the water cuts like a knife on the soft part of my foot just above my heel. When I get into the boat I often have an instant purple color on the inside of my foot. Should I just grin and bear it or should I be up more towards my toes. I weigh about 184 and barefoot at around 37 mph. Should I slow the boat speed down? I love the video I purchased about barefooting and would like to bring my 15 year old daughter down to have you teach her barefoot. She slalom skis and has successfully been in the proper position on a kneeboard to barefoot. She needs to learn off a boom first from someone other than her dad. Our boat doesn't have a boom. I would love to learn some tricks also. Can you give me an idea of the costs involved? Paul J. Carr First, let's deal with Dad…and then we will deal with his daughter. If you feel like you can relate to this burning heels dilemma, then I can help. The interesting thing here for Paul is the description he used to describe his problem. By letting me know where on his foot the burn is coming from, I am able to solve his problem with the very core of my training. The burning area tells me that this is where the water line is on his foot…possibly the same for your foot. I like to tell people that ask me what I do for a living that' "I solve small town problems with Posture and Glide." Glide boils down to wear the water line is on your foot. When you are forwards, it should go up to., but not past the ball of your foot. If a bruise appears near the heel, then it means that the water line needs to be moved more towards the front of the foot which gives the maximum surface area on the water. For those of you who might be saying, "My feet burn at the ball of my foot when I am going backwards," this is the exact same problem in the opposite direction. But in the backwards position, the water line should be up to, but not on your heel. To solve this problem forwards, the answer is simple, but the solution might take a little more commitment. The simple answer to this problem is that you need to get your ankles back behind your knees so that the water line comes up to the correct spot on your foot. See my Ankles and Angles article at http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne3.htm The problem I find with most people with this problem, is that at their normal barefooting speed, trying to move your feet back under your knees is terrifying if not impossible for the fear of catching a toe. Sound familiar? The answer to this problem is that the easiest place to practice moving your feet back where they should be is when you are going from a proper butt glide to a three-point position at a much slower speed. Most people can accomplish this at around 25-28mph. To do this requires a great wetsuit AND great padded shorts. See what I mean at http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/wetsuits.htm Most guys do not like to go through this process since mastering a great three-point position is actually harder than learning to get up on your feet. Since I have covered this thoroughly in the following two articles below, I will allow you to read these, print them out, and take them in the boat; http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne68.htm http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne61.htm Read these, practice them on dry land, and you will experience barefooting like never before. By the way, I must make the note that it is still possible to have your feet burn even in a great position. To eliminate your feet burning requires conditioning your feet by doing more barefooting. I recommend mastering form at the slow speeds first, and then increasing your speeds until you can endure the burn for the length of time and speeds that you want to go. The answer to getting your child or spouse into barefooting is simple, but a major commitment. I have hundreds of referrals to confirm what I am going to recommend to you. If you really want to get your spouse or child into barefooting and have them enjoy this incredible sport with you WITHOUT INJURY or FALLING, here are two options; #1 You bring them out in the boat with you. They see you fall incredibly hard at insanely high speeds. While you clear your head and search for the Advil (anti-inflammatory-concussion suppressing 'man-food'), you tell your wife, daughter or son, that "it is really not that hard and that they will do really well." You spend an incredibly frustrating amount of time trying to get them to try what just gave you a concussion only to find out that they are terrified and surprisingly uninterested. #2 You bring them to paradise here in Winter Haven, Fl at The Footer's Edge Training Center where I roll out the red carpet of service and safety. They learn at a surprisingly fast pace while you beam with a sense of pride that cannot be explained. You are not surprised to see that they learn perfect Posture, Glide, and Power Band. They have a new sense of self that makes them a whole new person. Your kids begin to listen to you because they are too tired to disobey after a long day of making miracles happen. Read how to do this at http://www.thefootersedge.com/skischool/index.htm I am looking forward to hearing about your success! You deserve to Be the Best Barefoot WaterSkier on Your Lake! Expect a Miracle! Lane "Dawg" Bowers 2003 World Overall Senior Barefoot Champion lane@lanedawg.com http://www.thefootersedge.com http://www.beabarefooter.com http://www.barefootanswers.com http://www.slickfeet50.com 877 685-6270 <----------Call Me! 863 557-8871 <----------Direct Line Fax: 509 756-4343

  October 10th, 2005 at 5:41 pm

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