Imagine the feeling of gliding effortlessly on top of the water with the feeling of total confidence knowing you have the best form in the world. All your friends who have failed or got discouraged would be looking at you like you are the new resident pro! What would that feel like?

There an an unlimited line of nay sayers who would love to tell you that they already tried to learn to water ski. If you will listen, you will hear about how hard it was or how they took a serious beating in the process. Avoid them altogether knowing that you not only will avoid every mistake they made, but you will also have the information to teach others without ever having a single fall.

The biggest step to avoiding the pitfalls of your friends is knowing that before you ever get on the water, you are going to learn four lessons that will take you from junior varsity to pro before ever getting on the water. By simply understanding the correct sitting and standing forms, you will already be light years ahead of anyone you know that has learned to water ski.

Here is lesson number one. While sitting at your computer, you can practice the basics of good form. By simply rolling your shoulders back and lifting your rib cage up, you can learn the correct “Posture” of the upper body. This should put a curve in your back as if you are at attention in the military or that you are showing off your massive chest.

Try to hold a ski handle while adding the correct hip position to your upper body “Posture.” Now pull back with your shoulders until your upper body is close to a 45 degree angle away from perpendicular. As you do this, drive your hips upward without pulling in on your arms or losing your “Posture.” If you have done this correctly, you should feel the pull of the rope coming through your hips like tug-of-war. This hip position is called the “Power Band Position.”

The third part of the standing position is all about your knees and ankles and is called “Glide.” While holding the “Posture” and “Power Band Positions,” adjust your ankles so that they are slightly behind the front edge of your knees. This will put your shins in a slightly forward angle and this is how you achieve great “Glide” that will make you feel light on the water!

Here is lesson number two. The next skill that must be accomplished off the water is the Three Point Position. This is the sitting position that gives you total control while the boat is in gear before it ever accelerates. To practice this on dry land, keep the handle in front of your knees, your knees together, and your feet wider than your hips. This is the position that you will need to learn to relax in while the boat is in gear.

Lesson 3 is huge. Now that you know what the correct Three Point Position and standing positions are, you might think it is time to go get behind the boat and try it out. That is the next big mistake that separates amateurs from the pros. If you truly want to learn as well as teach others to water ski without falling, then you will need to use a water ski boom or a barefoot boom.

A barefoot or ski boom is a solid aircraft aluminum pole that attaches to the front of the boat by two stainless steel cables. Designed originally for beginning barefoot water skiers, it is now the biggest insider secret to learning to water ski without ever falling. After mastering the correct technique on land, the barefoot boom is the next safe step to mastering water skiing. After that, you can add a five foot rope to simulate skiing behind the boat. Only then, are you ready to go behind the boat where you will make your very first attempt.

Get ready for the water! Now that you know what a good Three Point Position and the correct standing position (Posture, Power Band, and Glide) are, you are ready to take to the water. While you are holding onto the barefoot boom, practice your Three Point Position while the driver puts the boat in the slowest possible forward speed which is also known as putting the boat “in gear.” While the boat is barely moving, master your control while keeping the ski tip out of the water, your arms relaxed, and stay sitting on the ski.

If you are learning with only one foot on the slalom ski (what I recommend), simply let your free foot drag in the water while trying to sit on the ski. If you can hold this idling position in total control for at least 5 seconds, then it is time to move to the acceleration stage where you will stand up.

Once you have earned your badge for proper form on the Three Point Position, have your boat driver accelerate moderately to the slowest possible speed in which you can keep your form. As a basic rule try 10-12mph for kids (some slower), for medium sized kids add 5-8mph, and for larger adults go 20-25mph. I always watch form to determine the correct speed. If the form decays in the least, reduce speed, but if the skier confidently holds form you can increase the speed accordingly.

Once you have established the fact that you own the correct standing position, have the driver slow down and see if you can get comfortably back into the sitting position. If you can go fluidly from sitting to standing and then back to the sitting position, then you are ready to move on to the five foot rope. The same rules apply to getting to behind the boat without ever taking a fall.

The driver’s role in learning without falling is to be vigilant in watching the skier’s form. If the skier breaks from the correct form in even the slightest amount, it is critical that the driver slow down to a stop. By adhering to critical form in conjunction with boat acceleration, the skier will always be able to learn without falling. Although this can frustrate an aggressive skier, it is critical to mastering world class form and to avoid completely unnecessary falls.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 26th, 2008 at 4:27 am and is filed under Water Skiing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.