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1. How
Do I Cross the Wake Forward on Two Feet?
2. Rope length?
3. Speed?
4. Is there any way to practice before
getting on the water?
5. Equipment?
6. Puppy Paws?
7. How Do I Cross the Wake Backwards
on Two Feet?
8. How Do I Cross the Wake Forwards
for One-Foot Crossings?
9. How Do I Cross the Wake Backwards
for One-Foot Crossings?
1.
How Do I Cross the
Wake Forward on Two Feet?
Click
here to read the entire article!
If you are one of the many people
waiting for help on crossing the wake forwards,
then you are in luck. I am about to help you "open
a can of front slalom whoop-#@$$!"
We all love skiing and love to
see a huge wall of water, but doesn't it get you
pumped to think you could create a wall of spray
that would make Andy Maples' look like a picket
fence! And better yet, instead of using a six-foot
ski, you can do it with your own signature-series
bulletproof bare feet! I get fired-up just thinking
about it.
If you are wondering why WaterSki
Magazine isn't answering your questions with monthly
barefoot tips, then fret not. I am going to do it
in more depth than they ever would...and it is FREE!!!!
"Things that make you go...Hmm..." (C&C
Music Factory?)
Well I am going to outline two
approaches. The first approach is for the educated
risk taker. This is for the person who likes to
be aggressive only after applying a little "wax-on
wax-off" to the preparation phase.
The second approach is for the
skier who prefers a good concussion to an intellectual
read! Many of you will take this road...and enjoy
the beating!
Approach number one (A personal
and patented Lane "Dawg" guaranteed path
to The Nirvana Slalom Land!)
Stage #1 Learn all one foots
and toe-holds until you can be like Tigger
the Tiger in the positions on the boom, the
long-line, and on both sides of the wake. Required
reading for this approach: Ankles
and Angles, Tigger
the Tiger Bouncy Trouncy Skiing
Stage #2 Learn two-foot and one-foot
Cut-Aways (See video-http://www.thefootersedge.com/videos
Stage #3 Learn to cross the wake
on two-feet and one-feet on Puppy
Paws
Stage #4 Andy Maple gives you
a call to ask you (as a professional courtesy) not
to show-up at the Tour Stop as your signature-series
feet are stealing his thunder! Stick sales plummet.
Buoys become passé. He holds your trophy...you work
the crowd.
Approach number two. No time
for waxing. Take a good hard look at those bubbles.
Think about what Rambo would do if he were you.
Pull...push...simply WILL your way across that wake.
Swallow the fear and do it again increasing the
boat speed! That has got to help, right!?
Practice crossing the wake religiously
using the following two principles;
Principle #1 WEIGHT TRANSFER-sure
would be nice to be able to do a one-foot!
Principal
#2 EDGING
To transfer the weight you need
to think of my patented Clock
Theory of weight transfer! Picture your feet
in the center of a clock and the back of your head
over six-o-clock. If you want to go to your left,
you need to transfer 90 percent of your weight to
your right foot! To do this, move the back of your
head (your upper body should follow!) over 4-o-clock.
This is easy if your feet are close together.
Practice this weight transfer
separately until you are fluid in transferring your
weight from your right foot to your left foot while
moving your head and body from 4-o-clock to 8-o-clock.
Keep your feet parallel as you do this!
So
far you are just swaying from side to side. To get
some actual S-curves happening, you need to learn
to EDGE or CARVE!
In
a normal front gliding position (Ultra
Mega Glide), you have the water all the way
up to the ball of your foot, but not ON the ball
of your foot. The foot is facing directly parallel
with the boat. When edging, we transfer the weight
to the inside edge of your foot in the same way
that a slalom skier sets his edge on his ski. The
water line on the foot can now actually move up
onto the ball of your big toe in an extremely aggressive
edge!
But
how does this happen without catching a toe? It
is possible only when two critical things happen;
#1
You push hard enough on your foot so that it is
out in front of your knee! What???? Abandon the
Ultra Mega Glide?
Yes, but ONLY in front slalom! This is the ONLY
time where the glide you have worked so hard on
should be altered so that the water line can get
on the edge of your foot!
#2
The "pinky toe edge" is out of the water
(to just over half way down your foot) because of
the aggressive angle your foot has taken! Your foot
is now at least 45 degrees off towards the direction
you want to go!
The
more aggressively you work your weight transfer
and your edging, the closer you will be to crossing
on one foot. Your leading foot should be very light
and pointed in the direction you want to go. Keep
your feet close together so that weight transfer
and edging are easier to achieve when you want to
change direction.
