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Subject: Winter Haven, Florida October 10, 2004- The Different Types of Barefooting What Does ‘Posture and Glide’ have to do with Show Skiing, Figure 8 Barefooting, and 3 Event Barefooting? “A winner does not become despondent over a loss, nor does he believe that winning is an outcome reserved for a select few. Rather, he gives his opponent the credit due him, picks himself up, and gets ready to go again.” --Tom Cousineau, NFL Linebacker I have had a great fortune of meeting and teaching so many great people who enjoy barefooting for many different reasons and I thought it would be helpful if I explained the difference between the different disciplines of barefooting. What I have spent the vast majority of my time teaching and promoting is traditional barefooting which is also known as “tournament” or “3 Event” barefooting. My articles have concentrated on teaching others to learn to barefoot in the most controlled conditions available. Down here in Winter Haven Florida at The Footer’s Edge Training Center, there is a tremendous amount of effort to make sure that I get my students extremely calm water which is free from wind chop and the presence of any other boat rollers. The goal is to eliminate any other difficulties or distractions that can slow down the learning process. This type of environment provides the ideal water conditions to learn new skills such as those principles I have published on Posture, Glide, and The Power Band. (See my Trauma Center for these articles and more at http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/definitions%20and%20theories.htm) It is in this kind of “Paradise” that the greatest accomplishments are made in a safe environment that will allow you to become the best barefoot water skier on your lake. This is why I tell my students to “Expect a Miracle!” When you combine the power of great information and instruction, a highly motivated student, and great conditions, you can expect to make tremendous strides. In the learning environment, we also concentrate on teaching great driving skills such as those I have published in previous articles available in my Free Barefooting Tips E-book at http://www.thefootersedge.com The skills differ for the skill being learned, but the idea is to give the skier every possible advantage by avoiding any conditions which could cause the student to become defensive or fearful. Such conditions include rough water, rollers, excessive boat speed (any speed higher than the minimum speed required for learning that specific skill). But did you know that there are actually other disciplines in barefooting where the goal is to ski through conditions that would be considered far from ideal? Believe it or not there are two recognized disciplines within barefoot water skiing where extremely rough conditions are not only the norm, but that are actually sought after in order to test the barefooter’s ability to handle both rough water and boat rollers of the very worst type. What type of barefoot water skier would actually want to ski in both wind chop and rough water? There are actually two types of barefoot water skiing disciplines that train for these most challenging types of conditions; Show Ski Barefooting and Figure 8 Barefooting In Show Ski Barefooting, although it would be nice to have glass calm water for the barefooting act, it is normally hampered by the challenge of several boats occupying the water at the same time which creates an abundance of boat rollers as well as “roll-back” off of any surrounding sea walls, ski jumps, or other various objects surrounding the show circle. And because of the time limitations of the show, it is not possible to wait for the water to calm down. This usually creates a great challenge to barefooters who pride themselves in being able to perform their barefooting skills in unpredictable conditions without falling. The good news is that the same skills that are learned in perfect conditions (such as those I teach at The Footer’s Edge Training Center) can be applied to these more difficult environments with practice. A great example of this is with backwards barefooting. When you first learn to backwards barefoot, I would make sure that you do so in perfect conditions making sure you do not have to ski over rough water and rollers. As you perfect your position and your understanding of my “Resistance Theory of Barefooting” (http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/definitions%20and%20theories.htm), you will become more confident in your ability to ski longer without falling in calm water conditions. If your goal was to be able to perform in a Ski Show, I would then have to help prepare you for the type of driving and conditions which you can expect at when you leave paradise (The Footer’s Edge Training Center). We would start by introducing you to backwards barefooting in rougher water than is ideal. The idea is to become progressively more comfortable in rougher water until you can handle water that is quite rougher than would be ideal. The next progressive step is to practice your backwards barefooting in water that is “rolly polly” (i.e. boat rollers “peppered in”) but not with wind chop. As you get more comfortable with those conditions, you now need to learn to ski in a circle which is common in show skiing. Learn to barefoot in a circle first with calm conditions and then progress to rougher water and then finally rough water with boat rollers. In the learning stages I would give the greatest possible advantage by helping you with boat driving. I would help you find the best possible speed that would make you feel the most secure while performing this skill. Major Secret: The great part about learning backwards properly is that once you have mastered Posture, Glide, and The Power Band along with my “Resistance Theory of Barefooting”, it is actually easier to go backwards through rough water than it is forwards! “Why is this,” you ask? When barefooting backwards, you have more of your foot in the water than forwards. In addition, it is easier to get your hips to the handle (Power