Water Skiing Basics

Good Water Skiing Form

So you learned how to get up on water skis! Now it's time to master staying up. There are a few things to keep in mind for a beginning water skiier. Not only will they make you more stable on the water, they'll help you ski longer, look better, and hurt less.

Tip 1: Bend your knees.
Your knees are your shock absorbers. You need to keep them bent and loose to absorb the shock of any waves you may encounter. If you don't bend your knees, you will end up absorbing the waves at your waist, making you very unstable. Not to mention your back will hurt in the morning.

Tip 2: Straighten your back.
Bending your knees will allow you to straighten your back. This will give you a more relaxed composure. Many new skiers spend the whole time hunched over at the waist. This is the sure sign of a novice skier. Do your back a favor, stand up.

Tip 3: Extend your arms.
Your arms are what deal with any slack in the line. When you get slack, you need pull your arms in so that your don't fall over, but many new skiers keep their hands close to their chest. When slack comes along, they have no way to compensate and fall over backwards. Extending your arms will make you much more stable.

Tip 4: Center your weight over both skis.
We haven't gotten there yet, but in the steering article, you will learn that putting more weight on one foot will cause you to turn. If you just want to go straight, center your weight.

Tip 5: Keep your skis together.
Nobody likes to do the splits. Your skis shouldn't be so close to each other that they're touching, but your feet should be less than shoulder width apart.

If you keep these simple things in mind, you'll be skiing marathon laps around the lake. And once you can stably ski around, you are ready to learn how to steer on two skis.

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