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THE NEXT BIG THING

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Leigh Sheldrake (Drago).  This interview can be found here; http://waterskitechpodcast.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=322547  We discussed many topics starting way back in my early days of skiing and working our way up to now and beyond.  I mentioned to Leigh that we (my machinist and I) were working on something that would change skiing.  I needed to look into a few things prior to letting the cat out of the bag which I have done so here we go. 

In the interview, I talked about a barefooter and a jumper, skiing side by side on a boom at 30 MPH.  If they both let go at the exact same time, the barefooter would stop very quickly and the jumper would glide way down the lake.  I call this the “footprint”.  A larger footprint has more glide and a smaller one, less. 

When slalom course skiing, we need a couple things to be successful.  One is enough speed to get our ski around the buoy and the second is the ability to turn into a tight line.  If we can do both, we’re unstoppable.  The problem with today’s skis is that in order to get the speed necessary, today’s skis are too large in wetted surface area.  This largeness shows up on the backside of the buoy as a loose line or slack. 

What we need are skis with a smaller footprint (wetted surface area).  The problem in the past has been getting enough speed on a smaller ski.  Here’s the solution.  About a year ago, I came out with my SpeedFins.  Speedfins have the wing permanently attached so the wing is not adjustable.  This removes all of the unnecessary parasitic drag by removing the wing’s attachment plates.  This makes these fins much more efficient and faster.  By coupling these faster fins on smaller skis, we accomplish the two things necessary to be successful; speed and turning.  We get the speed we lost on the smaller ski by switching to the faster SpeedFin and we get the tight line out of the buoy from the smaller ski’s footprint, a match made in water-ski heaven. 

Another factor I like throwing into the equation is flex.  When riding a soft ski, the tendency is for the ski to stop at the end of the turn, breaking the skier at the waist.  By simply raising the front of the fin or “taking out tip”, this breaking at the waist is eliminated.  A large advantage to taking out tip is this, “less tip equals more width” so by taking out tip on this shorter, faster, softer ski, we get even more speed (to get earlier and wider in the exact same amount of time means we are covering more distance, therefore we must be going faster).  I have found softer skis to ski wider and earlier and handle rough water much better than stiffer skis when set up properly. 

This is the vision I see for the future of competitive slalom.  Hopefully these changes will help you catch your dreams and break through the glass ceilings that held you back in the past using the technology of tomorrow.

Here’s to skiing GREAT,

Schnitz!

While skiing in Kentucky on a muddy lake, I moved the fin back 30/1000ths and again had better results.  If you have two variables such as cold water and muddy, double the movement.  For three variables, triple it.  Get a TDS meter and a thermometer and keep track of your skiing results along with the TDS and Temp.  When skiing at other facilities check the TDS, Temp and Depth and hypothecate what new settings you think will work.  Try your first set at your normal numbers and your second set at the hypothetical numbers and let me know the results!

Ski more, better!

Dr. Schnitz!

THE PURPOSE OF THE ONE HAND GATE - 9/11/2006

Many skiers have and are switching to the one hand gate. Most are doing this without understanding what they are really trying to accomplish. The term "Maintain Speed" is commonly used and misunderstood. We are not in actuality trying to ski at a higher speed. What we are trying to do is achieve our maximum velocity earlier with less load on the rope. With a typical early pullout that has been used for decades, the skier generates their maximum speed early in the pullout and then has a long glide, sometimes as long as four seconds. Once in the glide, the skier begins to slow down but at a faster rate than the boat. So what we have here is an accelerating boat and a decelerating skier. The longer the glide of the skier, the more they slow down. The more they slow down, the more they need to accelerate to reach edge change velocity (ECV). In order to reach this ECV, they must create load on the rope as close to their turn in as possible. Starting from a slow speed requires more space and/or load on the rope. More space means the skier must pull longer. More load means that the boat will pull them in and narrow after the wake. Both of these are undesirable. Nowadays the great skiers are trying to avoid load on the rope out near the buoy line. They are trying to pick up the load closer to the foam before the first wake. By pulling out later they have less glide, thus having less time to lose speed. Let's say for example a skier needs to reach 1.5 times the boat speed to reach ECV. By starting from a higher speed from a later pullout, they are able to achieve their ECV in less time and with less energy. In the slalom course, time equates to distance, therefore they reach ECV in less distance with less impact upon the RPM of the boat. Now the skier can get to the opposite edge on the opposite side of the wake with their energy being cast outbound. With this outbound energy, it is easy to maintain width and space before the buoy.

I have experimented with many versions of this one hand gate and at this point in time have found that the late pullout (I am currently pulling out when the green buoy is at the left rear corner of the boat while standing at the outer edge of the foam (about 2 meters wide of the wake (I'm right foot forward)) works better than anything I have ever tried and I've tried every gate combination I've ever seen and then some. This works the best for me even though I do not release the handle with my left hand. I found that I had problems getting back to the handle with my free hand on the turn in for the gate so I now keep both hands on. The standard 1 hand gate is commonly taught with the skier pulling out with 2 hands on the handle, starting when the 55 meter (green) buoys are at the front of the ski. Some are coaching to load the rope heavily at the beginning of the pullout standing next to the wake. I have found that a smooth pullout starting from the edge of the foam works the best. I have employed many pullout methods other than this.

Lets give each of these a name. When pulling out with 2 hands and then letting go with 1, lets call this a 2-1. When pulling out with 2 hands and not letting go with 1, lets call this a 2-2. When pulling out with 1 hand and then turning in from this position, lets call this a 1-1. Regardless which version you use, remember what the goal is. It's to reach ECV with the minimum amount of energy in the shortest distance.

Schnitz!

THE TUNING CIRCLE

When setting up skis, I normally follow what I call, “The Tuning Circle”. On skis that I am very familiar with like the Goode's, the first thing I do is set the fin and wing up to exact numbers using my calipers. Every dimension is set to the thousandth, period. There is no tolerance. If it's not right, it's wrong! On skis that I am not familiar with, I follow the factory's recommendations. The problem with factory recommendations is that none of the ski companies other than Goode have taken the time to develop fin and wing settings to the thousandth. With the Goode, you set depth to 2.449. With any of the other companies, they're just guessing. It's evidenced by all of their recommendations ending in an even number like 2.500. The depth on the Goode ends in 2.449 because after setting up and testing hundreds of skiers with these exact settings, 2.449 not 2.45 or 2.450, it was determined these were absolutely the best numbers, period! Jeff Rodgers was once overheard walking around a tournament site repeating “a half or one, a half or one, over and over. Jeff was questioning whether he should move his fin a half or one thousandth from where he had it. This is the importance that the World Record Holder places on one half of one thousandth! After measuring the skier’s old ski and/or questioning the skier about their preferences (bindings forward or back) and/or binding location dimensions and spacing, I'll mount the bindings on the ski. If the skier always rides the ski with their bindings forward, I'll usually set up the ski with the bindings in a neutral position. In order to avoid drilling extra holes on skis that must be drilled, if someone likes the bindings back, put the screws in the ski, 1 hole from the rear and visa versa if they like them forward. The purpose here is so the boots can be moved more in the direction that the skier is typically more comfortable with. In the case of skiers who like their bindings 2 or 3 inches forward of factory settings, I will set up the bindings at neutral and put the screws in the very front holes which will only allow forward movement. I'll usually discuss the possibility of having to make a second set of holes with the skier prior to mounting the ski to determine if this is what the skier wants to do.

