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<p><b>Did you ever think of water skiing with no skis?</b>
<p>Barefoot water skiing is exhilarating, offers plenty of excitement and is a real attention-getter. When you first learn, it's always memorable. Unlike water skiing or wakeboarding. barefooting only offers the bottoms of your feet to support and balance your body weight.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-1.jpg" border="0" />
<p>The sport has a daredevil image and brings a real adrenaline rush. But I also see it as an extremely technical sport, more like figure skating or gymnastics. It's about understanding optimal body position and implementing precise movement, which begins with focus and mental discipline.
<p>With so little surface area the boat speed is a bit faster and the balance point is more critical and less forgiving. But good technique will have you solid as standing on land, with minimal falls.
<p>I learned to barefoot in 1977, and in the ensuing 38 years have studied and dissected the sport from every angle. These suggestions for getting started with the right equipment and good body position will have you footing with less trial, fewer errors and quicker success.
<p><b>Don't Use Trial and Error</b>
<p>I had to learn to barefoot by stepping off a ski on a stretchy 70' water ski line and with no instruction. That's the hard way. It's always best to have professional coaching or find someone with barefooting experience to help you.
<p>You will want some specialized equipment, including a snug-fitting barefoot wetsuit, barefoot tow line and, ideally, a boom.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-2.jpg" border="0" />
<p>A barefoot wetsuit features flotation in the chest, seat and crotch areas to make gliding on the water easier. The padding also helps to cushion falls, which will happen. A non-stretch or low-stretch 90' line will provide a consistent pull, instead of the jerky feeling that a traditional water ski line gives. Lines come with 10' and 20' takeoff loops. I like a shorter line, but you may need a longer line length depending on the wake of your boat.
<p>To dramatically reduce the learning curve, get a barefoot boom or find someone who has one - a friend, ski club or ski school. These are typically seen on dedicated ski boats, but booms are also manufactured to affix to wakeboard towers and to fit recreational boats. The barefoot boom is an aluminum bar/pole that extends off the side of the boat's gunwale about 8 feet. You hold directly onto this stationary bar, which is much more stable than a line with handle.
<p>The boom is a great learning tool. The water is smooth and your coach is just a few feet away so you can listen to their instructions.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-3.jpg" border="0" />
<p>You can step off a ski to barefoot while holding the boom, but it is less complicated to start stretched out on either your stomach or back Starting on your back your legs and feet are stretched out in front of you. If you start on your stomach then your have to bring your legs and feet in front of you once the boat is on plane. Either way, you plant both feet on the water at the same time to place yourself in barefoot position. You can plant both feet on the water also by riding on a kneeboard in a sitting position with feet placed slightly in front of the board.
<p><b>Body Position - It's Not What You Think</b>
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-4.jpg" hspace="10" vspace="10" align="right" border="0" />Everyone thinks that to barefoot you need to curl your toes up and drive your heels in front of you. They think this is 'safe'.
<p>But actually that position will cause falls and limit your progress. Imagine your knees bent with your feet under them, gliding over the water instead of resisting the water with your heels. Think about sitting in a chair. At first, stay low and keep your knees fairly well bent. As you improve, you can raise up to a higher chair position. Your legs should be parallel to each other, slightly narrow than shoulder width. This stance allows you to distribute your body weight over your feet evenly and effectively. When your position is correct, there will be little or no spray to the front or side. If your feet and legs are covered with spray, you are not in the correct position. The correct stance will allow you to learn basic tricks like one foots and wake crossings, and graduate to more advanced tricks like back barefooting and front-to-back and back-to-front turns.
<p><b>Not So Fast</b>
<p>Though some footers like more speed, you can do it slower than you think. A great formula to remember is to take your weight, divide by 10 and add 20. At 160 pounds, my speed behind the boat would be 36 mph. When you are learning on the boom, you can reduce your speed by 5 or 6 mph. Most men I teach on the boom learn at 30 mph, and most women, teens and kids learn at about 25 to 30 mph. To this day, I still work on my body position by dropping the boat speed to 25 mph both forward and backward. This exercise forces me into a position that supports my weight most effectively - and shows that you don't have to go that fast to barefoot!
<p>While you're feeling the rush, it's easy to forget that barefooting is a complete full body workout, building core strength and improving your cardio. Now that you're putting it all together, making a start or trick easy and consistent, you know that your technique and mental focus are just right, and that your equipment is working for you.
<p>So what are you waiting for? It's fun being a barefoot water skier! And even more fun to barefoot with your friends!
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-5.jpg" border="0" />
<p><i>Zenon Bilas is a 7 time USA national barefoot water ski champion. He coaches barefooting and water skiing in West Palm beach, Florida or you can schedule Zenon for a clinic stop anywhere in the world. Reach Zenon at zenbilas@bellsouth.net or at 561.433.4554. Visit www.zenonbilas.com for additional information on scheduling a clinic.