On
your very first crossing on your feet, edge away
from the wake at least 5-10 feet, change directions
with the proper weight transfer and edge change,
and the edge with constant resistance until you
are at least 5-10 feet out the other side. After
you have done this for a couple of passes, try to
establish a slow and steady rhythm with smooth and
carving turns!
Lane
Dawg's Top Slalom Tips
#1
Position, position, position!
#2
Keep your elbows close to your body by using a good
shoulder role to the back, lat strength, and a little
bit of bicep!
#3
Ribs higher than elbows.
#4
Keep the pull in your hips. The higher the handle
the weaker your slalom!
#5
Look across the wake out in front of you. Looking
directly AT the wake could blind you!
#6
Stay lower than normal. Keep you butt lower than
your knee.
#7
Try to get bouncy trouncy! It is more fun and it
helps to establish a rhythm.
#8
Get the video!
www.thefootersedge.com/videos
#9
Come to paradise and get YOUR unfair advantage!
http://www.thefootersedge.com/skischool
Well
the plane is landing as I am off again to solve
more small town problems with Posture and Glide!
Let
me know how you do!! Email
me your success stories!
top ^
2. Rope
length?
Click
here to read the entire article!
If
you have a boat that was specifically designed for
barefooting, the you would use the standard length
that all competitors use in tournaments. That length
is 75 feet.
If
you have a boat that is not designed for barefooting,
I would use 100 feet of rope. This will make the
wake wider, but much softer and easier to cross!
I
can’t wait to hear about your progress!
top
^
3.
Speed?
There
are so many variations depending on skill level,
shoe ski type, weight, whether or not you are using
a Fly High
extended skylon, etc...
top
^
4.
Is there any way to practice before getting on the
water?
Click
here to read the entire article!
Make
sure and practice the techniques shown on my two
hour video and in my Virtual
Ski School.
With
this mastered, you may take to the water with more
confidence and preparation than I ever had when
I was learning. While others rip their heads off,
you will foot with the quiet confidence of a Jedi
Warrior (Star Wars reference)!
You
can get a 7 Day FREE Trial
Membership of My Virtual Ski School only
by clicking on the link below.
http://www.thefootersedge.com/newskischool/7daytrial.htm
top
^
5.
Equipment?
I
believe that the very basics for barefoot slalom
are as follows;
You
must have a barefoot
rope and slalom handle.
#1
The best
barefoot wetsuit you can afford. I believe
the best wetsuit on the market is Barefoot International's
Iron Man wetsuit. I personally wear this suit and
guarantee it to be at least 30% more protection
than any other suit. It is an enormous advantage.
You can see these suits and receive the best pricing
anywhere along with free shipping by clicking here!
#2
I also believe that you MUST use padded shorts and
that the best shorts out there are the Iron
Man shorts. I unconditionally guarantee
these shorts to be the best shorts of any kind in
bare foot water skiing.
I
highly recommend getting the best boom on the market
since this also is a major safety issue. The Barefoot
International boom and Fligh High extended pylon
are the best out there. I also guarantee these to
be the best out there.
Although
I do not normally start barefooters out on shoe
skis, it is critical to learning the more advanced
tricks and are an absolute must for the serious
barefooter. The Dawg
Paws are the best shoe skis on the planet
and I also have a less expensive shoe ski which
you can see by visiting our Pro
Shop.
If
you have specific questions about any equipment,
please submit them on the form below and I will
post the answers here!
top
^
6.
Should I Wear Puppy
Paws?
There
is no substitute when you are learning slalom. Join
those who have already gotten an unfair advantage!
Get your own pair
of Puppy
Paws now!
top
^
7.
How
Do I Cross the Wake Backwards on Two Feet?
Click
here to read the entire article!
Check
out my additional extended back slalom information
on my Virtual
Ski School!
This
is one of the points in your barefoot career that
will test your patience and end up yielding some
incredible fun. I believe back one-foot slalom to
be one of the best feelings in the world! The good
news is that what was once something only done by
the best and strongest barefooters in the world,
is now something that can be learned by anyone who
follows my instruction down to the letter! If you
are one of those hard core personalities that is
willing to overlook short term set-backs in return
for long term gain, then I will lead you to the
promise land where your own personal miracles are
waiting for you. If you are reading this thinking
it is easy, then you will be disappointed. We have
a tee-shirt that says simply, "We never said
it was easy. We just said it was kool."
