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WATERSKI MagazineFour Tips to Rough-Water
Skiing
Tip 1
Drive your knees forward.
The key here is to keep your hips up
and think about absorbing the rough water with your knees. I simply concentrate on driving my front knee to the tip of the ski. Another way to absorb the rough water is by flexing your ankles.
Tip 2
Hang on to the handle longer.
Another mistake I see with amateurs is that they release the handle too early in rough conditions. Holding on to the handle longer fixes a lot of faults, but in this situation it keeps the ski on edge; thus, you will slice right through the bumps. Remember, always keep the ski on an edge. It makes everything smoother.
Tip 3
Keep your head up.
Yes, this is a simple solution that skiers
often forget. Remember the saying,
“Wherever you look is where you will go.” In this case, when we see rough water we have the tendency to look for the bumps so we can compensate. As you look down, the shoulders and torso drop down. Instead, keep your head up.
Tip 4
Imagine the bumps are not there.
Simply ski through them. As long as your hips are up and your knees are driving forward, everything should be fine. Changing your strategy just makes things worse. Water is unpredictable, so why bother with trying to figure it out?
Remember, don't worry about rough water. Being tentative and anticipating what's going to happen just makes things worse. These tips should put you in a strong body position, which will allow you to conquer the rough stuff.