After the fin, wing and bindings are on the ski, I'll wash the bottom, sides, fin and wing with a dishwashing detergent using either my hand or the palm of a ski glove to remove any surface oil, wax or grease. At this point, the ski is ready for testing. When testing a new ski, I strongly suggest that you start 2 to 4 MPH slower than usual and be extremely cautious. The next pass should be faster, slower, the same or not at all depending on how the ski feels. If the ski feels safe, pick up the speed by 1 or 2 MPH each pass until you're at maximum speed. The purpose of going slow at first is multifaceted. First of all, it's safer. Secondly, it gives you more time to survive the mistakes you will make riding this new and different ski. Third, it allows your body and mind to figure out how to ride it. If this new ski feels exactly the same as your old ski, there is zero benefit. It must be different to have a benefit!

If this is a ski that I know the exact fin and wing settings for, the next step in tuning it to fit the skier is to move the bindings. The front foot controls the off-side turn and the rear foot controls the on-side turn. Years ago we thought we needed our feet really close together. Now-a-days, it's OK to have an inch or more between your feet. Jeff Rodgers with size 9 ½ to 10 feet has 1 ¼” between his feet! If the ski won't turn on the off-side and/or is hopping coming into the buoy, I'll move the front binding only forward. If the ski is stopping on the off-side, I'll move the front binding only back. If the ski won't turn on the on-side and/or falls over and/or hooks up all of a sudden and too hard at the end of the turn, I'll move the rear binding back. If it turns too fast, I'll move it forward. Other rear binding combinations are also available. If the ski turns too hard on the of side and on the onside, try turning your rear boot clockwise for left foot forward and counterclockwise for right foot forward skiers. This turning of the rear boot can also be combined with moving the front and/or rear boot to obtain the desired effect.

Once I cannot squeeze any more performance out of the bindings, if necessary, I'll go to the wing. By increasing the wing angle, the ski will decelerate more, both in the glide prior to the gates and on the approach to the buoy. If the glide prior to the gates is decreased, the skier will be narrower when it's time to go in. This can be compensated for by moving up 1 point (see “Points to Great Gates” ). Once I cannot squeeze any more performance out of the wing, it's now time to either start over by testing new fin only settings. Once you verify your settings, go back to the bindings and try again to optimize them and then move on to the wing. After optimizing all of these areas of your ski, the next things to try are new fin and/or wing shapes and/or new bindings. Again, once having tested these new variables, you can then move on to what I call “destructive or non-reversible testing”. This is an area reserved for those who either have a water ski factory sending them test equipment or those few who can afford to destroy a lot of skis on the path to obtaining the knowledge necessary to become proficient at this skill.

Here is an updated article along with some illustrative photos above!

 THE 13 MISCONCEPTIONS OF SLALOM SKIING

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY SERIES BELOW

THE LAW OF THIS AND THAT 

What the law of this and that basically states is this;  If you are on this edge on this side of the wake, you should be on that edge on that side of the wake.  If you accelerate on this side of the wake, you should decelerate on that side of the wake.  If you have back arm pressure on this side of the wake, you should have front arm pressure on that side.  It’s a really simple law that when followed, produces great results and when broken, produces problems.   Here Patti is on the deceleration side of the wake on a decelerating edge, elbows tight, hips up, eyes on the target!

THE DISAPPEARING RIGHT HAND GATE

The skier above, Matteo Ianni is locked and loaded, he's committed to the path he has chosen on his gate yet he cannot see the right gate buoy.   At short line lengths there is no time to re-commit after the buoy again becomes visible behind the boat, therefore you must develop the ability to know exactly where the buoy is without seeing it.  ("Use the force Luke")

HANDLE IN THE POCKET

Chris Parrish with; "the handle in the pocket".  This is a key body position used by many of the pro's.  When your elbows are tight against your body and your handle is on your thigh, you are in a power position.  The only time your arms should be off your vest is when you are reaching.

FIT AND FINISH

HAVE A SLALOM CLINIC AT YOUR LAKE

Have Schnitz at your lake.  Learn how to set up your skis from the inventor of the wing and adjustable fin.  5 time National Champion and Senior world Champion of 2000, Schnitz will teach you what the pro's are doing and thinking.  Find out what you need to change to get to the next level.  Minimum bookings;  East Coast - 1 day, West Coast - 2 days, Overseas - 5 days.  Rates are $1,000.00 per day plus expenses which are not included.  schnitz@schnitzskis.com

ENGINEERS; I have a request.  I would like someone to conduct a study on towropes.  The study should include the amount of stretch at the handle at all the different line lengths, at different temperatures, at different load amounts, with new and old ropes (from the skier weight up to the breaking strength of the rope) and the rebound rate or the speed at which it resumes it normal length and the impact force of the handle when it rebounds.  Please let me know if you can conduct this test so as to avoid multiple teams doing the same work.  The results will be published here. 

I hear this phrase over and over and over again.   I hear it in the States.  I hear it in Europe.  I hear it everywhere.  And the “BUT” can have many different reasons like;  

• I don’t want to adjust my ski/fin/wing to the water/conditions.
  
• I can only ski 1 day a week.
  
• The ski isn’t that important is it?
  
• I can’t afford a better ski. 
  
• I don’t have the time to get additional exercise.
  
• A few extra pounds won’t hurt that much.

And on and on it goes.  And to each EXCUSE I say this, “You get out of it what you put into it”!   Does Michael Schumacher test his racecar at each track?  Of course he does!  Does each track drive the same?  Of course not!  There are differences in air temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, type of pavement, track temperature and so on.  For Michael to show up at each track on the day of the competition and drive his car which is setup to a “standard” setting would erase his name from any future wins.  It’s testing, time and preparation that propel you to the top.  To think otherwise is just plain _______ (you fill in the missing word)!  The skiers at the top are the ones who have taken the time, eliminated the excuses and prepared themselves and their equipment for the forthcoming tasks at hand and have earned the right to stand the “TALLEST ON THE PODIUM”! 

Schnitz!  

“THE FOSBURY FLOP” Sept. 28th, 2005

Machiavelli quote;

"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in introducing a new order of things; because the innovator will have for enemies all who have done well under the old conditions and only lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new"

Years ago, everyone who high jumped studied and worked on perfecting a certain style, the accepted style of the day.   All the Olympic training centers worldwide studied, computer modeled and tested this style and slight variations on it.  Everyone knew this was the best and only way to high jump.  That is everyone except for Dick Fosbury.  You see, Fosbury had his own way of high jumping.  He cared not what the others were coaching or studying.  All Fosbury cared about was going higher than anyone else.  So Fosbury continued practicing and perfecting his own unique way of high jumping and then one day, he started winning and winning and winning.  His method of jumping was beating the best in the world.  In no time, Fosbury was the best in the world.  The moral of the story is this; there are people in the WaterSki community who are absolutely convinced that theirs is the right and only way to ski.  They will cram their style and studies down your throat.  They will prove to you (or attempt to do so) with mathematics, physics, engineering and so on, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are right and you must ski in the way they preach.  The same thing was going on with Fosbury but he had the courage and perseverance to continue on the path to that which he knew was right, just and better!  In your skiing, you need to have an open mind and try new techniques, philosophies and technologies and evaluate them without prejudice.  See the effect they have on your skiing and stand your ground.  You have the choice of being a leader or a follower.  Each one of us has different needs and thus different equipment and technique.  Your job is to continually strive to find the equipment and techniques that suit you, the individual.  Only then can the flower within you blossom.

