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1. Posture &
Glide
2. Ultra Mega Glide
3. Power Band
4. Clock theory of Surface Turns
5. Clock theory of Backwards Slalom
6. Should I wear Puppy Paws for this?
7. Ankles and Angles Theory of One
Foots
8. Tigger the Tiger Bouncy Trouncy
Skiing
9. Slouch and Plow
10. Foot Ski Principle-Point and Flex
Your Way to Success
11. The Resistance Theory of Barefooting
12. The Power of Vision
1.
What is Posture and Glide?
This is
my now famous theory that is not only being used
by all forms of water skiing but also by many other
sports such as martial arts, snow boarding and even
golf!
Quite
simply, Posture refers to the correct
upper body form while Glide refers
to the correct lower body form.
I
like to think of form from top to bottom. This will
help you maintain great form at all times;
#1
Eyes on horizon (Vision)
#2
Shoulder roll- (1st stage of posture)
roll your shoulders to the back which will allow
your chest to be further forward than your shoulders.
To do this properly, you are actually squeezing
your shoulder blades together.
#3
Meat Hook!- (2nd stage of posture)
Keep your rib cage expanded and upward like someone
is lifting you by a meat hook under your sternum!
Gross thought, but a great mental picture!
#3
Hips forward toward the handle (Power
Band). It is critical that you do not
pull in on the handle to accomplish this! This must
be done by adjusting your shoulders further back
while sliding your hips forward. Do not change your
posture as you do this!
#4
Soft Knees (this is my "Tigger
the Tiger" theory)
#5
Ankles Flexed and behind the front edge of the knee
(Glide)
Click
here for a picture of this position in action!
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2. What is Ultra
Mega Glide?
Click
here to read the entire article!
Check
out the pictures #8,9,10
on my Positions
page.
I
just finished a 10 day road trip and I find myself
showing people everyday how to get the ULTIMATE
MEGA GLIDE (U.M.G) every time I open my
mouth. I realized that there are only only a hand
full of barefooters out of every 1000 that truly
have achieved this level of mastery that is so important
to tapping into your miracle that we are aiming
for!!!
My
newest discovery is a shocking one. I noticed that
when people "lift their toes" they simultaneously
"push the ball of there foot" down! (Try
this out as you are practicing your dry land drills.
Note:
Just so we are all on the same page, the ball of
your foot is the callused part just behind the toes
that should not be in the water in the forwards
position!
I
found that people who dry land practice with their
foot flat on the ground in a forwards position,
are not getting the true feeling of the U.M.G. This
is critical in dry land practice as it will most
likely transfer the muscle memory to the water.
The only way to really get the true feeling of the
U.M.G is to dry land with the front of your foot
flexed upward as much as possible so that your foot
is at an upward angle.
To
illustrate this principle, practice the following;
sit on the edge of a chair or the gunnels of the
boat, pull your heels back behind your knee so that
there is a slight forward angle to your shin bone,
Your foot should be flat on the ground here. Now,
without lifting your toes (stop lifting those toes!),
lift the ball of your foot towards your shin bone
until you feel your shin muscle flexing. You should
be able to lift the entire front of your foot off
the surface of whatever you are practicing without
moving your toes.
"But
Lane Dawg, this is making my dig my heals into the
water!" The truth of the matter is that the
foot does sink into the water some what as it is
not as hard as the land. The foot is not really
ever "flat on the water," but at an angle.
The key is to find the U.M.G. angle. This is a shocking
revelation! What I find most people doing regardless
of the level of skiing is to keep there heels out
in front of their knees and then "lift their
toes while dropping the ball of their foot."
This gives them the feeling that they have flattened
their foot and put the water line near the ball
of their foot where it SHOULD be. The problem with
this is that the weight of your body is too far
behind the water line. The other Major problem is
that if you get used to this type of foot angle,
it will carry over into your backwards skiing which
will end up making you "gas pedal." "Gas
pedaling" is where you push the ball of your
foot forwards as if you were accelerating in a car.
