Category Archives: Waterski Techniques

Healthy Hamstrings

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Like most athletes, skiers are notorious for having tight, inflexible hamstrings.  In sports, tight hamstrings are a cause of low back pain and knee pain. However, just because this is common, doesn’t mean that there is no solution.

Hold a stretch, like the band hamstring stretch in the video above, for one minute each leg every day and see your hamstring flexibility improve. It will take time and consistency, but the winter months are a perfect time to focus on recovery and mobility to be ready for the upcoming ski season. 

For regular fitness tips, follow Hobe lake Ski Club on Instagram and Facebook!

Winter Fitness Training

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With winter upon us, now is a good time to get serious about getting in shape for next season.

Working out with a personal trainer may produce better results than going to the gym by yourself. A good trainer should be able to give you exercises specific to your sport and help you stay motivated through the winter months.

slalom skierAs we all know, core training is beneficial to us water skiers, but often we tend to overlook our legs. Strong legs are essential to maintaining a quiet upper body and powerful position in the slalom course.

Make sure to use proper technique during your workouts to prevent injury; this is another reason why it might be beneficial to work with a coach. It’s also very important to work on flexibility with a good stretching program, and then exercise your muscles through their full range of motion. Just try to have a good time doing it!

Last but not least, planning a trip here to Florida’s Treasure Coast can break up the winter just enough to get you up to speed faster next spring. You’ll forget about all the hard work you put in when you’re ripping it up and running your personal best next season.

Driving the Slalom Course

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driver courseSlalom skiing is an individual sport, yet the boat driver plays an important role in the enjoyment of our ski sessions and in the success we achieve.
Just as in most sports, in order to become the best driver you can be you need to practice as much as you can. There is more to it than just spending time in the driver seat though.

Here are some ideas that might help you next time you make it out on the water:

  • The first is to keep your boat balanced. Fifty pounds of weight that can be moved around usually does the trick.
  • It is very important to get the boat up to speed and lined up early so the skier has a nice long run into the pre-gates without having to worry about either the driver or the boat path.
  • Once the skier starts the pull out, make sure your boat path stays in line with the course without getting pulled over to the left. The last thing you want to do here is to correct while the skier is on his glide, since that will almost always guarantee a negative swing with the skier.
  • As a driver you want to stay in sync with your skier, so it’s important to stay proactive. Know where your skier is at all times, and don’t be afraid to move a little sooner than you are comfortable.

The worst thing you can do is wait until the skier pulls you and then react since you will be chasing the skier the whole time and your boat path will suffer. If you execute this properly though, you will be able to keep the line tight, and both you and your skier will feel tremendous satisfaction!

Good luck!