Why Change is so difficult - The Story of the Fosbury Flop
 
Imagine we are back in the late 1960's and you are a high jump coach trying to convince an elite jumper to switch to the Flop.
"You must be joking - I go over backwards! I will break my neck!"
It took 10 years for the Flop to be adopted and then it was only the kids coming up who had nothing to lose who adopted it. Why if the Flop could deliver another foot of height was it so long in being adopted? This surely is the same issue that we face today as some of us talk about inserting conversation into organizations.
Here is how Dick Fosbury saw the challenge.
WHEN 21-year-old Dick Fosbury broke the Olympic high jump record by clearing the bar with his back to it at the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City, track and field traditionalists were aghast.
It came during a decade of turbulence in which many traditions were wrenched painfully from their moorings.
It came during an Olympics chock full of precedents (26 of a possible 30 track records shattered) and stark drama such as the black glove protest of sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the national anthem.
Fosbury's act was not a political statement. But to some, it was just as unsettling.
"Kids imitate champions," said U.S. Olympic coach Payton Jordan at the time. "If they try to imitate Fosbury, he will wipe out an entire generation of high jumpers because they will all have broken necks."
Fosbury laughed long and hard this week when reminded of that quote.
"I do remember that and it was well put," said the partially graying 52-year-old who still maintains a sturdy 6-foot-4, 187-pound physique.
His stunning, and almost comical, break with the conventional straddle high jump sparked a revolution in the sport.
Today, the "Fosbury Flop" is the standard technique for high jumpers from high school to the Olympics.
But Fosbury still recalls the debate that raged in the press over his radical approach to the bar.
"There were some doctors who felt I was threatening kids' lives," he said.
In fact, the worst thing that Fosbury can recall ever happening to him while using the technique was missing the pit once in high school. Nor can he recall any flopper injuring himself or herself on a pit landing.
The false impression created by first observation of the Fosbury Flop was that the jumper landed on his neck, inviting disaster.
"Actually the jumpers land on their shoulders," Fosbury said.
But he made the world hold its breath at Mexico City.
"Spectators were in awe the first time they saw it," Fosbury said. "I remember the stadium was packed full with 80,000 people. As I went from the warm-ups to the competition, and the bar kept raising higher, there were 80,000 people going silent, watching this kid, this 'gringo,' take his mark, and rock back and forth preparing to take a jump."
Before the 1968 Summer Games, athletes used the straddle method -- clearing the bar with lead arm and leg and then the stomach. But even after Fosbury's record jump (7 feet, 4 1/4inches) was televised to America, tradition died hard.
"The problem with something revolutionary like that was that most of the elite athletes had invested so much time in their technique and movements that they didn't want to give it up, so they stuck with what they knew," Fosbury said.
He said it took a full decade before the flop began to dominate the sport.
"The revolution came about from the kids who saw it, and had nothing to lose. The kids who saw it on TV and said, 'Gosh, that looks fun -- let's do that.' Grade school kids who didn't have coaches who would say, 'No, you stick with the straddle.' " 
 
The high jump is a good example of changing the way we think about progress and became a means for improving performance. For decades, the method that virtually all high jumpers used was the straddle method of jumping. Using this method, the jumper kicks one foot up and rolls over the bar face down. The straddle method required leg strength in order to start the jump with the force needed to clear the high jump bar. Many young high jumpers did not have this leg strength and therefore only the naturally strong were successful at the high jump.
Prior to 1968, the record for the high jump remained at 7' 5 3/4" achieved only once by Valerie Brumel in 1963. We can thus say that prior to 1968 this was the "best practice" for the high jump because it qualifies as the highest jump that anyone has been known to achieve. A theoretical best practice would be one which produced the highest possible jump. Although we haven't quite figured out exactly what that would be based on physics, current sized people should be able to exceed 9 feet.
Dick Fosbury, a high school student from Medford, OR, changed all of this. Dick, like many other high jumpers in the country, learned the method of high jumping taught to him by his coaches and modeled after the usual straddle method. His jumps, though, were mediocre at best. He just couldn't seem to grasp the straddle method of high jumping. Fosbury preferred to use more of a scissors method, popularized by children leaping fences. Eventually, he refined this technique and actually started to jump backwards from the point of take-off. His jump gained international attention and was called the Fosbury Flop.
Fosbury won the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City by clearing 7' 4 1/4". It is now the modern day style employed by almost all and international high jumpers. Using this new style, the world record as of 1993 was 8' 1/2" and was held by Javier Sotomayor of Cuba. Between 1900 and 1960, the average rate of improvement was 1/6" per year. If this rate continued for 400 years the world record would be about 12' 6". After the Fosbury Flop was adopted, the average rate of improvement was over 1/3" per year. The rate of progress was more than twice as much. If this were to continue, the world record would be about 18' in 400 years. Of course performance is subject to the theoretical limits of high jumping, but these trends are interesting to consider. More importantly, there are probably better ways to high jump than the Fosbury Flop that people have not thought of yet.
There are several key lessons we can learn from Dick Fosbury's example. Most importantly, we can see that people were bogged down because of one way of thinking. They kept trying to jump higher by using the existing straddle method. Most did not even question this method and were content using it as a way to improve. Reducing the gap between the theoretical best practice and even the demonstrated best practice is almost always a question of changing the existing way of thinking about how to increase performance.
Interestingly, even when Fosbury proved that he made tremendous progress in high school, his coach in college at first tried to get him to change to the straddle method. He finally accepted Fosbury's method of jumping after he worked with Fosbury for awhile. This illustrates the idea that people can not simply be told to accept a new way of doing something, even if it will make progress happen. People need to experience for themselves how adopting a new process will be beneficial and have to be taught this in a way that it makes sense to them.
There are countless other examples where human progress has been arrested due to human beliefs and actions. We will briefly discuss several more of these in our Civilization Stalls section and encourage you to be thinking of some as well. They show that the world could be quite different today, had we not been impeded by our own mental roadblocks in the past. More importantly, they raise the possibility of a profoundly different world with enormous benefits for everyone in the future.

Schnitz!

SKIING LIKE A DOG September 11, 2005

I have written about instinct before but here we go again.  When you throw a ball for a dog to chase, the dog will always chase the ball with its face (a brilliant statement).  Dogs do it.  People do it too, especially while powering into the wakes or afterwards, prior to the buoy.  The fangs come out and the desire to get that ball increases.  The only problem is that the officials are looking to see if the body part at the exact opposite end is going around the buoy.  Where instinct causes people to chase buoys with their face, we must replace this instinct with that of chasing the buoy with the feet, otherwise, we might justly be accused of “SKIING LIKE A DOG”!  

FIVE ARTICLES ON TECHNIQUE BY BRENT LARSEN

YOUR FIRST SIX WEEKS 03/07/2005

Here’s a simple yet effective program I use in the very beginning of the season or whenever I am coming back from a long break.  I use this program to build strength, skills, stamina and performance.  Your job should you choose to accept it, is to start this program three passes below your top full pass and follow these rules.  I base this program on skiing 2 sets a day, 5 – 6 days a week.  If you can ski 4 sets a day, 5 days a week, there’s a good chance you can do each STAGE in a week, completing all 3 STAGES in 3 weeks.    Play with it.  Tailor it to suit your style, strength and endurance but remember, flawless repetition of the easier passes leads to more of the same on each successively harder pass. 

