Weight Distribution / Pro Ski Coach Water Ski Forum

t8skier · #1 Sat, Apr 24, 2010 2:22 PM

After completing the turn and back on the handle, how is the weigh distributed behind the boat? I think I am about 60% on the back foot. It seems that the ski has more of a glide past the wake when I have less wieght on the front with the ski in front of me. I have heard skiers say they are on their front foot when they are in a lean. Seems that when I want to go slow, I transfer my weight to the front of the ski.

BudMan · #2 Sat, Apr 24, 2010 2:54 PM

You might do best if you balance your weight on the ski the whole time and not move around. I believe this is how skis are designed to be skied. It should make skiing easer for you also.

Last edited by BudMan (Sat, Apr 24, 2010 4:44 PM)

h20dawg79 · #3 Sat, Apr 24, 2010 5:27 PM

I hate to throw out the 'OL dominate Leg issue. BUT, this does have a bit of an effect on the Biased wgt. %. i.e. A dominate front leg skier is more biased to the front dominate Leg. As where the Dom. in rear Leg skier will be more biased to the rear leg. (both have their up/dn. side)

Also, when coming into the buoy, I would guess ( just pulling #'s out of the sky...) one would be anywhere from 50/50 to 60% front/40% rear or what ever else it may take to slow down and get into position at any given Ball...

Personally, I feel Balanced thru the apex and then approx: 40 front/ 60 rear @ the Hook up, then I feel a bit biased to the rear thru the 2nd wake @ edge change an then repeat the above...

Remember, "Balanced" doesn't always mean exactly 50/50. Balanced is what ever it takes to maintain proper positioning (COM) @ any given instant or in any given situation.

The question may be: Do you feel Balanced and in a Strong Athletic position, Driving the ski? Or do you "Feel" as though you are a little out of position and slightly just along for the ride?

Last edited by h20dawg79 (Sat, Apr 24, 2010 6:46 PM)

t8skier · #4 Mon, Apr 26, 2010 2:57 AM

Body postition if fine. What does the ski like?

BudMan · #5 Thu, Apr 29, 2010 4:14 AM

To t8skier,
The boat’s force is trying to pull you straight behind it. If you were ridding an inner tube and the boat was going straight through the course then so would you. The ski allows you to convert that force to you to use how you will. It is a great feeling to be in charge of that power. It is frustrating to feel like the boat is in charge and you are fighting to keep up. I’ve seen people lean way back on the ski to push a lot of spray up in the air and behind a small boat actually slow the boat down. Think about this; if you were to put a skate board behind the engine box sideways, with your five foot handle attached to the pylon and leaned back while balancing on the skate board, you would just sit there. Now, still balancing, slightly push forward on the balls of your feet, the skate board would shoot forward. If you do the same behind the boat, you will convert the resistance into acceleration into the direction you want to go. If you accelerate too long you will carry too much speed into the buoy making it difficult to turn when and where you need to and probably get slack rope. If your timing is right, the proper amount of acceleration will carry your ski wide and set you up for another great pull after the turn. To me all of this can be done while equally balancing on the ski with out moving all around. Does any of the help?

Last edited by BudMan (Thu, Apr 29, 2010 4:15 AM)

WadeWilliams · #6 Mon, May 24, 2010 2:41 PM

weight distribution behind boat
about 50/50
weight distribution in pre turn
about 75% front foot
weight distribution at apex
nearly 100% front foot

as for behind the boat, while the weight dist is about 50/50, you need to be stronger in your core than really feeling balanced on one foot or the other. When I try to answer your question, thinking about my own skiing, i don't really feel like i'm focusing on weight dist behind the boat -- my weight is balanced off of the handle. Putting force on your ski too much (one foot or the other) behind the boat will distribute your weight awkwardly. Lean more off the rope so that you feel like the boat carries you in a balanced stance over your ski. Through the pre turn you're going to be starting a weight shift forward.

I don't know that you ever want to feel like you have more than 50% of your weight on your back foot at any point, with the exception of the gate edge out, but that is a different topic.

2gofaster · #7 Mon, May 24, 2010 11:18 PM

My coach/ski partner has been really working me over the last 6 weeks we've been skiing together on weight distribution. He's been hammering 50/50 weight distribution(using my knees and ankles to control this) on the ski behind the boat and 50/50 arm load distribution. When I let my arms relax and straighten, my body drops away from the boat and I am off to the races. When I tense my biceps just slightly and don't fall away that last 6 inches, I feel like I'm dragging an anchor.

h20dawg79 · #8 Tue, May 25, 2010 11:49 AM

2gofaster wrote:
When I let my arms relax and straighten, my body drops away from the boat and I am off to the races. When I tense my biceps just slightly and don't fall away that last 6 inches, I feel like I'm dragging an anchor.

Man, that's right on!
I have the darned'st time relaxing the arms. I believe my tension starts with a tensed hvy. handed grip, overly flexed forearms and translates or "Snowballs" into the "fight or flight" mechanism within the whole body and efficient Leveraged effort is replaced with Gas guzzling muscular effort...

Hello, my name is H2odawg and me ski like Caveman! -Uhgggg!

2gofaster · #9 Wed, May 26, 2010 1:42 PM

I was really surprised. I thought I had straight arms. But Charles kept telling me he could see my biceps flexed and not my triceps. He had me hook a handle onto my trailer hitch and lean against it. Then he put his hands outside my elbows and squeezed them towards each other just a few inches. I could feel myself drop away an extra 6 inches and probably 15 degrees of lean.

SethStisher · #10 Thu, May 27, 2010 4:07 AM

Personally, I think it is important to focus on being dynamic. As you approach the apex of the turn you should have more of your weight on the front foot, but if it is too much too soon, you will have nowhere to go but back as you complete the turn. You want to save a little potential forward movement for the finish of the turn and approach to the wakes as far as I am concerned. In other words, as you begin to carve back across the course, you want to be able to move not only in toward the wakes, but forward ahead of your feet so as to start to pressurize the ski and similar to what BudMan pointed out, to accelerate your body and the ski. As you approach the transition (and I don't call it the edge change because it is really the point where the ski path moves outside the handle path) you will start to advance the ski (shoot the ski) thereby allowing the ski to move outside the arc that the handle creates as it (the handle) swings around the pylon). When this happens, the ski shoots off on a tangent that is somewhat outbound (if not done too late) which then separates the ski from the handle while the pull from the handle brings you back up over your front foot in the approach to the turn.......too much information? Too confusing?? Sorry, didn't proofread as it is late and I am heading to bed.

Hope these thoughts add to the conversation.

Seth

h20dawg79 · #11 Thu, May 27, 2010 12:01 PM

Seth,

Is there anyway that you could pull some % numbers out of the sky? Not for exact science or math and not trying to pin you down. But trying to better understand your post as it relates to the orig. topic question posted by T8skier...

Thanx

ChrisMol · #12 Fri, Sep 10, 2010 10:18 AM

OK in West Coats Slalom Technic it is being brought forward that in order to get more speed during the acceleration phase you want to have more weight forward into the direction of movement.

I can tell you that this is correct, have your ski on an edge and place the weight into the moving direction, watch it though that you keep your shoulders behind your hips, let there be no question about that.

Pre-turn, and turn full weight on the front, try to lift the heel of your rear foot.

Success.

Chris
Yacht Rental Dubai