In backwards barefooting, it makes you ski on a
very small part of your foot which causes tons of
problems which effect every area of your skiing.
If
you are not backwards barefooting yet, be
really happy you are learning this now because it
will make stage two (see
instructional video) tremendously easier!
"But
Lane Dawgy, it is impossible to keep the front edge
of your foot off the water in the back position!"-you
That
is correct! But flexing the front edge of your foot
upward without lifting your toes and pushing on
the ball of your foot will help you to achieve the
correct angle of your foot and thus U.M.G, mythical
levels of stability, and massive enjoyment achieved
only by true connoisseurs of Posture and Glide!
The
best way to work on this is dry land practice. Try
putting some object under the front edge of your
foot while practicing your front position, one-foots,
or the set-up for the front-to-back. Remember to
do this while maintaining forwards shin angle. Also,
practice holding your shins in this flexed position
while you are sitting at your desk, watching TV
or some other mundane task. Build up your tolerance
for this shin flex while keeping your heels behind
your knees!
For
those of you who were expecting the Big Dawg Turns
Article, it is coming next (News from THE EDGE #15).
I will have little tolerance for anyone who has
not practiced this U.M.G and then complaining later
that their feet are "spearing into the water
as soon as you get backwards"!!! This is a
must have discipline!
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3.
What is the Power Band?
Click
here
to read the entire article.
Click
HERE to see the Power Band
in the front position.
Click
HERE
to see the Power Band in the backwards
position.
The
POWER BAND is the position that
is achieved that puts the pull of the boat into
your hips and allows you to ski with way more power
than you would in any other position. It is easiest
understood in the back position. The best way to
get you into this position is for you to get out
of your chair....I am waiting...still waiting...thanks!
Now, stand at attention in perfect posture. Spread
your feet to about shoulder's width. Now bend over
into a backwards barefooting position without changing
your posture or the position of the arms at your
side. Now, take a barefoot handle of something of
similar dimensions and put the rubber handle under
where your belt buckle would be (yes, I know some
of you are reading this in your under wear!). Pretend
(not that hard) that you have an enormous gut and
put it onto your thighs while arching your back
as described previously. If you can keep the handle
squeezed into place while keeping your head up and
your chest out, then you have achieved the POWER
BAND!
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4.
What is the Clock Theory of Turns?
Click
here to read the entire Clock Theory of Turns article!
See
this video at my all new Virtual
Ski School!
I
have witnessed the power of dry land practice so
many times now that I more passionate than ever
to help you experience your own special miracle!
Lane
“Dawg” Bowers’ “Clock
Theory of Surface Turns”:
Pretend that while
in the backwards position, you are standing on the
face of a clock with your feet at the center and
your chin directly over the 12! While performing
the back to front, the most common mistake is to
let your head circle around the clock from 12 to
1 to 2 to 3 or in the other direction in the same
manner. Contrarily, turn so that your head never
leaves the 12 position throughout the entire turn
so that as you get to the front, the back of your
head is over the twelve position. If you can accomplish
this you will have turned with your hips and kept
your upper body quiet! Does that make sense?
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
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5.
What
is the Clock Theory of Backwards Slalom?
Click
here to read the entire Clock Theory of Backwards
Slalom article!
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.
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6.
Should I Puppy Paws?
Yes!
This is an absolute must. There is no reasonable
alternative to learning surface turns and backwards
slalom without the aid of shoe skis and the Puppy
Paws are the best in the world and only sold
in our Pro
Shop Online!
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7.
What is Your Ankles and Angles Theory of One-Foots?
My
Theory of Ankles and Angles is an explanation of
how to take your Posture, Glide, and the Power Band
from two feet to one foot! Read, practice on dry
land, Puppy Paws, and then enjoy the success on
your feet!
Ankles
And Angles For Great One Foots
If you want to learn great one-foot tricks, there
is a new leading edge technology that can make you
great... the principle of "ankles and angles"!