STAGE 1; When I start skiing after a layoff (for me it’s usually a month or two), I will start my first set at about 30 MPH (49 KPH), 28 off (14 meters).  If I feel safe and comfortable after my first pass, I’ll have the driver increase the speed by 1 KPH (we have the boat set-up in 1 KPH increments which equate to roughly 6/10ths of a MPH) for my second pass, still at 28 off.  Again, if this feels safe and comfortable, I’ll have the driver increase the speed by another 1 KPH.  I’ll keep this up until we get to 53 KPH and finish up the set at this speed and line length.  For my second set, I’ll start at 52 KPH (32 MPH), 28 off and keep shortening the rope (if I feel safe and comfortable) until I get to 3 passes below my maximum.  My current max pass is 41 off so I will not shorten the rope beyond 38 off (11 meters).  For the next 2 weeks, I will not shorten the rope past this 38 off loop.  Instead, I will keep running these base passes over and over, refining each one and increasing my boat speed slowly and consistently so that I arrive at 55 KPH (34 MPH) – 38 off consistently at the very end of this 2 week period.  My goal during this period is to run my top pass for this period (38 off) as many times as possible.  SUPER SETS;  Depending on how I feel, on some sets I’ll start at 52 or 53 KPH – 38 off and run spinning back to backs (I run the pass, we spin on the end and come right back in for another).  After completing a 53 KPH back to back, we’ll increase the speed to 54 where I’ll run another spinning back to back.  Next will come the 55 KPH spinning back to backs and then I’m back on the dock.  Depending on your endurance level, you may wish to do more passes.  These spinning back to back sets increase the number of top passes I run which increase my endurance and self confidence.  One interesting aspect of these SUPER SETS is that each and every pass of this sets gets harder and harder as the speed increases while your physical and mental conditioning become more and more important. 

STAGE 2; As I enter my second 2 week period, I’ll start at least at 55 KPH – 28 off and stay at this speed or faster thru 38 off (11 meters) and then shorten the rope to my next pass (39 off – 10.75 meters) and drop the speed to 52 or 53 KPH (whatever speed I need to start running this pass).  With all the 38’s I’ve run in the prior 2 weeks, I’ve laid a solid foundation for my 39 off pass and will run it my first set.  Over the next 2 week period, I’ll concentrate on my 39 off pass with the goal of running as many of these as possible and yes, sometimes doing SUPER SETS where I start at 39 off – 52 and run a whole set of them.  Again, my goal is to run as many as possible so that I am up to 55 KPH at the end of this 2 week period.

STAGE 3; At this point in time I have worked on and refined my technique and skills for 4 weeks, all the time building a solid foundation for the STAGE 3 part of the program.  After 4 weeks of self denial (not allowing the rope to be shortened) and forced repetitions, it’s now time to again shorten the rope.  I’ll start at 28 off – 55 KPH (or faster) and keep shortening the rope until 41 off (currently my top pass).  Here we’ll again slow the boat down to about 52 KPH where again, I will run this pass.  Over the next 2 week period, I will concentrate on this pass, running as many as possible.  An option here is to drop the 28 off pass as long as there is no negative result.  This gives us the opportunity to run at least one more of our top passes each set assuming we do the same number of passes.  As your strength, endurance and self confidence increase, you may want to try starting at shorter line lengths on a regular basis which will allow you to concentrate more on your big, top passes.  One thing to be aware of is that sometimes when you drop a warm up pass, it shows up as a gradual or pronounced loss in performance at the top end.  If this is the case, re-introduce the warm up pass and try to increase the number of passes you are skiing each set instead.  Your goal in this STAGE 3 phase is to run as many of these passes as possible, all the while increasing your speed.  Do not even think about shortening the rope for 2 weeks.  In this PHASE 3 stage of my training, I will concentrate on this pass for months or perhaps the entire season, continually pushing the boat speed and tightening up the boat path to RECORD CAPABILITY standards or faster.  As this pass becomes stronger and my confidence increases outside of the PHASE 3 - 2 week period, only then will I consider shortening the rope, attempting to figure out the next pass, the next horizon, the next impossibility to be conquered!

Schnitz!

THE DEATH OF WATER-SKIING 1/6/2005

EQUIPMENT FAILURE November 30, 2004

“If you’re not hurting, you’re not working hard enough!”

November 17^th was a windy, overcast day.  I knew this was not going to be a great set, I could just feel it but because I needed more TOW (time on the water), I skied.  I’d just taken a couple days off and it was time to get going again.  Prior to this layoff, I took my bindings off of the GOODE 9600 that I was testing for “SKI TEST 2005” and handed this ski over to Bert Jubert, the other half of my ski testing crew.  I put my bindings back on ole faithful (Patti’s 64” 9400 that I’ve ridden since my ski was stolen years ago) in the exact same place they’ve been for years.  I double checked everything and took to the water.  As predicted, this set was not going well.  I ran my 28 opener roughly.  My 32 was perfect.  I missed my first 35 and had the driver spin the boat and come back in for a second attempt.  I pulled out perfectly utilizing all my keys.  When my turn in coordinate lined up, I turned in perfectly.  I’ve been working on leading with my left hip (actually rotating clockwise and forward with the left hip) through the entrance gates and was in perfect body position when it happened.  The instant I hit the first wake, I heard a loud “POP” and instantly went out the back under full load.   As I went back, I hit the wakes with my rib cage and started tumbling.  When all was said and done, when the massacre was over, I laid there in the water, breathless, my hat sinking, my ski still attached to my back foot, my binding disattached from my ski yet still on my front foot and my body in serious pain.  I went in for X-RAYS on the 21^st after the pain had subsided a minimal amount and verified what I knew had taken place.  I had broken my ribs in 3 places (this is the third time I’ve broken them skiing). This in addition to a very tender rear knee because of the non-release of the rear binding.  I’ve had plenty of time to try and learn from this mishap.  What I have figured out so far is that since I’m skiing a different style, I also need my equipment to do different things to accommodate this change.  My old way of skiing in a compressed state always put downward force on the front binding.  Apparently this new gate I was skiing created negative pressure on the front binding and when combined with old 3M DUAL LOCK, rough water and the jar of the first wake, created a situation where my injury occurred.  So I’ll be out for a couple more weeks, nursing myself back to health and rebuilding my equipment into that which hopefully will safely address my new skiing style.  The MORAL of this story is; always wear a flak jacket!  (What’s a FLAK JACKET?  Stay tuned!)

Schnitz!

THE NEXT STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF WATER-SKIING 11/12/2004

I’ve been working on estimating what it would cost to put a clear span steel building over a 200’ wide by 2,400’ long ski lake.   After months of waiting for pricing, it finally came.  The building I envision is 10’ from the floor to the ceiling along the outer walls and is 10’ taller in the center.  All these figures can be manipulated depending on your needs.  If your lake sits in a 10’ deep hole in the ground, you wouldn’t need the sidewall height.  The building itself is 250’ wide by 2,500’ long and has 200 – 3’ x 11’ skylights and doors at the ends.  We priced out this building for a Southern California location.  Different locations have different codes so prices will vary depending on where you decide to build.  Here are the figures from William at Powerbilt Steel Buildings 1-800-547-8335 / 1-757-646-8096 http://www.americansteelspanusa.com/;
 Complete Building parts delivered to the site;    $3,318,499.00
Insulation;                                                                 $   240,350.00 
Building set-up                                                        $1,875,000.00 (@ $3.00 sf)
Total;                                                                        $5,433,849.00 
 This does not include the land, lake, footings, etc...   At 5% interest, we’re looking at roughly $25,000.00 per month which is a lot of money no matter how you look at it.  I’m told there are lakes in California that cost roughly $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 per month in pumping, electric and evaporation costs (they have to pay the government for the water that evaporates).  Putting this building over the lake should eliminate a huge percentage of these payments allowing this money to go into an asset rather than literally into thin air.  To pay the additional funds, memberships can be sold to those who would like to ski in the evening or during the winter months.  In Aspen Colorado, a one hour membership costs about $2,500.00 per year someone please send me the actual facts and figures).  This entitles the owner of this hour to use the lake for that specific hour on specific days.  By selling these individual 24 hour time slots (times 7 days a week), the lake owner can actually make money!  If this building is built in an area with abundant natural gas or oil wells, there is the possibility of heating and/or cooling this structure for close to nothing.   Going a step further, it would be easy to convert a ski boat to run with an electric motor which would totally eliminate any possibility of air quality problems.  We are at the threshold.  Years ago, someone (Dr. Horton?) took the first step in building the first manmade water-ski lake.  Now there are hundreds.  Who will be the first to take the next step?
 Schnitz!

