learning to barefoot

We did slow pulls behind the Barefoot (earlier videos) and hot pulls behind the Sport (latest video). Other than the crappy water he seemed bored and impatient with the slow so we went faster and now he knows what's needed to get to the next step. Call it a skill assessment? I was glad to see him go out the back (without getting hurt). Now he knows his boundaries. Not sure boat speed is as fast as you think. 3 guys in a Sport and you have no idea the amount of drag he produces. Next set acceleration will be in the middle. No video for Johnny as he had a rough go behind the Sport, these guys have been spoiled with the BFN table!

I gotta check and make sure your leg straps are cinched next time. You're putting a lot of trust in a driver that has only been doing this for 2 weeks... It's so much easier to massage the throttle with Jon, I am constantly over and under shooting your speeds. Clearly you are a bigger guy but its a night and day difference. I'm sure Willie and Andy don't plane out anything alike either.


#bartstrucking

Andy has a great point about adding 5 ft. to the short line. Makes for great transition to the long line. I refused to let John even try a LLBD until he was consistent on the short line and extension.

One other thing you might try that helped me years ago. Put a dry suit on. You float on top of the water like a friggin' bobber and all you really have to concentrate on is putting your feet in the water and waiting for speed. Definitely helps.

Ok, folks - so first off I ignored the advice on the 5 ft extension on the 5 ft short line, just too much time to set up the boom when we have limited daylight, I will save this as a last resort. Also did not move to the dry suit, I will be forced to do this soon enough.

Having said that, I believe I have continued to progress. Today was very close. The "Freeze" advice paid huge divedends. I learned today that if I get into that "Freeze" mode, and then relax, really focus on relaxing, I do much better.

Still struggling with the bending thing, Roy I very much tried your method and imagery, again not sure if I am stuck or just have to get more comfortable here before I progress.

Anyway, I am amazed at how much the spray has cleaned up, that alone has allowed me to see a lot more of what is going on, one of the runs near the end of the video, you can see my chest just bouncing on the water, that is close. One maybe two of the other ones, I remember seeing the water beneath me fade away, I remember this when I was on the boom, so I know that was close too. Anyway here are the attempts:



After all that work today, I will tell you I am beat tired and sore; arms, quads, core and calves all are not very happy with me. But its a good burn...

I continue to post these, so if someone stumbles across this thread in the future, hopefully they will learn from the progression, and see how subtle the progress is. Thanks again for all the help!

I actually just stressed this to Roy,
Steve your feet need to have you toes cocked back to your shins, keep them there, you are getting your feet too perpendicular to the boat you cannot leverage up like that...poke your butt up, bend at the waist and you can't try too soon...you have to wait for at least 22 or 23 mph before you stand up...it can support you at 25 to 30 ...keep at it

Wow Steve. You wore me out just watching. I admire you tenacity. be mindful of hiiting the point of "diminishing returns." For me, 6 or 8 attempts at anything barefoot, it stops getting better.

I saw a couple of things. I noticed when you planted your feet you would still bounce, so much so you feet would come on and off the water like crazy. That tells me when you are planting, you are still riding the crotch. Willie used to tell me, as soon as you plant shift the weigh to the chest, and pick your crotch off the water. When you plant, you should no longer be susceptible to the bounce because when you plant, your 3-point should start taking shape. As soon as you plant, pooch you butt, engage the core (get solid in the middle) and get ready for the next phase.

So when the boat starts gaining speed, you look real flat and your feet are turned way out. You stay that way on most of those starts, until you lose the handle. A few of them you were progressing, the butt poking up. I know there has been a lot of talk here about planting narrow, turning the feet down. I think the narrow plant is the graduate school of LLBD. I think with a wide plant it is easier to get bent, get the ass up. Also you can get stuck wide too, at speed, and it is not much fun getting your feet together.

Without contradicting the experts here you can do one of two things: 1) stick with the narrow plant, but, you are going to have to get some bite on your feet by turning the feet down AND getting bent. When your feet have been turning down (and they have) you are not getting bent. OR, 2) start to embrace a wider plant and put the focus on getting bent. Not perfect, but it will put you in a position to ski it away. Might need to agree with Ryan.

If that isn't enough, you CAN ski it away with what you are doing. You just gotta be more patient. You get to a certain position out there, and you think "I am not doing enough" to ski, and you force something. That's when you get blown out. The challenge is in getting bent in half, and you are not acheiving that. Go back to the boom, and mentally pretend you are behind the boat. When you do your boom starts, get bent, bent, bent. Out for now...

Here is by daughter's first morning on the boom and training harness.

On here first pass before this one, the morning lighting was better but I missed the start. the harness/handle was going slack under her legs so she was really skiing.

She Had the strength but didn't have the mind for a pull-up start after four passes like this, didn't roll up well, feet were too extended.

I've witnessed this training method before with first times, its gets them skiing on their feet immediatly and no big splats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTxUdsyLo0g

ok, fixed link

Steve, Like everyone else, I applaud your tenacity. I would have worn out long before that. But, like Roy, I wonder if you get so pooped it results in diminishing returns. I have been paying very close attention to this thread for the past month or so. This was on my to do list this summer and I never got to it, but I hope to work on it this fall and next spring, so I am reading every word and watching every video multiple times to prepare. Watching your and TimB's efforts is very helpful.

Regarding Ryan's suggestion:

SN206 wrote: Having recently learned this my suggestions would be to: Get your feet ALOT wider, and when you "think" you have them wide get them wider. Plant your ankles NOT your toes. Then push with your chest, raise your ass and THEN start bringing in the feet.

Obviously it worked for him, which is great, but isn't his suggestion of wide plant contrary to what everyone else is saying? When I saw TimB's attempts and his admittedly too wide stance, I got concerned for his well being. When I learned short line back deeps, I was under the incorrect assumption of using a very wide stance when it was time to stand. One, it didn't work and two, on more than one occasion it tore my legs back so hard I suffered significant groin pulls, in one instance, pretty much a season ender. With tips from Brad the next season, I pulled my legs in. Brad also helped me significantly with the "don't focus on pressing with your chest, focus on feet in, and rotate down and push down with legs all at once motion" That clinched my short line back deeps. By reading all the posts here though, it does sound as if the chest press is much more integral to the LLBD than it is to the SLBD. Anyway, I am concerned about Ryan's suggestion as I mentioned one for safety and two, it seem contrary to the opinion of most. Thoughts?

One barefoot suit under is fine. Steve's got shorts and a heater shirt on. BI too, very stiff.

Read a few here...

Learned how to BBF with a driver and crew who didn't know how. Got hurt trying to do BBFLL.

Spend the money and head south and learn with Lane Bowers.

Blind leading blind is a great way to get hurt.

I wish I did.

HW-

Thanks for the kind comments.

I can't do a LLBD. I have no advice. All I can see here is contradicting "advice" from person to person.

Not calling you blind......

Quite frankly it scares me to imagine how many falls it took to progress in this sport 30-40 years ago.

I think we all agree on

It ain't easy.

You must earn it.

It's worth it.

There is a reason that they say it separates the men from the boys...although plenty little girls can do it too...LOL

Hollywood wrote: Quite frankly it scares me to imagine how many falls it took to progress in this sport 30-40 years ago.

     Amen Kevin....Amen!!! Too soon old and too late smart!!

on my last attemp I bite my tongue and cheek, and dont know why but looks like i put lot of pressure on my teeth