Freedom

When we're coaching, one of the points you'll hear us hit on a lot is maintaining outbound direction. We touched on it a bit in our "Simplify Your Ride" article but here we're going to give it a more in depth look. From the point where you exit the second wake to when you are standing over your ski in the turn a lot of crucial things must happen. Let's dig deeper.



1. The Exit
As you leave the second wake you have to be connected. This means you need to feel power and connection from your handle and your core. Feeling the connection from your trailing arm and hip allows the line to stay tight without having pull from the boat. By not loading the line during this section you are able to get a clean release. Going into 1,3,5 you'll feel your left hand and left hip come together and vice versa at 2,4. If this movement doesn't happen it is easier to get pulled to the inside and drop your shoulder, resulting in downcourse speed and a loose turn. Make sure to stay connected.






2. Be Still
Hold the direction you've created without feeling the boat's pull. You can maintain this position by keeping both hands on the handle. A lot of skiers rush to take their free hand off as soon as they're through the second wake. In actuality by keeping both hands on you can allow yourself to be more balanced. You will quickly feel yourself coming up over your front foot.









3. Freedom
Once you're balanced, progressively take your free hand off and bring it away from the boat. By keeping your hand low you will maintain level shoulders, allowing you to make a level turn. Focus on linking all your movements into one fluid movement instead of having three distinct movements. Doing this allows you to carry your efficiently through the turn and eliminates feeling fast.





Be patient when working on your skiing. All good things take time and persistence. Filming your sets is a great way to sit down and see what you are doing, there is often a difference in the way you feel on your ski and what you are actually doing. Most importantly, enjoy your time on the water and if you're feeling stuck take time to slow down and have fun.


Good Sequence

Thanks to Steve Schnitzer for the photos!

If you're interested in getting lessons with The Wilson Bros. email coach@thewilsonbros.com