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Handle Position

DC Water Skis
Danny Cropper of DC Waterskis writes; your front and back handle position is one of the things that can make it easier or harder to have good skiing technique.

If your back handle is too far up your back then you will tend to get pulled over the front of your ski. So if you lower this handle to a position that makes the pull of the boat come from the center of your body or lower. e.g.. If you put your middle knuckle of your hand at the top of the crack of your bottom, you will find that this is a pretty close rule of thumb. Some people will find it more comfortable lower and some will feel better with it higher, again this is one of those personal preferences that each individual skier will feel out. Don’t forget that the lower you have it the lower your center of balance will be.

Your front handle is the same situation, some people like it close and some find it easier to have the handle further away.

If you like your handle a long way forward you should try not to have it that far forward that you are leaning over the front of your ski too much, because this will tend to make you have a straight front leg and make your ski drop on it’s nose allot. Any of the good rough water skiers will have their front leg bent to take the waves like a shock absorber.

Same rule applies with having your front handle too far back towards you, will look like you are crapped up in the upper body and you’ll probably find that you are leaning too far back on your ski and it is popping up in the nose, which makes it hard to control in the rougher conditions as well. In this situation your legs, again, will probably be straight and skiing will be uncomfortable.

Finding the happy medium is a bit of a challenge,  but once you do find it, you will know because your skiing will improve in leaps and bounds. If it doesn’t come straight away, don’t panic, you will get it.

Danny CropperDC Waterskis

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