Rough Landing - 1/25/2009
Did you ever notice that when you watch a beginner course skier ski the course, their ski bobbles 3 times over the wake? One bobble in, one bobble over the hump, and one bobble out. When you watch a more capable skier, they have one bump, and they are done and onto the buoy.
My skiing usually looks like the 3-bobbles-over-the-wake technique, the worst being the 2nd "trough" that comes right after the hump in the center of the wake. Do you know what trough I'm talking about? If I were to describe the wake of most modern ski boats at longer line lengths I'd describe it from one side to the other as foam > trough > bump > trough > foam. Because of a number of bad habits both going into and out of the turn, I end up in a lousy wake-cross position. I hop over the center of the wake and land right in the trough, sometimes adding insult to injury by getting a nice puff of spray directly in my face upon landing. In extreme cases (especially free-skiing at 22 off), it'll end up in an OTF fall. Of all annoying bad habits in the course, this one is king for me. The jolt of landing in that big divot breaks me over even more at the hips than I already was, and that occasional spray to the face may as well be a slap. Clearing or landing in the trough isn't some technique or something that anyone even thinks about or should think about, but I believe that this phenomenon is a really good indicator that something's gone wrong a few steps back in your run.
I've looked at a lot of pro video over the years, and regardless of who's skiing, they all have their ski way out in front of them and they all hop over the trough completely, ending up coasting out through the foam. No doubt this is due to a great pre-turn, turn, and turn exit/hook-up. I've successfully hopped over the trough on many occasions, but when it happens I feel like I'm approaching the wake at insane speeds- it's a bit scary, especially on the off-side. Most of the time when I land beyond the 2nd trough I've just previously completed a turn easily and gracefully and the ski has just fallen in front of me and begun to accelerate like a bat out of hell into the wake. Am I afraid of speed on the off-side? Could that be the problem? Perhaps. Perhaps it could also be that I'm afraid of speed on the off-side because I'm in the wrong position coming out of the turn. Have I ever even felt the "right" position coming out of the turn? Maybe not.
I figure this is worth talking about because I can't tell you how many times I've thought that 99% of what I was doing wrong in the course fell somewhere between the off-side turn and the on-side preturn. There's that little fear in the back of my head that grave injury awaits just beyond the wake on the off-side cross, every single time. At some deep level in my brain, perhaps there's a little equation that states that the speed entering the wake on the off-side is directly proportional to the level of injury from the resultant OTF. Low speed equals a landing right in the trough and not much speed going into the turn that follows, the ski not casting out, and a continuing cycle of hip-dragging misery through the next few turn balls. Now, in over 60 outings last summer I only had one mild OTF fall, behind a ProStar 209 which had a wake that I was, quite frankly, not prepared for. So the constant OTF fear is not as warranted as it once was, but those few bell-ringers and a blown eardrum or two in years past have yet to leave my immediate subconscious.
Let's take a look at some video and pictures. It's winter, and this is fun stuff. Each picture is taken EXACTLY when the middle of the ski touches down. No joke. the tail may have touched down a frame earlier but these pics are when the front binding area hits the water:
First, a picture of me landing right after the trough. A rare and wonderful phenomenon:
Next, a picture of one of my ski partners, Jeff Criel, landing past the trough in the foam like he always does. I really envy his ability to do this, and it's part of what allows him to ski at 22 regularly with nary an OTF:
How about someone who really knows what they are doing. Seth Stisher, taken from our 15 off, 32MPH video. Slight difference, huh? Keep in mind, this is where his ski actually lands:
Lastly, how about some slow-mo video of these same 3 skiers going from 1 ball to 2 ball:
Joel Hughes 15 Off, 32 MPH (Quicktime, 1.1MB)
Jeff Criel 22 Off(?), 32 MPH (Quicktime, 1.2MB)
Seth Stisher, 32 MPH (Quicktime, 1.2MB)
Thoughts? Discuss.
Comments:
h2odawg79, 1/26/2009: Great Stuff! What jumps out to me is; Seths body position (lean back on ski & away from boat) never waivers and he is "Balanced" in a good atheletic stance... Although, Jeff seems to carry more speed then you, his body position is ripe for an OTF (head over tip instead of rear foot) and he softens & flattens ever so slightly just before the 1st wake... You appear to have a more solid b/p then Jeff but, soften & flatten dramatically just before the insueing "Impact" with 1st wake... Seth, holds his already great b/p and allows the ski to "Slice" through,(not flat) while his head stays level and his eyes and focus are down course on #2...(ever notice how hard it is to keep your car (especially a dually) perfectly in your own lane when focusing on the immediate center line / edge of the road, as oppossed to focusing farther down the road??? (I am no PRO myself, these are just the immediate things that I see...)ScarletArrow, 1/26/2009: Joel, this is a tremendous write-up. I agree completely and have had the same experience. Great pictures. When I skied with a friend who got into 39, the first thing I noticed was how far out he feet were in front of him. I've pondered over the winter, we spend so much time saying "hips up" - maybe we should say "feet out in front" instead?
