| 1.
How do I learn to tumble safely?
2. Equipment?
3. Speed?
1.
How do I learn tumbles safely?
Click
here to read the entire article!
NOW, let me reveal for the first
time ever my list of the top 5 tumble turn felonies!
#1 Poor technique; read this article or see it
in action on my video by clicking here.
#2 Incorrect speed-99% of the people drive way
too fast
#3 Poor set-up; boom height, rope length
#4 Bad wetsuit; I am constantly surprised at how
people will try this trick in a wetsuit that is
not meant for barefooting or a wetsuit that is too
large. If your wetsuit flaps painfully against your
lower or upper back, then it is too large and the
speed may be too fast. You can get the same wetsuit
that I wear in my Pro
Shop by clicking here.
#5 Trying 360 tumble turns before learning 180’s
or the windshield wiper technique.
I love helping solve these problems because I get
tremendous joy watching my students go from never
having done a tumble turn (or from having tumble
turns that look more like torture) to perfect tumbles!
My approach will be to start you from the beginning
just like I would for anyone skiing with me down
here in paradise. Down here, this is a half-day
to a full day project. On your own, it may take
much longer, but if you use this article in conjunction
with the video, you will find success!
Now that you have established the good butt glide,
good set-up, and good equipment
, we will be able to concentrate on speed and technique.
The speed should be between 25-30mph (remember:
high boom with 2’ extension). Even large individuals
(over 225lbs) equipped properly should do tumbles
in the low 30’s. Small children (less than
75lbs) could perform tumbles in the low 20’s
(mph) as long as the ‘chine spray’ (from
the side of the boat) is not hitting the skier!
Now it is time to get down to the nitty gritty,
technique! After you are able to ride comfortably
in the butt glide position in total control, you
are ready for my patented No
Feet Tumbles technique that has helped thousands
learn to tumble safely! It has also taught “spasmodic
tumblers” to gain control. Simply put, it
is a slow speed maneuver in which all four tumbles
(180’s and 360’s in BOTH directions)
are done without standing up in-between each one.
TIP: It is very helpful to strengthen your abdominals,
as the butt glide position will work your abs BIG
TIME! If you do not know how to do this, set-up
a handle on dry land and practice holding the butt
glide position until you can hold it for 30 seconds
at a time.
The next step is to learn the magic of handle control.
Handle control makes great tumbles and there is
only two positions you need to learn, the starting
and ending position and the gun-holster position!
The starting and ending position requires that
your handle be tight to your hip with your knuckles
placed firmly against the very top of your legs.
This is the single biggest technique mistake that
I see people making. Starting or ending with the
handle ‘out’ causes more problems than
are worth mentioning.
The gun-holster position is where you put the MIDDLE
of the handle into the BOTTOM of your imaginary
gun holster without allowing your handle to lose
contact with your wetsuit! This is so important
that it is worth re-reading and imagining over and
over again! , did you re-read it? The big tip to
doing this is to lock out you outside arm fully.
In other words, if you want to spin to your left,
you will need to lock out your right arm until you
achieve the gun-holster position.
TIP: NEVER let the handle come-up above your hip
at anytime during the tumble turn! This is a heinous
crime that causes people to get tremendous drag!
What causes the drag is getting caught with the
handle out of position. If you have ever gotten
stuck with the handle over your head while you are
dragging on your back, then you lost control of
your handle! Remember, I said there are only TWO
positions for the handle. Having the handle over
your head is not one of them.
The only way to safely start to learn your tumbles
is to start from the butt glide position and practice
letting your feet swing from left to right while
your practice going from the starting position to
the gun holster position and then back to the ending
position! If you would like to start your first
windshield wiper to the right, then look over your
right shoulder 180 degrees behind you while locking
out your left elbow and PUSHING the middle of the
handle into your left gun-holster position! Hold
your head position and handle position steady until
the tension that you have created from pushing spins
you back to the front where you should do…what?
That’s right, PULL the handle back into the
ending position. Do not be discouraged if you only
spin about 45-degrees on your first attempts. You
will eventually be able to make it to 90 degrees
and then 180 degrees.
Immediately begin learning the opposite direction.
Do not attempt 360-degree tumbles until you have
MASTERED the 180’s.
By adhering to great handle control, you will conquer
the 180’s that I believe are more difficult
than the 360’s. When you are ready for the
360’s, the key becomes timing. A 360 tumble
is simply moving the handle from one gun-holster
position to the other gun-holster position and then
back to the ending position.
The timing of when to move the handle is critical.
You move the handle as soon as your feet reach the
90-degree position. If you wait too long, then the
handle will be very difficult to move. The key here
is realizing when to pull and when to push. A 180
is a pull-push-pull. A 360 is a pull-push-push-pull.
The starting and ending positions are always a strong
pull. The gun-holster positions are always a push
with your outside arm!
MAJOR TIP: Always keep your knees, legs, and ankles
touching during the tumble turn! This is critical
to getting your hips to move in one motion.
MAJOR TIP: Never let your knees, legs, and ankles
get higher off the water than 12 inches! Raising
your lower body during the tumble turn is one of
the major reason for catching your shoulders or
head half way around (mistakenly attributed by some
as a “sleeveless” wetsuit problem).
MAJOR TIP: Whenever you are in the butt glide (starting
and ending position) you are planing on both cheeks!
Whenever you are in a gun holster position, you
should be on one butt cheek and one side of your
ribs (the opposite side as the handle). But how
do I keep my students of excellence from getting
confused? By telling them in words they will never
forget! REMEMBER always fart TOWARDS the boom! In
other words, look to the left lay on your left side.
Look to the right lay on your right side!
Well there , I have tapped into the last of my
search and destroy typing skills for the day. It
is 82 degrees out so I must go take advantage of
living in paradise! If I have left any stone unturned
and you have my video, email me at lane@lanedawg.com
and I will be happy to help you more once I have
been rejuvenated!
Please let me know if this has been of help to
you as I am expecting great things from you!
Lane “Dawg” Bowers’ Personal
Guarantee:
I GUARANTEE my personal instruction
to be the best instruction you have ever had or
you ski FREE! I also personally guarantee my 2-hour
instructional video, The Footer’s Edge, to
be the best instructional video you have ever seen
or your money back! How can I do this? I believe
that there is no one who has dedicated more time,
energy, and money to teaching barefoot water skiing
than I have. , when you experience how I integrate
my system of Posture and Glide and The Power Band
with my enthusiastic faith in you, incredible things
happen. This same system of teaching also has helped
me to provide the best safety record in water skiing!
Let
me know how you do!! Email
me your success stories!
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2.
What equipment do I need?
I
believe that the very basics for barefooting are
as follows;
#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!
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3.
What speed is best for learning windshiled wipers?
Click
here to read the entire article!
The speed should be between
25-30mph (remember: high boom with 2’ extension).
Even large individuals (over 225lbs) equipped properly
should do tumbles in the low 30’s. Small children
(less than 75lbs) could perform tumbles in the low
20’s (mph) as long as the ‘chine spray’
(from the side of the boat) is not hitting the skier!
Remember,
my two hour instructional video has all the speeds
as well as boom-o-meter for the correct height.
It is a must have!
I
can’t wait to hear about your progress!
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