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"I
believe there is a price tag on everything worthwhile, but it is
seldom a monetary one. The price more often is one of dedication,
deprivation, extra effort, loneliness. Each person decides whether
he or she wants to pay the price. If you do, you achieve beyond
other people." Jim
Mc Kay- Sports Broadcaster "Lane, My
name is Clint Bosch. I'm 17 years old.
I enjoy reading
your newsletter alot. ive been barefooting for a
few years now. Whats great is my friends dad just got
a 2000 malibu sunsetter lxi. boom, skylon,wedge and
all so that is great. I learned to barefoot probably
the hard way. Long line with a kneeboard and my
cousins trying to teach me.
Im working on toe holds.
ive been doing the ankles angles stuff and can easily
ride with my foot in the toe hold. i havent felt
confident enough to let go of the handle yet though.
Any advice on that would be appreciated." I
can't believe it!!! One of my biggest speeches has been unsung thus
far. I will be happy to answer your question. Let me first let you
know that the front toehold is a great trick that not only looks
cool but also is fun to perform. It is also a favorite for getting
cool pictures! I can remember my first toe-hold and I was so excited
that I couldn't sleep that night! It is also note worthy that I
believe front and back toe-holds to be the foundations upon which
all great skiers are made! Anyone who has ever shared his or her
personal barefoot dreams with me has had this very speech. I believe
that it is way more important to have your toeholds in order than
it is to concentrate on surface turns. Many people make this mistake,
but not you. You know better! Learning and perfecting your front
and back toe-holds and then taking them to the long-line where you
perfect your balance on both sides of the wake puts you in an elite
class of skier. With these skills, slalom, tricks (and especially
turns), and even jumping are begging for you to realize your potential.
It is this insistence on these basics that has helped me to help
so many other skiers around the world to learn how to ski smart
and to enjoy barefooting with the confidence of knowing that they
possess the basics necessary to learn any and everything they are
willing to pay the price for. So let me get to it! You
all know by now how I am going to approach this. If you are really
serious about making this process easier on yourself, you need to
not only have good Posture but also good Glide. And if you really
like perfection, you will hold yourself to the standard of the Ultra
Mega Glide from News from THE EDGE #14! Most
of the people I teach find it strenuous to reach their foot into
the strap because of the increased resistance of their plowing heel.
The most difficult part of this for most people is getting to where
they can ride with their foot into the strap without losing their
glide or balance (News from The Edge #3-Ankles and Angles). The
good news for Clint (the dude who wrote me this request) is that
this is not the problem. But let's first get back to where we start.
I recommend learning the one-foots and toeholds on dry land and
then on the shoe-skis (we recommend Puppy Paws) with careful attention
to Posture and Glide! The
real concern is that you will lose great position as you become
concerned with picking your foot up. What
I am surprised that I have not been asked is the following; "If
I hold my shoulders back with my chest expanded as you suggest,
how do I get forward over my foot?" This is a great question because
it tells me that the skier has really taken their one-foot form
seriously and has kept the pull in the hips by keeping their shoulders
further back than their but! Having done this, how do you transition
into the toehold position? There
are two reasons people have trouble with this transition. Assuming
that the Ultra-Mega Glide stays consistent, people tend to lose
their Angle as their foot rises toward the strap! The easiest way
to solve this is to think of raising your foot with the foot turned
inward so that the toes are turned to the inside with the heel turned
towards the outside! If you practice this on dry land, you will
see that this will keep your body angled toward the foot in the
water. Remember we want to position your body so that your weight
is on top of the foot in the water. If you keep your shoulders and
hips parallel to the water it puts weight over the foot that you
are trying to lift towards the strap (and thus counterproductive)!
Does this make sense? Well
then, if we have the above problems solved, this leads us to the
problem of not feeling like you can let go safely after you have
your foot in the strap! This can be accomplished safely by doing
three things; #1
make sure you have a soft and bent knee (News from THE EDGE #17-Tigger
the Tiger) #2
transition from a FULL grip to a FINGER-TIP grip within the first
two seconds of having your foot in the strap #3
transition from the shoulders behind the butt to the shoulders in
front of the butt. This is best accomplished by crunching your abdominals
so that you bring the bottom of your ribs towards the top of the
hip bone.without losing the rest of your position!!! At
this point the pressure should be off your hands and securely on
your foot in the strap (Make sure that your foot is deep into the
strap instead of just on your toes)! It is now critical that you
release your hands forward holding everything else quietly in position.
The quieter your body stays, the easier it will be to ride in a
balanced position! I
am a big believer in listening to your body and mind. If you do
not feel safe, go through the above notes carefully on dry land
and Puppy Paws until you feel secure in your method! Do not do a
"Hail Mary" to get into the toehold position! This will yield "eye-peelage"
followed by "Advil-poppage!" If
you do what I have outlined, your miracle will be awaiting you!
Get your camera ready and start planning for the Santa Claus suit
post card you will circulating to you close friends on Christmas!
I sure hope you send me one! Email me with your
progress! I am expecting a miracle for you! Do you have questions
about training with Lane "Dawg" Bowers? Go to www.barefootanswers.com and you will find the answers! Find out if you can get into a private
group lesson with Lane "Dawg". If you are an absolute first timer,
think you are too slow of a learner, or are not good enough for
a lesson with Lane, then you are exactly the kind of person we want
to help achieve a miracle!
Also, please
help me out and forward this to as many footers or even potential
footers as you can. This will help to make this newsletter a BIG
success! We want everyone to have a GREAT chance to achieve his
or her own miracles! I
am available to personally help you achieve your skiing goals by
calling 1-877-685-6270 Or visit our website @ www.thefootersedge.com.
Feel free to email me personally with any requests that you have
and I will try to make time to help you achieve your true potential! Expect a Miracle! Lane "Dawg"
Bowers US Barefoot Water
Ski Team lane@lanedawg.com www.thefootersedge.com http://www.beabarefooter.com |