Terry_in_NC, 1/26/2009: I think landing in the foam off the second wake is a function of skier speed at the center wake. I say the center of the wake because that is where the vast majority of the skiers are either off their "pull" or coming off the "pull" and have stopped accelerating. Also, as soon as we get launched up in the air and the ski looses contact with the water we stop accelerating and start to decelerate.
If we believe this, then the question is, "What do we need to do to accelerate efficiently to our launch speed"? (I don't know if this is true but let's assume that the width of the wake at 15 off, regardless of boat speed, is the same. The center hump may be smaller at faster speeds but wake WIDTH is the same).
Also, given my body weight, let's assume that it takes a skier speed of 40 mph to land in the foam. If my speed at the time I hook back up to the handle is only 20 mph then I have to apply energy to accelerate, for the appropriate length of time, by 20 mph to get to 40 mph. If my speed is 30 mph at the hook up then I only have to apply enough energy to accelerate by 10 mph. The energy we apply either comes from us or the boat.
Compare Seth running 15 off at 30 mph versus 32 or 36. It looks like he is working harder at 30 mph to get to his launch speed because there is less energy from the boat to use to land in the foam. The more we can use the boat's energy the less we have to use. The faster the boat speed the more boat energy we have to play with to cover the same distance to the foam. You can see Seth's work load decrease at the faster boat speeds because he is efficiently using the boat not fighting it.
Back to the problem at hand. Joel, in the video clip you are doing the same thing you correctly pointed out to me about my skiing. We both are coming off the "pull" way too soon for the amount of speed we have accelerated to, i.e. we have decelerated to 30 mph by the time we hit the center of the wake and can't land in the foam. We may have applied an appropriate amount of energy (whatever that is) to accelerate but not for long enough to get up to our "launch speed".
Note: I haven't said anything about "Old School" or "New School" techniques. I THINK this is what is going on out there from what I've read and have been coached.
In my case I have to 1. carry more speed through the turn, 2. work on body and handle position to accelerate better, and 3. hold it LONGER!
Once last observation, look at your handle position versus Seth's in the pictures. His hips are leading the rope while yours are trailing the rope. This may go back to the handle position at the time of hook up. If the handle is away from your body and in front of your hips at hook up then it is almost impossible, at our skill level, to recover, and leads to lots of OTF's. I have been coached, and don't do it near well or often enough, to never let the free hand cross the belly button to grab the handle. Ski back to the handle (hand on the handle touching your belly button), grab it with the free hand, and then push the handle down your thigh as you either lean back, drop your hips or whatever but keep the center of mass slightly leading the handle.
Sorry for the long post. I think about this stuff way too much. I hope I'm right. If not I hope someone will correct me.
jhughes, 1/26/2009: Terry- "launch speed" - I love that term. Did we just create a new slalom term?
Terry_in_NC, 1/26/2009: :-) I guess! I remember reading somewhere on Schnitz's site where he talks about "edge change speed". That has to be somewhere between "launch speed" and "Oh sh..........ooT!"
jhughes, 1/26/2009: One of our readers wrote in with this advice, which is new to me and seems really promising: If you think about your right fist on the handle, putting that right fist outside of your left hip, almost all the way across the body. The only way to physically do that is to straighten your arms without realizing you are straightening your arms….
Pulling from 1 to 2: left fist on right side of right hip, right fist even further away from right hip
Levarging from 2 to 3: right fist on left side of left hip, left fist even further away from left hip.
I know it sounds crazy and feels like a twisting motion but that’s how I (and some other guys) physically straighten our arms. it’s an exaggerated move but will get you where you need to be….
ScarletArrow, 1/26/2009: Joel, I agree that does sound promising...makes perfect sense to me. I almost think we need to get away from describing every slalom fix as "hips up".
scoke, 1/26/2009: Sounds like a great suggestion from a smart read! ;)
I like the word exaggerate as with skiing when you think you are doing something, you usually are only doing 30%. When you really push it beyond what you think, you start to hit the mark.
Some of the other guys say "push the handle down" and that's another way of thinking about accomplishing the same thing. It forces you to straighten those arms. Which is a good thing!!
jhughes, 1/26/2009: Scoke, you can show me this in person in about 8 short weeks!
Laz, 1/26/2009: Great post. I can absolutely relate to the 3 bump feeling crossing the wake. You have given me great food for thought which I'll mull over until finally a week at the Swiss Ski School in April.
h2odawg79, 1/26/2009: Joel, I was rushing out the door this morning and quickly
reviewed the vid.'s... something else I now notice is; if you go frame by frame and watch the consistent 30+ deg. angle of Seth & Jeff's ski in the air through the crossing... your ski starts good but then the tip abruptly falls toward the water... (this might be a unintentional move to soften the landing and avert a possible OTF.) I feel this move will encourage a very unstable landing and the dreaded OTF... From the waist up, The body must be strong & steady, Head level, with the lower body functioning fluidly like a world class off road suspension... the solid body position,never changes, (forward, back, Lt. or Rt.) the knees & thighs flowing smoothly in unison as a finely tuned suspension, the ski takes flight, tip up and maintains its initial angle until the skiers body wgt. forces the whole ski back into the water... While all this is happening I am not thinking about the wake at all, I set myself up (B/P) as far before the wake as possible and then set my sights on the turn area in front of the next buoy and let (trust) my suspension to do its thing and allow my ski to slice the wake... (not bounce) "NO WORRIES MON"... This next thing, may sound totally stupid. But I encourage anyone who has "wake demons" to add to their "Slalom Training;" Jumping the wake!!! Actually spending time freeskiing and learning how to jump and clear the wake... the confidence and balance you will gain by doing this is absolutely worth every minute you spend polishing this feat! (besides sometimes its kinda fun to show off too!) This intentional jump is not done from the lean / pull position. you must cut hard gain speed then flatten out, (your ski) straighten up (your b/p) and then pop that "Demon" in the head like a wakeboarder...