Since I’ve been doing the right foot forward “COORDINATES” gate, I’ve been trying variations of it.  One of the biggest problems with the traditional pullout, even with the ultra slow speed “CORDINATES” – “IDLE OUT” gate is timing.  Any amount of excess speed when it’s time to turn in creates problems.  I wondered what would happen if I would idle out way too early and just hang out there so I tried it and it worked.  In fact, it worked just as well as any other gate I’ve tried.  At this point in time, I am not using it all the time.  It’s just something I’m playing with.   To do it, idle out when the bow of the boat is about 75 to 100 feet before the 55 meter buoys.  Move out to about 2 meters inside the buoy line.  When number one lines up with the right hand entrance gate buoy, GO!   With the "IDLE OUT GATE" you go when number one lines up with the center of the gate.  With this gate, you start to go a touch earlier because it takes time to go from the edge you are holding yourself out with to the edge you turn in with.  When you go, it’s important to lead with the lower body as leading with the shoulder or upper body will cause you to miss the gates. 

IDLE OUT GATE UPDATE;  On my normal "IDLE OUT GATE", I've changed my stop point to point two or I stop idling out when 3 ball lines up with the middle of the entrance gates.  I still turn in when number 1 lines up in the middle of the gates.

Schnitz!

Murray,

Years ago, Craig Llewellyn and myself had a speed contest where we both ran 28 off at 40 MPH.  I know with today's athletes, technique and equipment, there's a lot more to go!

Schnitz!

I saw your request for a computer program.  I'll take a shot at it but here are some early calculations.

Length of course = 259 meters
Boat speed = 34 mph
Skiing directly ball to ball = 293.75 meters, avg speed = 38.56 mph
Skiing square wave form (impossible) = 394 meters, avg speed = 51.72 mph  (square wave means to ski at 90 degrees across course out of the buoy, out to the buoy line and then make an immediate 90 degree turn downcourse to the next buoy)
Actual ski path is somewhere in between but the average speed is lower the more you ski directly to the ball.

When the skier is directly behind the boat his speed =                               speed/(cos(angle x .01745329) Example - 30 degrees = 39.26 mph  /  35 degrees = 41.51 mph
Note: ski angle does not equate to skier path angle.  These calculations are for skier path angle.

The major difference between short line and long line is the angle or arc of the line.  At 41 off the rope is perpendicular (90 degrees) to the boat path at the ball and essentially offers no load at that point.  It is not until the ski angle is greater than the rope angle that a load occurs that accelerates the skier.  At 15 off the angle is 39 degrees.  The loading occurs right off the ball at a small angle. 

At 15 off the rope needs only to arc a total of 78 degrees, 180 for 41 off.

The other factor is the to and fro movement with respect to the boat.  At 15 off the skier advances 13 ft on the boat at each ball, at 41 off the skier advances 34 ft on the boat.  This requires the skier to be traveling significantly faster (on average) from the wake to the ball.  Being that the average speed for all lengths theoretically can be the same this means the short line skier is accelerating and decelerating much more than the long line skier.

Enough rambling, thinking as I type.  Interesting problem, I'll try to work it out in my free time.  Quite a dynamic situation.  Do you know of any direct overhead video that has both the boat and skier?  Angles, speeds, acceleration, etc could be calculated from this.

Please see my "SKIER SPEED VS ANGLE CHART" above also.

Glen Juback

THE BASE POSITION 10/17/2004
 

Stand erect and push your hips forward until they stop.  At this point your stomach muscles should tighten as they must in order to prevent your upper body from falling over backwards.  This is the “BASE POSITION”.  From this “BASE POSITION”, everything happens and any deviation from this “BASE POSITION” will have a negative effect on your skiing.   Any backwards movement of the hips equates to problems.  Problems such as overturning, too much angle, too much load, too much speed, too much impact on the speed of the boat and so on.  Rotation and sideward movement are allowed, backward movement is not!

“THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HINGES”  10/11/2004
In my pursuit of perfection and the understanding of slalom skiing, I have come to categorize two of the lower body’s hinges or joints as “THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HINGES”.  The primary hinges are the knees.  The secondary hinges are the hips.  Anytime the hips move back any amount, problems are created.  If we take the hip joints out of our skiing equation and lock them in a forward or up position, we will ski better.  For this reason I have named them “THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HINGES”.  If we use our knees exclusively for flexion we will ski better, especially when we combine this style of skiing with “SKIING BY COORDINATES”.            

"WEIGHT-ROTATE-COORDINATE-DUPLICATE" 10/08/2004

Since figuring out “COORDINATES” early this past summer, I’ve been traveling the world teaching skiers this new, easy, slow, consistent way of skiing.  One of the biggest problems that show up is that a high majority of skiers have a hard time turning into the gates leading with the right hip.  On the right foot forward version of “COORDINATES”, if the hips are back, you miss the gates and generate excess speed.  Anytime your hips go back, you generate excess angle and speed so regardless whether left or right foot forward, leading with the hips is absolutely essential to speed and angle management and control.  I have tried asking the skier to lead with the right hip as they turn into the gates but often times to no avail.  While in Denver Colorado working with a small group of skiers at Pete Baurer’s lake, we came up with "WEIGHT-ROTATE-COORDINATE-DUPLICATE".   “Weight” relates to the left shoulder.  While standing on dry land, push your hips forward and make believe you have a heavy weight on your left shoulder so that it lowers.  As your left shoulder lowers, your hips move to the right.  You are now in a “hips forward and right” position.  This position is what I’m looking for as you turn in and go through the gates.  “Rotate” is what you do to the ski when it’s time to go.  This means that you maintain your body position and rotate or turn the ski and try to skim the right hand gate buoy on the inside.  “Coordinate” means to target or ski to your coordinate, not earlier, not later but exactly to your coordinate and finally “Duplicate” is what you do at every buoy, reversing which shoulder lowers and which direction the hips move at each and every buoy.