There
are two ways that I know to go about this. The way
I did it, and the way that I now teach my students
of excellence to do it! The way that I did it was
about a three year process of continual abuse and
horrific crashes that kept my chiropractor in business.
The way that I would like to help you is proven,
methodical, and has worked for a tremendous amount
of butt-kicking back one foot shredders!
There
are several skills that should be mastered in order
to make the transition to back one foot slalom:
#1
learn to do GREAT back toe-holds on both sides of
the wake
#2
learn to do back-cut aways on both feet (as described
in depth on my
instructional video)
#3
learn to do back one-foot slalom on the
Puppy Paws
The
most important of these as far as priorities go
is to learn your back toe-holds perfectly on the
boom and then transfer them to the long-line. It
is CRITICAL that you learn to do them on both sides
of the wake without flying all over the place. Once
you learn the back toe-hold correctly, it is quintessential
that you learn to ski in the correct position with
a very soft knee (on the water) to keep "tracking"
straight while in the trick curl. If you are having
trouble, learn to use the Puppy
Paws while doing this exercise!
While
working on this, you will want to learn to cross
the wake on Puppy
Paws on one foot. This will teach you balance
and will point out any weak spots. The key to learning
the back-one foot slalom on the Puppy
Paws is to keep a good Power-Band,
soft knee, good resistance,
and then setting your foot on edge. A good
way to describe this is to get in a great backwards
position, and then picture your head being at the
12 o'clock position with your feet at six o'clock.
If you
want to cut to your left, move your head and shoulders
around the clock to the two o'clock position and
your feet at the eight o'clock position. You will
need to do this while "loading
up with resistance without deteriorating your
Posture and Glide. The key is to create an edge
so the your feet are actually on the inside edge
of your foot (the 'pinky-toe' side of your foot
is pushed towards the boat and is out of the water).
This is the same edging necessary for a slalom ski.
Once
you are getting these other two skills up and running,
try cutting away from the wake (while on your feet...or
the Puppy
Paws, at first) in the same manner as described
above. Remember, set your position (Posture
and Glide, Power-Band),
add your resistance,
and then set your edge. One of the biggest mistakes
I see at this stage is people try so hard to edge
that they allow their feet to go wide. This is counter
productive and you must slow down your cross until
you are at a pace that does not deteriorate your
good position or cause your feet to go wide!
I
guarantee that once you have mastered these skills,
crossing the wake on one foot will come quickly
to you. You will now have mastered all the skills
separately that are needed for a good back one foot
cross. The biggest mistake that you will make, yes...that
means you!, is that you will not take the time to
learn the back toes correctly.
What
is amazing to me is that this is the same information
that I get paid to teach people all over the world
and I know that the biggest temptation out there
is for skiers to modify what I have already proven
to work.
Ask
any of my students and they will tell you that I
require EXCELLENCE in ALL of the toe-holds both
forwards and backwards in order to achieve greatness
in their skiing. I look forward to hearing of your
individual triumphs in back slalom. Please do not
accept mediocrity in your skiing!
TIPS:
#1
Use video analysis!
#2
Use the BEST instructional
video on the planet
#3
MASTER BACK TOE HOLDS on BOTH sides of the wake!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4
POSITION, RESISTANCE, EDGING
Let
me know how your skiing goes and do your homework!
Email
me with your progress. I am expecting a miracle
for you!
top
^
8.
How
Do I Cross the Wake Forwards for One-Foot Crossings?
Click
here to read the entire article!
If you are one of the many people
waiting for help on crossing the wake forwards,
then you are in luck. I am about to help you "open
a can of front slalom whoop-#@$$!"
We all love skiing and love to
see a huge wall of water, but doesn't it get you
pumped to think you could create a wall of spray
that would make Andy Maples' look like a picket
fence! And better yet, instead of using a six-foot
ski, you can do it with your own signature-series
bulletproof bare feet! I get fired-up just thinking
about it.
If you are wondering why WaterSki
Magazine isn't answering your questions with monthly
barefoot tips, then fret not. I am going to do it
in more depth than they ever would...and it is FREE!!!!
"Things that make you go...Hmm..." (C&C
Music Factory?)
Well I am going to outline two
approaches. The first approach is for the educated
risk taker. This is for the person who likes to
be aggressive only after applying a little "wax-on
wax-off" to the preparation phase.
