By Mike Seipel
MISCONCEPTION. On a forward deepwater start. Bend your knees and slide your
feet up towards your body, while they are still on the rope.
PROBLEM. Doing this throws up more spray and makes you lean back, so you
will not get up as easily.
CORRECT TECHNIQUE. Keep your legs straight when your feet are on the rope.
If you are wearing padded shorts beneath a snug, fully padded barefoot suit,
you can take your feet off the rope then bend your knees and put your feet in
the water, because you will glide easy and feel nothing.
MISCONCEPTION. When doing tumble turns. Tuck your knees up to your chest and
ball up when spinning a tumble turn, keeping your shoulder blades up off the
water"
PROBLEM. This makes you drag and catch in the water easier when spinning.
CORRECT TECHNIQUE. Only bend your knees slightly and lean back, keeping your
shoulder blades on the water when spinning on a tumble turn. If you use this
technique and wear padded shorts under a fully padded barefoot suit WITH HALF
SLEEVES you will not get stuck before you get all the way around on your
tumbles.
MISCONCEPTION. Front one foot. Bend your knee and crouch low when doing a
one foot.
PROBLEM. This makes you unstable and makes it easier for your toes to catch
CORRECT
TECHNIQUE. Stand up normal where you feel most comfortable, pushing your
foot out in front of you enough to feel stable, with only a slight bend in your
knee, keeping your foot as flat as you can without feeling like your toes could
catch. It is wrong to bend your knee and bring your foot back under you in
order to flatten it when doing a one foot. MISCONCEPTION. Backwards deepwater
start. Push your butt up high enough by shoving your chin in the water, to get
up on a back deep.
PROBLEM. This makes you stay on your chin and chest longer and may even stop
you from getting up off your chest and chin.
CORRECT. Keep your feet as deep in the water as you can without feeling like
you are going to bury them (feet must be kept more than half way in the water).
Only push your butt up a little, say 6 to 12 inches and if you relax and wait
long enough like this, your chest and chin will automatically come up off the
water. If your feet are less than half way in the water, you will stay stuck on
your chest and chin, no matter how high you push your butt up.
MISCONCEPTION. Sleeveless barefoot suits are more comfortable.
PROBLEM. They cut into the front of your shoulders and arm pits when holding
the handle.
CORRECT. A barefoot suit with half sleeves made from thinner neoprene and
tailored baggy, is most comfortable. The edge of the sleeveless suit cuts into
the front of your shoulder or arm pit when holding the handle. You hardly
notice the half sleeves of a suit if they are tailored baggy and made of thin
enough neoprene.
MISCONCEPTION. Bend your knees and crouch low when crossing the wake.
PROBLEM. This makes you cross slower and may even stall you out when
crossing.
CORRECT. Stand up normal where you feel most comfortable with only a slight
bend in your knees and your feet as flat as you can without feeling like your
toes could catch. MISCONCEPTION. Keep your feet close together when doing back
wake slalom.
PROBLEM. This will slow you down.
CORRECT. Keep your feet comfort?
MISCONCEPTION. Turn your feet out sideways and plant the inside of your
ankles in the water when doing a back deep.
PROBLEM. This will make you stay stuck on your chest and chin and/or cause
your heels to catch.
CORRECT. Only turn your feet out enough to get them relaxed enough to point
them back toward your knees enough to glide, and no more. After you push your
butt up a little and start to stand, turn them straight.
MISCONCEPTION. Bend your knees to help you get up on a back deep.
PROBLEM. This will cause you to struggle and strain your groin, because it
makes you push on the balls of your feet. CORRECT. Keep your legs straight,
with your feet as deep in the water as you can without burying them. Relax and
wait patiently with your butt up a little, making sure you don't push against
the water with the balls of your feet, till your chin & chest
automatically, after you get up and are riding for 10 seconds or more and feel
comfortable, slowly learn to bend your knees and bring your feet to shoulder
width apart.
MISCONCEPTION. When first learning to wake cross, turn your feet, hips,
knees & body in the direction you want to go and push your outside foot
toward the boat.
PROBLEM. This will get you to move when you are first learning.
CORRECT. You should first lean your whole body which ever way you want to
go, staying relaxed enough, keeping your feet shoulder width apart, until you
can cross back and forth on a 100 ft rope and pass the wake on each side by
10ft, without getting stuck. After you can do that, you are ready to push the
outside foot toward the boat a little more each crossing and turn your outside
foot in the direction you are going. Never turn your hip, knee and body, all
you have to do is turn your foot. ably wide when doing backwards wake slalom.
CORRECT. You should first lean your whole body which ever way you want to
go, staying relaxed enough, keeping your feet shoulder width apart, until you
can cross back and forth on a 100ft rope and pass the wake on each side by
10ft, without getting stuck. After you can do that, you are ready to push the
outside foot toward the boat a little more each crossing and turn your outside
foot in the direction you are going. Never turn your hip, knee and body, all
you have to do is turn your foot.