Can you tell by pictures? Today's TS attempts..

So I'm doin my first come tomorrow so decided to go get up at 6am go work on my TS, since I'm terrible at it. I know I'm supposed to keep the handle at my hip, but I can't keep it there, if that made sense, and it feels really awkward. Much like everything I do lol

Any advice based on my pictures? Oh they aren't in any sequence. Just happened to look that way.

Thanks guys!
Jamie






Before....


And after... keep in mind this was 6:30 in the morning....lol ;)

it looks like you're edge isn't nearly as aggressive as it needs to be. Take a "charge" at the wake- almost cutting away from the boat with the handle in tight and low.

try to keep the handle at your hips like you already know. Stand taller don't bend at the hips, stand tall and lean away from the boat with the rope as close to your hip as possible. If you find yourself falling backwards in the air thats because you aren't leaning forward enough.

handle in closer(sounds like you already know that). In the first picture it also looks like you are letting go with your rear hand before even leaving the wake. Just keep at it, every single time you ride.

Keep your tip pointed more across the lake (by rotating your shoulders) as you approach the wake then you can lean more in the direction you are traveling. Try keeping your left shoulder away from the boat which will help too. Do this slowly first! As it feels more comfortable then go faster!

Free lessons from Darin doesen't get better then that. What's up Darin, still haven't figured out that card trick.

^^^^^ sssh. pretty cool when you see people like Darin, Shaun, and Travis on here helping people out.

Look at that first pic. You're leading with your rear shoulder. You need to close your front shoulder and pin that handle to your font hip.

Keep both hands on the handle. When you let one hand off, the handle pulls away from your body. This slows you down and pulls you off axis. Keep that handle in your back pocket.

Your TS wake looks a little washy too. Dont you have that tournament today? Good luck.

keep your chest up too

Wonder why no one said anything about toes... Pop off your toes, really think about it. You've got land over your toes as well or you'll slip out.

Thats pretty cool of Darin, makes it hard for the rest of us to give advice. But here goes... like Darin said, start small. The first thing I noticed is that you didn't edge through the top, one great drill I've used to teach people TS, is to practice their progressive edge by really focusing on it when they edge out to setup for a HS jump, thats the position you want & you can do the drill without a big wake staring you down. TS is all about strong upper body positioning and staying compact, you will also want to focus on driving your hips up and through the wake. Do what you are doing and try to incorporate those little tips. Also for your tournament, do little one wake 180s and re-entries, the judges prefer that to a boring wake crossing. Good luck, have fun!

(Message edited by Stephan on June 23, 2007)

what darin said... you need more board angle. Try to keep the handle really really tight, almost to your butt. When you pop, think about popping up. and dont bend at the waist. One thing that always happens to me is that I will cut hard leaning forward so when I pop I try to correct this leaning forward so that I dont fall on my face and so i lean a bit back and it looks just like your 2nd pic.

I learned to do ts w2w like this: shorten your rope a lot! then cut out just about 2 mts and then edge in with your chest open to the boat, your handle really tight to your hip and with board angle (tip of the board pointing to the wake) your front leg will be a bit bent so you can get that board angle and try to not lean back or forward and to not bend at the waist. You will clear the wake easily with a short rope but you will be learning good form. Once you get the hang of it, lenghten your rope, cut out wider and you can go faster. Hope this makes sense

Keep that handle planted at your hip. And your back shoulder is opening up. Try making sure that you've got the boat, the rope, your front shoulder, and your back shoulder all in a line. I shouldn't be able to see your back shoulder in those pics - it should be hidden behind your front shoulder.

cut out as far as you can. that will really help.

I am by no means an expert and still have inconsistant TS jumps, but I do know when I do them right the mechanics of it.

What helped me was putting my rear hand across my belt line to keep the handle close to (Amlost touching) my lead hip. The front hand isn't as important as the backhand and you can almost land the jump not even holding the handle without front hand. As long as you have a good grip with the backhand and pin it to your hip you're good.

When you're making your cut towards the wake stay upright and make sure not to bend at the hip. I also put my weight on my rear shoulder which helps me have a stronger edge. I almost roll my front shoulder forward so my back is almost facing the boat.

In addition, if you are timid about cutting hard into the wake (like I was at first), take a wider cut for a little more speed, gradually build your edge and stay on it. Get a little more edge than you think you need and you'll be surprised how easy it is to get all the way across.

FInally, make sure to look across the wake at the shore you're riding towards. Don't look at the boat or wake. Look accros it. Good luck...I hope to hear that you nailed about 5 of them next time you go out! ;)

Maybe I missed it, but no where did I read someone saying shorten the rope. Make it so you can clear the wake easily, then when you are comfortable let the rope back out. Just make sure to stay of the rooster tail.

I saw someone mention to shorten it. I think it is harder when it is shorter though, because you can't load the line as well, plus with the amplitude of her HS Junmps...she'll be overshooting her them at that point and it doesn't feel that great on the knees crashing down in the flats everytime.

I say leave it at the length you like to ride and just keep trying...the solution is edging correctly, not making the distance shorter ;)

not that anyone cares, but i agree with shortening the line a bit. we just taught a guy to clear ts with this method...i think it allowed him to focus more on edging/technique than speed/pop needed to clear the wake. he was intimidated by the wide wake at 70' and couldn't think of anything else except hauling a$$ to try to clear it. we started at 55' and 18mph....3 attempts and he cleared....same at 60' and 19...same at 65' and 21. it took him a few more tries at 70' and 22, but by the end of his set, he was clearing. this may not work for everyone, but i've seen it work more than once....it's also how one of our riders learned his ts br. good luck.

I agree with the cut and handle. I had problems with TS until I got a tip. It helped me keep the handle on the hip but more importantly got it there. When you start your cut have your arms extended, as you cut and get closer to the wake start pulling the handle to your hip. When you reach the wake it should be on the hip. Don't let go until after you land, but if you do it right you should ride away with both hands still on the handle. Once you have that you can release it for grabs. Another tip that helped was to not look/focus on the wake on your way in.

btw - that looks like the bridge @ Brewster?

Alright guys I think I have a pretty good idea of what specifically I need to work on text time I go out. I'll keep you posted w/ new pics and maybe even a video Really appreciate all your guy's help!!

Jamie

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quote:

you will also want to focus on driving your hips up and through the wake.

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For what is worth,I think big heavy gave you the best advice.I had my TS dialed til I stopped riding for a while but just this last weekend I got it back.I think...

ohh and try holding on waaay more with your back hand then your front,kind of lean on your back arm and the front is there just as a formality(all the way thru the wake)