learning to barefoot

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

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!

The cup is sounding better all the time...

skutsch wrote: Roy - I think that just became my favorite SacFooter video, love your cheering section, honestly who was happier that day you or Willie and Andy - awesome! Your second and 3rd looked like you really had it down too, so natural. Ok, now I just need to get it done by Oct. 25, maybe I need to move to the dry suit... Eddie - good explanation on the freeze, the hardest part is going to be to wait, your right, it does feel like 40mph, but I'll wait longer. I guess in my head I am thinking if I get going too fast, I won't be able to turn my feet down, but now sitting at a desk, rationally that doesn't make sense, its very easy to break the water, think standing back up after a tumble. OK - New focus for the next trip out. Thanks everybody!!!

Funny you mention Roy's cheering section. You should've seen me the first one that John hit. I swear I was jumping up and down so high that I was gonna bust through the floor of my boat (after slowing down and in neutral of course)

That waiting game is excrutiating for rookies. By far the biggest hurdle that everybody has to get through. Don't worry, turning your feet down at speed isn't the issue. Like Andy stated, that happens in reality around 25-30MPH while still accelerating up to your barefoot speed. So how long does it take to get from 15MPH (about where you were in the videos) to 25MPH? Obviously this is extremely variable by several different factors, but really, only a few seconds. Those few seconds seem like an eternity though.

This is where some say to try counting, but I find it very unreliable because of the aforementioned variables.
When you get that locked in freeze, that's where I say to shift focus to feel how hard the water is on your body. Start with your feet, then legs, then torso and finally chest. It takes some reps, but you'll get it. Once you train your body to feel how hard the water is, you'll start hitting every start with much more consistancy. No matter how fast or how slow the pull is.

One of the bigger problems that you can face (like Tim's vids) is the water pressure wanting to push your feet/legs out even further during this locked/frozen/wait for speed period. You have to make sure you resist that while feeling how hard the water is getting.

GlassSeeker wrote: all excellent attempts, on plant try to cock toes towards shins more to smooth things out you are narrowing too soon the stance...this is the place where I try to explain that you FREEZE...dont try to fight your way up you will see stars and generate alot of torque...thats trying too hard...freeze in position...ass up...3 point and WAIT...til you are going 25-30...then you can "try" to get up. I actually gas pedal to get up or Id just be sliding on my face forever...

Steve,
Very nice attempts. Andy is spot on here. You do a nice job of bringing your heels in closer but then you're rushing things from there. Bring your heels in closer and just like Andy says...FREEZE. Lock in that position, RELAX, be PATIENT and wait for speed. You're thinking that you're going 40MPH when in reality, you're probably not doing 15MPH yet.
This is where I say that you have to feel how hard the water is. When you get the speed, you can turn your feet down, lift your ass and press down with your chest all at the same time.
Looks to me like you're doing all that at the same time way too early.

skutsch wrote: or try the shoe ski's

Not sure shoe skis are going to do much for you. They are a trick in themselves. I always find myself getting pulled under the water by them on the plane out. I suppose if you are "honest" on your get up, wait for speed, let the boat pull you up, there can be something learned. I learned the LLBD without them. I did use them when learning on the boom frustrated from not getting up on my barefeet.

Try them. You will know right away if there is something to be gained. When I was learning the LLBD my nightmare position was 35 MPH, flat on the water, spread-eagle, no bite to the feet, no bend at the waist. Getting the bite on the feet by turning the feet down, narrow plant, etc. is not going to do much good if you have no bend. It will serve to pull the handle out of your hand: lots of bite, no bend. Honestly I got up pretty wide the first times, had no idea about turning my feet down. It was all in the bend for me.

GlassSeeker wrote: you are narrowing too soon the stance...

Hey Tim! Apparently you can get too narrow... LOL!

Andy I think I now remember Lane Bowers telling me this on the boom, so will try to tweak it...

Kevin, those videos are great - both of those runs are awesome! Despite my crappy drving...

I agree with you completely Andy but truth is there just isn't much room to be slower, very small lake. Would have to start back over from a corner every time, and there just isn't time for that. I'm jamming it down his throat I know but hopefully everything will be easier Sunday behind the BFN on bigger water.

Notice the lack of straight runs.

Roy, I think you are on to something, I just tried a dry land practice, which allowed me to use muscle memory to confirm your theory. I am trying so hard to push my chest down that I am leveraging from my feet and the handle and forgetting to bend and pouch the ass in the air. If you slow it down and go frame by frame (or pause, play, pause) around 0:55 you can see my feet actually pop OFF the water before I let go, this happens on the 7th attempt (about 1:35) on the Right foot too. Although you also see the rope (at the point where it goes into the spray) progressively moving farther off the water, ever so slightly but this is probably an indication I am not bending enough.