Good "ankles"
means having a good glide with your knees over or
slightly in front of your ankle bone. How then can
you lift up the other foot without pushing on your
supporting foot? I'm glad you asked! The key is
in your "angles".
When I say "angles"
I will be referring to the combination of identical
"angles" in your hips, shoulders, and
handle. Think of your hips, shoulders, and handle
as being three separate planes or lines that are
all parallel to the water in a two-foot position.
In other words, the distance between your right
hip joint and the water surface is the same as the
distance between your left hip joint and the water
surface.
Regardless of whether
you are attempting a front or back one-foot there
is no difference in the movement of the three angles.
First of all, you must start and maintain a gliding
position if you want to do this without exploding
from strain! Before raising the boat speed, practice
creating angles in the three areas by first tilting
the handle so that the hand over the foot you are
being supported by is 8-12 inches lower than your
other hand. As you do this, make sure that your
hips and shoulders are mimicking the handle angle
exactly.
WARNING: As with
any new trick, always practice the maneuvers on
land and
then on shoe skis before attempting them on your
feet! I highly recommend
purchasing and studying our 2-hour
instructional video
(http://www.thefootersedge.com/videos/index.htm
) as a guide.
After you feel comfortable
creating angles while maintaining your ankles, try
squeezing your feet together until they are within
6-8 inches, then add the angles as the driver SLOWLY
accelerates to your one foot speed [weight divided
by 10, add 21-24 mph for 5' rope on boom which is
set height equal to skiers shoulders, add three
mph more for the long-line]. If you have patiently
followed the above steps, the foot that you would
like to pick-up should feel very light on the water,
If it does not, exaggerate the angles more!
When you are confident
and solid in this position, slide the foot forward
[toward the boom or boat] and up while keeping the
same knee bend and ankle flex that it had on the
water. Make sure that your posture does not deteriorate
as you go through this procedure! If you feel unstable
or nervous as you start transferring the weight,
then you should recheck your posture.
Smile,
breath, enjoy the glide!
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8.
Tigger the Tiger Bouncy Trouncy Skiing?
Bouncy trouncy Tigger
the Tiger skiing!!!
The keys to proper
mobility and fun!
I
admit that I am one of those teachers who taught
many many people to ski with straight arms, but
I am here to correct the mistake that I have made
and help you to unlock the potential that is awaiting
you. What is amazing is that as I have been traveling
these last three months, I have noticed a proliferation
in this problem. I am seeing a lot of people like
you who have great glide, pretty good posture, but
are still rather unstable. I have found a simple
way to help you ski with more power and great control!
I call this the "Tigger the Tiger mode."
Much
like Tigger the Tiger, I find that great skiers
have great Posture and Glide and a great Power Band
but still exhibit a looseness and lightness in all
joints without any loss of stability. They are bouncy
and trouncy on the water and that seems to provide
tremendous control that I know that people like
you will benefit from!
I
noticed this when I started seeing the number of
straight armed skiing on the rise. I found that
these same people where unstable when going into
one foots, surface turns, and slalom. I am going
to outline how you can get into the ultra fun "Tigger
the Tiger mode (TTTM)."
Let
me first say that this will be helpful in the following
areas of your skiing; all front and back positions
including toe-holds and one foots, all surface turns!
To
launch TTTM there will two keys; proper flexing
or bend, and BREATHING!!!
Let
me start with one of the best tips I can give you
in this format ....BREATHE early, breathe often,
and breathe continuously! I recommend that you make
a journal and checklist to consciously check to
see if you are breathing in all the different skills
that you have accomplished in your barefooting!
I am constantly amazed but not surprised to see
the dramatic effect this has on people. I have quite
literally watched a barefooter's entire skiing demeanor
change after successfully applying this to their
skiing! By the way, the most successful breathing
is done by breathing in through the nose and out
through the mouth!
Once
breathing is established you should find that you
already feel a little more sassy in your skiing,
but let's take this one step further by completing
the TTTM transition!
