Chris - Great stuff, going to go out and try this tonight. I don't have a handle here at work, but think I totally get what you're saying. Keep it coming!!! - Scott

Re- "pushing the handle down"

I am a novice who heretofore had been running about 30-40% of my 15' off passes at 31MPH. I had read Chris' posts about pushing the handle down. This past Friday I really focused on this concept. I normally ski 2 sets of 8 passes each. I went from 30-40% to running 16 out of 19 passes. The extra passes were because I was having so much fun running easier, earlier passes that I didnt want to stop. My driver made me quit.

I believe this one tip really helped me keep the ski on edge ALL the way through the wakes and achieve more angle, with less percieved effort.

Thanks Chris and Wade!

Jan,
1. The handle should be pushed down.  This will help to reduce separation, thus maximizing direction.
2. The ski releases off the second wake and goes airborne for a split second.  When it lands, it should land on the other edge.  I would be most concerned with doing a good job of what I mentioned above and making sure you maintain this through the 2nd wake and the rest will take care of itself.

Leon & Scott - I love it!  Keep ripping!

Great piece of advice Chris! Tried today and immediately improved efficiency of my cuts/wake crossings. I also liked the fact that it is something really easy to add to one's technique.

The only trouble I had was combining/timing the "push down" with the "twisting out of the back shoulder" at the edge change. What  do you think?

BuoyChaser wrote:

CHRIS OR WADE HELP!!!
Okay, these pictures are UGLY, really look worse than I normally am, but this is just the 2nd time on the 66" MPD and without my Fogmans, back on a pair of HO Phantom Approach Bindings. To see the whole progression drop me an email and I'll send you a link to the photo, otherwise the "SPAM PROTECTOR" is preventing me from posting a link.

hmm what would Adam say.....

TURN OFF THE SUCK!!!

Your arms need to be 100% straight and relaxed. By lowering the handle, or pushing the handle down, you are in effect moving your shoulders further away from the handle and moving your hands closer to the pylon. Basically you're stretching your arms to be their longest length when you're behind the boat. Dependent on the length of your arms, this should put your hands somewhere around your hips. Any arm-bend or load-hold in this process is stopping the handle from getting away from your shoulders, which is inhibiting how much angle you can really take through the wakes. Indeed angle is a result of how far you can get your shoulders away from the handle, not how hard you can pull on it. The rest of your body should remain "strong" - not necessarily pulling your butt off, but you want to maintain a stacked position where you can use the strength of your skeleton to acquire speed rather than just your muscles.

The number one source of low-back pain is trying to use too much load with your arms/shoulders/upper body, which causes your back to bend and thus strain the muscles (and having weak core muscles). If your arms are anything but 100% straight, you need to relax, release the load that you're holding in your hands, and push the handle away from your shoulders more. It will feel like you're doing a lot less, but you'll be getting a lot more.

Wow!!! Great Advice!  Thanks, Chris & Wade!

Last edited by danbirch (Mon, Aug 23, 2010 2:38 PM)

Proper Handle control + proper Body pos. creates Leverage. (which is effeciency) The term "HIPS UP" may Not inspire the correct posture for some people. But, the proper "Stacked" position can be I.D.'d as Hips up/ Handle Low, Stacked, etc... Regardless what phrase or trigger word inspires the correct positioning the position is Basically the same regardless of skiing style...

The Dry Land Rope Drill is often done incorrectly. Because the person often ties the Rope Too High on the tree or wall and then actually practices the wrong position and then can never figure out how to get to the "Effortless Stacked Position" in the course.

The Rope really needs to be secured at a hgt. No higher then your inseam measurement. (or crotch) Then one can naturally let the arms out Low, while you clench your Butt, engage your Hamstrings and core. (this produces the Hips up position...) It's kind of a pelvic thrust fwd. while the upper body falls away and the arms naturally drop in around the waist line. It's an effortless (effecient, stacked, hips up, etc..) position that you can literally hang around for hrs. and not get fatigued. (o.k. not hrs. but a long, long time!) In fact, one just barely needs to "Clinch" the Handle with their grip...

I'm curious to hear if Chris's take on stacked body position and "pushing" the handle down are the same now as when he first replied on this thread back in 2007. Recent video of Chris such as the "testing the Strada - 32 thru 41" and the Radar promotional video with the great slow motion vido of Chris seem to show a more loaded, chest-up, head-back stance than the description of pushing the handle would suggest. This is probably only a subtle difference, but the position that Chris gets into before the first wake now doesn't look particularly "light" in terms of load or like the handle is very far down his legs. It looks great, is what it looks like. I imagine he is far enough in behind the boat that if it is a heavier load that the boat is only going to help him and not hurt him at that point. I picture the pushing-the-handle-down position to result in a little more caved-chest, with a few more angles in the hips and knees than Chris's current loaded position. I agree that the arms should be long, straight, loose (not flexing against the load) to allow the best edge angle during the cut, but not sure how far down your legs the handle should be. Chris? Wade? Anyone? Anyone at all?

Sometimes, I feel like Beuller with about 1/8 as much Fun and adventure!

In my personal, The "puffed Chest" is another aspect (very important aspect) of the "Stacked, Hips up" thing. Though it's clearly NOT a Tug o War, the Leveraged position is very simular. (Stable , powerful and effecient) If the spine is bent fwd. (slumped) at all, one is disengaging their Core and the arms will tend to separate from the Body. -This is Not a "Stacked, Leveraged" or Strong position.

With a little attitude, Ya Gotta arch that spine a bit, puff the chest out slightly (pinching the shoulder blades) and then Ski like Deniro. -"Ya talkin' to me"? -"ya talkin' to me"?