“SKIING BY COORDINATES UPDATE”  9/20/2004

Since I began teaching “SKIING BY COORDINATES”, I have found the three most important fundamentals to be and in this order;

1. Skiing to a point 15 feet (5 meters) before the next buoy on the imaginary buoy line.
   
2. Getting a “Coordinated” gate.
   
3. Keeping your hips up or forward.
   

During my travels and clinics, I literally end up having weeks in between my own practice sets.  During these bi-monthly sets, I focus on doing all 3 of the above items yet at times, they all go out the window.  I have found that even with my hips back and with my shoulders moving forward on my entrance gate, as long as I focus on “SKIING BY COORDINATES”, I end up being very successful.  In a recent ski set in Vienna where I had not skied for 2 weeks, I skied on an O’Brien Sixam test ski (which I’ve been on for a couple of these 2-3 sets a month, months) with an untried Slot Fin and Mini Wing for the first time.  The set started out with my hips up and a great gate but as it progressed into the really short line lengths (38-39-41 off (11.25 -10.75 -10.25m), the hips and gates were soon gone.  All that was left however was “SKIING BY COORDINATES” and it got me to 6 ball at 41 off (10.25m).  In teaching “SKIING BY COORDINATES”, at first I was trying to get people to do the “COORDINATES” gate and ski with their hips up.  Many people had a very difficult time making their first move for the gate with their lower body.  Left foot forward skiers could not do the “COORDINATES”, gate successfully with any kind of consistency.  I then asked these skiers to do a normal gate and only after rounding #1, begin “SKIING BY COORDINATES” into number 2 and each buoy thereafter.  Many of these skiers could do the “COORDINATES” portion but could not ski with their hips up yet they seemed to ski much slower and with much more consistency.   The biggest thing I have found is when your hips go back, the load on the rope increases as does the skier’s cross-course angle.  With this, the visual illusion of the skier being fast takes over the observer and the perception of speed takes over the skier.  Skiing to “COORDINATES” with the hips up eliminates all the perceptions of speed both to the observer and the skier.  Once the skier realizes they can ski a later line (“COORDINATES”) and they couple this with a hips up body position, they are well on their way to far greater water-skiing success.

                           “WORDS FLYING OUT OF MY BUTT”  8/24/2005

 Not being one to duck controversy, here goes!  Dave Goode had a pair of jump skis at the 2004 US Nationals that were shaped like a helicopter blade, that is, they were long and had a curved up tip like a jump ski but they were about 1.5” thick on the inside and tapered down to almost a sharp edge on the outside.  The theory here being that once in the air, the skier would flare the tips outward and the oncoming air pressure would flow over these wings - I mean skis and create lift.  Conventional jumpers would argue that they would not be able to generate enough speed approaching the ramp to go any significant distance as these skis would not work well when in the water.   There must however be change in order to enact change.  We cannot get different results if we continue doing things the same.  The Earth is not Flat as once believed!  If we were to take Dave Goode’s idea of generating more lift from the skis and expand upon this, I would have the skier choose two left skis, that is, two skis that are thickest on the right side and taper down to nothing on the left side.  In the air, the jumper’s job would be to rotate 180 degrees to the left so they are flying sideways through the air.  I say sideways for two reasons;

1. Your body will cut through the air much more efficiently sideways.
   
2. The wings – I mean skis will be at 90 degrees to the oncoming air and will generate a tremendous amount of lift.
   

While in this position, the skier would lift either ski to approximately the level of the opposite knee so clean air would be flowing over both wings – I mean skis and generating a calculated ratio of lift to speed to weight.  By properly calculating all these variables, wings – I mean skis can be scientifically designed to stay in the air until the boat runs out of gas without even hitting the ramp!  And speaking of the ramp, why doesn’t someone build a ramp with a side-curtain that can be skied up?   There is no rule as far as I know about hitting the side-curtain.  If someone would build another surface into the side-curtain and extend the length and pitch, the skier could turn in much later and hit a surface that is turned open to them and inclined to allow more edge pressure on the ramp.
 So there you have it, words flying forth from my butt.  Maybe this breath of hot air will provide some needed lift?  As is always the case; Those with closed minds will condemn, those with open minds will create!
 Schnitz!

THE QUICKEST – FASTEST- EASIEST – CHEAPEST WAY TO SKI BETTER FAST 8/19/04
I have the good fortune to travel the World and ski just about everywhere.  The reason I ski is because it makes me feel so good mentally, physically and spiritually.   I recall twenty some odd years ago, back when I was first beginning my tournament water-skiing career,  Bob LaPoint showed up at my practice site.  Bobby knew something way back then that still applies in today’s modernized, computerized, fuel injected, speed controlled world.  Bobby realized that in order to ski well, he needed someone sitting behind the wheel that would compliment his skiing, not combat it.  Bob LaPoint brought along his own driver!   I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat and watch with horror the boat driver destroying my student’s passes and self confidence.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat in disbelief as the driver thinks nothing of having a conversation with the crew or on the phone while one of my students is forced to ski to a rhythm devoid of concentration or focus.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat and hear and feel it smacking buoys on the opposite side of the course from my student.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat and feel it moving away from or into my skier.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver drastically under or overshoots the skiers speed.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver gasses the throttle and whips the skier at the end of the lake.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver wrenches out my students arms and shoulders while tightening up the rope prior to taking off.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver floors the boat when the skier says “hit it”.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver brings one of my students into the course at an angle.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver drags my students either while dropping them or preparing to take off.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver stops right next to the skier at the end of a set.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver turns the boat into the skier when setting them down at the end of the lake.  I can’t tell you how many times I sit in the boat as the driver is totally unaware of the skier’s presence in the water with the engine running while the skier is at the platform.  I am sure that many of you reading this can’t figure out what the problem is with many of the things I’ve pointed out and therein lays the problem!   The driver can be more than 50% of the equation of what’s going on behind the boat.  The driver can and does make or break the skier.  A very well prepared skier is nothing at all behind a bad driver.  And then I’ll hear the comment that “everyone has to ski behind that driver so it’s a level playing field”.  It’s not!  I train long and hard as do many of my students.  I demand good boat driving from my drivers as it eliminates a huge variable from the performance equation. The driver leads and the skier always follows in a very precise, choreographed performance that leaves little room for error.  In the case of error, it’s the skier who is judged.   Good skiing like a well choreographed dance requires each partner to do what is expected of them.  When the leading partner hasn’t a clue, the following partner hasn’t either regardless of their motivation or preparation.  Good driving requires 100% concentration, as much concentration as the skier is putting out behind the boat.  If you are looking to drastically up your buoy count, seriously consider taking a look at what’s going on behind the wheel.  Only with a totally committed team can the skier accomplish their potential.   
Great skiing is teamwork.  It's teamwork between the driver, the crew and the skier with all of the energy going towards the skiers benefit. By following these simple rules below, you will be on your way to becoming a great driver.
Set-up the computer before the skier gets in the water. Before pulling any skiers, the Perfect Pass should be properly calibrated so that the weight in the boat along with the skier’s weight combined with the wind equals a perfect time. 
Before the skier gets in the water, set the KX, the PX, the CREW WEIGHT, the SKIER WEIGHT, HEADWIND OR TAIL, etc., etc...
Look at your boat times at each end on your opening 2 passes to know what the wind is doing and to be able to accurately predict the settings on the next passes. 
When a skier is finished with their set, they get in the boat on the PLATFORM, not alongside the driver!  Bring the platform to the skier and make sure to turn off the engine when doing so. 
Turn off the engine when the skier is getting ready on the platform.  There are warnings posted on many new boats about the hazards of Carbon Monoxide poisoning! 
Ask the skier how they like to be pulled out of the water.  When someone floors the boat when picking me up, I immediately know they don't know how to drive!  Squeeze the throttle up, don't slam it down!
When bringing the handle to a skier sitting in the water, make sure the boat's momentum is stopped by the time the handle reaches the skier.
A common mistake I see worldwide is the boat driver throwing the boat in Neutral when a skier falls.  When driving your car, do you put it in neutral when slowing down?   When a boat is under power, it can be steered!   When a skier falls, slowly bring the throttle back to an in gear idle position rather than throwing it in neutral.
Whether in the slalom course or outside of it, there should be two speeds, up on plane or at dead idle.  If you are not on plane and not at idle speed, you are throwing very large rollers down the course which can cause severe injury to the skier.
When the skier falls on the right side of the course, turn the boat to the right.  Do the opposite on the other side.
Line up early for the pre-gates.  For the skier, the course starts on the pull out.  If the boat is in the wrong place before the pre-gates, so is the skier.   If the boat is in the wrong place, the skier is forced to try and compensate for the driver's error.  The skier is the one judged yet the driver is at fault.   Typically, a skier will pull out when the boat is about 1 boat length before the pre-gates.  At 35' off or a 40' tow line; add 10' from the pylon to the front of the boat and then 20 feet for 1 boat length and you have 70'.   In other words, the boat needs to be straight, up to speed and on center at least 100 feet prior to the gates.
Always be in the center or a little bit left when entering the entrance gates.  If you are over to the right, the skier will be over to the right going through the gates.  Thus the driver being in the wrong place can and will cause the skier to miss the entrance gate!
Balance the boat.  A balanced boat is not only safer; it also drives and skis better.  Unbalanced boats have unbalanced wakes and often times, spray.
Be quiet.   The most important thing when someone is skiing is to allow them to concentrate.  If the driver is talking on the phone or listening to the radio, they are not concentrating on their driving.   A skier who is working hard on their skills deserves the respect of the crew by being still and quiet.
Be a part of the skier's team.  Sometimes in training, I expect my drivers to help me with the boat path or speed or both.  As I begin to ski better, the driver tightens up the tolerances.   Know what the skier expects and needs and do every thing you can to give it to them.
Use end course video in practice.  I once had a boat driver named Kirk Cutcliffe.   Kirk wanted to be a great driver.  I lost 2 passes the first time Kirk pulled me.  Kirk would always ask for feedback and was totally open to input.  One day, Kirk took out a video camera and set it up at the end of the lake prior to pulling a skier.  He then pulled the set and immediately reviewed the video.  What was revealed was the reality of where the boat was in the course, not the assumption.  Kirk learned how, where and when to put the boat at every line length and consequently went on to become one of the best practice drivers I have ever had the pleasure to ski with.
When dropping a skier, turn the wheel lightly away and pull gently back on the throttle.  After running any hard pass, the last thing a skier wants to do is expend any unnecessary energy when setting down at the end of a pass.   A common mistake is to turn the wheel hard away from the skier and apply a lot of throttle at the same time.  If the skier is not ready for this unnecessary whip, problems can and do rapidly develop.
When dropping a skier, parallel them.  As they sink, the boat should settle in also, all the time parallel to the skier.  Once the skier and boat have settled in, turn the boat.  If you never point the boat at the skier, you can never hit the skier!
Only go when the skier is ready.  Many times inexperienced drivers take off before I am ready.  This is not only an inconvenience, it's extremely dangerous.  Wait for the skier to say “hit it” before going.  I use a 3 step process when picking up a skier.  When the skier says "hit it", I slowly idle out.  Then I gradually begin picking them up and then I apply enough throttle to get up to speed.
Think about how and when you are turning the steering wheel.   If you are turning the wheel away as the skier is approaching the buoy, you're whipping them, giving them excess speed and making them narrow.   Conversely, if you are turning the wheel towards the buoy, you'll give them slack!
Anticipate the skier.  Most drivers react to the skier's pull.  Reacting causes the boat to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  You need to be able to "see in your "minds eye" where the skier is approaching the buoy and act with the skier, not after the skier.  (Do not watch the skier)