jhughes, 1/27/2009: If anyone is having trouble commenting on this article, keep in mind that you have to register in the forum first, then use your forum nickname and email address to post comments. This is to combat spam posts.
h2odawg79, 1/27/2009: Joel, your going to have to find something "more combative" I still got through! ha,ha...(spamdawg79!)
OzSkier, 1/27/2009: So in case anyone cares, here are my two cents on what I am TRYING to do...which isn't always what I am doing.
1) It is important to note that my body is at least over my feet and not trailing them from the apex of the turn until the first bit of the transition. This allows me to load the ski which causes the ski to store energy which will ultimately propel me out to a wide point at the next buoy. If I were to fall back out of the turn (which I do from time to time, but never purposely) I would load the rope more than the ski and at some point I would get pulled up over the top of the ski towards the boat and travel down course after the second wake.
2) I start releasing the ski so that it moves out from under me slightly and starts to move out to the turning edge earlier than I think you would expect, but during this movement I try to maintain my position relative to the boat. In other words I try to maintain power while starting to move the ski through the wakes and out onto the turning edge. This way I am moving to the turning edge in preparation for the turn, but without losing direction and heading down-course.
3) I have a tendency to overload too early and get stuck on the cutting edge too long. This causes me to overload such that I get pulled out after the second wake, so to combat this, I try to maintain a stable upper body and keep my vision down the lake.
Major keys in my opinion:
-Balance
-Vision down the course in the approach to the wakes
-Begin the transition early with the ski
-Maintain your power all the way through the transition
These elements allow you to build enough speed to power through the wakes (and in the case of some line lengths, OVER the wakes out to the white water) without having your body position stolen from you and without losing any cross-course direction.
This is not the only explanation for these things, but I think it is a simple way to look at it. I love the things you guys are writing relative to this subject. Your trial and error and assessment of what's going on when you're on the water is key to the development of the sport.
Thank Joel and everyone for keeping the ideas fresh.
Come ski with me in Charleston at Oz if you guys get time (shameless plug).
Seth Stisher
seth@h2osmosis.com
Terry_in_NC, 1/28/2009: Of course we care! Your 2 cents are worth about a 10,000 of mine. I'm already signed up for both of your days at our club clinic at Skyview in May. It should be a good time. Thanks for sharing your expert opinion. It's more things to think about.
RAL, 2/5/2009: Great comments up to now. One of the many differences in Seth’s video is that he lands already on a changed edge, not flat on the ski. Well, he is a pro…
If you take a look to your video, you are approaching the wake with the head over the tip, you flatten your ski before the wake AND pull with your hands before hitting the wake. That is a recipe for OTF´s.
The answer of your question on where to look at as a cause: it is before where the video frames start. It is at the turn and “hookup”, which, I believe, is a misleading term.
I have had some good coaching lately, and I got a pretty simple task to get into my mind, which seems to be basic for any line length: at the buoy I must TURN, BLOCK, wait for the boat and then go. Maybe it makes sense just to me, but has improved a lot my skiing ability in a short timeframe. What it means to me is, first of all, isolate every phase from the rest. The ski must turn until in the right position before anything else. Then, put everything (handle, arms, back, etc…) in the right position to “accept” the pull of the boat. Then, WAIT FOR THE BOAT. Then, when the boat “comes”, you go. If I do that, things just happen on a good way almost by themselves.
If you are on a good position, the wake is not an issue. And being on a good position is not something you do just before the wake.
Another thing. The 22 off “bump”. Now, for me, 22 off/55K is my “working speed”. When I am doing “base training”, I do one 15 off, 4 or 5 22 offs and 0 to 1 28 off. I mean, I am running 22 off 10 times in every session. And never, ever, think about the bump. It does not exist. The wake is just a mark where I need to do stuff.
Over the last month, I have taken a couple of heavy OTF’s, with yard sale and everything. Always @ 28 off, where there is no wake compared to 15 and 22. Always because of exiting the offside turn with my shoulders leading and the ski behind. So, in my view, OTF’s start at the buoy, not at the wake.
jhughes, 2/6/2009: RAL, if that's the case then I can honestly say I've never, ever been in the right position over the wake. 22 off feels like a parking curb to me.
RAL, 2/6/2009: Joel,
both on and offside? I have another question for you, why are you free skiing @ 22?
jhughes, 2/6/2009: I free ski at 22 to work on my wake cross, ironically.
RAL, 2/7/2009: Have you tried 28 off instead?
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