It is critical to the perfect position that
you have a slight elbow flex in all front and back
positions. To do this properly you should not be
increasing your grip squeeze or flexing your biceps.
I
sure hope you are paying close attention to this
because this is POWERFUL! In the front position,
get into your great posture, then simply push your
chest out slightly more while flexing your elbows.
If this is done properly, your elbows are close
to the side of your body and the chest is slightly
ahead of your elbows. If your elbows have a gap
of more than a couple of inches between them and
your chest, simply close this by splitting the difference
by 50% chest expansion and 50% elbow squeeze.
On
the back position, there should never be a gap between
your wrists and the top of your butt! If you are
one of those skiers whose handle is lower than the
top of your butt, then you will not be able to enjoy
the pure ecstasy of TTTM! To correct this, simply
bring the handle in towards your imaginary belt
line across your back so that the handle sits on
top of you
butt. You should be in a slightly chicken winged
position. The key here is that you have a slight
elbow bend that does not exceed 45 degrees, the
handle is on top of
your butt, your grip is relaxed, your elbows
are pointed up and not out (otherwise it is impossible
to achieve great posture), and that you are breathing!!!!
Now
that we have achieved the TTTM, you should have
greatly increased stability in all skiing. To really
take this to the next level that would most likely
make Tigger the tiger light headed with joy, practice
being bouncy and trouncy in ALL of your positions
both forward and backwards; two foots AND one foots.
I
honestly believe this will bring you one step closer
to skiing like a champion while being able to have
fun while on the water. Remember, never let TTTM
interfere with the basics of
Posture and Glide and The Power Band!
Let
me know how you do! I am expecting a miracle for
you and I hope you are expecting one also. I hope
we get to ski together soon!
Email
me with your progress. I am expecting a miracle
for you!
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9.
Slouch and Plow Skiing for Endurance and Rough Water
Skiing
Click
HERE
to read the entire article on Endurance and rough
water skiing.
Lane
Dawg Bowers Patented Principles for Barefooting
in Four wheel Drive (LOW!)
It is time to master SLOUCH
and PLOW™!
If you are to get
really good at endurance, you need to conserve energy
and change gears! Posture and Glide™ and The
Power band™! were designed for relatively
good water conditions, explosive power, and to maximize
the surface area of your foot on the water making
difficult moves as easy as possible.
SLOUCH and PLOW™
RULES the rough water world and endurance events!
How do you achieve
SLOUCH and PLOW™ in your skiing? The perfect
PLOW™ is achieved pushing forward on your
heels so that the water breaks more towards the
middle of your foot or arch. It will also be helpful
to take the bend out of your knees to conserve energy. A
great knee bend can blow your quads if you are not
careful.
How do you achieve
a great SLOUCH™? Chances are great that if
you just mimic the upper body position you have
right now while you are reading this at your computer,
you will have arrived.
All that work we
put into your upper body goes from being unbelievably
helpful to a huge waste of energy in these types
of events. Rolling your shoulder blades back so
that your scapulas touch while keeping your ribs
up and expanded, are not techniques that were intended
to keep you skiing efficiently over long periods
of time!
But if you think
that the SLOUCH and PLOW™ method is for Neanderthals,
you would be wrong. It takes the same time and dedication
to improve your endurance skiing (SLOUCH and PLOW™!)
as it does your high-tech skiing (Posture and Glide™
and The Power band™!). You need to treat both
with respect.
“Danger Will
Robinson”
WARNING: DO NOT INTERMIX
THESE TECHNIQUES!!!!
Slouch and Glide,
Posture and Plow, The Power band and Plow are not
compatible skills. Although many of you have tried
different combinations, it cannot work! This is
similar to trying to put a lift kit, four-wheel
drive, gun rack, 15-inch wheels with Thornbird
tires, and stainless steel pit bull cages on a Porsche
911 Turbo (Polk County has already tried this and
it was embarrassing and dangerous).
But there are several
other keys to success in endurance skiing.
