Teaching new skiers???

[BA2397]

Hello all – being a young couple with a new boat we are beginning to get requests from people wanting to learn how to water ski. Both my wife and I are good skiers and probably won’t have much trouble teaching but we are still seeking advice.

We have a 2005 X7 and have purchased a training boom. There is a good chance that we will be teaching people of all ages.

Any advice you can give will be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Thrall]

Nice boat!
I've never had the luxury of a training boom. Just toss 'em in the water and give them instructions.
And pull them up easy. Don't believe someone if they aren't getting it and say they need a harder pull. That seems to rarely work if you know you're pulling them hard enough to get out of the water.

[Honkity Hank]

I like Dawg Bowers simple steps. Show them the power position, the meat hook, and shoulder roll. For the youngsters use a training bar to tie the front of the skis together. Get them in the good skiing position with knees out in front of the feet hips forward. The boom is great as you can talk to them and watch them closely plus it is much easier for them to correct themselves on the boom. I am a lousy skier and I got my son up and going in about 10 minutes.

Hardest lesson to learn? Letting the boat pull them up and not standing up too soon.

[JLeuck64]

I noticed it is much easier to teach people how to ski once I started using a boom. Start them just floating in the water. Folks need to be comfortable just sitting there, whether it's a pair of skis, a single ski, wake board, knee board etc...

I start them off just hanging on the boom. Once they are comfortable with that move them to a short rope and handle. Once they are comfortable with that move them to long line. Most kids get it figured out and are skiing long line in an hour or less!

[YTW]

Use lots of encouragement!

[Ben]

I tell people to count to 10 before standing up. I don't thin they ever make it but it is an attempt to keep from standing up too quick.

[Cloaked]

Originally Posted by Honkity Hank

I like Dawg Bowers simple steps. Show them the power position, the meat hook, and shoulder roll. For the youngsters use a training bar to tie the front of the skis together. Get them in the good skiing position with knees out in front of the feet hips forward. The boom is great as you can talk to them and watch them closely plus it is much easier for them to correct themselves on the boom. I am a lousy skier and I got my son up and going in about 10 minutes.

Hardest lesson to learn? Letting the boat pull them up and not standing up too soon.

http://www.1hourwaterskiing.com/


.

[Or]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdeBW...ext=1&index=14

[Bellinghamster]

A boom would be great. I used my arm for a boom when teaching my kids to ski, but wouldn't recommend it for skiers over 50lbs!

For behind-the-boat pulls: Keep their arms straight! Beginners tend to try to pull themselves up rather than letting the boat do all the work. Once the handle is about where their elbows should have been they inevitably end sitting down and getting irrigated, er... irritated... or both.

If you tell 'em to keep their arms straight and to look at their knuckles AND the boat at the same time, the rest of the required body posture pretty much follows.

Pretend they're sitting in a chair leaning just slightly forward. Knees at 90 degrees, waist slightly more angle, handle between their knees.

I'm thinking of putting weights on the tails of the cheap-o trainer skis I've got to help them float with tips up - they tend to want to float too well and the bindings are flimsy enough that folks seem have a hard time controlling them.

Warm water helps. Around here (NW Wash) if someone doesn't get it in the first 2-3 tries, they're too cold to concentrate even if they're determined enough to keep trying.