I've noticed other threads mentioning trying to ski smooth, so I thought I would share this story. In June 2014, I was in the market for a new ski. At that time I was about 50% running 35off at 34mph. Andy Mapple was in the Houston area so I did a demo set riding the 6.1 with Andy in the boat. After a couple of (I thought) smooth 32s we shortened to 35 and I got 2. While sitting in the water, he could tell I was bummed and here's what he told me - which no one ever told me before (my wife was videoing in the boat and kept the camera rolling):
"Don’t try to be smooth. OK that sounds kind of funny, but being strong, quick and aggressive and a sense of urgency from the apex of the turn…your pulls should always start from the apex, not around the buoy, pull always from the apex. An aggressive skier will make a pass look smooth. If you try to be smooth, you’re reacting slow and then things go away from you. When you see the pros and you see them run passes, josh it’s so smooth and so early, it’s because they are hitting it hit hard…quickly and where they need to and that becomes the result…is a smooth looking pass. 35off you’ve got to hit it, smooth will happen. It will look smooth if you do it right, but don’t try to manufacture smooth."
I proceeded to run the next two passes at 35 and purchased that exact ski. So as the new ski season approaches and I get back into skiing shape, I will replay the GOAT's words and focus less on being smooth and more on hitting it hard where I need to.
David Panneton - LakePort Water Ski Club, formerly known as Muddy Waters
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a pass looks smooth when you have a lot of space and traveling a lot with your ski.
To achieve that, you need angle. And THAT is why all this talk on stack is important: It allows you to hold the angle you generate off the ball!
Another nugget of wisdom to get the point across.
Me and Beny Stadlbaur were training with a teammate at UL Airport lake. This teammate was overly concerned with looking and feeling great. He ran a solid 38off and, after dropping, was already overanalyzing things. Beny goes "Listen, you were wide and early. That's the definition of a great slalom pass"
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My question is for a RFF skier who abruptly gets on the handle too soon off 1/3/5 and heard the coaching from the well meaning guys in the boat ...'wait till the till boat picks you up closer to the 1st white water to get on your '....' insert you favorite term here: load /stack /pull whatever.
Where is the balance between? Seems like letting the ski finish the turn is a good place to start?
There is a difference (all too infrequently experienced here).
Although to me, sometimes it appears that the pros seem to wait till they're closer to the white water and I often hear others say not to pull too hard, too soon. Confused!
Is this showing a turn ball scenario or glide thru gait width example?
Thanks!
Close?
"smooth" is kind of like "counter rotation"; it's the result of a cascade of effective technique, not so much a deliberate action in and of itself.
then of course there is "calamitous"; a result of a corkscrew of cataclysmic technique. There were times when watching me behind the boat that I'm sure Andy wanted to jump out and swim to shore...but he never did!
But that conflicts with what the message presented by Andy in this particular example, although I believe it is easy to confuse. Andy's theory always included skiing harder and doing more work behind the boat. Even at easier line lengths, he wanted you skiing equally aggressive, so it became muscle memory. I think it's fair to say the work zone moves from the apex closer to the wakes as the line shortens
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I've always felt like the best skiers are better than the rest of us from wake to ball even more-so than they are better than us from ball to wake.
With that, sometimes if the "coach" coaches their style and is on an admittedly different level than the student by a large margin...the coaching may not be the best coaching for the pupil at hand.
More energy and speed generation via pulling harder only works if I can manage the second half...and so far I'm as good as I'd like to be over there.
Rotate hips back to handle, set angle (at the apex) and wait for the boat to create the tension or load? Or, carry as much speed through the turn as possible and ride the ski to the first wake and kinda blend into the load? Have been coached both, by very well known coaches, in the same month. I have watched from the boat someone run 39 where the gate shot started early and most definitely looked like nothing was happening until the first wake (blend). Have also watched 39 gate shot of another skier that waits way late to turn in; looks more like shot out of a cannon. The ride down the course for the former looked more blended in terms of speed and had a longer pull. The latter hauled ass and was done at the center-line. Both very respected skiers. Tomato, Tomatoe? If I have understood the Adams GUT material, they are advocating shot out of a cannon? A person of one methodology will say the other is wrong if they are coaching (or at least they said it to me). I'll leave it to them to say a methodology that runs 39 is wrong. I have a hard time seeing it that way.
One thing that really stood out to me, was the Adams demonstrating that the faster we are at the center-line, the less load on the skier (double benefit). Because I pursued the flowy method for so long, I don't think I have learned what to do from the center-line out with the speed of the shot out of a cannon approach.
Then there is Mapple's no gate 39? 38? to really muck up the discussion of what is "required" in terms of speed at the gate. Perhaps merely a demonstration of off the charts athletic ability.
Another random bit is a current top skier who has run 41 said that he gets his best pull after the second wake. Not strongest pull but, best pull. Hmmm.
I will throw another one out there that I think is my root cause. I think I have admit I am scared of the wake. I may not think it in my head, but my reaction on films show it. Prior to me getting a legit skiboat I was free skiing regularly behind a cross over MasterCraft with a hard and tall wake for skiing. I know I have developed bad habits from this wake because of some nasty falls. Its getting better each season but I know if I could just pull through the wakes I would be a better course skier. Anyways, how does a guy get rid of the hesitation to pull through the wake?