CREATIVITY: The main
rule is that there are NO rules. It boils down to
survival of the fittest. Move around and do whatever
you have to do to give the areas experiencing the
most pain a break. Anything goes as long as it keeps
you going.
PAIN MANAGEMENT:
“Pain is only weakness leaving your body”
is a great slogan for endurance barefooting! People
write me all the time asking me how to condition
their feet to ski longer. I am sure a lot of you
have some great ides that I would be happy to categorize
for everyone, but it all boils down to a simple
fact. You cannot improve your time or distance without
skiing up to where you feel pain, and then skiing
longer. Keep a journal of your times and set small
reasonable goals for improvement.
NEVER put your arm
through the handle in order to ski longer!
Think of it like
aerobic activity. How come you can’t begin
a new program by going for an hour right off the
bat? Unless you like throwing up and ambulance rides,
this is not a good idea. It is much healthier to
take baby steps. You would never put a baby
on a treadmill maxed out to full speed and incline,
and I hope you do not approach endurance skiing
without taking my advice.
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10.
Foot Ski Principle-Point and Flex Your Way to Success
I am so excited
about my latest discovery in helping barefooters
around the world! The following explanation is so
simple it is amazing that I have not been able to
bring this out until now!
My revolutionary Ultra
Mega Glide article that I published previously
(http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/index.htm)
is so powerful it is scary. I simply took the Glide
part of my Posture and Glide technique and showed
how you can learn to ski with the maximum amount
of foot on the water by practicing great ankle flex.
I am now going to expand
on this in a visual way that will help you be able
to ski better in any position or any trick regardless
of skill level. In addition, it is going to help
many of you eliminate painful bruising and burning
in your arches. How do I know this? I have just
witnessed students who I have explained this principle
to in my two-week West Hartford, CT make dramatic
results in their front and back two-foot and one-foot
positions while completely eliminating years of
bruising.
The best part is that I am giving
this to you for FREE because you are on my newsletter.
Here is my newest revolutionary
principle that I will call my Foot Ski Principle.
Quite simply, you must think
of how the actual shape of your foot can be improved
to resemble a ski. This is best explained in dramatic
pictures that will change your skiing forever!
You would never ski on a water
ski that was curved downward in both the front and
the tail like an upside down “U.” But 90 percent
of all barefooters do! Look at the picture (#1)
of my foot at my new Foot Ski Principle page at
http://www.thefooterseddge.com/foot_ski_principle.htm
How many of you barefoot in a similar position?
Mimic this foot position yourself
and notice how the foot curves in a way that does
not resemble a nice flat ski! In addition, check
out how the tendon in the bottom of your foot is
strung tight as a guitar string when you crank up
your toes.
Now, check out the dramatic difference
in the next picture showing the correct Foot Ski
position. Can you believe that that is the same
foot? Mimic this position yourself by flexing your
ankle without lifting your toes. It is critical
that you practice achieving this position over and
over again until this muscle memory is natural to
you before attempting to do this on the water!
Practice my Point and Flex exercise
alluded to in my article on learning your first
back deep (All my articles are back logged at my
Trauma Center at http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/index.htm
Many of these articles are not included in the Ebook
you have received as they are the most recently
published technology!)
Improving your range of motion
in your ankle will give you greater ankle flex without
lifting your toes. This greater flex will allow
you to bring your heel and ankle back further under
your knee until you achieve the ultimate glide that
all barefooters crave!
Remember that lifting your toes
will make you push on the ball of your foot. This
creates that nasty curve that not only exposes your
tight tendon to the surface of the water, but also
forces you to push your feet forward out in front
of your knee to keep from catching the front edge
of your foot (the ball). More people fall from pushing
the ball of their foot under the water than do those
who actually ‘catch a toe.’
How can this help you other than
the obvious way of increasing your foot size on
the water and enjoying the Ultra Mega Glide?