Please read my chapter on Safety.

                    “SKIING BY COORDINATES”  8/06/2004
I consider “SKIING BY COORDINATES” to be one of the most important things I have ever written.  “SKIING BY COORDINATES” starts at the gates and blows away everything you have ever learned yet it’s so simple and slow.  There’s no thought of moving the hips.  There’s no thought of rotating the upper body.  There’s no thought of outbound momentum vs. down-course momentum.  There's no thought of developing and carrying speed.  There's no thought of developing more angle.  There's no thought of being wide and early.  There's no thought of generating space before the buoy.  There's no thought of skiing an early line.  To start, it’s as simple as what I call, “IDLING OUT” which means that all we do is lightly, very - very gently, edging the ski out to the left to a point midway out to the 2-4-6 turn buoys.  To do this; (for right foot forward skiers)
 1.    Stand outside the wake (on the left side) on the edge of the foam so half your ski is in the foam and the other half is out and watch the right hand 55 meter buoy.  When it disappears behind the nose of the boat, “IDLE OUT” until you see the left hand entrance gate line up with turn buoy number three.  This will get you out early, narrow and with no speed.   There is no effort or intensity needed or necessary nor does your timing need to be perfect. 
 
2.    When turn buoy number 1 appears to be in the middle of the entrance gates, turn your ski and aim to be next to the right hand gate buoy keeping your hips up or forward!  Only exert as much energy as you need to ski next to the right hand gate.
 
3.   Ski to an imaginary point, 15 feet early of the buoy on the imaginary 1-3-5 or 2-4-6 line.  No matter what happens, no matter how hard or how poorly your ski turns, your job is to get the ski to that coordinate, not before it, not after it but to it!  Once you arrive at this coordinate, reach and turn.  If your ski overturns, you must not hold any excess cross course angle.  You must bring the tip of the ski back to where it's pointing at your coordinate.  Angle in excess of this coordinate will cause you to ski too fast with improper body position!  At very short line lengths like 39 off and beyond, picture an imaginary line running across the course, 15 feet before the buoy.  Your job while accelerating is to try to get to the imaginary point 15 feet before the buoy on the 1-3-5 or 2-4-6 line but at these line lengths, it's not possible as the rope is too short and the boat will begin pulling you down course.   Once your ski crosses this imaginary cross-course line on your way to your coordinate, begin your turn by starting your reach.
 For left foot forward skiers;   I have little experience at this point with left foot forward skiers but know that left foot forward skiers want to start from a wide (normal) position.  Dr. Michaels is left foot forward and appears to pull out to a normal width with average intensity.   When you go through the gates, it's important to keep your hips forward and ski only to a point 15 feet before number 1 on the imaginary 1-3-5 line.  I think you will still need to go when you see number 1 in the middle of the gates. 
 
If you will take the time to lay the course out on graph paper, you will see that if you will turn in when you see number 1 in the center of the gates and try to touch the right hand gate, you will arrive roughly 18 feet before number 1 on the 1-3-5 imaginary line.  Allow a little down course slippage and you now arrive at your 5 meter early (15 feet) coordinate. 
 
Do not ever lead with the shoulder!   Do not ever let the hips drop back.  Do not ever ski earlier than 5 meters.  It's very important to go when you see # 1 in the middle of the gates as any delay will cause you to either put your shoulder down or not be close to the right hand gate.   This can be disconcerting at very short line lengths as the right hand gate will be covered in spray from the boat and will not be visible.  You must learn to trust your visuals (when # 1 lines up in the middle of the gates). 
 
Your job is to ski with your hips forward to your coordinate maintaining a lot of pressure on the rope at all times.  You will find that every time you generate more angle than necessary, you will have excess speed and most likely a problem in the turn at the up-coming buoy and every time you arrive at your coordinate late, you will also have a problem.   I had the opportunity of working with Dr. Jim Michaels and during our discussions I asked Jim if he skis to a certain point.  His response was “yes, doesn’t everybody”?  In the past, I have tried to generate as much angle out of the buoy as possible to get myself early and "create SPACE before the buoy" and never had this “coordinate” to shoot for and thus generated this excess speed and time imbalance.  With this new technique, I not only ski slower and with more control, I also make it around more buoys with more control than ever before!   The new style has arrived and it's simple and yours for the taking!

