Re: Any tips for the first time water skier?
Boater,<br /><br />One of the most important things to learn and remember when water skiing, once you do get up, is how to get off the skis without hurting yourself. Always let go of the tow rope before you get too close to shore or to a dock.
Many accidents happen every year when people hit the shore (beach/rocks/sand/grass) and get hurt. The skis come to an instant STOP when they hit anything but your momentum keeps you going!
It's always better to swim a little to shore rather than trying to get too close.<br /><br />Always use a life jacket. Hitting the water when you fall, and we ALL fall, can knock the wind out of you, etc. Even a good swimmer must always have a life jacket on.<br /><br />For getting up on two skis, start by standing in waist-deep water on your skis. Then have someone stand behind you. Sit back, bend your knees to your chest while bringing up your skis in front of you, and have the person behind you hold you so you don't tip back too far or tip over to one side or the other. Have the boat tighten the ski rope. Hold your arms straight out in front of you and and have the boat start pulling you at a slow and then increasing speed. The person behind you can actually move forward a little way with you (pushing through the water) while still holding you to keep you from tipping over to one side or the other. Stay sitting down for 50 yards, even after you are up, and then slowly stand up, keeping your arms straight. You're up!
<br /><br />Here's a great tip for when you want to try skiing on just one ski. I learned this after falling many times trying to drop a ski, since the balance if very different for you on just one ski. also I watched many people fall over and over again while they tried to drop one of the two skis. Here's the tip so that does not have to happen with you. Start up on two skis and have someone else, using a second rope from the same boat, start up next to you on ski(s). Make sure the two ropes are the same length so that you will be side by side once you are up and skiing. Once you are up and comfortable, have the boat go in a straight line. Now have the other skier move in next to you and hold you under your upper arm with one of their hands. This will steady you a LOT. You can now drop one ski as the person continues to hold you. This will give you the instant ability to ski on one ski for more than 3 seconds, which is the problem when you just drop one ski in the conventional way. In this new way of having someone hold you, you can instantly and for many minutes get used to the feeling of skiing on just one ski. Once steady on the one ski, slowly drop your free foot down to the ski that is left and then move your foot back to the back foot hold. Then slowely shift your weight back so that 60% is on your back foot. You can do all of this while the person is still holding you. You will become a reasonable single skier overnight by using this method, without having to fall 20-50 times in learning! It really works! I've taught a ton of people by using this technique. Good luck and let us know how you do.