<p>Photos courtesy of the author, Bill Scotton, Keith St. Onge & The World Barefoot Center, USA Waterski Assoc.</i>
<p>Barefoot water skiing is exhilarating, offers plenty of excitement and is a real attention-getter. When you first learn, it's always memorable. Unlike water skiing or wakeboarding. barefooting only offers the bottoms of your feet to support and balance your body weight.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-1.jpg" border="0" />
<p>The sport has a daredevil image and brings a real adrenaline rush. But I also see it as an extremely technical sport, more like figure skating or gymnastics. It's about understanding optimal body position and implementing precise movement, which begins with focus and mental discipline.
<p>With so little surface area the boat speed is a bit faster and the balance point is more critical and less forgiving. But good technique will have you solid as standing on land, with minimal falls.
<p>I learned to barefoot in 1977, and in the ensuing 38 years have studied and dissected the sport from every angle. These suggestions for getting started with the right equipment and good body position will have you footing with less trial, fewer errors and quicker success.
<p><b>Don't Use Trial and Error</b>
<p>I had to learn to barefoot by stepping off a ski on a stretchy 70' water ski line and with no instruction. That's the hard way. It's always best to have professional coaching or find someone with barefooting experience to help you.
<p>You will want some specialized equipment, including a snug-fitting barefoot wetsuit, barefoot tow line and, ideally, a boom.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-2.jpg" border="0" />
<p>A barefoot wetsuit features flotation in the chest, seat and crotch areas to make gliding on the water easier. The padding also helps to cushion falls, which will happen. A non-stretch or low-stretch 90' line will provide a consistent pull, instead of the jerky feeling that a traditional water ski line gives. Lines come with 10' and 20' takeoff loops. I like a shorter line, but you may need a longer line length depending on the wake of your boat.
<p>To dramatically reduce the learning curve, get a barefoot boom or find someone who has one - a friend, ski club or ski school. These are typically seen on dedicated ski boats, but booms are also manufactured to affix to wakeboard towers and to fit recreational boats. The barefoot boom is an aluminum bar/pole that extends off the side of the boat's gunwale about 8 feet. You hold directly onto this stationary bar, which is much more stable than a line with handle.
<p>The boom is a great learning tool. The water is smooth and your coach is just a few feet away so you can listen to their instructions.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-3.jpg" border="0" />
<p>You can step off a ski to barefoot while holding the boom, but it is less complicated to start stretched out on either your stomach or back Starting on your back your legs and feet are stretched out in front of you. If you start on your stomach then your have to bring your legs and feet in front of you once the boat is on plane. Either way, you plant both feet on the water at the same time to place yourself in barefoot position. You can plant both feet on the water also by riding on a kneeboard in a sitting position with feet placed slightly in front of the board.
<p><b>Body Position - It's Not What You Think</b>
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-4.jpg" hspace="10" vspace="10" align="right" border="0" />Everyone thinks that to barefoot you need to curl your toes up and drive your heels in front of you. They think this is 'safe'.
<p>But actually that position will cause falls and limit your progress. Imagine your knees bent with your feet under them, gliding over the water instead of resisting the water with your heels. Think about sitting in a chair. At first, stay low and keep your knees fairly well bent. As you improve, you can raise up to a higher chair position. Your legs should be parallel to each other, slightly narrow than shoulder width. This stance allows you to distribute your body weight over your feet evenly and effectively. When your position is correct, there will be little or no spray to the front or side. If your feet and legs are covered with spray, you are not in the correct position. The correct stance will allow you to learn basic tricks like one foots and wake crossings, and graduate to more advanced tricks like back barefooting and front-to-back and back-to-front turns.
<p><b>Not So Fast</b>
<p>Though some footers like more speed, you can do it slower than you think. A great formula to remember is to take your weight, divide by 10 and add 20. At 160 pounds, my speed behind the boat would be 36 mph. When you are learning on the boom, you can reduce your speed by 5 or 6 mph. Most men I teach on the boom learn at 30 mph, and most women, teens and kids learn at about 25 to 30 mph. To this day, I still work on my body position by dropping the boat speed to 25 mph both forward and backward. This exercise forces me into a position that supports my weight most effectively - and shows that you don't have to go that fast to barefoot!
<p>While you're feeling the rush, it's easy to forget that barefooting is a complete full body workout, building core strength and improving your cardio. Now that you're putting it all together, making a start or trick easy and consistent, you know that your technique and mental focus are just right, and that your equipment is working for you.
<p>So what are you waiting for? It's fun being a barefoot water skier! And even more fun to barefoot with your friends!
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/jan16/images/art1-5.jpg" border="0" />
<p><i>Zenon Bilas is a 7 time USA national barefoot water ski champion. He coaches barefooting and water skiing in West Palm beach, Florida or you can schedule Zenon for a clinic stop anywhere in the world. Reach Zenon at zenbilas@bellsouth.net or at 561.433.4554. Visit www.zenonbilas.com for additional information on scheduling a clinic.
<p>Photos courtesy of the author, Bill Scotton, Keith St. Onge & The World Barefoot Center, USA Waterski Assoc.</i>
