38 is tough so many things can go wrong for so many different people. check these things...

pull out for the gate: u can go wide if you have a really slow turn in but don't exceed width of course, think about where the handle should be in regards to the bouy line while in the course and bring it there on your pullout.
or go narrower with a fast turn in but make sure the ski gets its angle before you hook up....

Keep the shoulders back during pull, and especially from wakes to bouy this is when it becomes hardest.

change edges and begin preturn with two hands first. doing a pull in with your back arm at time of edge change helps a lot.

change edges really fast, go edge to edge, again pulling in with back arm will help speed of edge change.

change edges right after wakes for 34mph.

if you have slack at the end of the turn absorb it with your legs and not your back! never let the boat pull you forward, always have shoulders back hips up and handle close! *I'm quad dominant meaning I use the front of my legs more than the back, not so good for slalom... think about activating the glutes on your way into the course, just squeeze them and remember to do just that and use your butt when your absorbing a hit.

good luck

and remember always evaluate yourself, I've worked on all these things at one time or another and I had to overcome each and every one in order to master 38 off.

Ed Johnson wrote:

Counter-rotation after the edge change, allowing the ski to maintain outbound direction will help keep a tight line. Then freezeing the counter and slideing the hip (center of mass) in the direction you want to go works for me. Also, continue rotating against the load of the boat till the 2nd wake sets up a nice compressed edge-change....ED

Ed, is the "continue rotating against the load of the boat till the second wake" you're talking about
where you rotate to face the boat with the shoulders ? thanks

Thanks Colin, but I'm talking about before the 2nd wake, where Ed talks "rotating against the load"
I'm assuming he's rotating upper body to face the boat, to continue to move the center of mass
towards the outbound direction, but I was wanting his input to clarify.

Thanks Ed, that does clarify, I appreciate it.

Let's try to confuse the issue some more. 

As long as you are on your cutting edge you maintain your counter roation.  Suyderhoud would call this a "step behind" rotation.  Going from 2 ball to 3 ball your counter roation is counter clockwise  (to the left)  and you keep pressure on the trailing arm, i.e. the left one.  This keeps the leading hip (the right one) moving outbound towards 3 ball.

When you transition to the turning edge (the edge change, again going from 2 to 3) the "counter rotation" now become clockwise (to the right).  The leading hip is now the left one. Suyderhoud would call this a "step ahead" rotation.

At least this is how I understand it.

Last edited by Terry_in_NC (Thu, Jun 18, 2009 6:42 PM)

Chopper,
      Mike's DVD is very close to what I described. You cannot go wrong with his descriptions, and Poser, the Animated skier on the DVD, does a great job of showing what he describes. Mike taught me the One Handed Gate in 1993 and I have learned so much from him. His Dad was my Daughters Godfather and taught my Daughter Heather to ski when she was only 2. I can tell you he is always on the cutting edge of ski technique. I wish he would put out a second version with his latest techniques You can go to one of his clinics and I promise you will learn a lot.......ED