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"If to please the people, we offer what we
ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let
us raise to a standard to which the wise and honest can repair."
-George Washington
"For the things we have to learn before we
can do them,
we can learn by doing them."
-Aristotle
From: todd shumack [toddshumack@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2001 10:55 PM
To: lane@lanedawg.com
Subject: New Topic
Hi Lane,
Thanks for your information. I really enjoy
reading your articles and love the philosophy and quotes.
Have you covered 360 surface turns. I hope
to work on them during the Australian off season. I am currently
doing 3 of the 4 180's and will also work on my reverse front to
back and 1 foot turns. I love shoe skies but I want to be on my
feet.
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Todd
Lane, if this article is too advanced for
where you currently are, then hang tight because I will cover everything
from the very beginning of your barefoot with articles such as The
Easiest Way to Learn to Barefoot Water Ski (http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/info/ne18.htm
)to Jumping Inverted (http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/info/ne24.htm
) at http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/articles_listed.html.
If there is an article I have not covered that would be of particular
help to you, email me directly at lane@lanedawg.com
But for those of you, for whom this is a
relevant topic, you are part of an elite rebel force!
What is required here as a foundation which
I have covered extensively. It is like a riddle in which I have
given you all of the clues, AND NOT TOO SUBTLY I might add.
For you to be ultra successful, you will
need to be more than just tough, you will need to be stealthy and
surgical in your approach. I like to think of my training approach
as being similar to the way the Green Beret's would map out a sorte'
or mission. We are going in knowing that there is danger. We know
that the wrong steps will lead to pain. We know that it is better
to win the war than every individual battle. We also love the odds
because the right plan will lead to victory in an arena that many
will never enter!
Here is a list of articles that are mandatory
reading. If you are not proficient in your front-to- back and back-to-fronts,
then this is not a trick for you! The real KEY to learning the front-to-front
360 is improving your basic turns.
#1 The Front to Back http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/info/ne15.htm
#2 The Back to Front http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/info/ne33.htm
#3 The Power Band and Squeezing http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/info/ne6.htm
One of the big hints is to perfect the 360
with the techniques that I will outline for you!
The best help I can give you in performing
360 surface turns that are smooth and without hesitation is to concentrate
on really clean and effortless 180's. The better your front to back
is, the less time you will need to recover once you arrive in the
back position, and the sooner you will be able to turn back to the
front.
I like to concentrate on a great first turn
that is slow and has a great squeeze. As I mentioned before, practicing
with a small Gatorade bottle in between your legs will help tremendously!
The further apart your legs are, the more difficulty you will have!
After a slow front-to-back with a great Power
Band finish, the handle will be right by your belt and easy to grab.
I recommend having your free hand follow your imaginary belt line
all the way to the back position. As soon as your hand gets the
handle, release the other hand and allow the boat to pull you around.
The biggest mistake you can make after completing
the front-to-back, is to rush the back-to-front. As with any turn,
it is paramount that the upper body remains quiet until the lower
body turns.
Remember my patented Clock Theory of Turns.
Do not let your head come around the clock!
I also find that I have to think very hard
about Squeezing! Not only is it important in my legs, but in my
elbows. I try to keep my elbows close to my ribs during the entire
rotation. The further away my elbows get, the more distorted my
Posture gets during the turn!
And finally, VISION RULES!!! If you cannot
keep your eyes open and on the horizon throughout the turn, then
you will seriously distort your body and ruin a good handle pass!
I hope this helps you, Lane! This same info
works on The Puppy Paws (Shoe-skis) as well as on your feet! Let
me know if this helps you and good luck in achieving your goals!
If you are interested in skiing the last
week of July, email me today by replying to this email as I only
have one slot available!
Get your UNFAIR Advantage!
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