                               "SPACE AND TIME"   

7/12/2004 - updated 7/14/2004 - 8/02/2004 - 8/06/2004
 On June 3^rd, 2004, a friend of mine, Daniel Brais sent me this e-mail regarding his analysis of Jamie Beauchesne’s and my own skiing.   
 Hi Steve,
 Yesterday I was analyzing Jamie Beauchesne's skiing with the use of iMovie (from the video you gave me a while back).  The software gives me the ability to move the action every 33.33 hundredth of as second at a time. What I started doing is figuring out the time it takes Jamie from the ball to the middle of the boat wakes (acceleration) and from there to the next ball (deceleration). Here is what I found out.  n.b. the video has the passes at 32', 35', 38' and part of 39' off.
A) At 58 kph, the time from one ball to the other is 2.566 seconds no mater what line length;
B) Jamie is very consistent. At 32' and 35' off, it takes him 1.233 sec to go from ball to mid wakes (accl.) and 1.333 sec from mid wakes to ball (decl.), and that's for all his balls;
C) At 38' off his turns are not as efficient so he accelerates later and come in to the ball faster. Times are 1.333 and 1.233 sec. respectively;
D) At 39' he's in more trouble starting at one ball and that gives him 1,40 and 1,166 that he carries regularly to and out of 4 ball where he aborts the pass going into 5.                               
Interesting is it not?!
I did the same thing with a video of you on a Connelly F1 at 32 off at 55 kph. Your numbers are 1,333 and 1.466 sec respectively, and yes, you are very regular.  Where am I going with this?
A) Yes there is balance in the course. Half is acceleration, half is deceleration as
long as we split the course in half for the width it has;
B) Based on what we know from the stand point of trajectory (or line skied) the
distances traveled don't balance out (I particularly liked Dave Nelson's graphic for the one handed gate and his drawing of a skiers trajectory through the course).
C) Time spent in acceleration and deceleration doesn’t balance out either (or maybe they can, depending on style) what would you think?
But most importantly
- The more time you take to accelerate the less time you have to decelerate.
- Consequently, you carry more speed into the turn;
- The more speed you have in the turn, the further down course the turn will finish;
- The more speed you have in the turn, the more the turn has to be provoked;
- The more the turn has to be provoked, the less efficient it his and the more time
(and distance) you spend in this half of the course.
- Mind you, the course can still be run, but the potential for failure increases with
any compounding effect of inefficiency.  It seems that time across the course could be viewed as a constant (almost) or like a rope of a definite length. If you move the beginning of that rope closer to the middle of the boat wake, then the rest of the rope and its end have to go somewhere.  Am I too far gone here?
Give me some feedback!
 Daniel
 From this e-mail, I began to wonder what would happen if we were to balance out the time we spend on each side of the course?   A skier that came to mind was Dr. Jim Michaels who appears to ski very slowly, never leads with his shoulder or upper body, is never compressed and never generates massive amounts of cross course angle.  I have a video tape of Dr. Michaels which I have sent off to Daniel for the same type of analysis and am awaiting the results.  In the meantime, I decided to try balancing out the amount of time I spend on both sides of the course.  I reasoned that if I were to generate a massive amount of angle out of the buoy, let’s say 90 degrees for example, I would travel 37.5 feet to the center of the wakes.  I would then need to travel an additional 37.5 feet to out to the width of the buoy and then another 135 feet down course to the next buoy.   This means that the more angle I get before the wake (37.5 feet before the wake vs 172.5 feet after), the more out of balance I am in both time and space.   If there were a way to equalize both of these factors, I figured I would ski better.  I soon began testing my theory on the water.  I figured that the perfect path or the path that assured the same amount of time on each side of the course would be a straight line from one buoy to the next (154 feet).  I then figured in what I felt was the turning radius of my ski, 15 feet.  So I began aiming for a place 15 feet before the next buoy.  I tried this for a few sets and then was speaking with my friend, Aaron Guess at a tournament and asked him to ride in the boat and see what I was doing.  Here are Aaron’s comments; 
 “Steve,
 
Thanks so much for the huge eye opener!!!  The video we shot yesterday is amazing.  You need a copy.  I'll make one for you.  At 39 off, your turns on 2 and 4 ball are finished at or beyond 90 degrees on the boat.  I have been lucky enough to have seen you ski for a while and so far that was the most impressive display I have witnessed. 
 
The 39 where you covered your mouth at 5 ball on your last set was super easy wasn't it?  I think your perception was Patti was giving you a lot of boat to make it feel that way...... she wasn't.....it was perfectly straight and I can prove it via the tape.  She is awesome with a ski boat and I wish I could ski behind her more.  Please thank her for me.
 
Maybe we don't need to pull as long as we think?  Perhaps the energy we need to hold the line we desire is less than once thought.  Michaels may be pulling to long.  Maybe he has enough energy to change edge sooner than he is.  Maybe if he did he could run 43. 
 
It's nice to be excited about some different perspectives.  A big thank you!!
 
AG
(Future deep 41 skier)”
 I had Aaron try this new technique that evening and he too was amazed.  He was trying a test ski I had on hand and managed to make more buoys skiing in this manner than skiing his normal way (we’re talking about more buoys at 39 off).  After this session, I had to go on the road and do some clinics.  Upon arriving home, a brand new O’Brien SIXAM was sitting in my living room.  I needed to test this ski so I mounted it up and utilizing this new technique, proceeded to run 39 off my first set and 41 off my second set on it.  This score exceeded any score this year and was on a ski I never rode before.  My last set before writing this I skied straight through 41 off without missing a buoy utilizing this new and amazing style.  I cornered my fellow ski tester, Bert Jubert and began teaching this new technique to him.  A few days later, I received a phone call late in the evening while I was again on the road teaching.  Bert was excited!  Bert is typically, maybe a 50% successful, 32 off skier.  He called to tell me he had just run ten - 32 offs in row without missing any using this technique.  I showed it to another friend, Bruce around the time I taught it to Bert and again, another late night, on the road phone call telling me he had just run 32 off using it (he had never run 32 off before)!   While on the road, I taught it to Jeff Maier who skied a personal best (1.5 at 41 off) using it.  Jeff commented that “we need to wear pink shorts while skiing this style as it’s so easy”!  So enough of the buildup.  Here’s what we’re doing;   

SEE ABOVE "SKIING BY COORDINATES"

SLALOM COURSE DIMENSIONS;  http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/3event/Comp.Sldim.html

HOW TO MEASURE A FIN

These photos show how I measure a fin.  This way of measuring started over 20 years ago and have been determined (by me) to be the best, most repeatable and most accurate ways of measuring known to man (and woman). 

SLOT FIN SET-UP (warm water)
LENGTH 7.116
DEPTH 2.5605
FWD-BK 7.932 (1/16" forward of tail)

WING DOWN, 9 DEGREES (file the screw ends flush)

Goode Standard Fin Set-up

Length 6.872

Depth  2.449

Forward-Back 8.248

Wing Down, 9 Degrees

AMF FIN SET-UP (Set-up by Chris Rossi 10/20/02)

Length  6.690

Depth  2.5205

Forward-Back  8.153

Wing Up, 9 Degrees