Andy, I think this is also what you are seeing (lack of a bend at the waist). I don't get the Freeze thing though, I have no way of telling what speed I am going, I don't know how you guys can hear the motor, All I can hear is a waterfall. I can tell you that on that 4th and 7th attempt I could see everything out the back, shoreline and trees, big old rooster tail off my chest, some spray picking up my chin. Would be interested in understanding what you "see" when you're ready to try to get up.

yup look like you need to turn your toes, feet are parallel to water and seems they dont grab...
I not an expert on the matter though...

Are you pulling from a Skylon? or sfh? rope seems to come high.

you are a warrior steve! by the 3 attemp I would have quit!
lol...

Well, nobody can say you don't have tenacity. You do! Plane/plant look good. The only thing I can say is I do not see you progressing as the boat accelerates. Your feet are turned out, but moreover your body is still flat on the water. On most of those, you loose the handle before the fun really begins. Let me look at those again...

LakeBoy wrote: TRBenj wrote: as soon as the boat starts accelerating, make a HUGE effort to bring my legs narrower (trying to touch the heels). Not sure about that one, Tim. May work. A lot of this stuff is mental, especially the LLBD. A lot of what works is creating mental pictures. For example, if you visualize and try bringing your heels together, your feet may narrow some and that may be what you need. ACTUALLY touching your heels together as the boat starts to accelerate sounds like a disaster.

Dont worry, they wont actually touch. I thought I was most of the way there in the above video... not quite the case. I could relate to what Eddie said- it feels like I was moving them a mile but in reality it was nowhere near enough. I didnt have any idea how bad it still was until afterwards when I saw for myself.

TRBenj wrote: as soon as the boat starts accelerating, make a HUGE effort to bring my legs narrower (trying to touch the heels).

Not sure about that one, Tim. May work. A lot of this stuff is mental, especially the LLBD. A lot of what works is creating mental pictures. For example, if you visualize and try bringing your heels together, your feet may narrow some and that may be what you need. ACTUALLY touching your heels together as the boat starts to accelerate sounds like a disaster. Like I said earlier, all this is timing. Synching your moves with boat speed.

All good tips. One good one may be all you need. Finding the right one will take some trial and error.

Thanks for the tips guys!

On the slow-to-plant... thats on purpose. John, youre able to take your feet off the rope and plant when you please because you dont have to worry about the driver overshooting your speed before youre gliding nicely. I dont have the luxury of experienced driving- we're learning together. On the 5' I can plant quickly and overcome a less than perfect pull (too fast) but Im not there yet on the LL. My driver knows what to look for- a steady geyser coming up... and bouncing means slow down. Until I feel the speed is ok to plant, I wait- and put a foot back on the rope to try and wait out the bouncing (from too much speed). There are improvements to be made here for sure, but I think they will come with repetition (both skier and driver)- so I think we're ok here.

Roy, I agree- I feel comfortable in my 3-point as the driver begins to accelerate. Skimming nicely on the chest and feet. My eyes are open and I can see... I am consistent in getting to this point so other than my plant being a bit wide, I think Im ok here as well.

Eddie, I think your assessment is spot on... thats what I came up with too after seeing the video (WIDE). I felt narrow when skiing it, but clearly that wasnt the case. Im not sure I got my feet turned down much at all either. Wish I had someone in the boat that could give me direction real time... but no one knows what to look for. I only get to make run to run adjustments based on what I "feel"- which is mostly useless, ha. So I get to make adjustments on an outing by outing basis instead of run by run. Kind of stinks, but it is what it is.

I feel like everything Im doing with my ass and chest are just fine... theyre actually overcompensating for poor leg/feet position. If I can correct that, I think I'm golden. Hope to try again this weekend. The things I am going to do are:

-once my plant (3-point) is solid, have the driver give me a bit stronger acceleration. I'll tell him to bring me from 15mph to skiing speed over a period of ~4-5 seconds.

-try and get my initial plant/3-point a little narrower. I feel like Im cutting nicely where I am but starting a little narrower will keep me from having to make such a huge adjustment in width as the speed starts to come.

-"Powerband", "Pull Out"... as soon as the boat starts accelerating, make a HUGE effort to bring my legs narrower (trying to touch the heels) while rotating my feet (toes to the bottom of the lake). All while bringing my hips up/chest down (though that part has never been a problem).

Brad, thanks for the offer on the shoes- but I think Im ok. I have a set of BI shoes that I can throw on if need be. I feel like the things I need to work out are specific to my feet and getting them in the right position to generate lift... so Im gonna try and make the adjustment and see if I can start skiing away.