Band) which makes you feel more stable….but you do not have to tell your friends this!!! If you do not believe me, just ask the petite Heller girls, Elaine (13 yrs old) and Shannon (12 yrs old), of Wisconsin who are probably out practicing as I write this! Seeing a young girl perform these skills drives home the point of how these techniques can work for you! You do not have to be some studly guy. You just need to be trained properly! The last stage of getting ready for show skiing can be challenging. You will now need to learn to combine the above skills while allowing another boat driver (such as a show ski driver, or dad) to drive you. This can be frustrating after I have driven you with perfect driving, but by this time you will be ready. The key here is to remember to pick a speed that you are very comfortable with since you will not be receiving the ideal pull. Remember, no matter how good your driver thinks he is, you will not be getting the kind of driving you might be most comfortable with while in a show. The main concern of the driver will be his path and speed. You are going to have to be prepared to encounter rollers, rough water, and a curved boat path. If the conditions look more difficult than you have trained, remember to chose a slightly slower speed so that you can drive through the water instead of bouncing off the rollers. If you are comfortable with 36mph in your practices, take one to two mph off of your speed in more adverse conditions. HUGE TIP!!!: Try to prepare for the water conditions that you cannot see (because you are looking backwards) by feeling any surge in the boat (you can feel it through the rope) that may be caused by rollers that the boat is going over. Adjust your resistance, and hip and knee flex as I have taught extensively in my Tigger the Tiger Bouncy Trouncy Skiing approach which you can read in my Trauma Center at http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/definitions%20and%20theories.htm In Show Ski Barefooting, your goal is to complete your barefooting act so you will need to practice conditions that are equal to or worse than what you expect to have in the show. This way you will feel like a barefooting machine that can barefoot through anything by the time you have to perform! Understand that the boat driver’s job is to pull you through the designated path that you should have practiced at a designated speed that you have requested. He must make sure that you do not hit any skis, floating objects, or anything solid. Your job is to make sure you can handle your routine in the show conditions which you can expect to be difficult. Of all the show ski clubs that I have helped with their barefooting skills, I have never seen any conditions which would come close to being calm. Therefore, train for rough and rolly water by building up to it as I have described above. But let me also make clear that this is not the place to learn new tricks. Switch back to the learning mode where you have a great barefoot driver who can help you though the process as I have described and in calm conditions where you are not going to be so defensive! Could there be an even more challenging environment for barefooting conditions? Yes! Welcome to the world of Figure 8 Barefooting where the conditions can even be worse. Although it is not a recognized sport by our governing body (USA Ski Association), it has a huge cult following and a National Championship which is a lot like the “Tough Man” competitions that you see on cable channels. In this type of barefooting, the skier’s challenge is to barefoot without falling or touching his or her butt to the water while the boat driver literally drives a figure 8 path with the boat. With one skier on each side of the wake in head-to-head heats, the driver hits his own wake by hitting at a 90 degree angle and at a constant speed (usually 42mph) without any consideration for the well being of the skier (other than to not hit a ski or other object). The last guy standing wins. It is simple to understand but is a skill that requires practicing.. In order to get good at this type of barefooting, it is now time to throw out everything I have taught you about Posture and Glide and time to practice the Slouch and Plow Method that I describe in my Trauma Center at http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/definitions%20and%20theories.htm If you like to complain about conditions not being fair or that the water was too rough or that the boat driver ran you over boat rollers then do not expect to get any sympathy at this tournament. What you will get is a kindred respect among fellow barefooters who know that it is extremely difficult to barefoot in these most difficult of conditions. If you stand one second longer than the guy or girl on the other side of the wake, then you will be the winner! The only way that I know to get better at Figure 8 Barefooting is to simulate Figure 8 Barefooting conditions. I would start by having your driver drive a figure 8 boat path in calm conditions and at a slower speed and then work up to 42mph in variable conditions of both wind chop and boat rollers. Each person will develop their own unique style for accomplishing this from sitting extremely low to the water with your elbows almost resting on your knees to standing high with wide and stiff legs. Whatever works best is what you should use. If you can build up to where you can make a figure 8 path without falling, then try learning to do this on either side of the wake. Once you have accomplished these skills, you will be ready. It should also be noted that in Show Ski Barefooting and Figure 8 Barefooting, you must be able to perform the “step-off” method of barefooting which I go ever extensively in my 2 hour instructional video which you can see a free sample at http://www.thefootersedge.com/videos/index.htm You can also by the official National Figure 8 Step-off ski in my Pro Shop at http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/trainingaids.htm 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 877 685-6270 <----------Call Me! 863 557-8871 <----------Direct Line Fax: 509 756-4343