The second approach is for the
skier who prefers a good concussion to an intellectual
read! Many of you will take this road...and enjoy
the beating!
Approach number one (A personal
and patented Lane "Dawg" guaranteed path
to The Nirvana Slalom Land!)
Stage #1 Learn all one foots
and toe-holds until you can be like Tigger
the Tiger in the positions on the boom, the
long-line, and on both sides of the wake. Required
reading for this approach: Ankles
and Angles, Tigger
the Tiger Bouncy Trouncy Skiing
Stage #2 Learn two-foot and one-foot
Cut-Aways (See video-http://www.thefootersedge.com/videos
Stage #3 Learn to cross the wake
on two-feet and one-feet on Puppy
Paws
Stage #4 Andy Maple gives you
a call to ask you (as a professional courtesy) not
to show-up at the Tour Stop as your signature-series
feet are stealing his thunder! Stick sales plummet.
Buoys become passé. He holds your trophy...you work
the crowd.
Approach number two. No time
for waxing. Take a good hard look at those bubbles.
Think about what Rambo would do if he were you.
Pull...push...simply WILL your way across that wake.
Swallow the fear and do it again increasing the
boat speed! That has got to help, right!?
Practice crossing the wake religiously
using the following two principles;
Principle #1 WEIGHT TRANSFER-sure
would be nice to be able to do a one-foot!
Principal
#2 EDGING
To transfer the weight you need
to think of my patented Clock
Theory of weight transfer! Picture your feet
in the center of a clock and the back of your head
over six-o-clock. If you want to go to your left,
you need to transfer 90 percent of your weight to
your right foot! To do this, move the back of your
head (your upper body should follow!) over 4-o-clock.
This is easy if your feet are close together.
Practice this weight transfer
separately until you are fluid in transferring your
weight from your right foot to your left foot while
moving your head and body from 4-o-clock to 8-o-clock.
Keep your feet parallel as you do this!
So
far you are just swaying from side to side. To get
some actual S-curves happening, you need to learn
to EDGE or CARVE!
In
a normal front gliding position (Ultra
Mega Glide), you have the water all the way
up to the ball of your foot, but not ON the ball
of your foot. The foot is facing directly parallel
with the boat. When edging, we transfer the weight
to the inside edge of your foot in the same way
that a slalom skier sets his edge on his ski. The
water line on the foot can now actually move up
onto the ball of your big toe in an extremely aggressive
edge!
But
how does this happen without catching a toe? It
is possible only when two critical things happen;
#1
You push hard enough on your foot so that it is
out in front of your knee! What???? Abandon the
Ultra Mega Glide?
Yes, but ONLY in front slalom! This is the ONLY
time where the glide you have worked so hard on
should be altered so that the water line can get
on the edge of your foot!
#2
The "pinky toe edge" is out of the water
(to just over half way down your foot) because of
the aggressive angle your foot has taken! Your foot
is now at least 45 degrees off towards the direction
you want to go!
The
more aggressively you work your weight transfer
and your edging, the closer you will be to crossing
on one foot. Your leading foot should be very light
and pointed in the direction you want to go. Keep
your feet close together so that weight transfer
and edging are easier to achieve when you want to
change direction.
On
your very first crossing on your feet, edge away
from the wake at least 5-10 feet, change directions
with the proper weight transfer and edge change,
and the edge with constant resistance until you
are at least 5-10 feet out the other side. After
you have done this for a couple of passes, try to
establish a slow and steady rhythm with smooth and
carving turns!
Lane
Dawg's Top Slalom Tips
#1
Position, position, position!
#2
Keep your elbows close to your body by using a good
shoulder role to the back, lat strength, and a little
bit of bicep!
#3
Ribs higher than elbows.
#4
Keep the pull in your hips. The higher the handle
the weaker your slalom!
#5
Look across the wake out in front of you. Looking
directly AT the wake could blind you!
#6
Stay lower than normal. Keep you butt lower than
your knee.
#7
Try to get bouncy trouncy! It is more fun and it
helps to establish a rhythm.
#8
Get the video!
www.thefootersedge.com/videos
#9
Come to paradise and get YOUR unfair advantage!
http://www.thefootersedge.com/skischool
Well
the plane is landing as I am off again to solve
more small town problems with Posture and Glide!
Let
me know how you do!! Email
me your success stories!
top
^
9.
How Do I Cross the Wake Backwards for One-Foot Crossings?
Click
here to read the entire article!