This foot position will help;
#1 jumpers
trying to jump inverted
#2 advanced
skiers trying to learn their front to backs and
back to fronts
#3 skiers
who feel it is too difficult to reach the strap
in a front toe-hold
#4 backwards
barefooters who keep falling onto their faces backwards
#5 back slalom
footers who cannot seem so keep skipping of their
toes going into their transitions
The
Foot Ski Principle should help countless barefooters
to enjoy barefooting more than ever before and I
hope that you send me your success stories when
you are able to apply this technique to your skiing!
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11.
The Resistance Theory of
Barefooting
This
is a good one so pay attention!
Imagine you were doing your
dry-land practice (I sure hope you do religiously!).
Instead of having your handle attached to a door
knob, imagine that a long rope (attached to the
handle, of course) went up 15 feet in the air, passed
over a pulley, and the down to a bucket of weights.
Let’s say for arguments sake, about 25 pounds.
The idea of correct resistance
is that the bucket should maintain a constant height
as you go through your turn (or one-foot forwards
and backwards, back to front, etc…).
If your position
and set-up are correct and you STILL catch your
heels, then you have lost your mo jo (proper resistance)
in the backwards position. In other words, your
butt has drifted over your heels when it should
have been over your toes.
This information
is so powerful that it is illegal in several Eastern
block countries!
I want you to take
the following test
What is the difference
between the two “resistance
1” pictures at http://www.thefootersedge.com/resistance_1.htm
What is the difference?
Is there anything noticeable or are they basically
the same positions?
NOW look at the “resistance_2”
pictures at http://www.thefootersedge.com/resistance_2.htm
The first picture
shows the rope going through a hook and is connected
to a one gallon container of water that weighs roughly
7 pounds.
The other picture
shows the same set-up connected to a cement curb
that weighs about (I am guessing) 70 pounds.
Surprised? I hope
you are because this dramatically illustrates my
Resistance Theory of Barefooting.
Critical point; REISITANCE
IS NOT BAD WHEN IT IS APPLIED FROM A GREAT BAREFOOT
POSITION. This means great posture, glide, and an
awesome Power Band!
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12.
The Power of Vision
One
of the greatest lessons I can give to skiers of
all skill levels is the awesome power of vision.
This is a constant lesson that I teach every day
and is so powerful that it is as critical in my
skiing as it is in the skiing of a beginner.
So critical is this concept that
I am willing to make the following statement; “No
great skiing is accomplished without great vision.”
Most skiers believe that they do
not have a problem with vision because they do not
see the immediate effects of bad vision.
Manifestations of bad vision;
Falling forwards, imbalance, fear,
skiing on your toes backwards, straignt legs or
the inability to bend your knees in the back position,
difficulty riding one foots or toe holds, inability
to keep from falling your face after getting up
on a back deep, difficulty with multiple turns,
difficulty in landing a long jump, “facing-out”
on a front to back, toe-turn, line-turn, or one-foot
turn, poor back or front slalom!
Does any of this sound familiar?
Could you get excited about solving any of these
problems? If the answer is yes, then you are a lucky
person because you are getting this information
for FREE. If this does not sound like this could
help you, then I look forward to reading about your
upcoming World Records and magazine coverage!
The good news is this is the
easiest problem to solve if you know when you are
committing the heinous crime of poor vision, but
the bad news is that most people will never take
the time to look for or correct it!
The easiest way that I know
to correct this problem without having me personally
there to help you is to use a video recorder. I
find that most people actually make the same mistakes
on land as they do on the water. It only makes good
sense that you practice your visions dry land.
Here are Lane Dawg Bowers’
tips for improving your eyesight without getting
a prescription (i.e. GREAT VISION);
#1 Keep your eyes open
#2 Keep your face vertical
to the water at all times
#3 Keep track of what you
are seeing
Does this seem too
easy to be true? Is this the easiest solution for
improving your skiing that you can imagine? YES!!!
Let me give you one
more motivating statement; poor vision is the cause
of most poor Posture, Glide, and Power Band, but
is also the easiest fix to improve all three!
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