See my newest instructional
video, “Back One-foot
Slalom,” at my all new Virtual
Ski School!
http://www.thefootersedge.com/newskischool
If you can cross
the wake backwards or are wanting to cross the wake
backwards, I am going to give you the inside technology
that will help you tear-up the lake withyour new
and improved powerful backwards form. These
techniques must be mastered in your dry land practice.
Those of you who have taken advantage of my Virtual
Ski School, will have a huge advantage!
Here is my Lane Dawg Bower’s
Short List for Success!
#1 Great position-
yes…you know…Posture,
Glide and POWERBAND!!!
#2 Learn to move around and
be mobile!
#3 Load with RESISTANCE…maintaining
resistance!
#4 Edging with the correct
foot and body angle!
#5 Vision
makes so-so slalom great or good slalom so-so.
As is typical with
all of barefooting’s many challenges, concentrating
on crossing the wake tends to distract skiers from
maintaining a great position. Back slalom will definitely
test your position and shred any bad form!
-------------------Great Position------------------------------------------
Here is a quick top
to bottom reminder of great back form. I have covered
this in great length so I am going to make this
short. See my new instructional video for more details.
#1 Head up. Keep your eyes
on the horizon.
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne51.htm
#2 Shoulders rolled
to the back with elbows up.
#3 Meat Hook those
ribs so that they exhibit maximum expansion!
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne6.htm
#4 POWERBAND your
midsection and NEVER let that squeeze go!
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne6.htm
#5 Soft knees
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne17.htm
#6 Relaxed ankles
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne17.htm
------------------Learning
to Be Mobile--------------------------
Another great challenge
in taking your back slalom up a notch is to learn
to be able to move around. Most beginning back slalomers
do not have mobility. If you cannot move the handle
from one side of your body to the other or if you
cannot bounce up and down in a relaxed manner, then
you are currently stuck in the quagmire of immobility.
This nasty mess can only be conquered
by learning to move in a manner which I affectionately
call “Bouncy Trouncy Tigger
the Tiger” skiing. You can read this in detail
at
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne17.htm
-----------------Learn to
LOAD with Resistance------------------
There is nothing
more aggravating than going through all the work
of getting up backwards behind the boat only to
be slammed at your very first motion into or away
from the wake.
This problem is a
matter of learning to resist from a great position.
Please take time to read and practice my techniques
written in my article “Falling on Back One-foot
Slalom” at
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne56.htm
In short, you need
to be able to increase the amount of resistance
you have against the boat without deteriorating
your position or mobility! This is not difficult,
but it does require practice on dry land as I show
in this weeks’ Virtual
Ski School Video.
http://www.thefootersedge.com/membervideopage/index.htm
After you learn to ski with more resistance, you
must maintain that resistance through every phase
of your back slalom. A change in resistance is like
being shot out of a canon backwards and usually
requires major rest and Advil (ibuprofen).
-----------------Edging----------------------------------------------
Back slalom cannot
be conquered without learning to ski on the insteps
of your feet! Think of your foot as a ski and learn
to ski deep onto your instep keeping your “pinky
toe” edge out of the water.
One way to learn
to edge is to use my Clock
Theory to manipulate your body to ski on your
outside foot while learning to turn in the direction
you want to ski. http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/info/ne21.htm
I short, if your
normal position is facing “6 O’clock,” and you want
to go to your right, move your head, shoulders,
and hips over to your left or “4 O’clock” while
pointing your heels in the opposite direction. As
you do this, your weight should be dramatically
transferred onto your left instep while keeping
your increased resistance!
To go to your left,
simply repeat in the opposite direction at 8 O’clock.
-----------------VISION---------------------------------------------
It seems so simple,
yet 99% of all the people I transform into back
slaloming machines, spend the majority of their
time looking for fish instead of the horizon!
When you double-up
on your Power Band, resistance, and edging, you
will have to CRANK your neck upward just to see
the horizon. My neck gets sore simply from working
hard during my back slaom simply to maintain great
vision. When I analyze someone’s vision, I should
be able to clearly see that the skier’s shoulders
and heard are higher than their butt.
It is very common
in back slalom for the “headless back barefooter”
to mysteriously show-up where once there was a skier
with a perfectly good set of shoulder supporting
a neck and head! I dramatically illustrate this
in my new
Back One Foot Slalom video at
http://www.thefootersedge.com/membervideopage/index.htm
Email
me with your progress. I am expecting a miracle
for you!
top ^
|
